My phone rang just after nine.
I spent two nights assembling everything.
“You need to see this,” Sarah said.
She texted me a screenshot from the HOA portal.
I opened it.
At the top was an announcement welcoming the newest member of the board.
PAUL.
My stomach dropped.
“You need to see this,”
For two nights we’d been building a case against him.
And while we’d been doing it, Paul had put himself inside the very organization we planned to ask for help.
For the first time since we’d started gathering evidence, I wondered if we’d already lost.
Then I looked at the thick folder on my kitchen table.
I wondered if we’d already lost.
Eleven people had finally been brave enough to put their names on it.
The old me would have shredded it out of fear.
But I wasn’t going to back down now.
***
The next morning, I drove straight to the neighborhood HOA office.
My hands felt clammy on the folder, but I told myself this was the right way to handle it.
Paul walked out of the manager’s office before I even reached the door.
I wasn’t going to back down now.
He wore a smug grin that stopped me cold.
“Well, well,” he said. “Come to file a little complaint?”
“Actually, yes,” I replied, holding up the folder. “I have video of you destroying my sprinklers.”
He laughed, an ugly, satisfied sound.
“You’re too late. I’m on the board now.”
My stomach turned.
“You’re too late. I’m on the board now.”
He’d barely taken up his seat, and he was already determined to abuse his authority.
“That doesn’t change what you did, Paul.”
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