“Sorry, Dad. I’d better go. I have some groveling to do tomorrow with Dex.”
“And I have some errands to run and a house to clean before Bev gets back Sunday night.”
She kissed him on the cheek. “This won’t end when you get married, will it? Our talks?”
“Hell no. You’ll always be my girl, Maya. And no wife, and no future husband you might beg to take you back, will ever change that.”
“Ah, I don’t know about a husband, Dad. I’m just trying to patch up things with my boyfriend. Let’s not go too fast.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, right. Good luck.” He scooted her out the door and shut it behind her, making her wonder exactly what Dex and her father had talked about.
Excited at the thought that Dex might not actually be done with her, that maybe, just maybe, he was waiting for her to come to her senses, she hurried home and went to bed.
Pounding on her door the following morning woke her. Bleary-eyed, she noted the hour had passed ten. “Need coffee.”
More pounding. She threw on a robe, shivering over the cold wooden floor, and hurried to her door. She opened it without thinking.
“Maya.” Dex stood there staring down at her. He didn’t smile. “We need to talk.”
She stepped back when he moved close. Before she knew it he’d entered and stopped in the middle of her living room. He wore a down vest and jeans, and he looked like he’d been up all night.
“Dex?”
“We have a major problem.” He ran an unsteady hand through his hair. Totally not the way she’d thought this meeting would go.
“Ah, okay. I was coming to see you later, as a matter of fact.”
“Why?” He frowned.
“Why?” It was sounding more and more as if he and her father hadn’t shared anything at all about her. No asking her dad for her hand in marriage or begging Roy to tell Maya to come back to him. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
He looked her over, and she thought she saw hunger in his gaze. But when he met her stare, she saw nothing but worry.
“You’re freaking me out. What’s up?”
Dex gave a deep sigh. “You remember that little film we made? The one in my studio?”
The blood drained from her face. “Yeah.”
“Well, it’s missing.”
“What do you mean,missing?” She stupidly hadn’t given it another thought after making the thing.Dumb, Maya.
“I mean, I had it at work in the back. I’d meant to destroy it. I’d never use it against you or anything.” He turned red.
“I know, Dex.” God, her heart hurt seeing him and feeling so distant from him. “I trust you.”
He swore. “Too bad I forgot to lock up the drawer I had it in.”
“Just tell me already.”
“Selena Thorpe and a few friends came in for a photo shoot a few days ago. Selena might be Selena, but money is money. I was taking pictures of her friends when she disappeared. I didn’t think anything about it. Hell, I was glad not to have to deal with her looking over my shoulder, if you want the truth. But when I packed up to go home for the day, I remembered our video. It was gone.” He looked miserable. “I couldn’t believe she’d have anything to do with it being missing. I mean, Icould, but how the hell could she know what was on that camera? It could have been a simple theft, right? But who the hell leaves expensive equipment and steals a memory card? So I thought maybe I’d taken the card home and misplaced it. I’ve been looking everywhere for it.”
She felt light-headed.
“Selena called last night. She wants both of us to meet her up on the mountain or it goes viral.”
“Oh my God. Are you serious?” Her voice rose. “That bitch is trying to blackmail us?”
