I grimaced, squirming in my seat. “It’s embarrassing, Mr. DeLuca.”
“I don’t care what it is. I’m not here to judge you. It would help if I knew what the real issue is. What the hell does this person have on you that is freaking you out so bad?”
Covering my face with my hands, I dug my index fingers into the corners of my eyes. “Oh God,” I whispered, trying to breathe through my nose.
“I promise not to laugh,” he said in a steady, calm voice.
“I wish it were funny,” I mumbled as my stomach started to knot and my eyes met his.
“Did you sell drugs?” The side of his jaw ticked.
I blinked rapidly at him. “Are you kidding me?”
He shrugged. “No. I’m just trying to come up with what the hell it could possibly be.” He rubbed his chin, studying me. “Did you cheat?”
“No.” I shook my head, absently stroking my throat.
“Get pregnant and not have the baby?” He raised an eyebrow.
“No. Jesus,” I muttered, shaking my head.
“Let’s start with something easier. What did the first e-mail say and why did you erase it?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I thought it was bullshit. So I just erased it and pretended it never happened.” My chest tightened as I peered up at him. “Promise me you won’t judge me?” I winced.
“Just spill it, Race. I won’t think differently of you, unless you killed someone. We all have a checkered past.”
I looked down at my lap. “I was seeing this guy for about a year. I thought we were in love.” My stomach churned just from thinking about him.
“And?”
“One night we were partying and—God, this is so stupid.” I shook my head, covering my face with my hands. “He convinced me to make a sex video as a memento of our time together.”
“That’s it?” he said. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
I dropped my hands as I straightened. “But how many people get a threat that it would be sent to their boss?”
He slapped the desk. “Why didn’t you tell me that? It’s simple. Has to be your ex-boyfriend.”
I shook my head, pursing my lips. “Nope. It’s not him. He died after we graduated. But someone claims to have the video.” I gave a long, low sigh.
“It’s just a job, Race.”
Rubbing my temples, I lifted my head to meet his gaze. “It’s all I have, Morgan. I worked my ass off to get where I am today. There’s no way in hell I’m going to let anyone destroy it.”
“Hmm,” he muttered, rubbing his chin. “Okay. It has to be someone who had access to your ex’s things after he died. Tell me more about him.”
“He was an engineering major, and we met sophomore year. Things between us heated up quickly, and we spent every waking minute together before we broke up at the end of my junior year.”
He stared at me for a moment without speaking, continuing to stroke his chin. “Keep going.”
“His name was Shane. I bumped into him one day while he was waiting for his cousin after class.” I glanced out the office window, thinking about how much easier my life had been then.
“Do you remember his cousin’s name?”
I shook my head, looking up at the ceiling. “They weren’t close. His cousin was a jerk. I want to say it was something like Kyle or Tyler.” I shrugged.
“It’s a start, princess.”
