“Ok, send the file first.”
“I told you, pay first.”He snickers.
“Fuck off.”
I hang up.My banking app works wonders, and I send him the money within a minute.No tip—he’s not worth it.
I send the payment proof, and it goes to his number automatically.A while later the file pings my phone.Page after page loads, and I read fast, slowing only when my brain has to knit the conclusion from Matthew’s findings.
My mind drifts back to Whitehill Academy, to high school.My chest tightens when I see the truth about Alan and Amy.
“Goddamn, that son of a bitch,” I mutter through clenched teeth as I print the documents.Fenella has to know.Alan needs to be hauled in for questioning.
“Hey, buddy.”Derek strolls over, all playful energy.
“Not now, Derek,” I say without looking up, my hands moving across the laptop to feed the printer.
“Why so serious?Just ’cause your heart’s in tatters doesn’t mean I’ll put up with your sour face.”He snorts.
“What are you talking about?”I frown and turn to him while I wait for the last sheet to print.
“Don’t lie to me.If you need a rebound, I’ve got a stack of model friends from my dating app.”
“What?I’m not looking for a replacement.”My brows pull together.
“So you two are still together?”
“Yeah.Solid.”
“Then why the hell is that ad out?This is Fenella, right?”He shows me his phone.
Oh hell.It’s the controversial ad video.He plays it.I promised not to watch, but fate apparently disagrees.
I go quiet as the video plays.Alan and Fenella are hooking up in broad daylight.Their bodies are technically covered by racks and extras, but they move like they’re going at each other.
“People are losing it,” he says, shaking his head.“Everyone’s assuming they’re a thing.I hope that’s not true.”
My heart races, blood pounding in my neck.My hands ball into fists.I stay still, digesting a less-than-a-minute ad.
What the fuck.My vision goes black.I crumple the fresh printouts in both hands.
“That son of a bitch,” I growl, trying to stop my body from shaking.
Fenella said Alan didn’t touch her.She said it was the same as always.How dare she lie to me?How dare that bastard touch her?
Enough.I’m done holding back.I’ll strip that man down and expose everything.
I stuff the documents into a brown envelope, grab the motorcycle key from the desk drawer, and in the next second I’m sprinting toward the parking garage.
“Laird!Where you going?!”Derek calls, but I don’t stop.
I run like a bull in front of a red flag.Right now I’ve got one mission: to drag that demon back to hell.I type a furious message to Alan.
Me:
I know everything.You’re dead meat.
9
