“I didn’t tell her a thing. Our lawyer said it was a dividend release.” He bends nearer my ear, whispering, “And I won’t tell her… if you agree.”
This time, his smugness doesn’t bother me. It’s earned. I’m appalled at my naivety, thinking a recording would make this entire disaster go away.
Even if I get around his current plan, Damien has inexhaustible resources. He’s probably got a dozen others. Each more diabolical than the last.
“What was the other thing?” My voice barely audible.
His fingers brush my face, almost tender. “It’s almost time for class. Let’s leave it there for the time being. You know where the car wash café is?”
The service is a few minutes’ walk from school, on a busy corner. “Yeah.”
“Good. Meet me there after school, and Ophelia?”
“What?”
His thumb rasps over my cheekbone, then he releases me. “Don’t be late.”
CHAPTER TEN
OPHELIA
I manageclasses as normal until after lunch, then call into the sick bay for the last two lessons, unable to stomach sitting near Damien after this morning’s performance. Although I spend the two hours curled on my side, facing the wall, the time passes at breakneck speed.
Yet the moment I walk onto the forecourt of the carwash café, the clock stops moving.
Fifteen increasingly nervous minutes crawl by as I hover beside the main door, inhaling wax and tyre polish cut through with the crispness of lemon-scented suds.
My palms scuff on the cinderblock wall, but I keep them pressed against the surface, so I won’t check my phone for the hundredth time.
“Hey!”
I jump at Damien’s sudden appearance, his tall frame throwing me into shadow. His fingers splay across my lower back, guiding me to a sleek SUV, the colour of fresh blood.
“Phone.”
After this morning, I fully expected the demand but still feel aggrieved about handing it over. A sensation born more from my unpreparedness than resentment at Damien.
I had all weekend. I should’ve thought of something better.
When I sink into the leather seat, I leave the passenger door sitting open.
“In or out, Snowflake? If you wanted to skip this meeting altogether, you’ve left things a bit late.”
“Can’t we talk in the café? You could put this into the washing queue.”
“And have them spoil my paintwork? I don’t think so.”
When I still hesitate, he circles the car, patting my outer thigh to check I’m fully inside before slamming the door. I distract myself by exploring the dash with my fingertips, inhaling the rich scent of the upholstery.
“You okay there? You’re looking a little on edge.”
“Just an allergic reaction to your bullshit.”
He laughs and leans across me, radiating body heat as he fixes the strap across my chest, fingers lingering far too long.
It’s such a confusing show of care. A muscle tightens in my belly, and I snap, “I do know how to pull on a seatbelt.”
“Of course you do,” he teases, enunciating each word like I’m a child. I flinch when his hand appears near my face, tucking strands behind my ear. “Very jumpy. Perhaps you should’ve tried swallowing a few of those pills.”
