Grant glowered. It was evident that this was already not quite going his way, and he didn’t entirely understand why. “So you’ve finally come to your senses and decided to stop camping out in that ridiculous gold mining town.”
“I’ve come to talk,” Arden said evenly. She tried to keep a tight control on her temper. Grant had always known exactly how to work her up, make her cry or yell, until she ended up feeling like the one who had to apologize. Not this time. “Sloan showed me the pictures he took.”
“Ah.” Grant’s smile reappeared, smooth as a snake’s slinky glide. It was the smile that meant he thought he had the upper hand. “So you understand what your new so-called friends are.”
“Yeah, they’re shifters,” Arden said. There was no sense in playing dumb about it. “I also know you have no problem with shifters yourself. You sponsor anti-shifter bills because it plays well to your constituents, not because you personally hate them.”
Grant shrugged. “So? It’s not like it matters. I didn’t thinkyou’dwant to associate with them, or them with you, if they knew about your history.”
Arden dropped her gaze, ashamed, then looked up swiftly when the waitress arrived carrying a plastic glass of water. Both Grant and Sloan had nothing but drinks in front of them, Grant a cup of coffee and Sloan a Coke. As the waitress put Arden’s water glass in front of her, she said in a slightly pointed tone, “Anything else I can get you, hon? You happy here?”
Are you in trouble?was the clear implication.
“No thanks, I’m fine,” Arden told her.
After the waitress left, Grant said, “You can’t possibly be enjoying yourself in this one-horse town. You used to prefer the finer things in life.”
“Yeah, because you introduced me to them. When you met me, I was a struggling college student who could barely afford ramen.” Arden stopped and took a deep breath. She could not allow Grant to control this conversation. More calmly, she said, “But that doesn’t matter. I’m not here because I miss fancy furniture and nice restaurants. I’m here because you and Sloan—” She gave Sloan a pointed look, letting him know he wasn’t going to be left out of this conversation even if he wanted to be. “You two have pictures of one of my friends. I want those pictures destroyed.”
Grant huffed a small, sharp-edged laugh. He still thought this was going his way; Arden knew the signs. Sloan looked less certain.
“Sure,” Grant said. “Once you’re back home with me, we’ll delete all the copies.”
“That’s not how that’s going to go,” Arden told him.
Grant looked at her as if a chair had suddenly spoken to him and told him that it didn’t want to be sat upon anymore.
Arden reached under her jacket and removed the envelope. She placed it on the table beside her water glass.
She had to admit it didn’t look very impressive. It had been carried around in her backpack for weeks; it was crumpled and dirty and a little water-stained on one corner.
“Sloan?” Grant said. “What exactly did you give her? You said she didn’t take the dragon pictures with her.”
“She didn’t. That’s not from me.” Sloan was looking at her in the way Grant wasn’t—curious, and a little impressed, even. He had guessed she had something up her sleeve, even if he didn’t know exactly what yet.
“This is my insurance,” Arden said. She swallowed and placed a hand on it. “When I left you, Grant, I took some things with me. Every dirty deal, every shady under-the-counter bribe—I don’t have proof of all of it, Grant, but I have enough. Maybe not enough to put you in jail, but I can definitely end your career if I send this to the newspapers. You tried to blackmail me, but let’s just say ... Grant, I learned from the best.”
Grant stared at her.
Then he lunged and grabbed the envelope away from her. “What the hell is this? What game are you playing? Why the hell would you just give me—” His face changed; he placed the envelope beside him on the booth seat, on his other side. “Anyway, whatever you think is in there, you made a big mistake coming here with it.”
“I would have, if I only had one copy, but I’m not that stupid, Grant.”
“Sloan,” Grant said coldly. “Restrain her. She’s coming with us whether she wants to or not.”
Arden tensed, but Sloan didn’t move.
“Sloan, I said?—”
“I heard you, sir,” Sloan said quietly. “And I’m going to pretend I didn’t, because I’m sure that you telling me to kidnap your ex-wife isn’t something either of us wants to happen.” He shot a sideways glance at the waitress, who kept giving them looks, and the other customer, sipping coffee and reading a newspaper at the counter. “Especially in front of witnesses.”
Arden realized she must not have inhaled in a while because her lungs were screaming for air, and sucked in a deep, shaking breath. Her hands were trembling. “Thank you.”
“Yes,” Grant said dangerously, “thank you,Sloan.”
“Always looking out for your best interests, sir.”
Arden cleared her throat. “I don’t plan to go public with any of this, Grant ...ifyou destroy the photos that Sloan took and finish signing my divorce paperwork.”
