“Is money all you care about?” I ask, trying to keep my screwdriver-wielding hand from running wild and stabbing him in the crotch.
Wolfe purses his lips. “Is that… bad? I’m the silent majority shareholder of the ‘Gossip Grove’where I publish my articles. Then I sell my spare pictures for the kind of money most people only dream of.”
“Despicable,” Rust spits.
Wolfe smirks at me. “That pic of you stumbling out of the bar in Nashville for example? Got me 50k. And all I had to do was bribe the bouncer and foot the bill for the roofies I dropped in your drink when I walked past. You didn’t even notice me.”
My breath catches. I knew I wasn’t crazy when I thought somebody spiked my drink.
Rust growls. He jumps out from behind me, hammer raised. “You dirty bastard! I’ll make you fucking pay!”
I grab his arm, holding him back. “Wait!”
Rust’s eyes are wild as he looks at me. “This asshole deserves to have his head bashed in!”
“Fuck, I’d love to see him suffer. But first, I gotta hear what else he has to say. If it’s about Rex, it could be important. It could be my chance to finally take him down. Can you wait, Big Guy? Can you do that for me, please?”
Rust nods and lowers the hammer. He glares at Wolfe, drawing a finger across his throat and the little man lookslike he’d piss himself again if there was anything left in his bladder.
I poke a finger at Wolfe’s face. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? I mean, what would your family say if they knew that you make your money by ruining people’s lives and profiting from their pain?”
Wolfe shrugs. “Got no family.”
“Wife?” I ask.
“No.”
“Girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Kids? Maybe a pet?”
Wolfe shakes his head. “No. Just me, my camera and my laptop.”
Rust spins the hammer, cackling madly. I can practically smell the bloodlust seeping out of his pores. “Great! Nobody’s gonna miss this scumbag when I turn his skull into pulp.”
Wolfe whimpers. “If you let me go, I’ll give you all the footage from your road trip and I’ll testify against Rex. He’ll be ruined! I know how he treats his talents. Don’t you want revenge, Tally?”
I give a sarcastic smile. “Nice try but snitching on him for your stupid campus tabloid ain’t gonna do the trick.”
“You don’t understand,” Wolfe pleads. “Istillwork with Rex! He told me which bar you were at in Nashville that night and told me to drug you for the shot. That washisidea!”
I’m stunned.
“We never stopped dealing in rumors and humiliation. We simply learned to weaponize it on a grander scale,” Wolfe continues quickly.
“You better start making sense fast!” Rust spits.
“Okay, okay!” Wolfe sputters. “Rex tips me off whereto find my targets at their most vulnerable and he gets a percentage of my earnings in return. He also utilizes my work as a punishment for singers who step out of line, so he can pretend to protect them from the fallout. Make them think they need him. When Tally canceled the tour, he told me to follow you on this trip.”
Rust lets out a deep growl. “They’re both so fuckin’ dead… Can I kill him now? And then I’ll make sure Dalton gets his comeuppance next. Let me at him, Trouble!”
“Not yet. We need the full story.” I look at Wolfe. “How did Rex know where I was?”
“He had a tracker sewn into the cushioning of your guitar case years ago. He always knew where you were. If he said he didn’t, he was lying.”
I fold an arm over my belly, suddenly feeling sick. “Did he know about my secret excursions without my wig and contacts, too?”
