But eventually, even those who pretend to be the most blind to the ugly truths will be forced to reckon them.
And Cato doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.
He doesn’t know that my girl is a kick-ass journalist.
He doesn’t know that she did her research.
He doesn’t know that she’s taking all that anger she has, and she’s putting it into her words.
He doesn’t know that she is going to be the one to destroy him.
Which is ironic, because she’s the one who saved me.
I hearher typing away in her office, and I knock on the door with a cup of tea. She looks up from her computer and smiles at me, and I set it down in front of her and give her a kiss.
“Got a minute?” I ask her. She closes her laptop without hesitation, looking up at me with a smile.
“Anything for you, good lookin’,” she says. She looks tired. But she’s still the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on. I sit down on the desk in front of her and reach behind me, taking the pamphlet out of my back pocket. Her eyes drop to it then look back up to me.
“I’ve been making some calls,” I say. “I’ve been in touch with a few doctors who specialize in your mom’s type of cancer. There is a new trial treatment that was just brought to market last year. They only take a certain number of patients per year,and they have a spot open. It starts next week in Baltimore.” She swallows, looking down at the paperwork, her eyes moving swiftly over the words. Then she looks back up to me. “I’ve spoken to your parents, and I would like to cover all their expenses. It’s a six-week trial, so I will take care of all their living expenses too. She’s allowed one companion at a time, so I thought we could all take turns, and whoever stays home can keep Cole. It’s not a guarantee, but at least it’s something.”
She stares down at the brochure, and I realize that her hands are starting to shake. Then she lifts her eyes to me, and she blinks out big tears. I wrap her in my arms and rock her back and forth.
“Thank you,” she says. “This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever… Thank you.” She sniffs and wipes her face then pulls back. “I…I don’t want you to think that I expected or expect anything from you. I… This is new territory. I…”
“Stop, Wren,” I tell her, putting my hands on top of hers. “If I could take away every worry you ever had, I would. I’d let them seep into me and take them all on, no questions asked. But since I can’t, this is the closest thing to it. I didn’t earn this money. And it’s clear that some of this is blood money. So it’s time that some of it be used for good. After the story takes off…after Cato is exposed…I have no idea what will be left of my family, or the fortune, or any of it. So I’m going to take care of the people I love now and keep working to right his wrongs. I just want to be here for you.”
She nods slowly, blinking out a few more big tears. Then she looks up to me slowly.
“What if it doesn’t work?” she asks.
“Then I’ll be here for that too.”
WREN
“That boy is nuts about you,” Mom says, watching Brooks walk away. Dad is staying in New York this week, so Brooks and I came with her for her fourth treatment session. He just took my drink order and happily skipped away down the hall to retrieve it. Mom’s flipping through the pages of the trashy magazine I bought her. She says nothing numbs her mind faster than insane celebrity gossip. Unbeknownst to her is the fact that her daughter is about to unleash some of the biggest celebrity gossip the world has ever seen.
Just wait till she reads it.
But then it hits me…what if she never does?
BROOKS
“One grande venti mocha pistachio something something,” I say, handing Wren a big plastic cup full of some creamy-looking goodness. She laughs as she takes it, taking a sip almost immediately.
“Mmm,” she says. “Perfect.”
“Hey,” I say, “you’ve been in that chair all morning. Why don’t you stretch your legs a bit?” Her eyes immediately dart to her mom, but I put my hand on hers. “Don’t worry about her. She and I need some quality time. I haven’t gotten to make her love me yet,” I say with a wink. Her mom laughs next to me, and she smiles.
“You’re closer than you think,” she tells me. “And he’s right, hon. Go get a little fresh air.”
She takes in a deep breath then nods.
“Fine,” she says, standing up and taking another sip of her drink. “I’ll be back. Don’t talk about me too much.”
I watch her walk away, and I hear Mrs. Wright chuckle next to me. She whistles.
“How bad is it?” she asks me.
