“I do. And another copy as well.”
“Silver.” She sits across from me again, looking me in the eye. “This isn’t small town drama. That’s prison level shit. This is serious.”
“I know.” I hold out the flash drive to her. “Which is why I want you to hold onto this copy. In case something happens to me. No one will know you have it, but if they lock me up…or worse, you can send it anonymously to the attorney general and to the press.”
She swallows hard, looking at the small black flash drive like it’s a snake that may strike before reaching out to take it.
“You don’t have to. If this is too much, I can get one of my brothers to?—”
“No,” she interrupts, taking it from me. “Of course I’ll help. I’m not scared for me. I’m scared for you. What exactly do you plan to do?”
I’ve put a lot of thought into that. Every ounce of me wants to see them all arrested. To see them led away in handcuffs, their names splashed all over the news, to set the town free of them. That day will come, but first, I’m covering my own ass.
“I’m going to blackmail the judge executive.”
Calli leaps to her feet again and stares down at me. “What?”
I nod, sitting up straighter. “I’m going to call Grady Matheson and tell him I want to meet to discuss the diner. Only with him, not Austin or the others. He’ll assume I’m ready to give in, make a deal that gets me out of trouble and lets them buy Lucky’s. Or he’ll think I’m meeting to beg for mercy. Either way, he’ll show up.”
“I’m sure he will.”
“I’m going to show him the paper copies and tell him that he’s going to make sure all charges are dropped against me for hitting Austin. The fire marshal is in his pocket too. He can make him rule my house fire as accidental so the insurance will pay. And I’ll demand they leave me alone. Or else I’ll turn them all in.”
“You’re going to blackmail the most powerful man in the county.”
I shrug like it’s no big deal. “They’ve been paying people off and bribing them for more than thirty years. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Calli looks terrified. “Unless they decide to kill you and throw you in the lake!”
“Which is why I need you to hold onto the copy. I’ll make it clear that if anything happens to me, the copies will be sent to the authorities and the press.” Her expression is a mixture of doubt and fear. “I don’t see another way. I’ve lost my house and it looks like insurance won’t pay. I still owe the loan I took out, and I went deeper in debt for repairs after the vandalism. Even if I don’t get any jail time for the assaultcharge, there will be fines and legal fees. They’re going to bankrupt me.”
Calli’s voice is soft. “Listen, Arlow and I have more than enough to help.”
“I’m not taking your money. Lee offered the same, and I really love you all for it, but I can’t. Besides, that won’t keep them from continuing to target me until they get the diner. This is the answer.”
With a sigh, she sits down again and mulls it over. Finally, she nods, still looking afraid but also impressed. “You’re right. But you have to meet him in a public place and you’re absolutely not going alone.”
“Okay, but he needs to think I’m alone. Do you know where Freddy’s Bar and Grill is? I’ll have him meet me there after lunchtime. It won’t be crowded or full of his cronies, and it’s public.”
“I know where it is. I can pretend to be having lunch there and keep an eye on you. Maybe I could have Alicia go with me. I won’t tell her what’s going on, just that you have a meeting with a man you don’t trust and want a safety net.”
If she feels better having someone with her, I’m not going to argue. “Okay, that’ll work.” I reach over to take her hand. “You’re the only one I’m trusting with this. I know you well enough to know you won’t want to keep it from Arlow, but I’m asking you to, at least until after the meeting. I don’t need him telling Lee. He’ll bully his way in to try to fix things.”
A small grin grows on her face. “Yeah, he would. I won’t say anything to Arlow until you’re okay with it. But Lee’s someone you can trust with this if you want to. If he goeswith you or makes it obvious that he’s watching, he can be intimidating.”
“No, I’m not getting a man to fight this battle with me or for me. They’re going to have to accept they were beaten by a woman. Two women, actually. None of this would be possible without Celia.”
“When are you going to meet him?”
“I’ll call and let you know.” I lean back into the couch. My chest is lighter. It feels good that someone else knows the truth and is standing with me.
Calli’s phone beeps with a text. “It’s Alicia wanting to know if we got lost,” she laughs. “We’d better head back.” She tucks the flash drive in her pocket and goes to fetch the kids’ pajamas.
“Thank you,” I tell her, grabbing her in a hug.
It’s snowing on our short walk back, and I’m looking up at the sky when she asks, “Are you and Lee still…getting along?”
“He’s moody as fuck lately but yes, we’re tolerating each other.”
