“What did you want to tell me?” I asked more harshly than I had intended.
She jerked her hand back. “I think…I know… I owe you an apology.”
“Is that so?”
She nodded. “I know you didn’t give Karen the photos.”
I was taken aback. “How?” I cocked my head. “I mean, I obviously know that. I just fired her and made her hand over all her electronics and passwords to me. We’re wrapping her up in a nondisclosure agreement, and Blade is eradicating all digital traces of the photos.”
“Oh,” Meg said. “Well, I was just with Walter and—”
“Walter,” I growled.
“Don’t get all snarly,” she said mildly. “You were, well, you were right. He’s a piece of shit. He helped Karen hack into your phone.”
“That bastard,” I roared. “I’m going to kill him!”
“I’m guessing Karen didn’t tell you that part?” Meg said grimly.
“She did not,” I growled.
“Now you can finally go after him!” She smiled up at me.
I looked at her then out over the long shadows cast by the setting sun. “No,” I said. “I won’t. If I make it public, then it would just draw attention to the situation. He’s not stupid. He’s probably already scrubbed all traces of the data off his system just in case I decide to go after him.”
“That’s that, then!” Meg said brightly.
“Yep.” I stared at her, waiting.She has to tell me.
“Do you want to grab dinner?” she suggested. “I have to stay with my sisters, so it would have to be a quick bite but—”
“Are you serious?” I snarled at her.
She looked at me apprehensively.
“After all your high and mighty speeches about not lying, about being honest, you’re not going to tell me the truth?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She was wary, her body half-turned away from me.
I ran a hand through my hair then met her gaze. “Yes you do.”
She didn’t blink.
“Last chance to come clean,” I crooned.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She had her lawyer mask on, the one she wore in court, the one that nothing slipped past. But the fact that she wore it was proof enough.
I clenched my jaw. “A payment was made to a secret Venmo account belonging to Leif Svensson. This payment was twenty-five hundred dollars,” I recited, “and it came from your account.”
“Hunter.” Her face fell. “I-I…” she stammered. “I just did it because I thought…”
“You thought I was going to post sensitive pictures of you on the internet to, what, win an election?”
“I’m sorry,” Meg said.
“Sorry? You’re sorry? For what? For thinking I’m a sociopath? For thinking that I have so little conviction and am completely immoral that I would do such a horrible thing?” I rounded on her.
Tears leaked out of her eyes. “I don’t think that. And I promise, I’m not going to use the information,” she said quietly.
