The familiar voice stopped me dead in my tracks. Even though I needed to find her, I still feared what she had to say. Slowly, I turned to face my sister, half expecting her right-hand man to jump out from the bushes and murder me.
“Are you here to finish me off?” I was almost hopeful.
“Do you want me to?” Nikki replied.
“It might be easier. But maybe you just want to watch Hartman do it.” It was a low blow, but I felt entitled to take it.
“Your memory fails you.” She frowned. “I tried to save you.”
“You left me dying in the alley.”
“The police were running toward you!”
“And you were running away. Nice, Nik. Thanks a lot.”
“Who do you think has been watching over you the past few months? You’ve been off living the high life with your glamour girlfriend and her rich family, and I’ve been in hell.” She dropped her voice to a gravelly whisper. “I’ve literally been on my fucking knees for you, so lay off the attitude.”
We stood there staring, at an impasse. I couldn’t tell if she was lying or playing both sides. I grabbed her arm and led her away from the security cameras.
“What do you know?”
“About?”
“Who is sending me the message—the flyers that say,on the count of three. Is it from them?”
“Jesus, Rory. Who did you think they’re from, your kindergarten teacher?”
“I’m on the verge of a fucking panic attack, so just tell me what’s going on.”
“They want you to keep your mouth shut. They know you’re working with the FBI, so they can’t forcibly do it for you.”
“I’m not working with the FBI.”
“You are. You just don’t realize it. You think you got into the Camden Place—the all-inclusive Sandals retreat for foster kids—on your looks alone? News flash: you’re not that attractive.”
I shrugged off the insult. “What about the photograph sent to Jake? Of me. Who’s blackmailing him?”
Her brows dipped, head slowly shaking. “I don’t know anything about that.”
I eyed her skeptically.
“I don’t, but I doubt it’s coming from the top. They’ve been trying to get rid of all their kiddie stash. If they could, they’d be flushing it down the toilets. Too bad it’s all digital.”
“Right. Too bad.”
“Sounds to me more like a minor player looking for a payday. Someone found out you were connected to Jake, and they had the presence of mind to exploit it.”
That was what scared me the most. Someone had made the connection, and it felt like this was only the beginning of an ominously dark storm coming my way. I had to leave. I had to.
“Trust me, Rory. If this gets out, he won’t be the only one. The only way to stop the wave coming their way is to distance yourself from the McKallisters. They’re easy targets. Especially with Jake being in the public eye and worth millions. He’s ripe for blackmail.”
“Because he’s associated with me,” I said flatly.
“What did you think was going to happen?”
“I don’t know, Nik. I’m playing defense here. If you hadn’t fed me to the wolves, none of this would’ve been an issue.”
“It’s not like I did it on purpose. I was a victim too. I know you blame me, but I was lured in, just like you.”
