Page 18 of Reveal

“Mmm.” It’s all I can muster as emotion clogs in my throat. “Please don’t hesitate to call with questions.”

“I won’t.”

“Your name so I can look for your information?” I ask, pretty convinced he won’t follow through with it, the nerves in his voice more than telling.

“Noah.”

“Thanks for calling, Noah. I’ll be in touch once you’ve filled everything out.”

When I hang up, I sit in the silence of my car for a bit and fight the sudden swell of sadness that overtakes me. With Ryker near, I felt more invincible than ever before. I knew I could earn money through Wicked Ways, pay off my debt, and then get custody of Lucy. The worry was always there, but the doubt I could pull it off diminished knowing he had my back.

And now? Now . . . I just feel vulnerable. I hate everything about the way it feels. So much so that once again I’m fighting my own resolve against picking up the phone and calling him.

With a resigned sigh, I get out of my car and head up the walk. I see the flowers and chocolates on my porch the minute I turn the corner. A groan falls out of my mouth, and a pang of grief hits me at the same time my cell rings yet again.

But it’s not the person I think I was hoping to see on my caller ID. In fact, I don’t know who it is at all.

With a sigh and a hunch that it’s yet another referral from Ryker, I answer the call. “Wicked Ways, this is Vee. How may I help you?”

“Just how wicked are your ways?”

I jolt at the voice and then curl my lip in disgust. I should have expected he’d call, but with each passing day, I thought less about it happening.

Guess who was just proved wrong?

“What? Cat got your tongue?” He chuckles. “Oh, right. You didn’t expect it to be me, did you? Burner cell phones, letting men cheat on their wives for years,” he says in an announcer’s voice.

“Go to hell.” I end the call just as his laughter sounds off.

And then I hate myself for being weak. For not telling him to leave me alone or . . . Or what, Vaughn? For not telling him you have a damning log of phone calls that makes absolutely zero sense to you? That’s great. Threatening him with a paper someone else told you could bring him to his knees even though you don’t have a fucking clue what that something is?

I press my fingers to the bridge of my nose and close my eyes. Sure, I could threaten him with the pictures again, but would that do any good? Underage girls would probably get overlooked by other politicians and be buried by the news cycle within days.

“You don’t have a leg to stand on, Vaughn,” I murmur to myself as I shake my head, a little dazed and a lot tired, on the front porch and realize I have no position of power when it comes to Carter Preston.

None.

I jump when my cell rings again. The same number. The same asshole.

My same cowardice.

Each ring only adds fuel to the fire of my temper.

My spirits wilt when he’s finally pushed to voice mail. Ten seconds pass before his number lights up my screen again like a stalker.

His audacity unnerves me. His refusal to give up even more so.

This is all because of Ryker.

Tears sting hotly with a mixture of anger and hurt as I shove my phone into my bag and stare at the flowers and chocolates in front of me.

Another attempt by Ryker to show me how sorry he is for putting everything I’ve worked for at risk. And for breaking my heart.

The rage I’ve been waiting to feel finally hits me. The emptiness sparks into a riot of temper as I snatch up the flowers and chocolates and push my way into the house.

I toss my purse on the floor and grab the closest box I can find. It’s a file box that’s filled with bills, and I dump them on the table without a thought to the disorganization it will cause and begin rushing around my house. Anything and everything that Ryker has ever sent me or Lucy I shove in the box. All the stuffed animals, the chocolates, the deflated balloons—even the flowers.

And only when I shove the lid on it and the wretched sound of the tape gun fills my house as I seal it shut do I allow myself to process everything. Allow myself the huge, heaving sobs I’ve resisted shedding. Allow myself to admit to the loneliness I feel without Ryker.