Page 35 of Wilde About You

I spun around in the small space, and my toe kicked my black equipment bag. In my haste to leave my ransacked apartment the first time, I'd left it behind. I hated to carry it on the bus and then back up to my parents' house, but half my gear was inside and I didn't have enough money to replace it. If I went back overseas, I would need it. I zipped the bag and tucked in the long ribbon I had tied to the handle, so I could tell it apart from the dozens of other black equipment bags on the photography team. We used to joke about going home with each other's bags.

I put a pack on each shoulder and awkwardly shimmied out the door. I locked it behind me, again, mostly out of habit. I was glad not to run into any more neighbors. I didn't feel like discussing my tawdry life problems with any of them. Most of them had their own problems, mostly financial, relationship or health related. I was sure none of them were hiding from an angry heavyweight fighter and his hired thugs. I'd thought about the scary incident outside Colin's apartment a few times while tossing and turning last night. It was hard to know just what would have happened if the Wilde brothers hadn't intervened. I was sure I would have capitulated and given them the photo. Having a picture go viral was no fun if you were dead. But my biggest worry was that Gregor knew that I knew his big secret. That made me vulnerable. I didn't know him well, but the men he hired were not exactly respectable. Maybe they'd been instructed to get the photo and then take care of the nosy journalist. I shuddered at that thought.

My head turned back and forth as if I was watching a tennis match. I looked behind me several times but only spotted a teenage girl wearing earbuds and walking a doodle dog and an elderly man walking with a long stick as if he expected to be assaulted on his stroll.

The sun was even hotter as I reached the bus stop. The bench was almost too hot to sit on, but I managed to ease myself onto it. The morning rush had slowed. I was alone on the bench. I reached into my pocket for my phone to check the time and remembered I wasn't using it. Phonelessness sure made life difficult. Normally, I'd be scrolling through stupid social media posts while I waited for the bus. Maybe being without it wasn't so bad, after all. I stared north, the direction I expected to see the bus coming from. For the time being I was stuck at home. I'd stay there, mostly in my room, until I figured out what to do next.

The bus bench jiggled slightly as someone sat down next to me. I'd been so in my own head about what to do next and where to go that I hadn't even considered looking over at the person.

"Sadie Rivers, right?" the deep voice said.

I froze and gripped my two packs in my hands. They were both heavy enough to at least cause a good bump on the head if I swung them just right. My other option was to run like hell, which I decided was the best bet.

"Wait." A massive hand grabbed my arm.

I lifted my pack to swing at him but stopped when I saw the look on Buck Finch's face. It was one of pure despair and heartbreak, two emotions I'd been feeling a touch of myself. I sat back and lowered the pack.

"Not going to hurt you, and I'm sorry if Gregor is coming on a little strong. But he's got even more to lose. He's got a wife and kids, and well, he's the champ right now. I, myself, am rethinking every career choice and every choice I've made in the last ten years and not liking any of them."

The adrenaline that had been pumping through me seconds earlier began to dissipate and I felt my body relax. "I know I wasn't supposed to be in the locker room. I was taking photos for the online magazine I work for, but a big, brutish bouncer kicked me out, only he sort of lost track of me and I ran for the nearest hallway. I needed to turn in something for my assignment. I never expected⁠—"

"To get the picture of a lifetime in a smelly locker room. Look, I understand that this could be a big career boost, not to mention you could probably sell it for a fortune, but I just wanted to remind you that there are lives behind that photo."

"Trust me that fact has been going through my head a lot. Why do you think it hasn't been published yet?"

He had a very sweet smile for someone who could dislocate both my shoulders and snap my neck without breaking a sweat. "I was hoping that was the case. We've been on edge waiting for it to land in the media. Gregor, he's having a hard time. Sadie, he can be dangerous. God knows, I love the man more than anything in this world, but I also know he has a very dark side. Like I said, he has a wife and two boys. I've got my dad. He'll disown me, kick me out of the family for sure, and frankly, that's not all that bad of a punishment."

I nodded. "Aha, I see we come from the same kind of family, and ditto on banishment not being all that bad of a punishment."

The bus came around the corner.

"I'm not going to say any more," Buck said. "I understand your point of view, but I just wanted you to understand mine. A word of warning though—" For the first time since the conversation started, I felt my muscles tighten in defense. Had he acted politely just to throw me off guard? Were the thugs going to pop out from around the corner and grab me?

"Gregor will not stop until he makes sure his—our—secret is safe." The bus pulled over, and the door opened with a hiss. "Take care of yourself."

I nodded. "Thanks for talking to me. I have a lot to think about." I climbed on the bus, sat down and looked back at the bus stop. Buck was gone. Agony had rolled off of the man as he spoke. If I decided not to publish the photo it would be because of Buck. If I decided to sell it or post it, I'd do it to spite Gregor. He was lucky his partner was a decent person.

eighteen

. . .

Colin

Iparked down the road from the house. It seemed the Rivers' estate had become even more of a fortress since the last time I visited. The iron gate towered with its pointed finials and sharp edges. The surrounding wall seemed taller too, and there were cameras on every corner. My knee wasn't in shape for the drop down to the other side, even if I was able to scale it. What the hell was I doing? I wasn't even sure Sadie wanted to see me. All I needed was an arrest for trespassing, and my career would officially be over. Ace would fucking love that.

I was close to leaving when a work truck pulled up to the gate. "Fuck it, I've gotta try." I hopped out of my truck and grabbed onto the painting truck. I hurled myself up and into the bed and pulled a tarp over me. The truck rolled forward. The gates clanged shut behind us. I slipped toward the tailgate as the truck climbed the long steep driveway up to the house. We came to a stop. The two painters were having a debate about some movie they saw. I stayed still under the tarp. One of them picked up a ladder from the side of the bed, and the other snatched out a sprayer. I was in luck. They didn't touch the tarp. They were still debating the movie as they walked away. I waited an extra few seconds, then peered over the tailgate. Half a dozen construction trucks lined the driveway. I climbed out and spotted a white shirt covered in paint splatters jammed into the corner of the bed. I pulled it on. A white painter's cap, also covered with paint, sat on the dashboard. I reached through the open window, plucked it out and pulled it down low on my head.

The imposing front doors were propped open, and a long canvas drop covered the threshold to protect the shiny marble tile in the entry from dirty work boots. I was wearing jeans and sneakers, but my top half looked all business. At least I hoped it did. I reached the bottom of the stairs without notice. I vaguely remembered climbing the stairs and turning left toward Ace's room. That was the only memory I had, so that was my plan.

I could hear workers, machines and tools somewhere downstairs at the other end of the house. I hurried up the stairs and down the hallway on the left. It looked familiar, but the house was so big, it was hard to know for sure. I leaned my ear against the first door and heard nothing. I opened it and peeked inside. It was a workout room complete with treadmill, exercise bike and shiny weights that looked mostly untouched. I closed the door and walked across the hallway to the second door. Again, it was quiet behind the door, so I opened it. It was set up as a giant dressing room with racks of dresses and shelves of shoes. I shut the door. It seemed my memory had led me astray. I was sure this was the wing with the family bedrooms. I tried one more door. I leaned against it to listen in and the door pulled away. The woman was older and had on an apron. She dragged a vacuum behind her. She looked me up and down.

"What are you doing up here? The work is all downstairs." She squinted at me suspiciously. "Where is your supervisor?"

"That would be me," a voice said from behind. Just hearing it made me smile. Sadie's face was flushed as if she'd just come in from a long walk. Her long, tanned legs stuck out from jean cutoffs and her sweet curves were being nicely hugged by a turquoise tank top. "It's fine, Margo. I asked him to come up and give me a quote on painting my bedroom."

Margo looked skeptical. "Your father knows about this?"

Sadie pressed her finger against her lips. "Shh, I'm going to surprise him."