“You’re going to jail with me and you know it. Why would you do this? You’ve just completely trashed your reputation. Again. Only, this time there’s no coming back. It’s not like your parents’ scandals and the crap you pulled when you were younger. If the whole city thinks you’re a drug fiend...I hope you know how bad you’ve fucked yourself.”
I smile, accepting my fate.
If it protects Reese from my mess of a life—if it nails Frisk’s case shut and helps free her sister—nothing else matters.
Carmen stops wearing a path through my floor and lets out an animalistic groan.
“Are you stupid?” she snarls at me again.
“Probably. Does it matter, though? I’ve spent my entire life running from bad press. This time, I’m facing my mistakes head-on. Even if we fight our way out of it legally, we’re fucked reputation-wise, just as you said. Neutralized. If you ever run across that sex video after that and share it, so be it. The whole world can see us fucking on top of the drug charges I’m sure will be all over the press. It won’t matter, Carmen. I won’t have a reputation to ruin, and I can’t drag down anybody else. Don’t you see it? I’m free.”
“Your secretary—”
“Driver,” I growl back.
“Whatever. You don’t think the help will be furious?”
“She’ll be upset, but in time, I know she’ll understand.” I shrug. “She’ll never have to doubt how much I love her.”
“You fucking love her?” Carmen’s face contorts. “You know I’m going to nail you with everything, right? I’ll hire an army of attorneys to bleed you dry. So many damage claims they’ll make your head spin for what you’ve done to me.”
I listen for a knock at my door, wishing the cops would hurry up. I’m officially sick of sharing hell’s waiting room with this narcissist freak.
“Have at it. I don’t see what that’ll accomplish. Your career goes kaboom the instant The Chicago Tea publishes the pictures I sent. Ward and Grandma won’t kick me out of the company. The board might ask me to resign, but they can’t do much about the third of the company I own, or my new startup.”
Her eyes grow wide. Something new flashes in her eyes as she realizes I’m not intimidated—fear.
“Fuck this!” she spits. “I’m not waiting around to go down with you.”
My intercom buzzes as she jumps up and lurches forward.
I go numb.
This is it.
My whole life is about to change the second that door opens. I’ll get a nice mugshot. Ward will probably invent new ways to say “dumbass” when he comes to post bail. Who knows how many months I’ll burn fighting this.
Whatever happens, I’ll pay a fine and stand by the truth.
I’ll probably lose Reese.
Then I’ll resign from Brandt Ideas to keep from embarrassing Ward and so he won’t have to defend my actions. Maybe I can rename Brandt Dreams to shake my reputation, but if it’s too much, I’ll step aside there too. I’ll start all over again.
But it’s done.
Carmen isn’t blackmailing me anymore. With everything hanging out in the open, I won’t have to hide.
My stomach sinks and my mouth feels like cotton, but it’s liberating to be finished with this fuckery.
I go to the door, half expecting to see Osprey himself show up with an entourage ahead of the police. Carmen doesn’t follow this time. Does she think she can hide?
I yank the door open and stop. A sad blue-eyed mess of chestnut hair and lovely woman greets me.
“Reese?” Her name rattles out of me.
Before I can move, Millie scurries past and runs inside. “Nick, I wanna play!”
“Millie, come back!” I rumble, spinning and heading toward her.
“No. Play!”
Reese steps through the door, batting her eyes as she gets a good look at me. “What’s that all over you? Are you—holy shit. Your arm. Are you hurt? What happened?”
I shut the door and nudge the kiddo back toward her aunt. “Reese, you’ve got to take Millie and get out of here. Now.”
Carmen steps into the room, her heels clicking like some monster dragging its claws.
Fuck. Here we go.
Reese’s eyes trace from me to Carmen and back to me. Her expression crumbles. Her breath turns shallow.
“Is this who you were on the phone with?” she whispers. “Is this your big emergency?”
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” I say dryly, agony biting my tongue into silence.
Carmen steps closer to Reese.
“I’m not sure what occasion you’re talking about, but yes, we did talk.” She gives me a devilish smile. “Why don’t you tell the help what you did, Nicholas?”
“The help?” Reese pinches her eyes shut.
“I told you to stop calling her that.” I shake my head and meet Reese’s eyes. “We were talking, yeah. I told you it was tabloid problems, and that’s...all she’s ever been. Nothing more. That’s ending today.”
I’m not sure she’s listening. The pain on her face flays me open.