But given she’s the pain in the ass variety, she wants to separate us.
That’s never going to happen. It wouldn’t have happened even without a baby, but there’s no way in hell she’ll be able to pull Hallie from my clutches now.
And if she tries, we’re going to have a very big problem.
I have a strong hunch she’s already trying. It isn’t easy convincing Arson to do this job—he can’t even do it himself, he’s too recognizable to her. Luckily, he knows a girl who goes to the same salon, and that provides the perfect opportunity. While Charity is getting lowlights put in her hair and gabbing with the stylist under a heat lamp, Arson’s girl is able to get her hands on Charity’s phone and swap out the SIM card for one of mine.
That in and of itself is very uncomfortable because this isn’t technology that even technically exists, and I don’t want my equipment in the wrong hands, but it’s a calculated risk, and one I have to make.
I have to know what Charity’s planning. It’s the only way to stay a step ahead of her.
I’d love to find out I’m wrong. For my clone of her phone to paint a different picture, that of a vaguely alcoholic party girl who has her life slightly together and only pays enough attention to her sweet friend’s life to pick out a wedding present for her.
That is very much not the case.
Unfortunately for her—and me—she goes on a research mission to uncover all the bad things I’ve had to do to protect Hallie. It’s fucking irksome, honestly.
Jackson’s overdose—oops.
But he betrayed Hallie, and it didn’t matter that it was for me—he still betrayed her, and I wanted him gone. Now he is, and everybody’s happy.
Then she discovers I purchased Hallie’s mother’s house long before Hallie thinks I did. That was a little too close to a lie, but I didn’t lie, technically. When I asked Hallie if she wanted me to buy her mother’s house, it just seemed simpler than explaining I had already purchased it in case I needed it for blackmail, but since she’s such a loyal friend and sweetheart, I hadn’t needed to use it.
It was an omission that didn’t really matter, but now when she shows it to Hallie—because that’s obviously what she’s planning with all this—it’s going to look bad.
She keeps digging, chasing a couple of roads I never took—a couple because I didn’t know about them, a couple because I’m not that much of an asshole.
But then she gets on the right track. That’s much more unfortunate because Arson was involved with all of that, and if Nick gets wind of this nosy lawyer poking into Arson’s business, he’ll kill her, plain and simple.
That would upset Hallie terribly. Me, not so much, but I don’t want Hallie to mourn unnecessarily, so I decide to be the good guy for a minute and intervene before Charity gets out of hand and ruins everything.
Unfortunately, Charity tells Hallie she has to see her about an urgent matter before I can accomplish that. Hallie is working when she gets the call, so she’s wearing around the house clothes and messy hair. She’s trying to work, Charity, but fucking Charity is tenacious and must be seen.
So, she invites her up. To my penthouse. How fucking fortunate.
Because Hallie told me she has a tendency to check on her “old ghosts” on social media, I figured the day would come that she would learn at least some of the things I’ve had done for her, but I didn’t think it would be so soon. I even thought there was a good chance that enough time would have passed that she didn’t realize all of these things happened so close to when she told me about them.
But fucking Charity had to interfere.
I wish I could let Nick kill her, I really do. I have a feeling she’ll be a persistent thorn in my side for the rest of the time I have to endure her, but I can’t do that to Hallie. Not without trying to avoid it, at least.
I cancel my afternoon appointments so I can watch without interruption.
Dread settles in my gut as I watch Charity come in. She’s still wearing a brown skirt suit from work, but when she opens her briefcase and begins drawing things out, I have a strong suspicion they’re not legal documents from work.
No, they’re not.
I watch her categorize my sins for Hallie. She starts with Jackson, which can’t be proven. Of course, Hallie had no idea he was dead, so I watch as she covers her mouth—shocked, horrified even, but she doesn’t know what this has to do with me. When Charity tries to link me to it, she comes off crazy, and I see Hallie’s skepticism. I enjoy it. That’s my girl, sticking up for me, saying there’s no reason to assume I’m behind that—Jackson liked to party, it’s not unbelievable that he took it too far one night and paid the ultimate price.