Revenge With Benefits (Sweet Tea And Scandal 3)

This was the exact sort of dirt that could take down a campaign. Worse, it could destroy two marriages and ruin the lives of both families. The pain that would be unleashed on innocents if this got out would last for years, maybe decades, to come.

She’d volunteered in the hope of finding something exactly this scandalous. That Everly had been the one to uncover the affair instead was unsurprising. The other woman’s interference was out of control.

At the end of the short video, Zoe placed her hands against her roiling stomach, contemplating the devastation if this got out. Susannah’s campaign might survive the blow, but what about the couple’s children? They didn’t deserve to be harmed by the vicious gossip the revelation would stir.

Zoe’s finger hovered over the delete button. She wouldn’t have wished such a difficult situation on her worst enemy, much less someone she admired. But although she longed to erase the email and forget she’d ever seen the video, that wouldn’t stop Everly from using it to hurt Susannah. All Everly had to do was to leak the recording to the media or to Lyle Abernathy. He’d make hay with it, gleefully twisting the knife deep into Susannah’s heart. He wouldn’t care that her husband’s affair had nothing to do with the issues or Susannah’s ability to represent the people of her district. Instead he would make sure no one could focus on the fact that Susannah was the better candidate.

A familiar rush of helplessness swept over Zoe followed closely by sharp regret. She never should’ve fallen in with Everly and London. The mad scheme they’d concocted had reached far beyond anything Zoe had imagined and the results hadn’t brought her the satisfaction or the peace of mind she’d anticipated. Quite the opposite. Relentless waves of guilt and remorse had torn at her, disturbing her sleep and ruining her appetite. She grappled with how to disengage herself from the revenge bargain and rid herself of Everly. Today’s email demonstrated how impossible that would be.

Fifteen minutes later Zoe exited the coffee shop with the lunch order and retraced her steps to the store. With her thoughts racing, she didn’t register the tall man approaching her until he spoke.

“Zoe Alston?”

Her attention snapped back to her surroundings and she sized up the bald man in his ill-fitting suit. Was this another of Everly’s tricks or the abusive spouse of one of her artisans?

“Can I help you?”

“This is for you.” He extended an envelope.

Zoe took it automatically and the man walked away without another word. Besieged by dread, she entered the store and set the lunches on the counter.

“Bianca brought these by a little while ago. Aren’t they incredible?” Jessica indicated a stack of watercolor paintings she was recording in the computer. Then, she caught sight of Zoe’s face. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know. A man just handed me this envelope.” Zoe held it up, noting the lack of identifying marks. “This just feels wrong.”

“You won’t know until you open it,” Jessica said, displaying the pragmatic nature that had prompted Zoe to hire her.

With a nod, Zoe tore open the flap and pulled out a letter. Anxiety shifted to sorrow as she scanned the lawyer’s name before skimming to the meat of the message.

“Looks like the building has been sold and we have thirty days to vacate.” Zoe was surprised she managed to maintain a calm tone when everything inside her howled in protest.

“That’s terrible. Who would do something like that?”

Zoe reread the letter, paying closer attention to the details. This time the new owner’s name jumped out at her. TA Charleston Holdings, LLC. “TA” as in Tristan Anthony? Zoe reached into her purse for the financial documents belonging to Tristan’s shell companies. She’d spent several hours studying the legal paperwork in an effort to make sense of what he’d been up to. She pulled out the sheet containing her notes. There, halfway down the list of names was the one the letter referenced.

Tristan had bought the building containing her store with the sole purpose of kicking her out.

The floor shifted beneath Zoe’s feet as the implication struck her and she braced her hand on the counter to steady herself. “Damn it.”

She’d foolishly thought there was nothing left for him to take away. Her money was gone. As was her position in the community. Now she was going to lose her store.

“Zoe? Are you okay?”

“It’s my ex.” She brandished the letter. “He’s the one behind this.”

Jessica knew all about Zoe’s nasty divorce and came around the counter to give Zoe a hug. “We’ll get through this,” she whispered. “It’s going to be okay.”

Although Zoe nodded, in her mind she had already started to pack up her inventory. She didn’t have the money or the strength to start over a second time.

“I need to clear my head,” Zoe said, offering up a wan smile. “Can you and Eva handle things for a little while?”

“We’ve got this,” Jessica said. “Don’t worry about anything.”

Unsure where she was going, Zoe headed out the back and got into her car. Her initial instinct had been to call Ryan and spill the news, but then she remembered the video she’d received while at the coffee shop and knew she couldn’t dump her problems on him with the threat of the video hanging out there.

No, this was something she had to handle herself. When she reached Crosby Automotive, she parked in an empty visitor spot before marching into the lobby. Pretending to be deaf and blind to the receptionist’s greeting, Zoe barreled through the lobby and headed down a series of familiar hallways.

Tristan had a large corner office in the back of the building with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked a landscaped stretch of grass and trees. As she neared his assistant’s desk