I bolt out of my chair. "I know exactly what I saw. I saw you fucking another woman. A woman who you were working with to blackmail…"
"Enough!" The strength of the word rebounds across the barren room. "Give her whatever the hell she wants."
I stand in stunned silence as he calmly tosses the necklace on the table, turns and walks out the door without looking back.
Chapter 4
"I heard it." Nathan's voice breaks through the mundane hum of the busy restaurant. "Blackmail. It was clear as day."
I stare at him over the rim of my wine glass. I don't respond. I'm not going to. I hadn't meant to toss that word out when we were meeting with Jax and Gilbert earlier and I instantly regretted it once I had.
"I'm not letting this go." He gazes at me for a second before dropping his eyes to the menu.
"There's nothing to let go." I follow his lead and scan the expansive offerings. I have absolutely no appetite and this celebratory lunch that Nathan suggested isn't exactly where I want to be.
"You said something about blackmail." He doesn't pull his eyes away from the menu. "You can't expect me to ignore that."
"Just drop it." I roll my eyes.
"No." He places the menu down before leaning against the table with his elbows. "Spit it out, Ivy. What the hell is going on with you two?"
I take a slow drink of the hearty red wine I'd ordered when we first arrived. "There's a flash drive."
"That's what he was talking about when he said you took it from his apartment?"
I nod." I found it in a drawer. I watched it." I grimace. "Then I left and I took it with me."
"He was with another woman?" he asks.
I exhale sharply. "Yes."
"That's rough." He picks up the glass of scotch and brings it to his lips. After taking a leisurely drink he continues, "so he was cheating on you?"
I flinch at the question. "It was recorded over a year ago. Jax and the woman were talking about at a gala that Mark and I attended."
"You're pissed that he fucked someone before he met you?" He flashes me a smile.
I take another drink trying to gather my thoughts. I don't want to give away too many details. "There's a lot more to it than that."
"Like what?" He pushes for more even though I know he's fully aware that I'm incredibly uncomfortable.
"I can't talk to you about this, Nathan." I bristle. "Suffice it to say that I saw who Jax really was when I watched that video."
"If Jax was blackmailing someone you need to tell me, Ivy." His tone shifts and I see a veil of seriousness overtake his expression. "You understand that, don't you?"
I nod my head slowly up and down. He's right, of course but as much as I despise Jax and what he and Brooke were plotting together the last thing I want is to be pulled into any more legal drama with him and Mark. "There's nothing to tell."
"I don't believe you." He grumbles. "But I trust you to know what's best for you."
I tear slightly at the word
s. Hearing that from Nathan means a lot to me. I've come to see him as a sort of surrogate big brother the last few weeks. His belief in me is comforting. "Thank you for saying that." I smile faintly.
"I mean it. I'm really proud of you." He grins. "I'm starving. Let's eat."
***
I place my fork down after picking at the spring salad the waiter delivered to our table over thirty minutes ago. The idle chatter that Nathan and I have shared over lunch about our childhood has reenergized me. The idea of getting home to finish packing so I can finally leave New York in search of a new life in Boston is my sole light at the end of the tumultuous tunnel that my life has become as of late.