Changing Roles

“Dessert anyone? Shelby and I made cupcakes.”

I groaned, having eaten too much to have any—even Shelby’s cupcakes. Luckily, everyone else agreed, so we decided to postpone it for a while.

Everett stood, holding out his hand for Cassidy to join him. “Why don’t we go talk, Liam?”

I nodded stiffly. I knew what he wanted to talk about. Mum spoke up. “Ye all go in the other room and I’ll tidy up. I’ll join ye in a bit, and ye can give me the highlights.”

Caroline stood, picking up some dishes. “I’ll stay here, too.”

I wrapped my arm around Shelby, and we went into the den, sitting and making ourselves comfortable.

“Okay,” Everett began, looking at Shelby. “First thing. Malcolm. We met with him.”

Shelby stiffened beside me. I hadn’t gone with Everett—he and Samuels were worried I wouldn’t be able to control my temper if I saw him in person, plus the fact that I didn’t want to leave Shelby for any length of time. I couldn’t stand to be away from her right now.

“I saw him yesterday with Samuels and Geo. His girlfriend dumped him a while back, and he’s alone now. All your money is gone, Shelby. He’s blown everything he took, and he hadn’t been paid in full by the rag yet. He spent what they paid in advance. I doubt he’ll see any other money since we have more than enough proof how inaccurate the story was. Add Liam’s suit against the rag and they are probably looking at bankruptcy, so his gravy train is gone.” He shook his head in disgust. “God, I hate that asshole.”

“My divorce?”

“Will happen fast.” Everett cracked his knuckles. “Trust me.” For the first time, I noticed some faint marks on his hand, and I raised my eyebrows at him in a silent question. I had a feeling Everett had “helped” Malcolm reach his decision. Everett met my eyes with a quick, almost unseen nod. I was surprised at how glad I was to know one of us got to him—I wasn’t usually violent, but that asshole deserved it. I’d make sure to find out all the details later, but right now, Shelby remained blissfully unaware of our silent exchange.

“I don’t care about the money. There wasn’t that much to begin with, I suppose. I just want to be rid of him.”

“Samuels had the papers drawn up. Malcolm signed. It’s a matter of rubber-stamping now. The rest of the charges, his lawyer can figure out.” Everett assured her. “Good luck with his public defender. He’s looking at a nice long stint in jail—years. We weren’t the only ones looking for him. Good thing his greed overpowered his brain. He should never have come out of hiding so publicly.”

“So, it will be over soon? I’ll be…free?”

Everett reached over and took her hand. “Yes. Free to move ahead with your life with Liam. Malcolm will be rotting away in prison for a long time, which is where he should be.”

Shelby breathed a small sigh of relief. I pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

“Good. The wanker deserves it,” I muttered. “I hope his cellmate likes him. A lot.”

Everett and Douglas chuckled, before Everett turned serious again.

“The paps.”

I waved at Everett. “We’ll discuss that later.” I knew charges had been brought against the two who caused harm to Shelby and Ryan. The rest was an uphill battle. There were fewer of them hanging around outside, but I was smart enough to know they were lying low and I would never get rid of them entirely. No matter how many charges were laid, how many rags went under, there was always a new one that would open up. There would always be a demand for that shot—that scoop. Sadly, it was the nature of the business. But anytime I could slow them down, cause them grief, I was all for it.

And when they hurt those I loved—it was gloves off.

But right now, I didn’t want to discuss it in front of Shelby. Talking about it made her headaches worse, and she had been having a good day. Not a single headache and she was able to talk without hesitation.

He nodded in understanding.

“Features has asked for their interview. They have one other request,” he said slowly, exchanging glances with Cassidy.

“What?”

“They would like Shelby to join you.”

The words were out of my mouth instantly. “Not bloody likely.”

Shelby squeezed my knee, her voice calm. “Why, Ev?”

“They would like to hear from both of you. They want to talk to you as a couple. About being a couple. They are also willing to use the pap angle and how it affects your life.”

I shook my head. “No. They get me,” I snarled. “That was the deal.”

But Shelby shocked me. “I’ll do it.”

I gaped at her. “What?”

“As long as you’re there, I’ll do it.” Her gaze was imploring. “It affects me a lot, Liam. I think I can offer a different perspective here.” She gave me a pointed look. “Plus, they were the ones who identified the paps who hurt me. I want to give something back to them.”