“And in the meantime, I’ll make sure every sleazy paparazzi I know is at your house. They’ll follow Sarah, try to get interviews and pictures with Carsen. What she’s wearing, which boy in school she thinks is cute. Do I need to continue?”
He’s right, and I hate that he’s thought of this from every fucking angle, obviously experienced at doing this while I’m stumbling. Like he said, this isn’t his first round of blackmail, and I bet he’s got a basketball team of lawyers ready to cover his ass.
I feel outplayed. He’s planned ahead, and I’m still reeling, hoping this is a nightmare I’ll wake up from any minute. All I can think of is kicking Donnie’s ass, and while that might be worth it for a few short seconds, it’ll just land me in a lawsuit. Seeing the resolve on my face, Donnie offers a consolation. “You don’t have to decide right now. I suspect getting those kinds of funds prepped is time-consuming, even for someone like you. I’ll give you some time to decide. The article is already written, ready to be public with one click if you don’t have the money ready to transfer to my account . . . oh, let’s see. Today’s Saturday . . . so how about by five o’clock Monday? Understood?”
I dip my chin once, knowing I’ll need to evaluate the risks of this proposition carefully. I’ve got roughly forty-eight hours to figure out what the fuck to do, and I figure I’ll need every minute. “Fine. Elise, let’s go.”
“See you at work Monday morning!” Francesca calls out nastily as we leave the office. We say nothing as we get in the elevator and leave the office.
The truck ride is awkward until Elise breaks the silence, rating. “I can’t believe this! I knew Donnie was a sleazeball, but this is beyond what I’d ever imagined.”
She’s pissed, which helps, but I’m furious, and my mouth is running away from my brain. “Just like a paparazzi, always looking for juicy gossip even it ruins people’s lives.”
I see Elise flinch, knowing my comment about Donnie likely hit a little close to home for her too. I clench my teeth, biting back the rest of what I wanted to say as she looks down into her lap, cringing. “I never ruin people’s lives,” she says, so quietly I can barely hear her over the noise of my engine. “Just report stupid shit about them. Nothing like this.”
“But even that stupid shit hurts people, Elise,” I growl, watching the road ahead. “Even what you think is stupid can be important to others. All of this started because you reported something seemingly inconsequential, but look what’s happened. My buying some fucking maxi pads for my little girl’s first period has turned into a $3.5 million blackmail proposition.”
She makes a small sound, hurt by my words, but I’m angry, lashing out. “I should’ve fucking known better,” I mutter, shaking my head as I get off the freeway and head toward my house. “Should’ve done the fucking articles and sent you on your merry way and you wouldn’t have found out shit. I told myself I wasn’t going to get involved while Carsen was young. She’s my number-one priority and I let myself get caught up.” I bang a fist to the steering wheel, frustration and anger bubbling past the boiling point in my veins. “I knew better, I fucking knew better.”
“Keith, I’m sorry!” Elise cries out, her voice choked with anguish. “Really, I am. But this isn’t my fault. Maybe we should’ve been more careful, but it was bound to come out eventually. You can’t keep her a secret forever!”
“Like hell I can’t! I’ve kept her hidden for ten fucking years!” I half yell, pulling over and glaring at Elise. “We were doing just fine until I thought I could have more, and look what’s happened! I hurt the one person I’m supposed to protect!”
Elise blinks, her eyes looking like I just slapped her. Her eyes brim with tears, but she’s too strong to cry, and instead, her face hardens. “I think you should take me home.”
“Fine.”
Neither of us says anything as I turn at the next light, pulling up to the curb by Elise’s apartment five minutes later. She’s out before I even put it in park, stomping toward the door, her hurt morphing into fury.
I’m so angry I don’t even watch her go inside, just peeling out from the curb to get away from this nightmare that’s become real. The ride home is maddening, my mind replaying everything Donnie said about my options and then hearing everything Elise and I said when we fought.
Yeah, I know I was in the wrong to say she started it. But I’m not exactly in my right mind. I’m not pissed at her. I’m a grown ass man and it was my decision to let Elise in. I’m just pissed about the situation and that I can’t rewind time and figure out a way out of this.