Snaking his arm around my waist, Alastair pressed a quick kiss to my temple. “You look beautiful.”
“I should wear this color more often. I just got the trifecta of compliments.”
He smiled, simultaneously making me melt and breaking my heart. I had to tell him about my incident at Crane’s Roost Park before it was too late. I scanned his handsome face, noticing he’d removed the bandage above his eye. The wound looked like a small scratch. I impulsively reached up and touched it lightly.
“Feeling okay?” I asked.
He held my hand and kissed the palm. “Never better.”
The server arrived with our main courses and all conversation halted for a couple minutes while we ate. Alastair kept his hand on my leg the entire time. I think he sensed something was off. No matter the reason, I liked feeling the comfort and warmth of his hand on me.
“When are you flying back to Glasgow, mate?” Darren asked.
“Saturday. I’m actually going to London first for a board meeting. I should be in Glasgow on Tuesday. Do you need help getting Stephanie sorted at your place?”
“My stuff doesn’t arrive until next weekend. Feel free to partake in some manual labor then,” she smiled.
“Tempting,” he said dryly. “I might actually be back here collecting this lovely lady.” He squeezed my knee and grinned.
“Shut up!” Stephanie squealed. “You’re moving that soon? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We just talked about it last night,” I answered. “You are literally the first to know.”
She clasped her hands together and launched into a million ideas for a welcoming party. Her zest for life always added extra sparkle to any situation.
“This is going to be amazing,” she gushed. “We’ll combine parties. My thirtieth and your housewarming.”
“Did someone buy a house?”
Every muscle in my body turned to steel upon hearing that voice. Alastair draped an arm over my shoulders protectively.
“Hope I’m not interrupting this cozy dinner,” Nathan drawled. “I was at the bar and noticed you all sitting here.”
Stephanie glared at him, seething under her breath. Darren watched cautiously.
“And why is it that you’re here?” Alastair asked venomously.
“Enjoying dinner with some friends, mate. Not that it’s any of your concern.”
Alastair stood up slowly, adjusting his jacket. Nathan smirked, knowing nothing could happen in public.
“It’s best if you go back to them, yes?”
“Take it easy, Holden.” He lifted his hands in mock retreat. “It’s a free country. I can say hello to whomever I want.”
“Nathan,” I hissed, looking up at him. “Not now.”
He half smiled, smoothing down his tie. “You’re right, Sparkle. I’ll come by again later when there aren’t so many eyes focused in this direction.”
Shooting Alastair a smug look, he walked away. He’d been right about one thing. Most of the diners near our table had stopped what they were doing to catch a glimpse of the senator’s son conversing with the British media mogul.
“What a jerk,” Stephanie groused. “He has zero class. Zero.”
My nerves didn’t settle under Alastair sat next to me again. He placed his arm on my shoulders, brushing his fingers across the nape of my neck. “Are you okay, love?”
I nodded, thankful nothing escalated. “Yeah, I’m fine. Orlando’s a small city. We’re bound to cross paths every now and then.”
“Not for much longer.” He kissed my forehead before taking out his cell phone. He typed what I assumed was a text message and placed it back in his pocket.
Darren let out a low whistle. “That was a proper tense moment. You dated that guy?”
Stephanie slugged him in the arm. “Enough,” she warned.
“Sorry,” he winced. “Sorry, Lia.”
I smiled at him sympathetically. “It’s okay.”
The server stopped at the table once more, asking if we wanted dessert. The general consensus was a resounding yes. The rest of our time at the restaurant passed without any further drama. Stephanie and Darren opted to take a taxi back to her condo. I went with Alastair and Paxton. Before we left, Alastair told me to wait by the car and walked off with Paxton. They appeared to engage in a strained conversation. I leaned against the SUV, wondering what on earth was going on now.
My cell phone beeped.
10:37pm Do it now or I give her the green light
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I dropped the phone, covering my mouth with both hands. It broke in two on the sidewalk. This isn’t happening.
“Lia.” I heard Alastair call for me but couldn’t move. His fast moving footsteps had him next to me in seconds. “What happened?”
“He…he wants me to…” I had no control over what I was saying. The streetlights turned fuzzy as a murky cloud settled around my head.
“He wants you to what?” he growled.
I looked him squarely in the eye, mesmerized by the vibrant green. “He’s blackmailing me.”
Anger ghosted across his face, but only for a moment. The walls were back up in no time. “That’s not possible. I have everything.”
“No you don’t. He found me when I was jogging this morning. He has more. He sent them to Rachel and told me if I don’t break up with you, he’ll tell her to go public with everything.”
“Paxton,” he shouted. “Where is he?”
“Two blocks north. He’s walking to the parking lot.”
Alastair took off like a bullet shot from a pistol.
“Dammit,” I seethed, running after him. I vaguely heard Paxton calling after me as I sprinted down the sidewalk. I saw Nathan walking, looking down, probably at his cell phone. A split second later, Alastair grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him into a nearby alley.
“Shit,” I panted, turning on the speed. I reached the alley in time to see Nathan get thrown against a brick wall.
“I told you to stay away from her,” Alastair raged.
“Alastair, stop,” I yelled, watching in horror as he balled his fist and hit Nathan right in the nose. Blood spurted everywhere.
He grabbed Nathan by his neck and held him against the wall. “Go to Paxton, Lia. You shouldn’t be here.”
“I will not let you fight over this. He’s not worth it.”
Nathan looked at me, his face covered in blood. “This is what you want for a boyfriend and lover? He’s nothing but a street rat. You’ve seen it for yourself now.”
Heavy footsteps cascaded down the alley. Paxton brushed by me and muscled Nathan to the ground, securing zip ties around his wrists. He pulled him up by one arm and shoved him against a dumpster.
“You’re all going down for this,” he growled. “My father is a United States senator. He has more influence and power than you, you little British shit.”
“We’ll see about that,” Alastair smirked. “Lia, call that reporter. She may have a story after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tell her the anonymous emails and photos are all from the great senator’s son. Tell her he used them to blackmail you and humiliate you because you dumped his sorry ass. Tell her everything. Drag the Greyson name through the mud.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Nathan glared at me.
I thought about all the shit he’d put me through over the past two years. All the nights he made me feel worthless and all the times I ignored those feelings because I thought having his love was the most important thing in the world. Looking at him now, bloody, restrained and trapped in an alley, I felt vindicated. It was his turn to feel like a second rate citizen, even if none of this ever came to light.
A small part of me wished he’d stop behaving like such a spoiled brat. I highly doubted that would ever happen.
Not bothered by his piercing stare, I held it and smiled. “This is the kind of story we salivate over in the newsroom. Blackmail. Sex. Heartbreak. And
a high-profile person at the center of it all. You did say you wanted to give me an exclusive interview that had to do with some damaging information coming to light about a prominent figure. How clairvoyant you are.”
“Lia, don’t.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not that kind of person. You don’t have a malicious bone in your body.”
I took a step toward Nathan and was immediately blocked by Alastair. “What are you doing, love?”
“I have to do this. Trust me.” Placing my hands on his chest, I gazed into his eyes. “He’s tied up. He can’t touch me.”
Alastair locked his jaw in determination. “I’ll be there in two steps if he so much as breathes on you.”
I kissed the corner of his mouth and made my way to Nathan. He may have looked beaten on the outside but I knew deep down he was miles away from surrender.
We stared at one another for what felt like ages. His sapphire eyes never left mine.
“Do you remember what you said to me on our six month anniversary when you dropped me off at my apartment?” I asked.
Caught off guard by my question, his expression faltered. “Why do you care?” he snapped.
“Do you remember?” I repeated.
“Yeah.”
I lifted an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. Sighing harshly, he grimaced.
“What is the point in this, Lia? You won. Your fucking knight of the round table will make the call if you don’t.”
I heard Alastair mutter a string of profanities under his breath.
“Nobody is making any phone calls just yet, Nathan,” I said. “Answer my question.”
Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes. When he looked at me again the harshness in his expression was gone.
“I told you how refreshing it was to date a girl who didn’t care who my dad was and who was just as comfortable hanging out wearing a baseball cap at a theme park as she was dressed up for a state dinner.” He paused. “I also asked how it was possible that you managed to out-sparkle every star in the sky.”
Heavy silence filled the alley. I couldn’t hear Alastair but I felt his intense stare burning through the back of my head.
“What changed, Nathan? Because not too long after that you turned into this…this jealous, possessive creature.”
The stark contrast between Nathan’s open-book demeanor and Alastair’s stony façade was never more prevalent than in this moment. While my ex-boyfriend scowled and shook his head, I turned to see Alastair staring at us, expressionless.
Focusing my attention back to Nathan, I saw I wasn’t going to get an answer. If anything, he looked annoyed.
“Are we done here, Sparkle?”
Narrowing my eyes, I glared at him. “Don’t call me that.” I turned to Alastair. “May I use your phone?”
“Yes.”
Fortunately, I knew Rachel’s number by heart thanks to all the times she’d called me over the past month. I waited patiently as it rang.
“Rachel Jameson.”
“Hi, Rachel. It’s Lia Meyers. I hope I’m not calling you too late.”
“Oh. No, not at all. I heard you were sick. Are you feeling better?’
“Much better, thank you. Listen, I have a tip that you’ve received some compromising photos of my boyfriend and me. Is that true?”
“Uh, yeah.” She sounded surprised.
“What if I were to tell you I know who sent them to you? And that this person will make an even better story than the photos?”
“You have my attention.”
Nathan’s face turned white as a ghost.
I smiled. “Perfect. Do you have time to talk now?”
* * *
“So you’ll delete everything and make sure all traces are erased for good?” I asked, staring at the file of photos on Rachel’s desktop.
“Sure.”
“Do it now.”
“I’m not doing anything until you tell me who’s behind all of it. I’ve been dealing with this crap for a month. If you have a better story, I want it.”
“That’s not how this works, Rachel. I want to be completely certain that none of these photos will ever get out. Delete them. Empty the trash file once you’ve deleted them and give me any flash drives or memory sticks or whatever you might have backed them up on.”
“Jesus,” she muttered, deleting the files. I watched her like a hawk, making sure she didn’t miss one photo. After I had the flash drives in hand –she’d backed-up on three separate drives- I held up my end of the bargain and told her to get in touch with Nathan.
“Is he the one who did all of this?” she asked, eyes gleaming.
“Just call him.”
* * *
I climbed into the Mercedes, exhausted but satisfied. Alastair cupped his hand behind my neck and pulled me in for a kiss.
“How did it go?”
“Better than I expected. I made her delete all the files with us on it and give me any hard copies.”
“Is she going to run the story about Nathan?”
“I don’t know. I told her to call him. She also wants to get a comment from Senator Greyson. I feel bad dragging him into it. He was always good to me.”
“I have a feeling that story will never see the light of day.” He scowled.
“It’s over for now. He won’t do anything.”
“Don’t be so sure of that. People like Nathan have a long vindictive streak.”
I shivered, hoping he was wrong. “Was it this stressful with Olivia?”
The muscles tightened in his jaw. “It was worse, love.”
I laced my fingers with his, being mindful not to squeeze too hard. He’d bruised his hand punching Nathan. “When you’re ready, you can tell me about it, you know.”
We rode in silence back to Stephanie’s condo.
“I dropped my cell phone in front of the restaurant. I think it broke,” I said as we walked up the brick path.
“We’ll get you a new one, kitten,” he grinned, ringing the bell.
“There you are,” Stephanie chirped when she opened the door. “I’ve been calling you for the past hour. Where the hell…” She paused, staring at both of us. Alastair looked like he’d just rolled out of bed thanks to the brief tussle in the alley. I must have been smiling without realizing it because she blushed and shook her head. “Never mind, lovebirds. Get your butts in here.”
Alastair lifted an eyebrow and looked at me. “She thinks we had a quick shag, doesn’t she?”
“Yep.”
“Should we tell her?”
“Not tonight. Let her have this moment before she leaves.”
“Well said, love,” he smiled. “Now about that quick shag…”
“Stop it,” I shoved him.
Catching me by the waist, he pressed his lips to mine. “Don’t fight the inevitable.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Get a room, you two. I’d offer one of mine but I don’t have any beds anymore,” Stephanie called out from the living room.
“True that,” Darren said. “My back is killing me from sleeping on the floor.”
“Why don’t you have an air mattress?” I asked, sitting against the wall.
“I do. It’s in a box on a plane en route to Glasgow. I should have timed this better.”
“What time is your flight tomorrow?” Alastair asked.
“Seven-thirty in the morning. We should land around nine, local time tomorrow night.” She disappeared into the kitchen briefly, returning with a stack of paper cups and a bottle of champagne. “I know it’s not very classy but I wanted us all to have a final toast in my condo.”
“I’ll take care of the bottle,” Darren grinned, popping the cork with ease. He poured a generous amount into the cups and passed them around so we each had one.
Stephanie sat up on her knees, tears welling in her eyes. “I’ve lived in this place for eight years. It’s seen a lot of drama and even more good times. I think it’s s
afe to say it didn’t start feeling like a home until I met this one over here.” She looked at me. “We may not share any family or DNA or anything like that but you are the sister I always wanted. You’ve been there to make me laugh, pick me up off the bathroom floor after too many margaritas, talk me off a ledge when a boy was being stupid and just to enjoy life with. Moving to Glasgow and taking this job might be a dream come true but I dreaded the thought of leaving you. Fortunately, you have no ability to walk when you’re jet lagged, so as fate would have it, you fell into this guy.”
I laughed, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly.
“And now,” she continued, “you’re moving to Glasgow, too. I don’t have to say goodbye to my best friend and that makes me the luckiest person on earth. For every memory we made here, I hope we make a million more in our new home. I love you, Lia Meyers. Thank you for being an awesome human being and an even better friend.” She raised her cup, tears streaming down her cheeks. “To what’s next.”
I sat up on my knees and knocked our cups together. “My turn.”
Her eyes widened.
“About five years ago, I was working an event at City Walk and started talking to this really cool chick with fire engine red hair.”
“Oh my God,” she groaned. “You remembered that?”
“Yes. It was hideous.”
“You told me that, too. But only after we’d become friends.”
“Can I continue?”
“Go on.”
“Anyway, we hit it off once we found out we both shared a mutual love for shoes that were too expensive and shots that were too strong. Back home, I’m the older sister. I look out for Dayna and play the role of protector. But you, Stephanie Ann, took me under your wing and adopted me as your little sister. Granted, we’re only two years apart but you took your role very seriously. Though sometimes it looked more like I was the responsible one and you were the little troublemaker.”
“Cheers to that,” Darren laughed.
“No comments from the peanut gallery,” she warned.
I sighed, fighting back the lump forming in my throat. “It wasn’t until this year that I really understood what having you in my life meant. You watched me cry, you listened to me try and rationalize something that wasn’t worth saving but most importantly you always had my back. There are not enough words in the English language to thank you for all you’ve done. I am so happy to see you realizing your dreams. You’ve wanted an opportunity like this since I’ve known you. The thought of saying goodbye to you tore me up inside. I know it’s just a plane ride away but it wouldn’t have been the same. Like you said, as fate would have it, I made an ass of myself and almost knocked this guy over.” I grinned at Alastair and turned back to Stephanie. “Thank you for being the absolute best friend and surrogate sister anyone could possibly ask for. We tore up Orlando, let’s go make our mark in Glasgow.” I raised my cup. “To what’s next.”
Unravel Me Page 23