21
~ Addison ~
The apartment wasn’t a far walk from the Tube station, and I bounced the entire way there.
I was high on life, and high on Liam. After so long denying myself the pleasure of his bed, the sex we’d been having was like a nice, soaking rain after a drought.
And I was about to see him for more. It was almost enough to make up for losing the closeness that came with living together.
I’d dressed sexier than usual, just so I would have the chance to see the look on his face when I walked through the door. I’d pictured it during the entire ride on the Tube, and the thought made me grin.
And it makes me wet.
The tight crop top and matching miniskirt were almost too short to go out in public in, and I had to stand on the subway because when I sat, the skirt couldn’t cover everything it should.
Despite the looming threat of the blackmailer, I had faith in our strategy. We would catch them, and then Liam and I could be a couple in public again.
When we spent the first night together two months ago, I was freaked out by my picture appearing on the cover of the tabloids. After two months of constant public exposure, I was used to the attention.
It’s strange how much can change in two months. When I worked with James, I was always hidden away, working on the computers, never risking anyone seeing my face. Now I have more results on Google than some minor celebrities.
In a way, I was a minor celebrity, just through my connection with Liam Windsor, the billionaire royal cousin. It was a heady experience, and not one I ever thought I would enjoy.
We are all proven wrong sometimes.
The small house was exactly the way I remembered it from the day before—tiny and unremarkable, the perfect hideaway. The door was unlocked and swung open at my touch.
“Liam, this slut is hot and ready for you.” I struck a pose as I walked through the door, turning to the side and bending over slightly so the tiny skirt revealed the bottom curve of my ass.
“Oh, dear.”
My brain froze at the sight of Arthur sitting at the kitchen table. It took far too long to process the difference between reality and what I’d expected.
“Oh, shit!”
I dove to the side, into the powder room, and hid behind the door.
“Arthur? What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m so sorry, Addison. Liam didn’t warn me… well, he told me you were coming, but I didn’t suspect you would arrive like that.”
My face burned more than it ever had before. A royal duke had just seen my ass.
“Can you stay out there? I brought a change of clothes. Just give me a minute.”
I closed the door and put my back against it, banging the back of my head on the door a few times.
Maybe if I hit it hard enough, the embarrassment will go away. Or I’ll kill myself. That would work, too.
No matter how long I took to change, I would still have to walk out and face Liam’s relative. Even still, I dragged it out for as long as possible, as if by putting more time between that entrance and the present, it would disappear over a horizon into the past.
Why the hell is he even here?
The embarrassment was intense enough that I was fully dressed by the time the question popped into my mind. Liam should have met me here, and Arthur shouldn’t even know about the apartment.
That son of a bitch better not have done what I think he’s done.
Mortification fizzled out, replaced by a flood of anger.
I stormed out of the bathroom.
“Tell me Liam isn’t going after them.”
Arthur looked up from his phone, his own face redder than it usually was.
“Going after whom?”
I glared at the older man.
Liam must have told him the whole story. It’s the only way he would be here right now.
“The blackmailer. I know you know.”
“I suppose there’s no sense drawing it out. Yes, Liam went after them. And he asked me to wait for you and prevent you from going after him.”
A mixture of anger and frustration gave my limbs a frenetic energy. There was no outlet for it in the small apartment. I started to pace, but could only take five steps before turning around.
“Why couldn’t he follow the plan? There’s no reason for him to rush into this. What’ll he do once he gets there? Tell Carla he’ll kill her if she follows through?”
“Carla? You mean Carla Becker, the girl Liam used to date?”
I nodded. “That’s our prime suspect right now. She’s been hanging around, telling me to leave Liam. And then after the blackmailer sent the threat against me to get Liam to end things with me, she conveniently stumbled across me on the street.”
“I guess I could see why she holds a grudge against Liam. After everything that happened, I mean.”
I stopped my pacing and swiveled to face the royal. “You mean it’s true? All the accusations she made? Liam claimed he didn’t know a thing.”
Arthur leaned back in his chair and gestured across the table. “You may as well take a seat. It seems like today is the day I reveal all the family’s dirty laundry.”
“So Liam actually got Carla pregnant? And then the family forced her to get an abortion?”
“Force is a strong word,” Arthur said. “I’d prefer to say strongly encouraged. We take the prospect of careless royal bastards very seriously, even if they are removed from the direct line of succession. The child would still be descended from George V, and that comes with a certain number of privileges and claims.”
I sat at the table, folding my legs underneath me. “I can’t believe she was telling the truth about everything. I guess she’d have to be, if she was really the blackmailer. Do you think she’s the one?”
Arthur scratched his chin. “I don’t know. The first I’ve heard about any of this business was an hour ago, when I met Liam here. It sounds like it could very well be.”
I took a second to absorb things. “How would she get access to everything the blackmailer says they have? Liam said she used to browse through old family photos and diaries, but how could she have kept those all this time, saying nothing? You’d think that she would have used it as a threat during the pregnancy ordeal.”
Arthur tilted his head to the side a little as he looked at me. “That’s a great question. You are intelligent. Liam said you were smart the first time we met, and now I see what he meant. He also told me you’re a hacker.”
I froze. There were two distinct parts to my life. Hacking, and everything else. I didn’t like anyone connecting the two, and there were only two people in the entire world who knew both identities—Liam and James. Now there were three, and I didn’t like the loss of control.
Liam should have asked me before divulging such sensitive information about me. He wasn’t thinking.
“Only as a hobby. I like dabbling in code. Graduated from MIT, you know.” Downplaying would take care of it—Arthur wasn’t the type of man to care about a small hobby of a casual acquaintance.
My phone chimed, and out of habit, I took it out and looked at the notification.
It was from the bug program—it had found a match for the blackmailer’s email.
22
~ Liam ~
The drive through London took far longer than I wanted it to. The longer I thought about the upcoming confrontation with Carla, the less sure I was that going behind Addison’s back was the correct course of action.
I was committed. I could turn back, but I was done with the whole ordeal. This blackmail business would be resolved today, no matter what the outcome was.
I’d leveraged my contacts to make sure that Carla would be home—she was waiting for a close friend who had big news to tell her.
Instead, she would get me.
I checked my pockets to confirm that the bug was there this time. I couldn't confirm Carla was the blackmailer and steal her data without it.
/> “Gerald, I want you to make sure you stay close. I might need you on the drop of a dime.”
The driver nodded. “I’ll be right here, Mr. Windsor.”
Mr. Windsor.
After today, I might not have the right to claim the name any longer.
I took several more deep breaths before I had psyched myself up enough to open the door. Before I could reconsider, I marched up to the door and slammed the knocker.
She will scream and run away. Then she’ll hit ‘send’ on the emails to the news organizations. My life will end as I know it.
The door swung open, and Carla stood there—platinum hair, fake tan, makeup and all.
“Liam? Liam! Oh, my God! Liam!”
Carla ran and jumped at me.
I instinctually caught her, and her legs wrapped around me as she put her arms around my neck and kissed my face over and over again.
“I knew you’d come! I knew it!”
“Carla, stop!” I looked at the woman from far closer than I ever wanted to be. “What the hell are you doing?”
She smiled and leaned forward to kiss me, catching me on the side of the lips as I turned my head away.
“I’m welcoming you home, silly. Don’t worry. I forgive you for everything, and I’ve been waiting for you.”
“What the fuck is going on?”
I removed my hands from underneath her, and she clung to me but only it slowed her slide down my body. Finally, she had to bring her legs down and stand on her own feet.
She kept her arms wrapped around me, and I had to grab them by the forearms and forcibly remove them. I used the grip to push her back by a couple of feet.
The stupidly wide grin remained on her face through the entire exchange as though my actions demonstrated my undying love for her.
“Carla. I know you talked with Addison. I heard about the pregnancy. If it’s true, I’m sorry you had to go through that alone, and I swear, I had no idea.”
She ignored the space I’d put between us and walked up to put her arms around me. “Don’t worry about any of that, Liam, baby. I know you love me, and you’ve always loved me. I knew you’d come back to me once that American bitch was out of the way.”
“Whoa,” I said, pushing Carla away again. “Don’t call Addison a bitch. She’s an amazing woman.”
For the first time, Carla’s smile faltered. “But you left her to come back to me. So I must be even more amazing.”
Something made little sense. Carla’s actions weren’t what I expected of a ruthless blackmailer who’d threatened Addison and asked for a large fortune. It didn’t feel right.
“Carla… what about my mother?”
Her eyebrows knitted together. “Your mother? I guess she was amazing, too? I mean, not as amazing as I am, but definitely amazing.”
I dug my phone out of my pocket. There were no notifications on it, and when I opened Addison’s app, it showed a list of all devices within range, all marked green.
Including Carla’s iPhone, and Carla’s MacBook.
“Fuck.”
Carla had never felt right. It was too devious a plot for the simple girl I’d known. The only reason I’d been convinced were the facts pointing in the same direction—it was the only option that had even approached the realm of making sense.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Carla pouted. “You’re making this a weird homecoming. I want to welcome you back properly. Come in and let’s go to bed. I’ve really missed you.”
The doe eyes I’d found attractive during a phase in my early twenties were repulsive now. Addison’s measuring gaze and sharp wit were so much more appealing that it was barely a comparison.
“Carla, why did you talk to Addison? What made you think that I would go out with you again?”
“Because you love me, silly. And I love you, baby. And we’re meant to be together. These past few years were all just a misunderstanding, and I forgive you for leaving me on my own for so long. Arthur mentioned that you had important business things to take care of and that you’d be back for me.”
I shook my head. “Arthur? You mean my father’s cousin, Arthur?”
She nodded. “Yes. He’s been really supportive ever since the abortion, making sure I have everything I need and telling me what you’re doing.”
“Arthur’s been in touch with you since we broke up? Since you… got pregnant and had an abortion?”
Carla clapped her hands to her mouth and her eyes went wide.
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you that!”
“Arthur asked you to keep it a secret? That he’s been talking with you?”
She stared at me, hands still over her mouth.
“Carla, tell me. If you truly have feelings for me, then you need to answer my questions. If you don’t, then you might kill me.”
It was an exaggeration, but not much of one. If Addison came to harm, I would never be the same again.
The assertion had the desired effect. Carla let her hands drop. “He said that he was doing this all for your benefit, but you couldn’t know. Otherwise, it would ruin everything. I got so excited to finally see you at my door that I forgot.”
If Arthur had been guiding Carla this whole time, then she couldn’t be the blackmailer.
But that means…
Addison was with Arthur. And he knew we were hot on his trail.
I dialed her number and nearly threw the phone on the ground when it went to voicemail.
She said she doesn’t get signal at the apartment.
What had seemed like a minor inconvenience could be a deadly flaw.
I sprinted back to the road and threw myself in the back of the car.
“The apartment, Gerald. And drive as fast as you can. Addison is in danger, and we have to get there before it’s too late.”
23
~ Addison ~
You are the source of all our problems.
I couldn’t go back and erase the shock I’d felt at seeing the notification on my phone, but I could try to act natural. There was no reason that Arthur had to know he’d been found out.
“Sorry, just a message from a friend of mine,” I said to Arthur.
He looked at me through narrowed eyes for a second longer. “Of course.”
The silence dragged. “So, you knew Carla back when Liam dated her. Did she seem smart enough to pull off this kind of scheme?”
Arthur folded his arms across his chest. “People can do incredible things when their backs are against a wall.”
His eyes threw daggers across the table.
Was he this threatening when I first got here, or has he realized that I’ve figured out the truth?
“What kind of wall would take two hundred million pounds to resolve?”
He shrugged. “Maybe she thinks she’s entitled to it. After all, she could have had a royal baby—and the son of a billionaire, at that. If Liam had married her because of it like she hoped, she would have lived in the lap of luxury for the rest of her life.”
“No one is entitled to another person’s fortune.” I jabbed back. “Especially when they have watched the hard work and talent that’s gone into making that fortune grow.”
“All the hard work and talent in the world is nothing compared to the enormous legacy that was left for him. That’s a head start that no one could screw up.”
I stood from the table. “I need to find Liam. I won’t let him face Carla without me. He needs my support.”
“Sit down, Addison.”
“I’m leaving. You can’t stop me.”
“You aren’t going anywhere.” He reached to his side and drew a pistol, resting it on the table with the muzzle pointed at my core. “Sit down, Addison, or else I will shoot you.”
He said it as if discussing what we would have for afternoon tea.
I sank into the chair. “Why, Arthur? Why would you do it? Liam loves you!”
“I don’t need to explain myself to you,” he said. “My actions don’t require your ap
proval.”
Why has the world gone crazy?
“Arthur, I don’t understand. You’re a royal, and you have your own estates. Why would you risk everything for a piece of Liam’s fortune?”
He stood from the table and backed across the room. The gun dangled by his side, but I didn’t trust my ability to get out the front door before he could bring it to bear.
“Hard work and talent, Addison. Do you honestly think that’s all it takes?” Arthur gave a harsh chuckle. “You’re still young enough to be that naïve.”
I bit my tongue. The man with the gun could wax philosophical all he wanted, so long as it didn’t lead to him shooting me. The longer I kept him talking, the higher the likelihood he would make a mistake that gave me the upper hand.
“My father was a drunk and a gambler. The drink caused the estate to pass into my care at an early age, but the gambling meant that it was in dire straits. Heavily in debt, on the verge of forfeiture. I convinced the creditors and banks to give me time to turn around the mess my father had made of the family’s finances.”
“So you got the estate back in order?”
Arthur barked a laugh. “How? I tried—even at the best of times, it didn’t produce enough to even cover the interest on the debts my father had accumulated. But I discovered a potential way out—I could solve all of my problems in one brilliant stroke.
“I’d met a young woman in the social circles I was a part of due to my standing in the royal family. She came from a wealthy, storied banking family—and was the sole heir.”
Recognition gave me a start. “Denise Roquefort. Liam’s mother.”
“That’s right. Denise was beautiful, smart, and talented. Money aside, she was one of the most entrancing women I had even met. Money considered, she solved all my problems—my ticket to a happy life.”
“You didn’t marry her, though. Your cousin, Liam’s father, did.”
Arthur scowled. “Yes, I know the story. I was telling it—I was there. I introduced Denise to my friends and family, building a rapport with her. But when she met my cousin, the connection they made was so immediate and complete, I couldn’t compete.”
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