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“I’m not sure,” I answer and have to clear the shakes from my voice. “It could be anyone. I’ve got nothing.” And the things they know. The things they could have.

“Whoever he is, he’s going to do something whether I play along or not. He wanted me to come out and say something public. He wants the Hughes name with that and against you. He seemed determined.” Alden pauses. “I’m sorry to drop this on you. I don’t want to frighten you, but I’m frightened for you, and I couldn’t sit on this.”

“No, I'm so glad you told me.” And I am. Despite our broken relationship, I still know Alden’s character. He’s not malicious. He’s tender and kind. A good man. He just wasn’t the right one for me.

“Did you... did you tell him you were interested in his plan?”

“I played along a little. I thought it was better to know what he was planning than to shut him down and have him find someone else who might actually go through with it.” Another pause. “I told him I needed time to think about whether I wanted to hurt just Loomis or both of you. He’s supposed to contact me again tomorrow. If you want me to meet him, I will.”

I close my eyes, feeling the warm breeze against my face. “Could you let me know what he says when he calls, and I’ll talk to my people, and we can go from there? I don’t want to put you more in the middle of this situation, but right now, you’re the only link.”

“Of course.” His voice softens. “Keegs, I’ve seen the pictures, and you look… happy. Are you happy? With him?”

The question catches me off guard, though I don’t know why it does. “Yes,” I say after a moment. “I am. I had a thing for him before you and I ever got back together, and it’s carried over and grown.”

“Good. That’s... that’s good. I want that for you.” He clears his throat again. “I care about you, and I want you to be happy. I should let you go. I just wanted to warn you.”

“Thank you, Alden. I mean it. You’re amazing, and I’m so grateful for you.”

“Take care of yourself, Keegan. I’ll be in touch once I hear from him again.”

The call ends, and I stand in the water, staring at the phone in my hand. I need to tell Loomis about this immediately. Whatever this guy has, whether it’s photos, rumors, videos, or whatever, we need to be prepared.

I turn toward the house and freeze. Loomis stands on the other side of the pool, his expression vacant and hard. Shit.

28

“How long have you been standing there?” Keegan asks, her voice barely audible over the lapping of the pool and the sound of the waves hitting the rocky shore.

“Long enough to hear you say, 'Thank you, Alden. I mean it. You’re amazing, and I’m so grateful for you.’”

I work to keep my carefully neutralized tone as even as possible despite feeling like a series of grenades are exploding one by one inside me, shredding my organs to pulp, loading me with shrapnel, and bleeding me out. Because Alden? Why the fuck is she talking to him in secret? Why didn’t she simply say,now piss off, you twat, and leave me be? She was grateful. Adoring. And she clearly came out here to call him so I wouldn’t hear.

“Is there something I should know?”

She takes a nervous step toward me, but something in my posture makes her stop.

“It’s not what you think.”

I almost roll my eyes at that line. Doesn’t she know how many movies that’s starred in? “What I think,” I start slowly, “isthat you were on the phone with your ex-boyfriend and didn’t want me to know about it.”

“He texted me. He had something important to tell me.”

She holds out her phone as if it contains proof of her innocence. I don’t spare it a second glance.

“There’s someone out to hurt you. Hurt us,” she amends. “A man contacted Alden and is trying to get him to help destroy your reputation and mine. He says he has video, and with Alden’s name and reputation behind it, it’ll really sell and hurt us.”

My expression doesn’t change. “And you didn’t think to mention this to me before you called him back?”

“I didn’t know why he was calling. Only that it was something important.”

“Fine. Let me rephrase. You didn’t feel it was important to let me know you were calling your ex-boyfriend?”

“I was going to tell you right after?—”

“But you didn’t tell me before!” I bellow, my voice a loud shock, and I hate that I’m showing emotion. I search her face and even myself back out. “You came out here and called your ex-boyfriend in secret, Keegan.”

“It wasn't like that. I wasn’t going to hide anything from you.”