Page 94

‘Leigh!’ Alex cried.

Leigh looked up from atop Erin. ‘Get security!’ she cried, wild-eyed, struggling to keep Erin down. ‘She’s hulking out!’

Luckily, someone was ahead of Leigh on that, and the big guys came in. Leigh jumped off Erin, and Erin was dragged out, still screaming death threats. Alex helped Leigh to her feet.

‘That was brave,’ Alex told her.

‘Stupid, more like,’ Leigh said quickly, going pink in the cheeks. ‘She was running on booze strength. It was like a bucking bronco, only it wanted to murder me.’

Alex knew in her heart that Leigh had wanted to protect her, and it meant a lot to her.

But there was no time to enjoy it. Time to put a bow on the evening.

Alex turned to the fifty or so people in the room. ‘Well, I think we’ll call that the end of the show. If you still want to see Isabelle’s movie, well, theotherone, I’m sure it will be on Netflix at some point,’ Alex stated.

Everyone trundled out, muttering excitedly to themselves. They were satisfied. All this and free Apple watches?

One of the last out was Ivy Coulter. ‘This wasinsane. Will you send me that video?’

Alex turned to Leigh. ‘You cool with giving her the scoop?’

Leigh shrugged. ‘I guess.’

‘This was a coproduction, was it?’ Ivy asked, amazed. ‘I’m gonna need the full story on this bizarre pairing. You know, after I’m done rippingthosetwo to shreds.’

‘Sure.’ Alex took out her phone and texted it to her.

Ivy heard her phone beep. ‘You’re officially off my shit list,’ she said to Leigh. She practically skipped out.

Steven, looking pale and shaky, joined Alex and Leigh at the door, the room now empty. ‘I need to go home and lie down.’

‘You do that. I’ll see you Monday morning to sign your employment contract.’

He grinned and left.

Alex was left alone with Leigh. ‘Quite an evening.’

‘That’s an understatement,’ Leigh breathed.

‘Well, I guess that’s that. Both of them are done.’

‘Yeah,’ Leigh agreed.

A thick silence fell upon them. Alex knew it was now or never to let out the things inside her that were asking, no,demandingto be said. Though Alex had taken Isabelle and Erin down and released numerous women from their shackles of silence… This? This was the moment she needed to be brave.

‘But what about us?’ Alex asked, her entire body trembling.

Leigh’s dark eyes widen. ‘What?’

‘Arewedone?’

‘Do you not want us to be?’ Leigh asked, her dark eyes growing wide.

Alex felt like she might throw up from the stress of trying to talk to Leigh honestly. She wasn’t really doing this, was she? She could never deserve Leigh.

Could she?

‘There’s something I need to tell you,’ Alex said. ‘I lied.’