Page 128 of In Case You Didn't Know

“Leave,” I tell her, my voice cold.

She looks delighted. “Gladly. But I’ll need your answer soon. Or these videos go viral.” She tips her head. “And we both know how far you’ll go to protect the people you care about.” She lifts her hand to wave goodbye, then turns on her heels to walk away.

I stare down at the envelope and the fucking pictures of all the mistakes I’ve made.

The thing is, she’s right.

I fucked up. Big time. And the woman I care about is going to get hurt.

“You fucking idiot,” Hudson says. But there’s no malice in his voice. If anything there’s sympathy.

He knows I know better than to do something this stupid. I’m a security expert for fuck’s sake. I committed the cardinal sin of thinking I was in control.

And I never have been. Not since that moment I sawheron the security cameras of the Ivory Rooms. Every part of my body has been doing the thinking for me. My dick, my heart.

But not my head.

We’re sitting in his office, because we don’t know if mine is compromised. We don’t know if my house is compromised, either. I’ve even switched phones again, but Francie’s phone could be compromised, so I can’t even talk to her.

Brad is doing another sweep of everything. And I haven’t told him the exact details because the less people who know about this the better. But the two men in front of me know everything.

Because I trust them with my life.

Hudson flew in first thing this morning. And West was already in Manhattan for a meeting with a client, so he’s come to strategize, because if anybody knows how to deal with assholesit’s West. He does it for a living as a media lawyer and general troubleshooter in Hollywood.

“Okay,” West murmurs. “Let’s go through this again. From the very beginning.”

I grit my teeth, because I don’t want to. We’ve already done this once and I’m ready to take action. But there’s no action I can take that doesn’t involve compromising the woman I promised to protect.

“The Ivory Rooms,” he says. “There could be evidence of you both being there, correct?”

“There are no photographs of that in any of the blackmail she provided,” I tell him. “I think it was too early. She doesn’t know about that.”

West lifts a brow. “You should still assume she has details of that. So we have that, the… videos of yours and Francie’s…” he trails off and I wince.

“Of her completely exposed,” Hudson adds, lifting a brow at me.

Message received. I’m a dick. But at least he agreed to be here to help.

“And then of you two outside the lighthouse,” West adds.

I nod.

“Anything else?”

“No.” I shake my head, because I’ve wracked my brain and can’t think of anything else.

“But all Annalise showed you were stills. So how can we be sure she has the videos?” Hudson asks.

I turn my laptop around to show him the email I received this morning. “There’s a video attached,” I tell him. “It shows everything.”

It’s Hudson’s turn to wince. “Christ.”

“Yeah,” I nod. “I know.”

“And Francie? What does she say?” West asks me.

“I haven’t told her. I asked her to head straight for Liberty.” I look at my watch. “She should be arriving any time now.” Because of course I chartered a plane for her. And arranged for a car to take her to the ferry.” I look at Hudson. “Skyler knows to pick her up and take her to your place, right?”