Page 46 of The Hookup Situation (Billionaire Situation #5)

NICK

I t’s been three days since the break-in.

Three days of Julie startling at every creak in Hollow Manor, of checking and rechecking locks, of barely sleeping, even with me holding her.

This morning, she insisted on returning to her condo.

The security company is installing everything today.

I special-ordered state-of-the-art equipment.

“I’m letting him win,” she says as we pull up to her building.

“You’re not. And it’s not about winning or losing. This is about protecting you. Not just from Craig, but from anyone else who tries to snoop.” I squeeze her hand. “This company is the best. They’ve completed several celebrity homes across the US.”

“Of course they have.” But she’s smiling.

The installation team is already at work. Cameras are at every angle, motion sensors, and smart locks that’ll alert her phone if anyone even approaches the door. The lead installer—a former military guy named Jeffrey—walks us through everything with professional efficiency.

“No one’s getting in here without you knowing,” he assures Julie. “This system is?—”

Julie’s phone rings, cutting him off, and she silences it. “Sorry, please continue.”

She shows me the screen, and I see Autumn’s name. She calls three more times as the guy continues walking Julie through how to use everything. He finishes his explanation, and her phone rings again.

“Answer it,” I whisper to her.

“Okay,” she says, putting it on speaker while she watches them install a camera. “What’s up?”

“Jules, don’t freak out.” Autumn’s voice is serious in a way I’ve never heard before.

Julie goes still. “What happened?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this.” Autumn doesn’t speak for a very long time, and my heart begins to race. “There are photos of you posted online.”

“What kind of photos?” I ask.

Autumn sighs. “Intimate ones. They’re … they’re everywhere.”

The blood drains from Julie’s face. She drops her phone, and it crashes to the ground. She hurries and picks it up. “Please explain.”

“It’s Craig. He posted things he had no business posting. Said you were a whore who deserved to be exposed.”

“No.” Julie’s hands start shaking. “No, no, no.”

I’m already calling Asher as Julie breaks down while she talks to Autumn. My anger builds with every cracked word that releases from her mouth.

“We have a situation,” I tell my brother when he answers.

“What kind of situation?”

“Revenge porn. Julie’s ex posted intimate photos of her online.”

“Have you seen them?” he asks.

“I haven’t.”

“I will be in Cozy Creek as soon as I can,” Asher tells me. “Tell her not to look at anything online. It’s counterproductive. I’ll start making calls. We’re in crisis mode.”

Asher ends the call, and Julie rushes over to me with devastation in her eyes. She’s got the pictures pulled up on her phone, and she’s sobbing.

“Everyone’s seeing this, Nick. My parents, my coworkers, everyone in town.”

“We’ll fix it,” I say, grabbing her hand.

“You can’t!” She’s growing hysterical. “I’m so exposed. Those photos are out there forever. People have already screenshotted them. I’m probably on porn sites already.”

“Sweetheart, I don’t think you understand how powerful my company is. I will fix this.” I study her. “Is there anything else I need to be aware of? Are there videos? More pictures?”

“No,” she whispers. “No, he posted everything he has.”

The security team leaves, and within fifteen minutes, the doorbell rings.

We freeze until she checks the live video feed on her phone. I lean over her shoulder and see it’s Mrs. Patrick, with several more of the Fairy Godmothers, all carrying casserole dishes and flowers.

“It’s Mrs. Patrick, Mrs. Mooney, Mrs. Henderson, Mrs. Caldwell, and Mrs. Lutcher.” She points to all of them, then sighs. “They won’t let me ignore them.”

I squeeze her shoulder. “I’ll answer it.”

“Okay,” she says.

I open the door, and Mrs. Patrick speaks.

“We’re here for Julie! That bastard Craig needs to burn in hell for what he’s done!”

They sweep in like an avenging army of grandmas, surrounding Julie with a fierce, protective energy. I try to stay professional while these women plot Craig’s demise.

“The whole town’s talking about it,” Mrs. Caldwell says. “But not how Craig wanted. This is criminal.”

“Sarah’s at the police station right now,” Mrs. Patrick tells us. “Apparently, he did the same thing to her. Posted her photos on some disgusting website months ago.”

“Sarah?” Julie looks up. “Craig’s pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sarah? ”

Mrs. Patrick nods. “She’s been too ashamed to report it until now. But seeing what he did to you gave her courage.”

Julie looks stunned, her face pale as she processes what Mrs. Patrick just said. “He did this to Sarah?”

The Fairy Godmothers nod, sharing their outrage; their voices surround us.

“You did nothing wrong, Julie,” Mrs. Mooney insists, patting her shoulder. “It’s shameful he went this low.”

Mrs. Henderson adds, “The whole town knows it. We’re furious for you. And we’re not going to let this go. I’ve already had choice words with his mother.”

Julie leads them into the kitchen, where they set their casserole dishes on the counter. “I thought … I thought this would ruin me.”

I slide my arm around her. “You are not ruined. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met. I’ll burn the world down before I let anyone make you feel like less.”

Her eyes glisten, but I see something spark behind the tears. It’s pure anger.

Mrs. Patrick crosses her arms. “Sarah’s already pressing charges. We’ll all testify if needed—because many of us were in the coffee shop the day you told him to leave. Men like Craig don’t get to keep destroying lives in this town.”

The other women agree. Their voices are a chorus of determination.

Julie looks around at them, at me, then takes a shaky breath. “Then I’ll press charges too. He doesn’t get to take any more from me. Not my privacy, not my peace, not my future.”

I’m filled with pride and fury as I kiss the top of her head. “Asher’s already mobilizing PR and legal. Craig has no idea what kind of war he just started.”

The Fairy Godmothers clap like it’s settled.

“We’ll handle the gossip,” Mrs. Patrick says. “You handle the lawyers.”

Mrs. Mooney smiles. “I know this is hard to handle right now, but, honey, when you’re my age, you’ll be proud of a body like that. If I could go back in time, I’d personally walk around naked everywhere I went. I didn’t realize what I had in my youth.”

Julie bursts into laughter. “Thank you. I guess that’s a silver lining.”

And as the women around us talk strategy and vengeance, I know one thing for sure: Craig Downing picked the wrong woman to cross. He hasn’t gone after just Julie, but after every single one of us. He won’t win.

Once everyone has left and we’re alone, Julie leans into me. “We’re in this together, right?”

“Always,” I promise.

She seems to relax.

Four hours later, Asher arrives and doesn’t bother with pleasantries. Behind him are two people I don’t know.

“Status?” he barks at one of them as soon as he enters Julie’s condo.

“Photos went up at eight a.m. across all major platforms,” the woman reports. “We’ve got them down from Instagram and Facebook. Twitter’s being slower. Working on DMCA takedowns for the rest.”

“Criminal charges?” Asher asks.

“Colorado has revenge porn laws. Class 1 misdemeanor, but with the restraining order violation and pattern of behavior with multiple victims, the DA might bump it to a felony,” the guy with him says.

“Sorry, who the fuck are you two?” I ask, glancing between them.

“Oh, this is Laurel and Patrick. The new interns I hired two weeks ago, who are learning how to handle crisis management,” Asher explains, then turns back to them. “Make sure it’s a felony. I want him buried. No one messes with my brother’s girlfriend.”

Hearing Asher be so protective makes me smile.

“Do you know where Craig is now?” I ask .

“No,” Patrick says. “After posting the photos, it seems as if he’s disappeared. We have a private investigator trying to track him. His apartment is empty.”

Julie goes even paler. “He’s hiding?”

“He’s screwed, and he knows it,” Asher says. “This is a crime with more than enough evidence to convict. Because you filed that temporary restraining order, this will not be taken lightly. This is retaliation.”

Julie turns her phone back on against my advice, and the notifications are overwhelming. I read over her shoulder—some messages are supportive, but others are disgusting. Strange men explaining what they’d do to her. Some are even calling her horrible names.

“Sweetheart, turn it off,” I whisper. “Seeing it won’t help.”

Her phone rings before she can speak, and it’s her mom.

“Mom,” Julie says, voice breaking.

“Oh, honey.” Her mother sounds upset. “Your dad and I saw … we’re sick for you. Craig is a monster.”

“Mom, I’m so sorry?—”

“Don’t you dare apologize. He betrayed you.”

Her father’s voice comes through. “I’m going to find him and make him pay for this.”

Julie excuses herself and goes upstairs so she can chat in private while more people arrive to support her. Autumn and Zane enter, and Blaire follows behind them with crystals and sage. Coffee shop employees stop by with messages of support.

“Julie is trending,” Laurel says, shaking her head. “The story’s going viral.”

“Shit.” I run my fingers through my hair. I can’t help but notice the spotlight is burning brighter because of me. Had Julie been dating anyone else, this might have been swept under the rug sooner, but because I’m attached to her, it’s getting unneeded visibility.

My phone rings from an unknown number .

“Don’t answer—” Asher starts, but I don’t listen.

“Is this Nicolas Banks?”

“What do you want?”

“This is TMZ. Would you like to comment on your girlfriend’s revenge-porn situation? We?—”

I hang up, my jaw clenched.

Julie comes downstairs and hugs Autumn and Blaire, and they stay huddled together for minutes.