Page 50 of Undeniably Unexpected (Boston’s Irresistible Billionaires #6)

K eegan’s beautiful green eyes hold mine in shocked disbelief.

“Were you using me all this time?”

The fact that she asks that tears my heart further in two.

“No. How could you even—” I cut myself off because I was using her, wasn’t I? Whether it felt that way or not, I was using her with Fen. I was using her name to make my own look better. I’m the worst sort of man, and I need to stop hurting the ones I love.

“Then why?”

I laugh but it falls flat, lifeless, dead. Exactly how I feel. “Because your name should not be mixed up with mine. This is going to be bad for me, Keegan. It could quite literally rip my world in two, and you shouldn’t have yours do the same.”

“So you’re breaking up with me for my own good?”

“Keegan, I…” Words fail me. I’ve been thinking about it the entire flight home, but with that video out... she’ll be fine. She has her family, and they’ll protect her as they do. And she’s strong. She’s gotten over lovers before.

“God, why are men so stupid?”

“Stupid?!”

“Yes. Stupid. You don’t just end a relationship like that. You’re scared,” she accuses, wiping at the emotion staining her cheeks.

“Of course I’m bloody scared,” I half-yell, only to temper my voice.

“Some deranged psycho is intentionally trying to ruin me. Ruin my son’s life and ruin yours.

They want to hurt me, and the only way I can think to stop them from hurting you more is to distance us.

They’re not physically violent, but what if that’s next? ”

“I don’t accept your breakup.”

“What?” It comes out as an incredulous burst of air.

“I appreciate you’re trying to be noble or whatever, but I don’t accept.” She folds her arms defiantly.

“And if I don’t give you the choice?”

“Do you love me?” she asks plainly, her eyes brimming with fresh tears, and I can’t handle them. I can’t see her falling apart at my hands. I want to fix this for all of us, and I’m trying to, but she’s making it so damn impossible.

“More than anything,” I tell her because I can’t lie. I can’t say no. I just fucking can’t. Even if maybe I should.

“Awesome. I love you too, so how about we stop this bullshit and figure it out together?”

I hold Fen, who’s still fussing slightly, tighter against my chest. “His grandparents could come out and contest this. They could try to claim him and take him from me. Hell, it could be them who set all this up. I will no doubt lose this movie and others. Things could get very bad. You understand that, right? Very bad. Please, I can’t bear what this will do to you too. ”

“Uh, tough shit?” She shrugs.

Now I do laugh. “Tough shit?”

“Yep.” She pops the P sound. “TFB. How’s that?”

“I don’t know what that means.” I’m trying not to smile, but it’s coming on anyway.

“Too fucking bad. That’s what it means.” Her hands fly wildly about. “Stop with the extra drama. We already have enough of that going on. If you love me, then understand I’m stronger than I look, and I know not only what I want but how to take care of myself.”

“I know you’re strong. I never doubted that. But what if…” I choke. “What if this is just the start?”

“Then I’ll handle it like the grown-ass woman I am. But you’re not breaking up with me, so get over it.”

I fall back against the bench seat and close my eyes. “My darling, I just want you happy and safe. That’s all. And now all our best-laid plans might be for naught.”

“Then we’ll adjust. But I’m not giving in to this asshole, and I won’t let you either.”

I open my eyes and lock with hers. “I’m not giving in to him, love. I intend to discover who he is and destroy him limb by limb. But that doesn’t mean you have to be a part of that, and it doesn’t mean I’m not going to protect the people I love at all costs.”

“I’m not a damsel in distress. I don’t write women like that, and I won’t be one now. I want to fight this with you.”

The determined glint in her eyes holds me prisoner, and while I’m afraid for her, I also know now I can’t let her go. She clearly won’t stand for it. It makes my lips twitch. I’m thoroughly outmatched with this one, and I don’t think I’d have it any other way.

“Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry. It was a dim-witted thought.”

“Yes. It was.”

“I love you. In case you started to question that with my rubbish attempt at being heroic.”

She smirks. “I don’t need you to be my hero, Loomis. I need you to be the guy by my side who fights along with me, has my back, and doesn’t try to push me out the door because things get tough or because he thinks that’s what I need.”

“You’re bloody brilliant. I’d kiss you if I didn’t have a fussing infant on my chest and we weren’t about to land.”

“But you do.”

I pat Fen’s back and bounce him lightly. “No one is going to believe that this is real.”

“We’ll just have to prove to them that it is.”

The plane stops, and the moment I unbuckle, I reach for Keegan’s hand. Shockingly, she gives it to me. I never fail at dropping clunkers, but my attempt at breaking up with her might have taken the cake.

Still, and as fucked up as this sounds, she fought for me when no one else has.

It’s forever been me against the world, or at least that’s how it’s felt.

But for the first time in my life, I have someone truly beside me, who picks me above all others.

She can tell me she doesn’t need me to take care of her, and I believe it.

She’s Keegan Fritz.

She has an army at her back.

But that won’t stop me from finding the git who went after my girl and ruining his life without a second’s remorse.

The street punk in me has zero fucks to give with that, as Tinsley would say.

I’m mild-mannered and charming when needed, but if you fuck with my people, I am bloody ruthless, and this arsehole picked my top two, my son and my girl.

If he brings my mum, brothers, or Tinsley into this, I swear, they’ll never find his body.

With that determination, I lean in and kiss her. I love acting, but if this ruins me, I’ll be okay as long as I have them.

“You’re forgiven,” she tells me with a smile against my lips.

“I don’t deserve you.”

“I know.” She pats my shoulder. “You never will because I’m pretty incredible.”

“About sodding time.” I laugh. “Where is all this new confidence coming from?”

“From realizing I don’t need the validation of others to believe in myself.”

That earns her another kiss, this one a bit deeper and more intense so she knows she’s my world and my heart and my ocean and my stars and my sky. She’s the pulse of my heart, and I can’t exist without her.

Not anymore.

My PR team keeps telling me to play this one low and cool and keep my cards close to the vest. They’re in damage-control mode, but I can’t live like that. I have too much at stake. Too much to lose. But more than that, I need to make this right for Keegan.

We start to head out of the plane, and I nearly tumble down the small ladder when I see Vander there waiting for us.

“I’ve got him,” is all he says before he turns around and walks toward a large, black SUV that looks like it’s meant to house the king.

Still, my blood thrums at his words. He’s got him, and so will I. Keegan throws me a meaningful look, but we don’t say anything. There are people milling about, doing their jobs, and this is a conversation that can only happen in privacy.

We climb into the car, and I buckle Fen into his carrier. He’s half asleep now after all that fussing on the plane, but the moment the car is in drive and the privacy screen is up, I don’t waste time. “Who?”

“Tommy Hardgrave.”

“What?!” both Keegan and I exclaim.

“Tommy Hardgrave? My co-star? America’s Wonder Boy? Mr. I’m everyone’s best mate? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope. I went through Alden’s phone and was able to triangulate the original texts back to a location because he slipped up, and the phone had been hooked up to a WIFI when they were sent, and the location is his rental penthouse in the city.

More than that, it matches up. He knew you were in town and had ways to follow you from the studio and knew your disguise because he saw you in it. ”

“He was on the call,” I murmur, a bit lost in my thoughts with this.

“What call?” Keegan and Vander ask in unison.

“My call with Mel at the studio when he told me they were moving up the production date. Tommy was in the room. He knew we were going to Key West for the day.” My jaw clenches.

“That doesn’t surprise me with how fast they found you.

Anyway, I followed him last night to a strip club and hacked his phone.

In doing my digging, I discovered that he was passed over for the lead in this film in favor of you, and the next film you signed on for, he wanted but also didn’t get.

You also make more money and headlines than him by far.

He views you as his number one competition. ”

“So by ruining me, he removes me as that.” I lean back in my seat and scrub my hands up my face. “Well then. Do we have proof of this?”

“I do because I have him with the burner phone and all the texts on that, and all his emails with his agent, where he’s not shy about how much he hates you.

He clicked a phishing link I sent him that I made to look like it was from a studio about a future role.

I have his entire system, and he’s done a lot of digging on both of you.

The posts made to that dummy Instagram account came from his burner phone.

So now it depends on how you want to proceed.

I might have also done something else depending on your answer because I want him to suffer.

He was a particularly offensive prick to a dancer at the strip club. ”

My hands drop to my lap, and I stare across the aisle at the man on the opposite bench seat. “I’m listening.”

“On his computer is an AI-generated video using software he pays a subscription for. There are two videos on there. One is the real video that we know is real, and the other is an AI-generated voice one that has Keegan thanking you for stepping in but worrying that your relationship will become public.”

I scrunch my brow. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“We’re going to say that the AI-generated one is the original video and that Tommy created the alternate one that we all know is the real video using AI. If anyone checks it, it’ll turn out to prove this. Trust me on that.”

“Blimey!” My eyes turn into saucers. “You did all that?”

“You’re diabolical.” Keegan laughs, shocked.

“It wasn’t difficult, and I have no moral objections to ruining people who intentionally seek to destroy others.”

Keegan makes a noise. “Remind me never to cross you.”

Seriously.

I think about this. It feels wrong, but at the same time, not at all. Tommy had no qualms about doing what he did. He was methodical and cutthroat. “If I need it, I’ll use it. Let’s start with the legitimate things he did first.” In fact…

I shift around and pull my phone from the pocket of my trousers. Both Keegan and Vander are throwing me funny looks, but I’m not going to play defense. Not this time.

I dial up Lance, who picks up on the first ring. “I want you to call Mel at the studio and tell him that I want a meeting in the next hour.”

“What? Where the hell is this coming from?” he barks into the phone.

“It was Tommy Hardgrave, and I have evidence I’m sending you that my PI team put together. Tommy is the one who set all this up and has been following me with the design to ruin my career and hurt not only my reputation but Keegan’s as well.”

He’s silent for a moment. “Loomis, are you suggesting… you’re telling me you have proof of this?”

I look out the window as we emerge from the tunnel with Boston sprawling around us. “Absolutely. Substantial proof.”

“Fuck,” he hisses.

“Tell them I’ll be at the studio in one hour and that I’m bloody furious, but don’t give them more details than that yet.”

“I’m on it. Do you want an attorney there with you?”

I rub my bottom lip. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

I disconnect the call and ask the driver to drop Keegan, Fen, and Vander off at Tinsley’s and then to take me to the studio.

“What are you going to do?” Keegan asks, using her good hand to hold mine.

“What needs to be done,” I tell her, already concocting a plan in my head.

“Do you want me to come with you?” she offers, and I shake my head.

“No. This I’m going to handle alone, but one way or another, it’ll be settled by tonight.” I’ll bloody well make sure of it.