Page 89 of Vain

“It wasn’t Daniel. He was with me when it happened. I’m not denying Matilda was hurt. Goodness. Imagine finding out about it on the news, of all places. I didn’t even warrant a phone call. But it wasn’t Daniel. He reported the car stolen the night before this all happened.”

“How fucking convenient,” I snap before shutting up so I can hear the rest.

“I think Matilda is trying to point the finger at Daniel because he hurt her feelings. This is revenge, pure and simple. I wouldn’t be surprised if Matilda orchestrated this herself.”

Unable to listen to any more of this drivel, I take the remote from Tilly’s hands and turn it off.

“Jack—that’s my agent—he said it was bad. I just wasn’t expecting it to be that bad.”

“She’s got some fucking nerve.”

“I shouldn’t even be surprised anymore, should I? I was having such a good fucking day too, damn her.”

I pull out my cell phone and dial Blake.

He answers after a couple of rings. “If you’re calling to ream me out, don’t bother. I made a call, and I will stand by it. Besides, Marcus said you FaceTimed him. You’ve seen with your own two eyes that he’s okay.”

I shake my head. “Not calling about any of that. I’m gonna call Banner. I just wanted to tell you first.”

“You’re not quitting.”

“No, but you might end up firing me by the time I’m done.” I fill him in on what just happened, and he curses.

“Everything okay, Blake?” I hear Callie in the background.

“Yeah, just talking to Aiden.”

“Oh, tell him I said hi. Oh, and that I saw Matilda’s mother on TV this morning. She seems like a freaking witch. Looks like we’ll have something in common after all.” She goes quiet before I hear crying.

“Shit.” Blake sighs.

“Is she alright?”

“Yeah. There might have been no love lost between Callie and her mother, but to see her killed like that…she’s taking it hard.”

“Of course she is. Look, I’ll let you go so you can go see to her. I just wanted to let you know I plan on asking Banner and Kellen to ruin Matilda’s mother. Matilda is done with this bullshit.”

“You love her.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“Yeah, I do. And Hattie Carson has fucked with my girl for the last time.”

“I get it. You have my backing. It’s a good thing I started that bail fund. Something tells me I’m going to need it.”

I laugh. “You’re probably right.”

“Alright, I’m gonna go watch this talk show shit after I’ve checked on Callie. If it’s as bad as you’re saying, you guys might need to do some damage control.”

“I know. The only good thing is that having a swarm of reporters around makes it harder for a stalker to remain discreet.”

“That’s true. Tell Matilda, we’ll take care of this shit with her mother. If she’s yours, she’s one of ours too.”

“Thanks, man.”

I hang up and turn to Tilly. “You hear all that?”

She nods, tears in her eyes. “He’s sweet.”

I laugh. “He’s really not, but he’s a good man. When he says he’ll get this sorted, he’ll get it sorted.”