Page 21 of XOXO, Little Butterfly (The Storyteller’s Bodyguard #2)
Birdie
The bunker’s ventilation hums in the background, a monotonous sound that matches the static in my brain. I grip the desk harder, focusing on the pain in my knuckles to keep my expression neutral.
Tristan’s presence shifts from intimidating to protective as he leans closer to the screen. “Ms. Lockwood, did Abel elaborate on his claim?”
Adriana shakes her head, her professional composure cracking. “No, but he said to tell Birdie that he had a long visit with someone called Shane, and she’d know what he meant.”
My entire body goes cold, but not from fear—from recognition. I thought Blake was going to use Aaron against me. This is worse. Way worse.
“Shane?” Tristan asks. “Isn’t that—”
“Yes.” My first mistake. The past that, even behind bars, poses a threat to end my future. “But I don’t know what Blake meant.” I whisper, proud of how my voice trembles just right. Years of pain have taught me the perfect pitch of vulnerability. “What could he possibly have on me?”
Neither of them can give me an answer. I don’t wait for one I already know. “Did he say anything else?”
“He didn’t elaborate any further,” Adriana replies. “I’ve been trying to reach you because this changes our strategy completely. If he’s bluffing, that’s one thing. But if there’s anything—anything at all—that could be used against you, I need to know now.”
My eyes go wide and vacant, like I’m searching my memories. In reality, I’m calculating. Blake has gone to visit Shane in prison. They talked long enough, and now Blake knows what he should have never known, what should have been buried forever.
The video I have of him is nothing compared to what he could reveal. The real question is: would he destroy himself just to bring me down?
“Of course he’s bluffing,” I lie.
“To be honest, his confidence concerns me.”
“I...” I start, then stop, letting the silence build tension.
“Whatever it is, I’m on your side. But I need complete honesty to protect you.” Adriana’s voice turns gentle, almost maternal. The kind that makes me want to confess everything. “Birdie?”
Almost. “He has nothing. Nothing real anyway. But… Shane was my first husband. He is in prison because of me. Blake and Shane could have come together and fabricated something, created false evidence that could implicate me. They both seek revenge. Blake is also good at working the police in his favor. Who knows what he might have promised Shane in return for a false testimony? Protection in prison. Early parole…” I make my voice small and frightened.
It’s easier to suggest he’s lying than to admit my own lies.
The weight of Tristan’s hand lands on my shoulder. I allow myself to lean into it, a wounded bird seeking shelter.
“It’s possible,” Adriana admits. “But from the way he was speaking, I know this isn’t just an angry bluster. He thinks he has something concrete, and he’s desperate enough to use whatever this is, regardless of the consequences to himself.”
I think of the concrete evidence hidden where no one will ever find it. “What do you think I should do, Adriana?”
She leans closer to the camera. “Do you have anything else on him?”
Yes. Blake isn’t the only one who’s been keeping receipts. “No.”
Threatening Blake isn’t the way to win this game. He’s a desperate man in a classic trope. If I can’t have you, no one else will. You here isn’t me. It’s my money.
Adriana sighs. “If you’re not a hundred percent certain he’s bluffing, the best option is to settle.”
“How much?”
Another sigh leaves her chest, and her lips purse. “He’s asking for forty percent.”
“Forty percent of what?”
“Everything.”
“Everything? What do you mean everything?”
“He said, and again, I quote, I made her. Every penny she’s ever made should be mine. She’s lucky I’ll let her have something after what she’s done to me. But I’ll be generous and only take forty percent of everything she’s earned and will earn from her author career in perpetuity.”
Blood rushes to my ears, drowning out the bunker’s hum. Forty percent. Of everything. Forever. A laugh bubbles up in my throat, high, unnatural. I swallow it down before it runs loose. “That’s... That’s insane. He can’t… Fuck this shit!”
“All blackmail claims aside, if this is a regular situation, and we go to court, the judge might see it differently,” Adriana cuts in. “Especially if Blake can prove he contributed significantly to your success. Story ideas, character development, plot suggestions...”
My fingers twitch on the desk. If only she knew where my stories really came from. Who really inspired them. “He’s a drug addict. He didn’t contribute anything,” I say, ice creeping into my voice before I can stop it. “Except fear. Except pain. That piece of—”
“Birdie, I understand your frustration, but I need you to calm down because the message isn’t finished.”
“What else does he want? The house, a kidney, my right eye!”
“No, but he said if anything happened to him, he had one of those apps Aaron used. And everything he knew wouldn’t just be sent to his therapist. It’d be sent to the whole world.”
I am Jack’s cold sweat and raging bile duct.