Her lower lip trembled. “Fine. You win. And I’m totally glad you didn’t pick me,” she said, her tone deeply wounded. “Because then I’d be married to a bully and aliar.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Jarrod felt his temper boiling over. He wanted to kick something. “Mary said the same thing. I didn’t lie to her about anything.”
“I hacked into the pack’s bank accounts,” Regina said. “And I found out about you sending those payments to Mary’s mother.” She paused to let that sink in. “Her supposedly dead mother. Who’s apparently alive and living in Cleveland.”
“Still?” Jarrod cried out. “Are you saying she’s still getting payments?”
“As if you didn’t know.”
“How did you find all of that out?”
“Because I am a genius hacker,” she said proudly. “I also found out that Petra and Earvin are both embezzling money. Petra’s stealing it from the hospital and sending a hundred grand a year to some corporation in Wisconsin. Earvin’s sending money to Eastern Europe.”
Jarrod and Craig exchanged glances.
“The money to Eastern Europe…that could be for some kind of drugs, something he’s giving the athletes,” Jarrod said to Craig.
“We’ll notify the Enforcers. But right now, you need to tell Mary the truth,” Craig said to him.
“You know I can’t. And you know why.” Jarrod shook his head.
“Fine,” Craig said, sounding exasperated. “Let your relationship to the love of your life crash and burn because of a stupid oath.”
“A Blood Oath.” That came out as a growl.
Craig turned to Regina. “Do you have any idea why Angela stopped talking to me?”
Regina sighed sullenly.
“Full fat yogurt,” Jarrod repeated sternly.
“You are a sick man,” she said with disgust. “You won’t get away with treating me like this.”
“Yeah, yeah, your daddy is going to sue me.” Jarrod waved his hand dismissively.
“The heck with that. I’ll go to law school, get a law degree, and sue you myself.” Her eyes gleamed with new resolve, and Jarrod had to admit, Angela’s bad influence on Regina was also kind of a good influence.
But he still needed answers.
“That’ll take at least three years. Right now, you’re my prisoner, and I control the food and cosmetic supply. Talk!”
“Fine!” She stamped her foot. “Angela thought you were too good for her, but then Mary talked her out of it, but now Angela thinks she’s already ruined her chances with you she’s hiding and crying all the time. She thinks I don’t know about that, but I do, because she really needs under-eye concealer now and she never used to need it, and also crying makes her makeup run because she wouldn’t take my advice and use waterproof mascara.” That all came out in a rush, sounding like one long sentence. “You made her cry,” she concluded, scowling at Craig.
“I made her cry?” Craig said indignantly.
“Yes. You should go apologize and beg her forgiveness. Bring flowers. No, bring her tickets to a heavy metal concert and a roller coaster ride.”
“You know, you’re not as dumb as you look,” Craig said, and turned to leave.
“Thank you. I know,” Regina said proudly.
Jarrod sat down next to Regina, and her triumphant smile vanished. She moved nervously away from him.
“Now you’re going to show me what you found in those bank accounts.”
