Anger creeps through my body. Another envelope. Another lie. “I don’t care what’s inside.”
“Indulge me.”
“Why should I?”
“Because that’s the truth about your boyfriend right there.” He taps his index finger against the envelope. “Are you too afraid to find out what it is?”
“I’m so damn tired of your ridiculous allegations.”
He shakes his head. “No allegations. Just cold, hard facts.” Something flickers inside his gaze that sends a chill down my spine. “If you’re so convinced it’s not real, why not take a look?”
There’s no need for me to sit here for this. I gave him my resignation. I should just stand up and leave.
But something holds me back. Something makes me reach for that envelope.
When I see what’s inside, it feels like the ground has opened up beneath me.
It’s photos of Rowan, Sam, and Brett. Photos taken in this office.
Brett’s back is pressed against the wall.
And Rowan’s holding a gun to his chin.
I blink. This can’t be real. This is photoshopped. How dare Brett?
I throw the photos back down on the desk. “Enough. I’m not interested in seeing your experiments in photo editing.”
Brett scoops up the photos before sliding them back to me. “It’s not photoshopped. They’re screenshots of a video I have. Look again. If you want, I can show you the video too.”
“You really want me to believe Rowan walked in here and threatened you with a gun? Why would he do that?”
“Because of the store in the mall.”
My stomach drops. Brett knows about the bookstore? How? Did he hear me talking to Frank? To Carly?
No, he wasn’t here when I told them.
Then, how…
Brett’s eyes flash with triumph. “My dad’s company owns the leasing firm, and when I heard Miller signed a lease for that store, I told the agent not to give him the keys.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I wanted to see how he’d react.”
I pick up one of the photos. The picture is taken from somewhere slightly above, as if the camera was placed on…
I glance behind me. That shelf. The one that’s right above the photos of Brett’s family. The picture frame with the photo of Brett and me has been moved from where it was to that top shelf.
“I hid the camera just behind the photo of us.” Brett’s voice is soft.
I turn back to face him. The photo in my hands is shaking. “Rowan would never do this.”
“You have no idea who Rowan is.” He gets out of his chair and walks around the desk toward me. “He’s a dangerous man.”
I stand up, and the chair skids against the floor. Panic wraps around my lungs. “Don’t come any closer.”
“I’ll tell you everything about him, Blake. I’ve learned a lot in the past few days. But first, I want you to understand that ultimately, I want to put all of this behind us as quickly as possible. I’m tired of playing games.”
