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He bared his nasty teeth at her. “Fuck you, you prim little bitch. You think the world is all peachy keen and that you have the best readers on the planet—”
“It just so happens I do believe that, Lucas. What you put out into the world you get back in equal measure. And you can’t stand that, can you? If you’d done the work instead of trying to cash in, you’d have fans, too.”
He suddenly leaned forward and spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted, “Why don’t you rot in hell, Miss Perfect Writer. You deserved every word I ever said to you, and every word I ever wrote in a review for you—”
“About those reviews. I have to thank you. They were so wacked out and you came across as such a nutcase that I think you actually convinced people to buy my books out of curiosity.”
He tried to rise from his seat and got shoved back down by someone off camera whom she assumed was Kemp. Off camera an unfamiliar voice said, “Does anyone have duct tape for this fucker’s mouth? He keeps spitting and I’m tired of listening to his nasty ass.”
Kemp leaned forward so she could see him on camera and grinned happily, and she heard the distinct screech of duct tape being unrolled.
Hank laughed out loud. “I guess the Duct Tape Dom strikes after all.”
Lucas Jefferson hollered and roared behind the duct tape as he scowled at her and Veronica took her last shot. “Think of the next few years as research, Lucas. I hope you’ve always wanted a boyfriend.”
Lucas glared at her before Travis finally turned the camera so all she could see was him. “He’s unattractive when he’s having a hissy fit. This place is disgusting. I’m glad you didn’t come with us. I’m taking a bath in disinfectant when I get home.”
Veronica heard a bleating noise in the background and she gulped before she finally found her voice. “Um, Travis? Was…oh my gosh…was that a sheep I just heard? That sounded like a sheep. Please tell me I was hearing things?”
Travis glanced at Hank before looking back at her. “Like I said, Nika. I need a bath in disinfectant when I get home. He had several animals in pens. He makes—” Travis clenched his shoulders and looked like he was shuddering. “Duke found some videos.” Travis looked away from the camera for a second and then looked back at her. “Duke says to tell you that what has been seen cannot be unseen and you really don’t want an answer to that question. I can’t wait to come home to your sweet, beautiful face. This experience has made me appreciate my life there even more.”
Veronica nodded in understanding, actually glad he didn’t give her a direct answer. She didn’t want to know the depths of Lucas Jefferson’s depravity, although she did wonder where he found the time for so many nefarious pursuits. “Will you pass on my deepest gratitude to Ace, Kemp, and Duke when you can?”
“Of course. Oh, wait. Ace wants to talk to you.”
The camera moved and Ace’s good-looking face appeared. “Hey, Veronica. You doing okay?”
“Fine. Thank you for everything, Ace.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. We’re nearly done here. We found a weapon stash and a stockpile of ammo. I don’t know if he would’ve followed through on the threat he made last night, but the fact that he was pinpointing your location has me very relieved that we paid him a visit before we could find out if he’d follow through or not. Listen, I want you to promise me something.”
“Of course.”
“The next time you feel threatened by someone online, I want you to tell someone who can help you with it. Don’t just take it, okay?”
Veronica leaned in to Hank as he hugged her. “I promise. Before, I felt alone, with no one to stand up for me. But those days are over. I have friends who have my back now.”
“All right, then. Here’s Travis.”
He and Hank finished up the conversation and then Veronica turned to Hank. He kissed her and said, “All right. Now that that is taken care of, are you ready to go explore Divine?”
“I am. Thank you, Hank. I’m so glad I’m a part of your world.”
He smiled and hugged her to him, kissing her temple. “Me, too, Nika. Me, too.”
