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Born of pain and hardship, lit by love and appreciation, and filled with my heart and truth, it might just be the best song I’ve ever written. I set the notebook down, eyes taking in the progress Elise and Carsen have made on their projects and on their developing relationship.
I’m a lucky fucker. I drink the rest of my forgotten beer, not even minding the warm suds but just wanting to drain the bottle before dumping the glass in the recycle bin. Behind me, the door opens and Sarah sticks her head out. “Hey, guys. Dinner’s almost ready. How about if we eat out here tonight?”
“Yay!” Carsen says, obviously giving her two cents while Elise flashes a thumbs-up. Sarah looks at me and I give her a nod.
“Sounds good.”
“Okay. By the way, Keith, your phone just buzzed. Think you got a text.”
I sigh, wishing I didn’t have to step back into the reality of the world outside, wishing I could just stay in our safe, cozy hideaway. But reality comes calling no matter what, so I know I’d better deal with whatever has happened now.
Grabbing my phone, I see it’s a text from Todd. Call Me ASAP.
It must be important because he picks up on the first ring.
“Holy shit, Keith. Are you watching this?”
“Watching what? What happened?”
“Turn the TV on. Do it now.”
I head into the living room, snatching the remote off my couch and jabbing the power button. “So what am I looking for?”
“News. Shit, any news.”
I click a couple of times as Elise, Sarah, and Carsen come in, likely hearing my raised voice even from outside. I find the news and see a blonde pseudo-pageant-looking reporter talking in dramatic tones, as if the world were hanging in the balance.
“That’s right, Joanna. What we saw here today was something I don’t think anyone was expecting, especially Donnie Jardine. Police arrested him at the offices of The Daily Spot this afternoon, reportedly rushing in with multiple arrest warrants. Simultaneously, they raided his home, executing more search warrants. Police and crime scene investigators were seen leaving with several dozen boxes of evidence. No official word yet what the boxes contained. Speculation is that they contained evidence proving the multiple allegations of blackmail that were brought to light earlier today.”
My fingers half numb, I put the phone on speaker so we can all hear. “Todd, what the fuck is happening? What are they talking about?”
Todd’s glee is evident even through the phone line. “It seems Francesca had a surge of conscience and started naming names. You’ll get the list later, but there are some heavy hitters in music and media . . . and they fought back. A little late, considering most of them already paid him, but they’ve got lawyers that make ours seem like goddamn Night Court. And with Francesca now turning on Donnie . . . he’s going down for sure.”
“So they arrested him?” I ask, stunned. “I mean, I’m glad he’s going to be prosecuted, but what does this mean for us?”
“Well, Schrodinger’s cat is already out of the bag. Everyone knows about Carsen now. But you don’t need to stay at home anymore. The complaint against you has been dropped. It’s up to you, but we have a good case to go after the tabloid since Donnie committed these felonies under their employment umbrella using staff to do his dirty work. I’m gonna be honest, it’s the only way to get money. By the time the other lawyers are done picking Donnie’s financial bones, he won’t have two nickels to rub together.”
I look to Elise, wanting her opinion. She shakes her head, speaking up. “The tabloid itself didn’t do anything other than what it’s designed to do, which is report gossip. I hate it, but it’s the truth. This was all Donnie, his evil scheme and power play. Besides, I’ve still got a friend working there, so going after The Daily Spot would just hurt people like her, and she is a good person, just doing her job.”
“I agree. Leave the tabloid alone as long as they agree to never publish a single story about my family. Ever. I just want this to be done and over. If Donnie gets his, I’m happy. Oh, except there’s one more thing . . . Francesca. Tell the cops if she is the one who leaked all of this and is willing to testify against Donnie, I won’t file a complaint against her. That’s how much I want this over.”
I look to Elise for approval, and she nods.
“Okay, all clear then,” Todd says. “Feel free to go out when you want. But Keith, you’ll definitely need to take a driver and guard for a bit until all of this dies down. It won’t be instantaneous, but if we’re lucky, a Kardashian will get pregnant again and that’ll be all the talk and they’ll leave you alone.” He laughs, and we hang up, looking at each other in shock.
