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“Thanks.” I smile and head down the hall.
Most offices are dark, and everyone I pass in the hallway has their jacket on, their bags on their shoulders. As I draw near his office, my footsteps are the only sound—besides my thundering heartbeat. I feel as though I’m walking toward the gates of hell. God knows evil lurks there.
I knock on his door.
“Yeah.”
I twist the handle and poke my head in. “Hi, I’m a little early, I know.”
He puts down the stack of papers he’s riffling through and turns to face me. “Come on in.” He waves me in. “Close the door behind you.”
The hairs on the back of my neck spring to attention, but I shove away my unease. The door was closed when I arrived.
I close the door, then I turn to make my way over to his desk and find his eyes glued to my ass. That gut feeling inside me says something is off, but with a tentative smile, I sit in the chair across from him. He looks at me with a grin, saying nothing. I wiggle in my seat, allowing my eyes to focus anywhere but on him.
“So… what did you want to discuss with me today?”
His lascivious gaze roams up my body one more time. “I got a call a few weeks back from a woman who claims she’s James’s mother.”
My stomach flips, and my eyes scan for the nearest trash can. I’d forgotten all about her. Last I knew, Jimmy hadn’t heard anything from her since he paid her off. “Well, that’s crazy. As you know, Jimmy, er… James’s mom died.”
He quirks his lips into an expression to say,is she really?“Whoever this lady is, she had some interesting things to say.” He leans back in his chair and steeples his fingers in front of him.
“I’m sure she did since she’s a complete loon. I can assure you, James’s mom died.” My heart pounds with the lie.
“She said James isn’t the The Regulator he’s playing in the movie. He was a drug dealer throughout high school—”
“Well, that’s funny since his real mom wasn’t even around then.” My defense of Jimmy comes as second nature to me.
Bernie shrugs. “People talk. She said she’s back in whatever hick town it is you two are from.”
I cross my legs, and his eyes fall to the movement. His Adam’s apple bobs and his eyes flicker back up to me.
“Don’t you find it convenient that a woman claiming to be his mom calls at the same time the movie that’s going to propel his career is due to release? You’re a smart man, Bernie.” Part of me feels slimy from going back to my old mind games, but they worked well when I was trying to score, back in the day.
He huffs. “I did find it very suspicious at first. I didn’t even accept her calls until she used the word blackmail.”
“So you paid her?” At this point, I stop arguing that the woman isn’t Jimmy’s mom.
“Fuck no.” He stands and looks out through his window. “She can try to blackmail me all she wants. She’s right though… having this kinda shit come out right before the movie’s release could tank it. James’s mom is smart, even with only the fourth-grade education you guys get in the mountains.” He turns to face me with a leer that makes my skin crawl.
“I told her she can go fuck herself. That I’d drag her through court for extortion and take whatever measly scraps she has left from the money James paid her—yes, she told me about that. When I was done with her, she seemed to get the point.” His pupils glitter with menace, almost as if he gets off on this sort of thing.
“She’s a lying psychopath.”
His eyes land on me again. “Let’s stop the charade. I’m not an idiot and I’ve been in this business a long time. The lady who called me is James’s mom.” There’s certainty in his voice.
I swallow, trying to coat my dry mouth. “You don’t know the whole story. She doesn’t deserve—”
He holds up his hand. “Stop fighting and just say thank you.”
“Th-thank you.” My voice is shaky with surprise. “If you took care of it, why am I here?”
I tense as he slinks around the desk and comes to stand in front of me. “Just wait, I’m not done.”
I shift in my seat to face him, craning my head back to meet his gaze.
“I can’t afford to have any surprises upend this movie, so I had my PI do a little digging of his own. The upbringing you and James had… well, pathetic is the best word. Not surprising why you ended up a hot mess.”
