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He rolls his eyes. “The one he blackmailed me with. The one he took when he let us use his boat that day, right after he put a hidden camera on it.”
Oh…my God. “T-that was fucking months ago! Why the hell are you telling me about itnow? Why not then?”
“Because I didn’t want to hurt you.” He sighs in frustration. “Craig had already made you feel exploited, and this was so much worse than a few pictures. This was straight pornography. And I was taking care of it. I even paid a hacker five hundred dollars to get rid of any trace of it.”
Fuck.“And the video of Mali?”
“He erased that, too—along with the hundreds of others. I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only one he was blackmailing.”
I rub my hands over my face. “This is all so fucked up.”
He hums sarcastically. “Yeah, you’re telling me.”
I take a deep breath in an effort to compose myself, because we’re never going to get anywhere if we’re arguing. And besides, as much as I hate that he kept this from me, I can’t exactly hold it against him while I’m keeping a secret, too.
One Ican’ttell him about.
My voice breaks through the heavy silence. “Whatreallyhappened that night on the island, Hayes?”
“It was an accident.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He runs his fingers through his hair. “Cam and I were trying to get him to leave town. We used his own blackmail against him and told him that once we got back to the docks, we never want to see him again, or we would show you and Mali. At first, he acted like he was agreeing, but we should’ve known. Backing psychos into a corner turns them into rabid animals.”
“So, you threatened him, and he went into the boat and grabbed a gun?”
“Yes.”
“Then what?”
There’s something in his eyes, something he isn’t willing to explain, and I watch as he masks it over. “Exactly what I told you. I got it away from him and it went off.”
More. Fucking. Lies. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes!”
He’s growing angrier by the second. The patience he once had is quickly fading. But we’re both too stubborn to stop before this goes too far.
“I’m calling bullshit,” I say, feeling my rage build. “Fucking bullshit! Because I know you! You’re not the kind of guy who could kill someone on accident andnotbeat yourself up over it!”
His arms fly in the air as he takes a few steps away then stops and turns around. “What the fuck do you want me to say? That I’m sorry he’s dead? That I wish I could change what happened? What do you want to fucking hear, Laiken?”
I get up and move toward him. “The truth!”
“The truth?” he spits. “The truth is I’mnotsorry! I’mgladhe’s dead! Throwing his body into the water and watching it sink beneath the surface was one of the most relieving moments of my fucking life! Because he’s gone, and I don’t ever have to worry about him being anywhere near you again!”
There it is. Everything I was terrified of hearing, thrown right into my face. It’s deafeningly quiet as the two of us stare at each other, his confession lingering in the air. And there’s only one question I can manage to choke out.
“Whoareyou?”
“I’m your fuckinghusband!And I will do whatever it takes to protect you, whether you like the methods or not!”
I tell myself not to say it. That I don’t want to hear the answer. But as my eyes fall closed for a second, I realize I can’t avoid it. I need to ask.
“Even kill someone?”
“Yes!”
