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“You’re the best. Seriously. I could kiss you right now.”
She pulled her phone back and looked at it to make sure it really was Gary. He never talked like that. Mostly, he yelled at her for being late with stories, or for not being imaginative enough. And why was he so happy? She hadn’t sent him the article.
“What are you talking about?”
“That piece on Shadow Walker. We’re getting so many hits right now, the whole thing is blowing up.” Gary’s low voice was filled with excitement.
She stopped walking, dread sinking her stomach. “My piece on Shadow? I didn’t send you any piece on Shadow.”
“Yes. You did. And it’s amazing. You can have that promotion, and the three-grand bonus. Your article is going viral.”
Riley couldn’t breathe. How had Gary gotten the article? In her sleep-deprived brain, had she saved it to the shared drive? She thought she’d been so careful. How could this have happened?
“Look, I just wanted to congratulate you. I gotta run. See you on Monday.” Gary hung up before Riley could say anything.
She stood there, staring at her phone in horror. The article had been sent to Gary. He’d published it. She’d ruined Jalen’s life.
Her mind raced. What was she going to do? How could she fix it? Gary had to take it down.Now.She called him back, in a state of panic.
“What is it?” he said after picking up. Yep, he was back to his brusque self. So much for thinking she was the best.
“You have to pull that article. I sent it by mistake.” Thunder rolled in the distance, and the rain began pouring down in earnest.
“Are you insane? I can’t pull it. Didn’t you hear me? It’s going viral.”
Riley’s vision wavered as she tried to gain control of herself. “Gary. Pull it. Now.” She realized she was yelling only after a woman with an umbrella jerked her head around to stare at her. But she didn’t care. He had to listen to her.
“Is it false? Because you know false stories get just as much traction as true ones. Even more sometimes.”
“No. It’s true,” she said, her voice cracking. “It’s just going to ruin him.”
“The story is already out. I can’t take it back now. You know what viral means, don’t you?” Gary huffed, like he was upset she was wasting his time.
Desperation shot through her and she broke out in a sweat, even though she was getting soaked from the rain. She picked up her pace. She had to get to the resort. “Please. You can keep the bonus money. I just want it taken down.”
“If I take it down, another paper will just run it and get all the credit. Half a million people have already read it. Look, I have to go.”
“Gary!” she shouted, but it was no use. He’d already hung up.
Her stomach lurched, and she thought she would get sick. What was she going to do? Her hands shook as she tried to think of what she could say to Jalen. But there was nothing she could say that would make it better. She’d ruined his life, and any second now he would find out.
As she neared the resort her phone buzzed and she looked down. It was a text from Jalen.
Don’t bother coming to talk. There’s no longer anything to discuss.
A numbness started in her fingers and worked its way over her body. Jalen knew. He’d seen the article and knew she was the one who wrote it. Riley wanted to scream. This was not how things were supposed to go. She wasn’t going to submit it. She wanted more than anything to take it back. To rewind and go back to last night, before she’d decided to type it up. If she could just have that moment back, she would do things differently. She wouldn’t have written it.
Her ribs squeezed her, making it impossible to breathe. She couldn’t do this. How could she face him, after this? Yet, how could she leave, without saying anything? Each step she took brought her closer to him. Closer to the conversation she knew she had to have, until she stood at his door, her heart in her throat.
She raised her hand to knock, but then hesitated, still unsure of what she would say. A trail of water ran down her cheek. She hadn’t even noticed how soaked she was. Tendrils of wet hair hung limp in her face, and she brushed them back. She could hear Sir Barks making a racket behind the door. So much for standing there, unnoticed. Before she could think about what to do, the door opened, and Jalen stood there, his Shadow costume on, mask in place. He took a step back, his expression hooded.
“Can I come in? I need to talk to you.”
Sir Barks yipped out a happy greeting, jumping on her pant legs. Drops of water hit him, and he stood back and shook them off. Jalen just stared at her, his jaw working. For a moment she thought he was going to say no, but then he nodded and took a step back, letting her inside. Maybe because she looked pitiful as a drowned rat.
She crossed the room, then turned to him. Now that she was face to face with him, she had no words. What does one say to someone after lying to them and totally ruining their career? She balked, but forced words out anyway.
“I didn’t mean to.” Oh, nice one. Out of all the things she could have said, that’s what flew out of her mouth? She wanted to die.
