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“She knows, Wy. Amalia figured out I wrote the story.”
There it is. The end of my world sparks the beginning of hers.
It’s not supposed to happen this way. If I were going to be taken down, it was supposed to be because I had a book that flopped. Not because of something like this.
Not fucking this.
His face falls. “What? How? I didn’t tell her, man. I swear I didn’t.” He holds his hands up. While he could probably take me because he spends so much time at the gym, he still looks alarmed, even slightly afraid, like I might lunge at him.
Who knows. Maybe I will.
He looks nervously toward the door like he needs an easy escape, even though it’s his own damn place.
I’m glad he understands the gravity of the situation.
“I don’t know how she figured it out, Wy. But none of this would ever have been an issue if you HADN’T SENT OUT MY MANUSCRIPT!”
Okay, I lost it there. But hey, I’m entitled to be pissed.
He looks at Henry nervously, expecting some sort of backup. He doesn’t get it.
“I’m sorry, Levi. I told you that,” he says.
“Do we know how she found out?” Henry asks quietly.
I shake my head. “No. But I’m going to find out.”
23
LEVI
“Amalia, come on in.”
She looks as nervous as I feel as she enters my small apartment. I lead her to the back room, my office, and point to a seat.
“Thanks for having me over, Levi.”
Neither of us had wanted to meet at Amalia’s office, nor at some coffee shop, not when we have something so sensitive to discuss. So I suggested my place after she explained she has a friend living on the sofa in hers.
I can relate. The things people have to do to get by in New York.
“How’d you figure out it was me, Amalia?”
She opens her mouth to answer, then clamps it shut.
What’s up with that?
“Oh, I just kind of… figured it out.”
Wow. That is some kind of serious bullshit answer. But I’ll dig in deeper later. Best to tear the bandage of bad news off as quickly as possible.
“Amalia,” I say, pushing my laptop aside and leaning onto my desk with my elbows, “I can tell you right now, that book cannot be published.”
Her shoulders droop and she pushes her hair behind her ears with a shaking hand.
I wish I could help her. I really do. She seems like a nice, smart, hard-working woman. And she’s fucking gorgeous to boot.
Those glittery eyes and full red lips…
