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She turned to face me, flipping her hair in the process. As pretty as I’d thought her earlier, her face was transformed by the sneer. “Someone who doesn’t like you.”
“What?”
Tate puffed her admirable chest out. “If you tell anybody about me, you’re going to pay. I’ll go public with the truth about where you came from. So keep your mouth shut.” She was sounding less like a prep-school cheerleader and more like a toughie from my old neighborhood by the second.
“If you didn’t want anybody to know, why did you tell me?”
She laughed. “Because my clientwantsyou to know. They want you to know that you’re being watched and that they know the truth about you.”
My stomach sank. “Did Gene Windsor hire you?”
“I wish.” Tate snorted. “I’d like some of that money. But my client’s rich, too. I’m getting paid a small fortune to blow Colby, keep him happy, and more importantly, torture your lying ass. Everyone thinks you’re actually Bryce’s wife, right?”
“Iamactually his wife.”
“Ha!” Tate leaned closer, the minty smell of her breath wafting over me. “You know what I mean. Girls like us don’t marry guys like these.”
I bristled. “Ialreadymarried him.”
She snorted again, nostrils flaring. The real Tate was not a pretty sight. “I might be the best thing that’s happened to you—you need a reality check. My client might want me to sleep with your husband—to remind you that you’re just like me. Replaceable.”
“My husband wouldn’t be interested,” I said stiffly.
“We’ll see.” She stuck her chest out again.
I shook my head. “What do you want from me?”
“For now, I want you to keep your mouth shut. After that? I’ll let you know.” With a final hair toss, Tate hiked up her shorts so her ass cheeks were prominently hanging out. She sauntered inside the house as if she owned the place.
I didn’t follow her inside. I sank down onto the steps, head swimming.Fuuuck.Gene Windsor might be gone from the island, but now I had to deal with Tate the Adolescent Escort. Someone had hired her to get close to Colby—and more importantly, to get close tome. Tate was nasty, but she’d seemed honest when she’d said it wasn’t Gene that had hired her.
So who could it be? What other enemies did I have?
My step monster Lydia, for sure. But she and my father didn’t have the money to pay for a high-end escort.
That left Felicia Jones, Bryce’s heinous ex.She wouldn’t!
But…would she? Did she hate me enough to plant someone on the island just to torture my ass?
With shaking hands, I texted Elena.There’s a new girl here—she says she’s an escort from the South End. Does she work for you?
The madam immediately texted back.
What? That’s crazy.
I haven’t sent anyone up there. I wouldn’t do that.
I stared at my phone, not knowing what to do or what to think.
“Oh my God! I thought you were never coming back!” Daphne hurtled up the stairs toward me. Gene’s estranged wife wore a crop top that showed off the barest hint of a baby bump and black yoga pants. Her long dark hair was up in a bun, her makeup minimal and perfect, and she smelled luxurious and rich, like a trust-fund scented shower gel.
“Hey!” I was surprisingly relieved to see her. Daphne had scared the crap out of me when we’d first met, but like a fungus, she’d grown on me. And at the moment, she was a welcome distraction from the sting of Tate’s words.
She hugged me, then pulled away, scowling. “I forgot I wasn’t speaking to you!” She crossed her toned arms against her chest. “You ran off in the middle of the night and didn’t return any of my texts.Rude. Where the hell have you been?”
She suspiciously eyed me up and down. “Your skin’s glowing. So let me rephrase that—where the hell have you been besides in the Bahamas getting banged by Bryce? I’ve been dying up here! Gene got arrested, everything’s a mess, his assets might be frozen if they set bail—ugh! And I’m getting fat!”
“You look great. You’re not getting fat; you’repregnant. It’s about time you looked like you were having a baby. How far along are you now?”
