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“We’ll figure it out. We had people almost weeping during our interview yesterday when we were telling them our love story. Tomorrow will be easy.”
A sarcastic laugh comes from her lips. “You obviously haven’t met my friends. Nothing with Emma is ever easy.”
“I’m excited to meet them. It’ll all work out.”
“You sound so sure.”
I pull her against me for a moment. It’s quick, something a friend would do to a friend in an encouraging way, but any timewe touch doesn’t feel as friendly as it should. “I am sure. Look at me. Anyone would fall in love with me. They’ll believe it easily.”
She shakes her head, but the worry on her face seems to melt away. “It probably is easier to believe we fell in love as opposed to the real story.” She plays with the end of her ponytail as she aims a playful smile in my direction. “My friends would never believe me if I looked at them and said a guy I was dating decided to try and blackmail me with a sex tape. But there’s a kicker—he’s not doing it to get money because that’d be too easy. He’s doing it because, for some odd reason, he hates me and my family and wants revenge. So I was forced to do the next logical thing to fix it…marry into a family people are afraid of.”
I can’t help but frown at her reminder of this Blake guy. I’ve already had my assistant look into him. Sure, no publication will listen to him, but he’s still a loose end, and I don’t like loose ends. I plan to pay him a visit, and by the time our conversation is over, I’ll be sure that all traces of that video and the photos are gone.
He’ll know that he’s as good as dead if he ever tries to mess with Winnie again.
“See? I told you it’s really not as complicated as you think. People love love stories. Our grand announcement to the world tomorrow will go smoothly.”
She lets out a burst of air, her cheeks puffing out with the movement. “Let’s hope.”
CHAPTER 18
ARCHER
The apartment building is disgusting.I try not to gag as I walk past an open garbage bag, trash spilling out into the hallway. It looks like something ripped open the bag and rifled through the contents, and it is so molded and decayed I can’t even make out what they originally were. It smells, and I’m already ready to be out of this shithole.
I refuse to leave until I talk to this Blake kid. As I look for the apartment number Luther swore was his, I try to imagine Winnie ever coming to this place. I fucking hope he never invited her here. It’s not a safe area, and I cannot envision her having to step over trash just to get to the apartment of the boy she liked. I’d call him a man, but his actions don’t deserve that in the slightest.
My feet come to a halt in front of apartment thirty-six. The six has turned upside down on the screw, looking more like a nine but I know better. Wanting to get out of this place and never step foot anywhere near it again, I bring my knuckles to the rotting wood door and knock.
There’s movement on the other side of the door but no talking. As far as I’m aware, he lives alone. I was disappointed to not find out as much about him as I wanted to, but I still found out enough.
It was stupid for Spencer to hire him in the first place. If he’d done the research he wassupposed to, he’d know there was more to Blake Billings than anyone knew. I’ve taken it upon myself to silence him once and for all.
I know he’s on the other side of the door from his loud movements. When he doesn’t answer, I knock again. This time, much harder. He isn’t going to avoid me.
“Blake!” I bark, letting my palm slap against the wood. “I know you’re in there. Open the door.”
Footsteps approach and then come to a stop. He’s got to be standing on the other side of it, probably trying to figure out who I am and why I’m here. He must realize that I’m not going anywhere because he eventually opens the door.
Fuck. He looks rough is the first thing that goes through my mind. The second is what the hell did Winnie see in this guy?
Maybe if I looked past the overgrown beard and the dark circles under his eyes, I could see the potential, but I’m still not sure of it.
“Who are you?” he asks, barely holding the door open enough for us to talk.
“Your worst fucking nightmare,” I respond, kicking his door open and strolling into an apartment even messier than the hallway.
“What the hell!” he yells, barreling right at me.
I hold my hands up, knowing this boy couldn’t fucking touch me if he wanted to fight. “You might want to think twice about laying a hand on me.”
“Then get out of my apartment,” he spits. The more I look at him, the more I want to ask Winnie what she possibly could’ve seen in this pathetic excuse of a man.
My eyes roam his dirty apartment. His entire makeshift dining room has been turned into an office. There are two plastic tables against the wall with four monitors spanning them. Empty beer cans and cigarette butts litter the table and floor. “Trust me,” I sneer, absolutely judging him for the filth he’s living in, “I want to get out of this disgusting shithole as quicklyas possible. But first, I’m here to have a little chat with you, Blake.”
His face turns white. “I don’t want to talk.”
I smile, loving the rush of adrenaline that pumps through my veins. This will be fun.
