Page 71 of Brenna, Brat

His eyebrows shot up and his jaw dropped a little. “Virile?” he repeated.

“You’ve been with at least ninety women,” I explained. “That’s virility. It makes sense to me that you would have gotten confused by my presence.”

“Ninety? How did you come up with that number?”

“Sophie did,” I said. “She researched the social media posts you’ve appeared in, and it’s at least ninety. It’s no wonder that you would, inadvertently in your sleep, think that I was oneof those many, many different girls. You were only acting on instinct.”

“Like I’m a horny animal?” he asked. “What the hell are you saying?”

“No, but repetition means something!” I answered heatedly. “Why do you think people practice the piano? Or slap shots?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about anymore.”

In my anger, I spelled it out. “I’m talking about you feeling me up in my sleep while you had an—”

“I’m sorry about that. I’m very, very sorry,” Campbell said. “I didn’t mean to, and I wouldn’t have acted that way if I’d been aware of what I was doing.”

I felt my face spark into burning heat, like I was a Brenna matchhead. “That’s exactly what I was saying, too. You wouldn’t have done it if you’d been aware that it was me, and not one of the ninety women that you were with before. You don’t need to be sorry about it.”

He stared. “I don’t?”

“No, because I’m understanding,” I answered. “I understand completely.” I understood that he wouldn’t have put a hand on my boob if he’d been awake, and I understood that I should have woken him up rather than lying there and enjoying it, pretending that it meant something else. “Let’s forget about it, especially since you have other things to worry about right now.” I hoped that soon, we would learn that they weren’t important or concerning things, after all. And I really needed to forgetabout this morning, although I could still almost feel his hand caressing…

“I’m glad you’re ok with it,” he said, like he was carefully choosing the words. “Thank you for being understanding.”

I didn’t deserve thanks, that was for sure. “It was—I should have—let’s not talk about it,” I answered confusedly. “Let me know what happens at the lawyer’s office, if you can.” Then I rushed to my car, threw my bag into the passenger seat, and raced out of his driveway and back towards the safety of Detroit.

But as I sped, even though there was no need to anymore, I got a call. I nearly drove off the road when I freaked out as I tried to answer, sure that something had already happened to Campbell.

Then I saw who it was. “Sophie, I swear—”

“This is important enough to interrupt your weekend away,” she announced.

“I’m not away. I’m at Ten Mile heading home right now.”

“Why?”

“What do you want?” I asked her back.

“I have news,” she said. “Granger heard it, because he’s been doing some checking for me.”

“Addie’s husband works for you now?” Granger knew all kinds of stuff, so I didn’t doubt that he would have been able to find information that the rest of us hadn’t heard yet. But him working for my sister? No.

“No,” she admitted. “It’s more like he’s dong me a favor by checking on things, because I asked him to. For your benefit, not for mine.”

“What’s for my benefit?” I asked impatiently. “Quit with all the lead-up.”

“Double G extra H Ghregg Bates is pleading guilty to all charges.” She paused. “Are you there? Brenna?”

“I…what? Why would he do that? What does this mean for him?”

“It means prison and restitution,” she said. “It’s a good thing you already visited their vacation cottage, because I’m pretty sure that’s going to go. He’ll have to pay back a lot and I don’t know exactly how many years he’ll be sent up the river, but it’s not going to be a slap on the wrist and it’s not going to be country club jail, either. That’s what Granger says.”

My heart was pounding. “What about everyone else?”

Well, it appeared as if the people currently under indictment were now going to rush to get their own deals—

“What about if they haven’t been indicted? What about Campbell?” I asked, cutting to the chase.

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