Page 18 of The Me I Left Behind

“So, he can use it against you anytime he wants.”

“Like?”

“Like in a divorce or custody case.”

She still wasn’t totally getting it. “Well, I suppose he could, but I haven’t really done anything here but break in.”

“You showed rage. You broke his cameras, yelled at him and said you hated him, rifled through his desk. Carol came in and you talked with her. He could nail you for making her an accomplice. He has all that, Mags. And he can twist it—or a talented lawyer can twist it—any number of ways.”

“But that’s why I need to find something on him—something dark and dirty—that I can hold over his head.”There has to be something.

“Seriously, Mags. Max having another family in Australia is not enough? Go with that. It’s your best bet.”

“I feel like there is more, Julia. Like I need more. He keeps this office locked up for a reason. I want to know what it is. He used to go bat-shit crazy if I stepped inside while he was working and didn’t lock the door.”

Julia huffed. “Shit, Mags. He probably just goes in there and watches porn and jacks off.”

“Illegal porn? What if he…?”

“Don’t go there. Not yet. To be honest, I’m worried about something a little more immediate.”

“Such as?”

“Him going to the police with the video.”

“Like right now?”

“Yes.”

Maggie shrugged and leaned back in Max’s chair. “How? He’s in the air, more than likely, so he can’t access it until he gets on the ground.”

“You think?”

“Pretty sure.”

“Wi-Fi is available on most flights now, right?”

Dammit. She is right.“But phones still have to be in airplane mode, don’t they?” She hadn’t flown in so long she wasn’t exactly certain.

“Does he have a laptop? Tablet?”

“Of course. Both.”

“Well…?”

Maggie’s chest tightened. “Shit.”

Julia said nothing for a minute, which allowed Maggie to gather her thoughts. “But what if he didn’t come home? What if he said,fuck itand deal with it from there? It is a long trip.”

“It is. And you are right. We really don’t know how Max is going to react. Do we?”

“No,” Maggie said. “I have no clue. My first instinct was that he’d catch the first flight out because of what I did. Hell, maybe I even did it to provoke him, knowing he’d come home, and I’d have to confront him. But now? I’m not sure.”

“Maggie, listen to me. Wherever Max is, he has the video. He can download it, and he can send it to the authorities here, telling them he is away on business and that there is an intruder in his house.”

Why hadn’t she thought of that? She’d been too hell-bent on trying to get one over on Max that she hadn’t considered all the consequences. “Shit. What do I do now?”

“Don’t let anyone in the house—I’m talking about law enforcement—unless they have a search warrant.”

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