Page 100 of The Hardest Hit
“That’s just what he calls her. Oh, for the love of mercy. Please tell me this isn’t why Evan broke up? Because I swear to God, I’m sorry my grandfather’s an asshole, but there’s nothing I can do about it. It is not my fault.”
Jackson grinned in a way that was disturbingly Evan-like. “No. At least, not exactly.”
He glanced down at the table of cookies again.
“I’m sorry. Where are my manners? Would you care for a cookie?” She held up the plate of cookies and he took one. The alarm went off for batch number two and Olivia went into the kitchen.
“Do you think there’s any way your grandfather knew you were dating Evan?” asked Jackson as she shoveled cookies onto the cooling rack. “This is a really good cookie.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling at him. “And no, I don’t see how. My brother is, I think, the only one who knows his last name and he didn’t know it until last week when Evan ordered wine.”
“Right,” said Jackson. “Tyler. In Washington State.”
“Yes,” said Olivia, eyeing Jackson. He seemed overly familiar with Tyler’s location. Olivia pondered the direction of Jackson’s questions. He was angling at something, but what? It was like trying to work out the problem from the answers. “Are you saying Pops had something to do with this?” she asked, reaching for the mixing bowl and starting to load more dough onto the tray.
Jackson looked like he was trying to swallow the cookie with a dry mouth. She opened the fridge and poured him a glass of iced tea. He looked at the tea and smiled.
“Thank you,” he said, taking a sip. “Um, yes. I’m sorry. This next part is awkward and I’m not sure where to start.”
“Well, you’d better just say it, then. No sense in going the long way when you can cut straight through the field.”
“Your grandfather sent us pictures of Evan, and he threatened to release those photos to the press. He wanted Evan to break up with you and my grandmother to drop her healthcare bill.”
Olivia picked up the cake and hurled it against the wall. It hit with a splat and an explosion of crumbs. She realized that she was probably going to regret that later. And now there was an awkward point where her guest knew that she had icing on the carpet. Olivia decided to pretend it wasn’t there. She turned to Jackson with a smile. “Pictures, you say?”
Jackson looked from where the cake was slowly sliding down the wall and back to Olivia. “Pictures from several years ago, that paint him in a less-than-flattering light.” Jackson took a hasty gulp of tea.
She stared at him, trying to read the subtext. What had Evan been doing several years ago that was less than flattering?
“Oh! They’re from that damn club, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” said Jackson, looking both relieved and a little startled.
“Let me see them,” said Olivia, wiping her hands on a tea towel.
“I’m not sure…” said Jackson. Olivia held out an impatient hand. Jackson reluctantly took an envelope out of his jacket. Olivia suddenly realized that she was remiss in her hostessing duties.
“Jackson, honey, take your coat off and sit,” she said. “It’s a thousand degrees in here with all the baking I’ve been doing.” She took the envelope over to the couch and opened it. The photos were not particularly pleasant, but they didn’t show any of his bits, which was a relief. He did not look happy, or even particularly turned on, which was also nice. The girl in the photo looked like she was having a very good time, which Olivia did not particularly care for. She stared at the photos and then at Jackson. He was putting his coat on the back of the kitchen chair and looking like he was thinking about another cookie.
Olivia stood up and held up the photo. Jackson looked uncomfortable as she looked from him to the photo. Olivia moved the photo trying to line up the angle and distance from which it had been taken. She took a step closer and then another. She frowned at Jackson.
“It’s a body cam. It’s got to be. No one holds a camera, here.” She pointed to the center of her chest. “See, part of Evan’s head is cut off in this one.” She looked back at the photo. “And this one is from a different distance, but the same angle. That means it was a third person in the room.”
She pondered what she knew of Evan and Fetish.
“I’m going to kill her,” she said at last.
“Kill who?”
“Leona Meade. Evan’s ex… whatever. We ran into her last month at a party. She was very upset that I would no longer let Evan come out to play, if you take my meaning. I bet these are her photos.”
Jackson smiled at her. “That’s very useful, thank you.”
“But did Evan really cave to this? I mean it’s embarrassing, and I would not care at all for this dirty laundry being aired, but…” she shrugged. “Pops shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this.”
Jackson’s expression changed to pained embarrassment. “No. He caved to our grandmother. When she received the photos, she did something that… Evan is not pleased about but he knows enough to take her seriously.”
“What did she do?” she demanded.
