Page 88 of Pick Six
“Because I don’t want to talk to you after the things you said the other day. You shouldn’t be here.”
I’m guessing Dave was being helpful again, letting people back here he thought I wanted to see.
“Can we discuss this outside?”
“No.Leave.”
“Do you want Alex’s career to be over? Because if you don’t, you’ll come and talk with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come outside, Harper.” His tone turns dark, and I stand slowly. I eye him warily, but I follow him outside and then lead the way to the picnic spot that Scarlett and I love so much. It’s still within sight of the museum, but far enough away that no one can hear the argument I can tell he’s gearing up to have.
“What is it?” I stand expectantly, arms folded.
“I want to try things again, between us. I want to make this work.”
“We’re divorced Drew. There’s no making this work. It’s over and it’s been over.”
“Then I want a second chance. I was upset before, but I realize now that I contributed to the problems. I understand how you could have seen it as being my fault, and I want a chance to make up for that.”
“Itwas your fault. You cheated. Then you refused marriage counseling.”
“I just acted on the thing you thought about. You might as well have been cheating on me.” His eyes snap to mine, and they’re cold, desperate, and little bit dangerous.
“I don’t want to have this discussion again. So tell me what you need to tell me about Alex.”
“Fine. You want to do this the hard way, we can.” He pauses and stares at me, his eyes drifting over me before he continues. “Obviously I knew the two of you were faking this relationship to save his career. Or at least, that’s what’s in it for him. But I couldn’t figure out why you would do it. I knew despite the fact you liked him you were smart. You wouldn’t just put yourself at risk for someone like him, shield him just because you wanted to fuck him. You’re smarter than that. That’s when I realized what you need that only he might be able to give you—votes for your museum, a way to get attention and maybe pass the levy.”
I stay silent because I don’t want to accidentally give him any more information.
“He gives you publicity. He gives you his image and his voice, and you hopefully get the help you need. I realized when I saw the stuff Sam was helping you put out recently.”
I shrug noncommittally. “He’s been helpful, and yes it was one of the benefits of our fake relationship. He didn’t bribe me with it. It was something I asked for his help with—and he gave it, gladly.”
“You don’t need him anymore though. So I’m going to help you get out of it and give us a second chance in the process.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I have the photos from the night of the incident. I’m going to release them and say he’s the one that hit you. That you were cheating on me, but you wanted to come back to me. He lost his temper at not having things his way, like he always does, so he hit you and you fought back. Then he wanted to cover it up, so he concocted this fake relationship. We went along with it because he threatened my job and promised to help you save yours. But I had an attack of conscience because I’m worried about you. Concerned for your mental health and physical safety, so I’m outing the whole story.”
I feel sick and furious at the same time, a horrid combination for both my stomach and my heart.
“Are you insane? That’s a fucking lie.”
“Is it? Just as believable as the story he gave.”
“His version isn’t a story. It’s what happened. Ben, Tobias, Violet… they were all there to see it for themselves.”
“Were they, or did they just walk in after it happened? If they were in court, what did they actually see?”
I stare at him, wide-eyed because I realize how much he’s thought this through. How much he’s planned each little detail down to the core. This was revenge for him. I knew he was pissed, but this is beyond what I thought he was capable of.
“Drew… even if they didn’t see—I was there, and I know it didn’t happen.”
“You think it didn’t happen. But you’ve also been brainwashed by him. You’re not thinking straight. But it’s fine, Harper, I’m going to fix it for us.”
“I don’t want to fix it. I just want you to leave things alone. Leave me alone. Leaveusalone.”
