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“We’ve been trying to call you. Are you okay?”
“What do you think?”
“Shit, we’re sorry. It was bloody Daniel. We’ve thrown him out. Those photos were in an album. I’m really sorry, Fen. We both are.”
“It was my fault,” Seth said. “I took them because I thought we could laugh about them one day, talk about the crazy things we did. I never imagined Daniel would go through our stuff.”
Fen took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who my father was. I never told anyone.”
“Hey, it was none of our business,” Morgan said. “Daniel is a fucking arsehole to do this. Just because you weren’t interested? What a tosser. Is there anything we can do? Speak to the press? Tell them the truth?”
Ripley shook his head.
“No. Don’t say anything.”
“What does Ripley think?”
“He says to keep quiet. I’ll call you another time. I have to go.”
“Whatever you need. Call us.”
“Okay.” He powered his phone off again.
Fen felt as if he’d been thumped.If…if…if…
“Who’s Daniel?” Ripley asked.
“A former friend of Seth and Morgan. He made a play for me and I turned him down.”
“He seems to know a lot about you.”
“He must have gone through Seth and Morgan’s stuff, he—”
Ripley gave him a look, not a friendly one, and handed him his phone. “Read on.”
Fen’s world crumbled. Daniel had repeated the conversation they’d had in the pub and twisted it. Doing something you really didn’t want to do to earn eighty thousand pounds. Stealing something when you knew you wouldn’t get caught. Fucking someone for money. Then, Daniel’s words…Fen said I wasn’t rich enough for him.His mouth lost all moisture and he felt totally chilled.
“What did you tell your friends about us?” Ripley asked, his voice as cold as Fen had ever heard it.
“Nothing. They were hypothetical questions.”
“Except they weren’t, were they? You know what people are going to think about us now.”
It wasn’t a question.
“This is not something I can tolerate.”
“I’m sorry. I never said Daniel wasn’t rich enough for me.”
“ThatI believe.”
But not the rest?
“Harry’s outside.”
Fen was surprised Ripley still wanted to go with him. Maybe he didn’t. “You don’t need to come with me. I’ll go on my own.”
He really wanted Ripley to come.
