Page 110 of Sweet Addiction
Shit. She’s a little scary.
“We got her.”
Wait . . . What?
“Got who?” Rome asks, asking what we’re both thinking.
“Seriously?” She arches a perfectly waxed brow and holds out a black folder I hadn’t noticed in her hands. “We found the woman in the sex tape, who also happens to be the woman blackmailing you.”
“Woman?” Rome wraps an arm around my waist. “Really?”
“Tell me you’re not doubting that a woman could be a criminal mastermind.”
Jesus. These two fight more like brother and sister than cousins.
“Focus,” I grumble at them both. “You found a woman, and you think she’s behind everything ... Who is she? How did she do it? Why?”
“She’s actually Benny the Beast’s baby momma.” Liv looks around the room like she’s searching for a place to sit where our naked bodies haven’t touched.
I mean, anywhere other than the bed is safe. But I’m not about to tell her that. “So she’s Benny’s girlfriend? Wife?”
“No. Benny doesn’t have a girlfriend or a wife,” Rome tells me as his grip on my hip tightens. “But he’s got five kids with three different women.”
“She’s the last baby momma, the one whose kid is still an actual baby.” Liv opens the folder and points to a printout of a text thread, and I recognize one of those numbers.
“Whose number?—”
Liv interrupts me. “Your new agent was actually who helped us figure it out, Dillan. If you had come up for air before now, you’d have noticed the missed calls. She called your mother when she couldn’t get you, and Nattie told her to call me.”
“How did she—” Rome looks at me, and Liv interruptsagain, this time with her hand up, but I don’t give her a chance to speak
“My team was looking into it yesterday. Trying to determine who knew I’d written the book.” I look down at the printout again. “That’s my editor’s number, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Liv confirms. “Your editor is Benny’s baby’s mom’s?—”
“Christ, Liv. Does she have a name?” I ask, disgusted.
“Elana,” she tells us. “Your editor is Elana’s older sister. We don’t think your editor was in on any of it. But the connection is pretty damning. Benny hadn’t paid any child support in over a year, and nearly every account Elana has is in collections. It was all about money. It doesn’t seem like Benny had anything to do with it. Rome was the target until you stepped into the picture. Once we refused to engage in the extortion attempt, she found a different way. The police are talking to the sisters now.”
“So that’s it?” I ask, leaning into Rome. “It’s over? You’re safe to fight tonight? You’re safe to win?”
“You’re fucking right I’m gonna win.”
And ten hours later, with me standing between Ryker and Lucky, screaming for the love of my life, that’s exactly what he does.
It’s like Rome spends the entire first round taunting Benny.
Every kick Benny throws, Rome sidesteps.
Every punch, he dodges.
I think Rome’s playing with him.
Torturing him the way his ex tortured us.
And then I’m bouncing on my feet and screaming because Benny just took Rome down to the mat.
Wait—no. Rome went down, but he’s in control.
