My pulse jumped. I felt something lurch inside me. “Hello, Mr. Doyle.”
The man inclined his head.
He was so close. Take him down.
I wrestled for some control. Jake. Think of Jake.
“Here.” Doyle held out a large envelope, and I took it. “Give it to Kensington. Tonight. Tell him that I have a video, as well. No demands yet. I want him to stew for a bit.”
I kept my breathing even. “Okay.”
“He’s working late. You’ll find him in his office.”
I nodded. “What’s in—?”
I realized I was talking to myself. Doyle was gone.
I hustled out of the alley. I stopped under a streetlight and opened the envelope.
It was filled with glossy photos that caused my breath to catch. For a second, I thought it was Liam in the pictures, but then I realized the naked man on the bed was older.
Rupert Kensington.
There were four women in the bed as well, in various states of undress, doing various things to the man.
Ew.
In one shot, one woman was looking directly at the camera, with what she probably thought was a sultry look.
Nausea swelled through me. Not a woman, a girl.
I flicked through more pictures.
Fuck. They were all very young, and my guess, very underage.
I shoved the photos back in the envelope.
Nexus was going to blackmail Liam with shots of his father.
I dragged in a deep breath. Sometimes I hated my job. I pressed a palm to my eyes. A flicker in my temple warned me a headache was threatening.
Then I lifted my chin.
My job was to get Jake back to Erica. I didn’t want to make Liam suffer, but the man had resources, Jake and Erica didn’t.
And if I got lucky, I could uncover who Doyle was, and turn him over to the police. Bring Nexus down.
Unfortunately, Liam couldn’t know that I was really Aspen Chandler, private investigator.
For a while longer, I had to be Penn Channing, blackmailer.
I dragged in a breath and headed down the sidewalk.
My personal phone pinged. I pulled it out and saw a message from Briar.
I’m making fried chicken tonight. You going to be late?
I tapped on the screen.
Shouldn’t be late.
I doubted I’d feel much like eating, though.
OK. Juno’s on a date, so just you and me.
Apparently, Juno was surviving her break up just fine. I slid my phone away. I had my sisters to go home to after this. I’d just hold onto that thought to get me through.
I pulled out my Kensington Group key card and held it to the scanner. The door slid open. In the lobby, I waved at the night guard.
I resisted the urge to fidget in the elevator.
The executive office level was mostly shadowed. There was no one in the cubicles, or glass-walled offices. I saw a light on at the end of the hall in Liam’s large office.
I paused in the doorway.
At the big desk, he was bent over a file, his brow creased.
So handsome.
Now I had to cause him pain.
No, Nexus was causing him pain. I would do my best to stop them.
I stepped inside and Liam’s head shot up.
His frown melted away to a smile.
“Penn. How are the hands?”
“Fine.”
He must have picked up my vibe, because he sat back in his chair, his gaze locked on me. “What’s wrong?”
Steeling myself, I strode to his desk and dropped the envelope on it.
“Secrets don’t stay in the shadows,” I said.
He reached for the envelope, his face hardening. “You going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Open it.”
I watched him pull the photos out. I saw disgust, followed by a rush of anger and a mix of other emotions before he reined them in. I only saw them because I was used to looking for the smallest expressions as part of my job. I kept my face blank.
“What is this?” he asked carefully.
“Exactly what it looks like. Blackmail.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You’re blackmailing me with this filth? Fuck, I should’ve known you were a fake. Just another bloody user.”
His words hit hard, but I kept the cool look on my face. “I represent a group of business people.”
“Business people?” He made a sound. “Criminals. This—” he stabbed a finger at the envelope “—hurts more than just my poor excuse of a father. These girls, my mother, my stepmother, siblings. There are children involved.”
I fought to stay unmoved.
“It doesn’t have to,” I said.
“The real Penn shows her face. Is Penn even your name?”
“You can protect your family.”
He looked at the desk, his face twisting. “How much?”
“I’ll let you know. Think on it.” I swiveled and headed for the door. “By the way, I’ll be staying in my job here in the office until this is done. You try and remove me, or you call the cops, the photos will hit the web.”
“You played me well. I was just starting to think you might be different.”
His words put pain in my chest and my legs wanted to stumble, but I stayed strong.
“Just another snake,” he said. “Kudos, Penn, I didn’t see you coming.”
“I’ll be in touch.” I bit my lip hard, and didn’t turn back.
“Go and slither under your rock. I won’t let you get away with this.”
I stayed silent, bleeding inside as I walked away.
All a Lie
Liam
Liam sat in the armchair, cradling a glass of Scotch.
He took a long swig, his insides burning.
Fuck. He wanted to hit something. He took another long sip. He wasn’t sure what glass he was on. The open bottle rested on the coffee table.
He barely saw the view of Madison Square Park, or the Flatiron Building.
His cell phone vibrated on the table and this time he glanced at it. It had rung a few times this evening. He saw his mother’s name.
Great. He really didn’t have time for his mother right now.
But Diane Kensington Cavendish Donahue wasn’t one to give up easily. She’d keep calling and calling.
“Hello, Mother.”
“Liam, darling. How’s my son?”
Shitty. “Fine. And you? How’s Florida?”
“Oh, I’m having a lovely visit with the Palermos.”
“That’s wonderful.”
A pause. “Is everything all right? You sound off.”
“Just a long day.”
“Well, I have unpleasant news, Liam.” She sniffed. “I heard from a friend back in London that your father is on the rocks with his latest wife.” She said wife the same way someone would say rotten fish. “I can’t believe that arrogant, selfish man. If he divorces again, it will be all over the papers, and it’ll be tossed in my face.”
Yes, because it was all about her. Liam loved his mother, and he knew she loved him in her own way, but it wasn’t a warm, vibrant, solid thing. It was dependent on Liam giving her everything that she wanted and ensuring she lived the life she was used to. He supplemented the settlement she’d received from her divorce, and she always stayed with him when she came to New York, whether it was convenient for him or not.