“Bob Smith. Apparently, someone got a phone into the zombie party venue and took some compromising pictures of him that he alleges have ruined his career. Chris heard about it and had his assistant cancel our contract. I called her up and she said he’s just landed the role of a lifetime and he can’t take any risks. They need a security company that can make sure no cameras or paparazzi get into their events.”
“There’s no way anyone got into the zombie party with a camera.” Elias straightened in his chair. “We had four people on the door, and we were using a high-sensitivity metal detector—it can detect a phone inside any body cavity.”
“Not an image I wanted in my head.”
“Just saying. No. Fucking. Way.”
Jay handed Elias his phone opened to the app where Bob’s party pictures were splashed out on the front page. “The evidence speaks for itself.”
Elias ran a hand through his hair, scattering droplets of water across the carpet. “How the hell did that happen?”
Jay had been wondering that himself. He trusted the members of his team implicitly. They were serious, professional, and conscientious. In all the years they had worked for him, they had never slipped up. That meant the mistake was on him.
“It had to be me. Zara was there. I was distracted . . .”
“No.” Elias shook his head. “Not a chance. That’s not you.”
“Maybe it is. I don’t know who the hell I am anymore.” He’d had two sessions with the VA clinic psychologist, and they’d made a start unraveling his pain and guilt about the crash. It was going to be a long, slow process, but he’d taken the biggest step and he was committed to seeing it through to the end.
Elias studied the pictures. “Why is it such a big deal? I see pictures of celebrities like this all the time. It blows over quickly and for some it’s good PR.”
“The zombie movies are family films. Snorting coke off a naked woman’s ass on a restroom floor isn’t good for the image.”
“What about our funding?” Elias said. “We still don’t have board approval. We’re obligated to disclose any litigation pending against the company.”
“I know.” Jay sighed. “Just when everything was looking up, it all goes to shit again.”
His phone rang and he took the call, motioning for Elias to stay when he heard Lucia’s voice on the other end. He put the phone on speaker and they leaned in to hear what she had to say.
“It’s bad news, I’m afraid. Though I did have an interesting conversation with Moskovitz’s attorney. He was present when Bob told Chris about the security breach at the party. Apparently, Bob said he’d hired the best lawyers in the Bay Area to sue J-Tech. He called them the apex predators of the city.”
“No.” Jay was barely aware of the word coming out of his mouth. All he could feel was the chill of the blood in his veins, the slow pumping of a battered heart, and the soul-destroying crush of defeat. If Zara had wanted to send a message that it was truly over between them, she couldn’t have done a better job.
“Yes,” Lucia said. “Cruz & Lovitt.”
After the call ended, Elias leaned forward, his face creased in disbelief. “Zara’s representing Bob? Against us?”
“She knows what this lawsuit will do to our chances of getting our funding.” Bile rose in Jay’s throat, the sense of betrayal almost overwhelming. “I pushed too hard and she ran. I never imagined she would do something like this.”
Elias stood, rubbing his temples with one hand. “What did you do to piss her off so bad?”
“I told her I loved her.” He still loved her. Even though his heart was hurting, that was never going to change.
“Those aren’t the kinds of words that make people turn around and stab you in the back,” Elias said. “There’s got to be more.”
“Her job is on the line.” His chest was so tight he could barely breathe. “She needs clients and entertainment law was her dream. It’s why I introduced her to Bob and why I was going to take her to Moskovitz’s birthday party. What haven’t we sacrificed for this dream?”
“We haven’t thrown anyone we cared about under the bus,” Elias retorted. “I just can’t believe it. Zara wears her feelings on her sleeve. It’s all out there for everyone to see. She’s not the kind of person to pull an underhanded move like this.”
“Why are you defending her?” Jay snapped. “You hardly know her.”
“Because you do know her, and you know something isn’t right. I can see it in your face. I can hear it in your voice. Send her a message or call her. Find out what’s going on. I’m sure it isn’t what it seems.”
Jay grabbed his phone and sent Zara a quick text asking her to call. He studied the screen and then showed it to Elias. “No delivery notification. I’ve been blocked.”
“Maybe she’s not staring at her phone,” Elias said. “Try her office.”
Jay called her office and the receptionist informed him that she’d been instructed not to put through any of his calls. “It’s over,” he said to Elias, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Everything is over. The international expansion. The dream . . .”
And Zara. He’d pushed too hard and she was never coming back.
* * *
• • •
“You’re staring at that seating plan like you want to destroy it.” Dressed in an elegant green and gold salwar suit, Parvati leaned against the wall outside the dance hall where Avi and Soroya’s sangeet was about to begin.
“Jay was supposed to be at my table but someone crossed out his name.” She tapped the handwritten scribble. “I don’t know how I feel about it. On one hand, it would have been awkward if he knew about the lawsuit. How would I have let him know I accepted the case solely to save him from an unscrupulous firm that wouldn’t care enough to make sure they were suing the right company? On the other hand, what if he hadn’t found out and he wanted to talk? I could hardly ignore him if we were sitting at the same table. And we do need to clear the air.”
“Why are you worrying about it?” Parvati grabbed her and pulled her into a small alcove just as a group of aunties paraded by. “He’s not going to be at your table. In fact, I don’t see his name on any of the singles tables, so maybe he isn’t coming.”
Zara’s breath caught in her throat. “What if he’s at a couples table, Parv? What if I hurt him so badly that he decided I wasn’t worth the effort anymore, and he found someone new? Oh my God! What if I have to see him with another woman? And then what if they hit the dance floor and he has incredible moves and it’s all because of me? I’ll be kicking myself for taking his love and throwing it in his face because I’m such a coward.” She staggered back to the nearest wall. “I can’t handle it. I can’t be here if he’s with someone else. It might even be too late. His mother wouldn’t see me at the hospital the last time I went to visit. I think she knows what I did to her son.”