“Ryder’s father has always been an asshole,” Anthony says.
That I can agree with, not that I’d let him know.
“You see…you have a weak point that makes Ryder’s enemies think they can use you.”
“I don’t have a weak point.”
“Oh, please.” His gaze drops to my stomach. “Your baby. It is the weakest of points for mothers, highly exploitable.” A sardonic smile twists his mouth. “Well. Most mothers anyway. And I have a feeling you’re one of the typical ones.”
“You won’t be able to use it to get back at Ryder,” I say.
“If I wanted to get back at him, to even the scales, as it were…I’d’ve made sure you lost it.”
I suck in a sharp breath. My hand flies to cover my belly protectively.
The muscles in his jaw grow taut as he looks at my hand. “Oh yes. I lost a baby because of him.”
The harsh announcement hits me hard. “What…?”
“Lauren was pregnant when she finally told me about Ryder. At that time, I begged her to keep the child, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Said she couldn’t afford to fritter away a career opportunity with something as inconvenient as a baby. Now that I think about it, I don’t even know if it was really mine, but back then I thought it was.” The skin around his eyes tightens, and his entire face looks like a mask.
Suddenly, the evening takes on an ominous tone. I start shaking. “Are you going to hurt me to get back at Ryder?”
“Perhaps I should.” He turns the bottle in his hand, studying it.
My blood turns to ice, and I clench the hand over my belly until it’s a tight fist.
“Except…I didn’t feel even a kernel of satisfaction when I heard about your hospital visit.” He looks up and locks eyes with me.
A moment passes before I lick my dry lips and rasp out, “That makes you a good person. It isn’t something to be conflicted about.”
“But I don’t want to be good, Paige.” He closes his eyes for a moment, then gets off the stool, walking over to a window and a view of the city outside. “I want my pound of flesh.”
I don’t have an answer for that. Telling him it’d do his soul good to give up his revenge just seems corny, a cliché from a badly written redemption flick.
“I want to know how much pressure I can exert before your relationship implodes and you decide he isn’t worth it. After all, that’s how Ryder got Lauren to leave me…by convincing her I wasn’t worth it.” He doesn’t turn to look at me. “Make yourself comfortable. I need to get going.”
“Thank you,” I say automatically, even as my mind is reeling.
“Oh, don’t thank me. I’m not doing this to be nice.”
The door closes behind him.
* * *
TJ arrives soon after Anthony leaves. The bouncer is huge, with big muscles like pale slabs of butcher beef and an even bigger attitude. He doesn’t hide the fact that he’s a bad ass and he knows it.
Of course I’ve known him for a few years at Z, so none of that impresses me.
His gaze doesn’t drop below my neck. “You okay? Need me to call a doc or something?”
“I’m fine.”
He grunts and lowers himself onto the other couch. “Lemme know if you need anything.”
My phone rings. It’s Bethany.
“My gosh, are you all right?” she says the second I hit the green button.
“Yes,” I say even as I wonder how many more calls I’m going to get. There’s Mom and Simon…Renni too.
“I was wondering what was taking so long, then my coworker told me he saw you on YouTube! I can’t believe it! Did you call the police? You should press charges. They need to pay. It’s unacceptable. They weren’t just hurting you but your baby too. It’s like double assault!”
I let her rant. She’ll have to get it out of her system before she can carry on a rational conversation. I catch TJ in my peripheral vision and walk out onto the balcony, closing the door behind me. He doesn’t need to hear our conversation.
While she fires off a hundred words a minute, I take in the view. The city goes on like nothing major’s happened. The people who attacked me are probably down there somewhere. Are they proud of themselves? Are they going to pretend they didn’t do anything wrong?
Finally Bethany slows down. “Okay. Okay. So.” She sounds breathless.
“So.”
“Are you at Ryder’s?”
“No.”
“Paige! You can’t just go to your apartment! You have to find a secure, safe place. Preferably with gates and guards.”
“Um, actually—”
“I said you could stay with us as long as you want, but I don’t know if I can keep you safe. I’d feel better if you went back to Ryder.” Anxiety adds force and speed to her words. “I saw how his mansion was. I’m sure nobody can get to you there.”
“Actually, I’m at Anthony’s.”
That puts the brakes on her. “Who?”
“Someone I know,” I say, being a bit vague. “He owns Z,” I add, hoping that associating him with something she knows is legitimate will alleviate her worry.
“I see.” A short pause. “So…why are you with him and not Ryder?” Her voice doesn’t contain any censure, but it isn’t exactly approving either. I would say she’s concerned and maybe even a little worried.
I sigh. “It’s complicated.” And probably poorly thought out. Now that I know the depth of Lauren’s betrayal, I’m not at all certain it’s a smart idea for me to stay with Anthony.
“Paige, are you one hundred percent sure about breaking things off with Ryder?”
I can’t answer her. I thought that would be best, but when he came for me in the midst of chaos… I’ve never seen him so worried or concerned. As trite as it sounds, he looked like an avenging angel coming to save me, eyes flashing and fists pumping. He threw himself into the crowd without any worry for his own safety or his image or…anything.
“Ryder offered me a job,” I blurt out. I’d been thinking about it when those people decided to mob me. Otherwise I might’ve been more aware of my surroundings.
“He did?”
“Yeah. He said I’m going to need the money and benefits, which is true. He even offered to pay for my obstetrician. She’s amazing, but she doesn’t take insurance.”
Bethany’s quiet for a moment. “Do you want to go back to working for him?”
“No. Well, yes.” I sigh. “I don’t know.” I rest my elbows on the railing and cup my forehead in my free hand. “He didn’t say anything I hadn’t already thought of. It’s going to be so much harder for me to get a job with the…scandal and being pregnant and all. And even though I think I’ve been awesome at my job, he can always find somebody else. I’m not arrogant enough to think I’m irreplaceable. And I do need some money, and I have to have insurance.”
“Is that all there is?”
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t tell me everything, and I’m sure there’s stuff I can’t understand since I’m not the one in the relationship with him. And I’ve never dated anybody that famous or high-profile. But before you make any final decisions, don’t just think about the bad things, but the good things as well. I had my doubts when I heard you were engaged to Ryder, but when I saw how he looked at you and defended you against his stepmother at the dinner…” She trails off. I can imagine her eyebrows pinching. She always does that when she’s debating or thinking. “It made me feel good about you and Ryder. Mom and Dad thought so, too.”