selfish, but it always kept my worlds separate, helped me sustain the two worlds I lived in.
“You come here. You can leave whenever you want. But you need to see this. I’ll have one of the guys out front create a diversion and you can come through the back.”
It was wrong. I could feel it. Sense it. But if he had information on my husband, I wanted it.
“Ok. Give me fifteen minutes.” I hung up in search of ibuprofen and water.
Spence was gone. I shouldn’t feel guilty sneaking past the magnolia, but it wasn’t a feeling I could mask or soothe. I was learning that nausea and disgust in myself were a part of who I was now.
I tapped on Paxton’s kitchen door.
It flew open. He ushered me inside.
“Why didn’t you use the key?”
I shrugged. “I threw it away.” I hoped my voice sounded as cold as I felt.
“You didn’t have to do that.” He reached for my arm and I backed up, hitting my elbow against the door. “Audrey.” He shook his head. “I don’t want you to be scared of me.”
“I’m not scared of you.”
“At least there’s that.” He smirked. “Follow me. I have something to show you.”
The wooden shutters were closed. A small lamp cast a spotlight on his desk.
“Did you know Spencer was working with Anderson & Lee?” He handed me a copy of an email.
“Yes. That was the firm in Columbia he was closing on when…”
“Read the email,” he urged.
“How did you get this?” It was a copy of an email from Senator Hughes to Lewis Anderson, head partner at Anderson & Lee.
“I have people, I told you that. Just read it.” He sighed.
Lewis,
I have a way to stall. Tonight.
Harry
I looked at Paxton. “Ok? What is so important about this email?”
“Look at the date.”
I scanned the print out again. “So? It was the same day Spencer drove to Columbia.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” He sounded irritated, like I had failed his trivia challenge.
“No, I don’t.” I threw the paper on the desk. “You’re coming up with any excuse you can to get me over here.”
“Audrey, Hughes and Lewis Anderson are behind Spencer’s death.”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense.”
He sat behind the desk. “Hughes warned me he would destroy me.” He looked toward the dark windows. “I should have listened.”
“I’m not following.”
“I knew he was planning something. I just couldn’t get ahead of him. He was spying on us. He knew about us. There are pictures.”
“Pictures? But we were careful.”
He shook his head. “Not always. I thought the blinds were drawn at the back of the house, but they weren’t.”
Horrified, I covered my mouth. “No. When? Which room?”
“This is upsetting you. Those details don’t matter.”
“Don’t tell me what matters!” I seethed. “What is in the pictures?”
“The night on the kitchen table.” He spoke quietly. “The night against the wall. The couch, the floor.”
Nights I had felt liberated, using my body like I never had, and someone else had seen it. I had to stop the retching in the back of my throat.
Paxton waited a few seconds. “Are you ok? I should have told you after the reporter brought it up in the interview.”
“Why didn’t you? I had a right to know there are pictures of me doing what I did.” I felt unbalanced again. I grabbed at the desk.
“Because I knew I could handle it. And I’m ashamed to say it, but I thought you would stop seeing me if you knew the story was going to the press. I thought I was careless. I’d just close the blinds next time.”
My eyes flared. How could he keep that from me?
He continued. “Anyway, I shelled out enough money. My dad raised all the salaries at the media outlets. We contained it. But Hughes knew we wouldn’t be able to stop breaking news from being reported. He set me up to make it look like I had Spencer killed. In one swoop, he would ruin me. But, he didn’t have proof. He could spread all the rumors and lies he wanted, but there was
“You come here. You can leave whenever you want. But you need to see this. I’ll have one of the guys out front create a diversion and you can come through the back.”
It was wrong. I could feel it. Sense it. But if he had information on my husband, I wanted it.
“Ok. Give me fifteen minutes.” I hung up in search of ibuprofen and water.
Spence was gone. I shouldn’t feel guilty sneaking past the magnolia, but it wasn’t a feeling I could mask or soothe. I was learning that nausea and disgust in myself were a part of who I was now.
I tapped on Paxton’s kitchen door.
It flew open. He ushered me inside.
“Why didn’t you use the key?”
I shrugged. “I threw it away.” I hoped my voice sounded as cold as I felt.
“You didn’t have to do that.” He reached for my arm and I backed up, hitting my elbow against the door. “Audrey.” He shook his head. “I don’t want you to be scared of me.”
“I’m not scared of you.”
“At least there’s that.” He smirked. “Follow me. I have something to show you.”
The wooden shutters were closed. A small lamp cast a spotlight on his desk.
“Did you know Spencer was working with Anderson & Lee?” He handed me a copy of an email.
“Yes. That was the firm in Columbia he was closing on when…”
“Read the email,” he urged.
“How did you get this?” It was a copy of an email from Senator Hughes to Lewis Anderson, head partner at Anderson & Lee.
“I have people, I told you that. Just read it.” He sighed.
Lewis,
I have a way to stall. Tonight.
Harry
I looked at Paxton. “Ok? What is so important about this email?”
“Look at the date.”
I scanned the print out again. “So? It was the same day Spencer drove to Columbia.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” He sounded irritated, like I had failed his trivia challenge.
“No, I don’t.” I threw the paper on the desk. “You’re coming up with any excuse you can to get me over here.”
“Audrey, Hughes and Lewis Anderson are behind Spencer’s death.”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense.”
He sat behind the desk. “Hughes warned me he would destroy me.” He looked toward the dark windows. “I should have listened.”
“I’m not following.”
“I knew he was planning something. I just couldn’t get ahead of him. He was spying on us. He knew about us. There are pictures.”
“Pictures? But we were careful.”
He shook his head. “Not always. I thought the blinds were drawn at the back of the house, but they weren’t.”
Horrified, I covered my mouth. “No. When? Which room?”
“This is upsetting you. Those details don’t matter.”
“Don’t tell me what matters!” I seethed. “What is in the pictures?”
“The night on the kitchen table.” He spoke quietly. “The night against the wall. The couch, the floor.”
Nights I had felt liberated, using my body like I never had, and someone else had seen it. I had to stop the retching in the back of my throat.
Paxton waited a few seconds. “Are you ok? I should have told you after the reporter brought it up in the interview.”
“Why didn’t you? I had a right to know there are pictures of me doing what I did.” I felt unbalanced again. I grabbed at the desk.
“Because I knew I could handle it. And I’m ashamed to say it, but I thought you would stop seeing me if you knew the story was going to the press. I thought I was careless. I’d just close the blinds next time.”
My eyes flared. How could he keep that from me?
He continued. “Anyway, I shelled out enough money. My dad raised all the salaries at the media outlets. We contained it. But Hughes knew we wouldn’t be able to stop breaking news from being reported. He set me up to make it look like I had Spencer killed. In one swoop, he would ruin me. But, he didn’t have proof. He could spread all the rumors and lies he wanted, but there was
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