Page 75 of The Write Off

“No.”

Relief floods me for a brief moment before the anger dominates my emotions again. Just because he didn’t lay a hand on her doesn’t mean he didn’t hurt her. I lean forward, resting my forehead against hers. “ Rilla, I’m so sorry he did this to you, but we’re going to handle it together. It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s the opposite of okay!” She pushes herself away from me, drawing her knees up to her chest. “I don’t even care about the book anymore. I would have told him to go fuck himself with a smile on my face. But he threatened your career.”

“Is that all?”

She stares at me like she thinks I’m not listening. “He said he’d fire you, Logan.”

“I would enjoy watching him attempt to.”

Her red-rimmed eyes blink up at me. “I don’t understand. He’s the publisher.”

“And I’m the editor with a full roster of bestselling authors. Even if he manages to convince my manager to fire me, which I highly doubt he’s capable of, I’d be taking some of those clients with me.” I thread my fingers through her unruly curls. “I’ve been fielding offers from other publishers for years, Rilla. I could find another position in a heartbeat or make a good living freelancing if I prefer.”

“But you stayed in it because you liked it. A few months with me and I manage to blow up your entire life.”

“I need you to listen to me and really hear me. None of this is your fault. This is Bryce’s doing and we’re not going to let him get away with it.”

“But your job…”

“I don’t need the job, Rilla. I just need you.” There is nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman. I’m not sure how to make her see that she’s more important than any job could ever be.

Her mouth opens, but no sound comes out. Instead, she nods her head and squeezes my hand again.

We decide to sleep on it and come up with a plan tomorrow. While Rilla takes a shower, I sit at the kitchen table with Betty as Josh makes his sister a grilled cheese sandwich at the stove. As we wait, I fill them in on Bryce.

“I knew I should have keyed that asshole’s car,” Betty mutters, darkly.

Rilla joins us before long, her damp hair dripping on her well-worn oversized sweatshirt. She smiles as her brother hands her the plated sandwich.

“You made it like Mom does. The slightest bit burnt.”

After she eats and promises to check in with them first thing in the morning, Josh and Betty leave so she can get some rest.

We get ready for bed. I use the toothbrush she bought for me to keep here. She’d acted like it wasn’t a big deal when she gave it to me, but it had felt like one. It still does every time I use it.

In bed she curls into me, head on my chest, my arms around her. It’s not until her breaths become deeper and more even that I relax. I hold her a bit tighter and close my eyes.

Chapter 38

Rilla

“Can you remember anything else, Sweetie?”

I’ve handed my legal council, AKA my dad, a detailed list of all my encounters with Bryce. It doesn’t feel like much seeing as I’d only met him in person four times.

Looking back on all of those meetings, it was easy to see the escalation towards his proposition. Each time I met him, there had been more lingering looks, more uninvited touches, more innuendo. I want to kick myself for not acting sooner. If I had told someone after what he said about my headshots, I might not be in this position.

None of this is your fault.

Logan’s words have been coming back to me since last night. He’s right. I didn’t ask for this and it is not my fault.

“No, that’s all the times I’ve met with him.”

My dad frowns down at the notepad I’ve written everything on for him. He flips back to the first page and starts to read again, this time starting to make notes in the margins.

I’d gone to bed exhausted and running on empty. When I woke up in Logan’s arms, hopelessness had been replaced by a new emotion. Rage.

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