Page 111 of The Blackmail of Denise Randall

Slowly, she tilts her head to the side and places her hands behind her back. “We’re even? You’ve successfully ruined mine and my family’s reputation. You almost killed me, which, with the damage you’ve caused, you might as well have. Another Randall killing a Jamerson.”

I roll my eyes and cross my arms. Suddenly, her arm comes back around holding a gun. Keaton jumps in front of me. He begins to speak in a low, calm voice.

“Isabelle. Listen to me. You’re upset and confused.”

“She’s rightfully upset. And I don’t believe she is confused,” comes in a low voice.

I turn my head toward the approaching voice. The sun is so bright I can’t make out who it is, but it’s definitely a man.

I gasp when I see who is walking toward us. None other than Brennon Hall. He’s wearing slacks and a polo.

A shiny sports car comes flying up the road. Roland comes out in his tailored navy suit. I haven’t seen or spoken to him in months. My traitorous body reacts to the sight of him. I’m reminded of how good it can feel to be wrapped in those powerful, strong arms. My temples begin to sweat as my mind also drifts to how nice he could make me feel with a single pill. “Son, Isabelle. We’ve been worried sick.”

Roland approaches them and mumbles something in Isabelle’s ear, and she lowers her gun. Keaton and I release a sigh of relief. Hopefully, he will keep his son under control.

Keaton calls out to him. “Doctor Hall, I assume you’ve come to escort Isabelle and Brennon back home?”

Roland turns his handsome face to us and studies me, but then his eyebrows pull together when he takes in Keaton next to me. He takes a couple of steps toward us. My heart beats wildly in my chest. He offers me a look full of promise, a look I know all too well. But now I also know it’s not promises, but lies. None of what he can offer is real. I know the difference now in his temporary pleasures, and Keaton’s fulfilling love. When he is next to us, he motions for Keaton to lean toward him. Keaton leans in, waiting for what Roland will say. Instead of speaking, though, he punches Keaton in the gut. I throw my hands to my mouth and stare wide-eyed as Roland continually punches him. Before I can rush to try and stop him, Isabelle and Brennon grab my arms.

Roland shoves Keaton to the ground and turns back to me. “Is this why you ignored my calls and messages? Why you just dropped me? We have an amazing time together, and then poof. Nothing? Silence. You didn’t even say goodbye.”

I look to Brennon and Isabelle, who don’t seem at all surprised. Keaton quickly rights himself but freezes. I look down to see that Roland has the barrel of a gun jammed into Keaton’s side.

The last thing I want to do is confess the full details of my relationship with Roland to Keaton. But I know that if Keaton and I are to have a real relationship we can’t have the secrets and lies between us. I stare into his warm, honey colored eyes, “Roland, what we had was amazing, but it wasn’t real.” I focus on the gun and then look to Roland’s hard stare. “We were under the influence through most of it. What we had was incredible at times, but it wasn’t real. Let’s all stop this and walk away. Take your son and Isabelle back home. Allow Keaton to go back to his car.” A light breeze blows and I can smell Roland’s expensive cologne. Once again, I’m triggered by how nice it could be to be in his company. I focus on him. I’m reminded of the craving I had for his powerful body, the authority his voice carries, and how at one time, he could make everything in the world seem right.It’d be so easy to crawl back to that…But anything worth having usually isn’t easy. I stand my ground, and I say. “Let me go.”

Roland knows that I’m not speaking about only this moment. It’s time for him to let me go. I’ve let that version of myself go.

“I’m here to escort all of you back home,” he says to me and then growls at Keaton, “You’re going to confess that you planted the drugs on Isabelle. Her reputation will be restored. You’re also going to confess to sending Thirteen to Denise’s house and pushing her off the balcony at the Christmas party.”

“You’re Seven,” I whisper in horror.

Roland chuckles. “Keaton here is Seven.”

I can barely speak. This doesn’t make any sense. “How did you push me in the pool and have time to get back down by it? I don’t understand how you’ve managed to do all this.”

“I told you in time, you’d see me again.”

“How did you know it was me with my blog?”

“Princess,” Roland speaks in a belittling voice, “I know everything. I have eyes everywhere. Nine, Eleven, Thirteen, Fifteen, they’ve all been tasked with watching you.”

“Who’s Fifteen?”

“Me,” says Isabelle.

My mind is racing to keep up with all of this. “But why?”

“You came on my radar when you became a patient, the first time.” When it’s clear I don’t register what he’s saying, he continues. “You came in and saw my wife for a physical. I was walking by and saw you. I recognized all the signs of a depressed teenage girl. You were the perfect one to blackmail. The plan was to get you addicted to drugs and then use that addiction as leverage. A Randall at my fingertips. That’s like the goose that lays the golden egg. But there was a problem,” Roland’s eyes turn sincere. A sharp contrast to the rest of his angry features.

“He fell for you,” Nine snarls. “We’d just gotten you addicted and right where we wanted you.”

“I’m sorry for all the bullying. But you being depressed and miserable was good for business,” Roland says nonchalantly. “Plus, it got me to you.”

“I’ll take the blame for everything, if you’ll leave Denise alone. Let’s go to the police station and get this whole mess cleared up,” Keaton says.

“Then let’s go.” He gestures for Keaton to start walking. Roland comes to me and whispers, “There’s no way I’ll ever leave you alone. If you don’t want him to die in prison, you’ll stay with me. I already plan to make him suffer for touching you.”

“Leave him alone or I’ll tell everyone who you really are.”

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