Page 37 of King of Justice

“But anything is justified when you wanna get published in the big, mean world and turn your novel into a movie, right?”

That was it. I couldn’t fathom how that man—someone I thought was a friend—could accuse me of something so degrading. I slept in his apartment. He enjoyed my cooking. God, he saw my wet underwear as I hung it up in the bathroom.

My stomach turned. I had to get out of there. “Goodbye, Travis.” I finally pulled the door open and stepped outside. “Have fun with your little porno.”

And then I slammed it shut.

Yes, it was cold outside. But it was still better than having to face Travis’ misguided judgment. The wind blew harsher as I took the turn into the main street, so my eyes began searching for a place to go. The café down the road was still closed. When I approached, I saw two men inside wiping down the tables.

“A known billionaire.”

I knew that Nathan was wealthy and thought perhaps he had a million or two. But how ‘known’ was he, and what exactly made him a ‘billionaire’? I stood next to the café door with my bag nestled between my feet and pulled out the phone from my purse. Searching for his name, my eyes grew wider at the results.

Nathan Wright’s net worth, I typed.

Instead of a figure, I got several articles.

Top Lawyer and Mother Donate $5M To New York Law School.

Attorney Makes Record Donation to Buffalo Non-Profit.

For someone who donates seven-digit amounts, making personal information disappear from the internet must have been simple.

I heard the café door creak open and picked up my bag, quickly going in. Putting my things on the first table I found, I turned to the barista and asked, “Think I can find a hotel room for the day?”

His eyes were apprehensive as he glanced at his colleague, then turned back to me. “Uh—It’s New Year’s Eve, so it may be hard.”

“Right.” I nodded, my eyes roaming over the freshly baked goods laid out in front of me. Through the glass, I examined them for a second before pointing at one. “I’ll take the chocolate croissant.”

“Alright.” He picked up his tongs.

“Um, make that two.”

He smiled. “You got it.”

“You know?” His colleague approached. “The man who owns this place is out of town with his family. Feel free to stay here as long as you’d like until you find a place.”

“Really?” I dipped my head with a little bit of disbelief.

He shrugged and pointed at the tray his colleague was handing me. “Hey, you bought two.”

Grabbing the tray, I chuckled. “Wait until you hear my coffee order!”

Grateful that I didn’t need to get back out in the cold without a destination, I stared down at my phone. I was supposed to spend the day in bed in Travis’ spare room, eating and writing, until it was time for his friends’ party.

Travis. Why did he have to check the security camera when he did? Tearing off a piece of the freshly baked goodness, I savored the bite as I tried to recall the exact resolution of the footage. Our faces weren’t clear, so how did Travis know who Nathan was?

And if he knew, did that mean that everyone else would if they saw the footage?

Terrified, I suddenly remembered the way he had praised my appearance before I left the other day.

“Lookin’ good, Jones.”

If he had feelings for me, would he go as far as to follow me downstairs and look at who I was with? Would he follow me to where we had our date?

Oh my gosh.

“How about that coffee?” the barista hollered.

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