Page 82 of Wicked Scandal

“So you’re blackmailing us?” Wilder scoffs. “You killed that bastard but you want us to take the fall if we don’t pay you.”

“Wilder,” I stammer. “She’s hurting.”

“We’re all hurting. That man deserved what he got, but it shouldn’t be at our expense.” He looks down at me, pleading with his eyes. “Don’t let her manipulate you, baby. You don’t owe her a thing.”

I shake my head as I gently put a hand on his arm and step out of his hold. Wilder doesn’t understand this pain, even if he understands me. He will never know what it’s like to look at the person who holds your fate in their hands as they hurt you. He will never understand how they manipulate and isolate you until you can’t see anyone or anything but them. And I’m glad he will never understand—but I do, and so does Beth.

“It’s not about what I do or do not owe her. It’s about what he did to us both.” I take another step toward Beth and reach for her hands. Surprisingly, she lets me take them. “I feel your pain. You might not realize it, but I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve lived in hell for far too long because of Troy. Let us help you.”

In the blink of an eye, Beth breaks down in full-blown hysterics, falling into my arms. She’s not dangerous; she’s scared. “I didn’t know what to do,” she cries out. “He backed me into a corner and I felt like I had no choice.”

“I understand,” I tell her. “I promise you, Beth. It’s going to be okay.” I turn around to face Wilder and I hold out my hand. “We have to give it to her.”

He cranes his neck, stunned at my statement. “Seriously?”

“Yes. Seriously. I want to help her. You don’t get it, and I don’t expect you to either. But she doesn’t have a Wilder on her side. I want to do this for her.”

It takes Wilder a minute before his features soften and he realizes what I said. Beth is fighting this alone, but we can help. Finally, he hands me the bag of cash. I turn back to Beth and extend it to her. “There’s twenty thousand dollars in here.” She goes to reach for it, but I pull it back to my chest. “This is not a form of payment to silence you. It’s not negotiable, and there will not be more. This is a gift from one victim of domestic abuse to another. I said I know your pain, Beth, and I meant it. You don’t have to do this alone.”

“Why are you being so nice to me after everything I’ve done?” Her voice cracks and shakes, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Because I know how charming that asshole can be. And I know what happens when you're no longer a shiny new toy, but a thing he owns.”

The next thing I know, Rome and Elodie come out of the woods. Rome holds his phone in the air. “Got it. You’re going down, bitch.”

Wilder shakes his head at Rome, shutting him down. “Change of plans, bro.”

“But I got it all here,” he says as he and Elodie join the circle we’re all standing in. He looks at Beth. “I’ve got proof you killed the mayor.”

He seems proud of himself, and under any other circumstance, I’d be proud of him too. They did exactly what we asked them to do. Everything has changed, though.

Beth looks at Rome with panic in her eyes. “I wasn’t really going to show the pictures I got. I swear. I just need the money until I’m back on my feet.”

“It’s okay, Beth.” I put a comforting hand on her shoulder as I look at Elodie who seems to get it much faster than these boys do. “You’re going to destroy those pictures you have and we’re going to delete this video. Deal?”

“Of course.” She nods frantically. “Like I said, I wasn’t going to share them anyways. I was…desperate.”

I look at Wilder, forcing a smile on my lips. “Do you mind if Beth and I talk alone for a few minutes?”

“Baby,” he says reluctantly. “She killed a man and lured us out here. I understand your desire to help her, but this woman is not your friend.”

I tilt my head slightly to the left. “Maybe she can be. She and I could both use a friend right about now.”

He scratches the back of his head, a reaction I’ve noticed he does often when he’s thinking. “Okay,” he finally says. “But we’ll be right over here if you need us.”

I nod before kissing his lips. Then I go back to a tearful Beth and lead her to a bench with the flashlight I have. “I meant it when I said you don’t have to go through this alone. It would take an entire lifetime for me to tell you all the horrible things Troy has done to me. I get it.”

“I know,” she mutters. “I saw the way he treated you, Catherine. You didn't deserve that. And you certainly don’t deserve what I’ve put you through tonight. You’re a good person.”

“So are you,” I tell her truthfully. “That’s why I want you to take the money so you and your baby can have the fresh start you deserve. I could even have Wilder talk to his dad. He might be in need of an assistant now that he’s acting as mayor.”

Her eyes go wide. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course I would. Listen,” I begin, “between us, if you hadn’t ended him, it would have probably been me that did it and I’d want someone in my corner, too.”

Beth throws her arms around me, her round belly pressing into mine. I swear for a moment I feel her baby boy kick. It’s strange, but I feel a connection to Beth. We might have been in different paths of the storm, but it was the same storm nonetheless.

“I’m going to pay you back for this,” Beth cries into my shoulder. “Every penny.”

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