Page 90 of On the Power Play

Jack put a hand on her arm. “Hey, is everything okay?” With his touch, his voice finally broke through the roar in her head. Delia couldn’t force a smile or a response. It was a mirror of her experience moments ago when her fall had knocked the wind out of her, but this time constriction in her chest was only the beginning.

Anger flooded her system, holding a magnifying glass over every frustration she’d tried to sweep away since September. Those lyrics weren’t hers. The song choices weren’t hers. Even the idea to date Jack hadn’t come from her.

Her life was destined to crash. Over and over again. It was never good enough, so why the hell did she keep getting back up off the ice?

“Hey, Delia, can you look at me, please?” Jack hunched in front of her. He put a hand on her cheek. She tried to focus, but her thoughts exploded like fireworks, blinding her and then vanishing, leaving clouds of smoke trailing across her vision.

Jack took the phone out of her hand. She didn’t try to stop him. She needed to move. Delia turned and stormed down the packed snow path toward Country’s house. She wanted to smash something. Shove her face into a pillow and scream. Quit her job like Jack and never look back.

To IndieLake she was useful. A tool. To her listeners, she was entertainment. To Mary . . . she hoped she was a friend, but what kind of twisted friendship was it if Mary did everything for her and got a paycheck?

And to her Mom? Delia skidded to a stop, spraying almost as much snow as Country had on the ice. It was like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her. When was the last time she’d heard from her mom?

“Hey, Delia!” Jack called out behind her. She turned, and he was running toward her with his arm outstretched, his breath pluming in the twilight.

He stopped in front of her and handed her the phone. “You need to take this.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Jack tried to catch his breath as Delia pressed her phone to her ear. “Tony?”

She listened, then exhaled through her nose. “I already saw it.” A head nod. “Ellie’s post. It was scathing.”

Not the post. He’d been reading it, trying to figure out what had upset her, when Tony phoned. He’d answered by accident trying to decline the call, and Tony hadn’t waited to make sure it was Delia on the other end.

“Delia, I promise, we’re taking care of this. I’m working with IndieLake’s lawyer right now to send cease and desist letters to all the platforms?—”

“Hey, Tony? This is Jack.”

“Oh!” Deep exhale. “Hey, Jack. Sorry, I thought?—”

“What’s going on?”

“Are you with Delia?”

“Yes.” Kind of.

“Has she seen the video?”

Jack’s stomach dropped to his knees. “What video?”

“If she hasn’t seen it, you need to make sure she doesn’t. I’m working with IndieLake’s lawyers right now.”

“Tony, what the f?—”

“It’s porn, Jack. Someone posted AI porn of Delia and it’s pretty damn believable.”

Jack reached out. “Delia, it’s not the?—”

Her face went white. “What?” The phone pulled from her ear, and Jack could hear Tony’s voice through the speaker.

“We’re on it, Delia. I’ve got the whole team submitting cease and desist requests on every platform. I’m working with IndieLake’s lawyer, and we’ll do everything we can to get it taken down.”

Delia’s hand started to shake. “Did you watch it?”

“I—yes, I saw what it was, but?—”

“Did you watch it, Tony?” Delia hissed.

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