Page 33 of Ex-SEAL Bad Boy

“Sure, and I’m not saying he had no responsibility, but she was the one who made the phone call.”

I consider what he says. It does make sense, and if it was something Alexa didn’t remember, it would explain why she never told her sister about that part. It also makes sense that Ethan doesn’t want to tell that story.

“She says you called her stupid and slept with someone else.”

“What would you do when your girlfriend calls and she’s banging another guy? Not smart. And yeah, after that, I did sleep with another girl, two, in fact. Probably not the most mature way to react, but we were in high school.”

I draw in a deep breath. That’s quite an admission.

“You’re sure that’s all?”

“That’s it. Ask Alexa if you want. She’ll tell you she doesn’t remember, and maybe it’s true, but that’s the whole story.”

That definitely puts things into perspective. It also might explain why he seems so reluctant to allow me to get closer to him on an emotional level.

“What did you mean when you said on the beach that you’d ‘shut it down’ if you found out your parents were lying to you?”

He took a deep breath.

“Over the years, I’ve learned a lot of things. Between the military and my parents, I could tell you things that would blow your mind. One of the things I learned is that you can’t trust the media.”

“Just like the politicians, they’re in bed with some very bad people. Now, if this is as fucked up as I’m beginning to suspect, and I took a story like that to the mainstream media, it would never see the light of day, and it would put both our lives in grave danger.”

He briefly glances around, almost as if to ensure himself that no one was listening, then lowers his voice.

“I know a girl whose name is Yiva … Yiva Sarkisian. She’s Armenian but currently lives in the U.S. She runs a little underground news agency, which is not well known but enormously influential.”

“She publishes on the Dark Web, but other more mainstream outlets and news aggregators pick up on her stuff because they know she’s legit and verifies her sources.”

“If we discover that Whitmore is into something sinister, I’ll go to Yiva with the evidence.”

“Evidence of what?” I ask.

“I don’t want to say anything just yet because I don’t have proof of my suspicions. At this point, it’s pure speculation. I think there’s more to this than a simple custody battle.”

“Now you’re scaring me.”

“You’ll be fine,” he assures me. “Just act normal. If you agree to do what we planned, we’ll see Lena tomorrow and pretend to be the happy couple. Once we know more, we can decide how to proceed.”

“I’m in,” I declare.

“What?”

“I’m in.”

“I told you, I’ll give you a little time to think it over.”

“No, we’re in this thing together. You said as much yourself. Anything you’re involved with involves me, whether I want it or not. Luckily, I’m invested in this enough to see it through.”

“OK, we have an appointment to see Lena tomorrow at the Starbucks on West 7th at three p.m. Just so you’re aware, our lawyer set this meet-up a couple of weeks back, so she’s been in contact with him.”

“I don’t know what he’s told her or what he said she can and can’t tell us. I’ll pick you up here at two thirty. Just be ready.”

He gives me a peck on the cheek. I was hoping for more, but I guess … boundaries.

Closing the door, I make my way upstairs. I’m badly in need of a shower. Why not a bubble bath? I always think more clearly when I’m relaxed and could use the relaxation.

As I enter my bedroom, I instantly notice something is wrong.

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