Page 57 of Key Change

“I didn’t pay him because of an agreement he had with Bianca. He’s friends with that bitch,” Hayden said through gritted teeth.

“But he’s not your friend, and Bianca wasn’t there. What agreement does he have with you?”

Hayden’s eyes narrowed.

Anthony smiled. “And if he’s a social climber, why are you enabling?—”

“That’s why I don’t pay him. He wants the connections. Always has.” Hayden’s words were clipped and his eyes were cold.

“Hayden. You do realize he’ll be telling his friends you don’t pay. My God. I thought you knew better.” Margot stood and picked up the coffee cups. “You need to either pay him or stop asking.”

“Once the divorce is finalized, I won’t need him.”

Anthony frowned, and so did Margot.

Hayden leaned back in his seat as if realizing he’d said too much. “We aren’t here to talk about Bianca and her gold-digging friends. We’re supposed to be focusing on Anthony and the way he’s running around talking to known criminals. It’s a good thing I had him followed, or we’d have never known what he was getting up to.”

“I don’t report to you, Hayden,” Anthony said. Calm, while Hayden was angry.

“We were worried, that’s all. You only have a small window to rebuild,” Margot said.

Once Anthony might’ve believed there was only one chance, and after that, it was all over. If that were true, though, he’d used all his chances already, and he refused to believe that was true. He could do whatever he wanted, but he needed someone to open the door and let him prove himself.

Cillian had done that. Given him a chance, even though he didn’t have to. And there would be others. He’d run through his list of contacts, emailing or calling a few a day while also applying for jobs.

Hayden smirked.

“And I’m doing as much as I can, as fast as I can. In the meantime, when I go out on a date, you don’t need to have me followed unless you enjoy photos of me sucking dick.”

“Anthony!”

“Didn’t you suck enough dick in jail?” Hayden smirked.

Anthony wanted to punch him in the face. Instead, he laughed. “You have no fucking idea what it was like inside. I was celibate for ten bloody years. I want to have some goddamn fun. So back off and let me sort my shit out in my own time and in my own way.”

Hayden stood. “Or what?”

Anthony’s pulse quickened. As kids, they’d have fought. He’d lost count of the number of bloody noses and bruises Hayden had given him. His father had always said boys played rough. Which was bullshit. “Are you going to dog me for the rest of my life?”

“If that’s what it takes, to make sure you stay honest.”

“And who’s watching you?” Anthony said. He held Hayden’s gaze for a moment then peeled himself off the kitchen counter and walked out of the kitchen, through the house, to his room. It was only then he let his frustration out, kicking his runners, sending them bouncing over the carpet.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. Hayden could still push all his buttons. He didn’t know if the PI would be pulled off him, not that it mattered. He wasn’t going to meet up with Liam again or call Farring.

He drew in several breaths that weren’t at all calming.

Did Margot expect him to fail? Hayden would try to ensure that he did. His mother and father wanted nothing to do with him because he was an embarrassment—no surprises there, either.

No, the surprise was that he didn’t want to be a part of such a callous family. They didn’t care about him; they cared about howhe reflected on them. Once he’d thought that was normal, but prison had opened his eyes.

It wasn’t only prison he didn’t want to go back to… it was the person he’d been.

He sat on the bed and opened his laptop. He didn’t bother looking for jobs with his degree, he looked for anything: reception, data entry, delivery driver…

Every time he ticked the box that he’d been convicted of a crime, it was another job he wouldn’t get.

Margot knocked on the closed door. He knew it was her because Hayden would have barged in as if he had the right to do whatever he wanted.

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