Page 127 of Brutal Kingdom

Dad pins me with hiscut the shit gaze. “Don’t be cavalier, son.”

I look down at the paused video again. “Sorry. You’re right. Johnathan’s embarrassed. What do I have to do to smooth things over?” I ask, not in the least bit sorry that he knows I’m going elsewhere to have my needs met. Jordanna’s the only reason I pretend to care how Johnathan feels about this. I don’t want this to blow back on her.

Dad sits back, folding his hands across his chest. “Whatever it is, it’ll be huge.”

FORTY-NINE

LOGAN

Dad said the price I’d pay would be huge. I didn’t think it would include Bella finding out about the tape. What the hell is wrong with people? Why would Johnathan show it to her? That’s the only way she could have seen it, because dad had the original footage deleted from the local and remote servers.

“I knew there was no way you’d stay away from her. What I didn’t think was that you’d be so stupid as to get caught. You couldn’t even wait until after the wedding to let everyone know that you’re an unfaithful asshole.”

“Her who?” My plan is to deny and defend Jordanna until hell freezes over.

“Nice try, Logan. I know this is Jordanna.” She points at the screen. “She’s wearing my pendant around her scrawny little neck.”

Her pendant? That’s the Bendevire family crest. I think it’s with the person it belongs to. “Alright, I figure you’re here to negotiate. What concession can I give on our contract to make you forget you ever saw this?”

“We’re beyond concessions. I think I’ll do what your whore threatened to do last year. Let everyone know just what type of trash she is. I wonder who’d like to interview me first.”

“Bella, if you leak that tape, any chance I have at taking over McKay Media is ruined.”

She shrugs, inspecting her nails. “You should’ve thought about that before you decided your whore was more important than the agreement we have.”

I stifle the urge I have to choke her for calling Jordanna a whore. Snapping Bella’s neck won’t help me out of this situation. “I didn’t. I don’t think that. But you and I aren’t sleeping together, and your friends will never hook up with me behind your back. Where else was I supposed to go?”

“To anyone other random piece of ass in the Tri-state area. You know how I feel about her. I think you did this to piss me off. To hurt me.”

Hurt. Her? Yeah right. She’d have to have feelings and emotions to hurt, and we all know she’s a sociopath. “Bella, I can fix this.”

“Can you? This is the proof I need of the type of person Jordanna Felding really is. I’ll have this admitted as evidence in my case. The school can get a copy and this time she’ll really be out of here. Oh, the things I could do. What would McKay Media’s board of directors think? Are you still the best choice to run the company when you go pulling your dick out at the drop of a dime?”

Reason number two hundred and sixty, why Bella is the absolute worse choice for me. I need a woman who likes that I pull my dick out at the drop of a dime, and knows what to do when that happens. “You’d really go to the board with this?”

“Depends on if we can work something out. Something worth me keeping quiet. I get the feeling another scandal isn’t something Jordanna wants for her family. And if I know the families in town, which I do, they’ll never support her claim as a member of a founding family after watching this.”

It all comes back to this. “It won’t be up to them. A judge has to rule.”

“And who pays their salaries? We control the country. Her case will be thrown out of court in any jurisdiction. Maybe I should have her thrown in jail for fraud, so she can’t make any more trouble.” Tapping her chin, she says, “Wheredidthat missing money from Penn’s hedge fund go? A little computer magic can make it seem like she has it. Then while she’s untying that knot with the Feds, I’ll be cashing in my ECS shares.”

She’ll do it. Using lies and misdirection and sowing chaos to get what she wants. She’s right about Jordanna wanting to avoid a scandal. I can’t let this get out. I’ve already betrayed her once like this. I’m not sure what she’ll do if it happens again.

With a resigned sigh, I say, “Fine. What are your terms?”

She advances on me. Glaring and pointing her finger for emphasis. “This time you cut off all contact with her. For real. And you go on record officially claiming me as your partner. The love of your life. Your reason for getting up in the morning. Or whatever other sickeningly sweet shit you say to Jordanna when you’re not doing… this.” She sneers, waving the USB drive in the air.

I hold out my hand for the offending evidence. “Agreed.”

“Oh, you don’t think I’m simply going to take your word for it, do you?”

“What do you want me to do, Bella? I already said yes to your terms.”

She tucks the thumb drive back in her purse. “I think I’ll hold on to this as a little incentive to make sure you don’t back out.”

Logan asked me to meet him at his studio. I came as soon as my class was over. It’s been a few days since we hung out at my mom’s house. We need this time together. I push open the barn doors, letting myself in. I fling my bag on the floor and jump into his arms, wrapping my arms and legs around him, smothering him with kisses.

“Hey baby.” He says, kissing me back.

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