Page 27 of The Hunt

“We’d always meet up at his family’s main house first, and then we’d drive or fly to whichever summer house we were staying at. They’re super rich, so they have about twenty of them all over the country,” I said. “This summer, I was meant to arrive at the main house on the 7th. But I thought I’d surprise him and arrive a couple of days early.”

“Uh-huh,” Bree said, head tilted slightly to one side.

“Because we were together for so long, I was pretty close with his family, and they trusted me with the gate code. I had a key, too. So I thought it would be fun to let myself in, sneak into Jake’s room, and shout ‘surprise!’.” I paused and shook my head. “It sounds so childish now.”

“No, it’s cute,” Sloane said.

Bree raised her brows. “I’m guessing you saw something you weren’t meant to see?”

“Yup. I walked in and saw him on top of one of the maids. Naked.”

“I thought you only found out about him cheatingafterthe breakup,” Sloane said.

“He wasn’t cheating with the maid,” I said in a hollow voice. “At first, that’s what I assumed, but then I realized she wasn’t moving at all, and her eyes were closed.”

“She was unconscious?”

“Yes. At first, I honestly thought she was dead. She just looked so… limp.” I swallowed hard and went on. “Anyway, I screamed, and Jake jumped up. He started crying and shouting all this crazy, nonsensical stuff. Then he went and locked himself in the bathroom.”

“What the fuck?” Bree muttered.

“I went over to the maid. Checked to make sure she was breathing and covered her with a blanket. Then I tried to wake her up,” I said. “The whole time, Jake was in the bathroom crying like a baby. Justhowling.”

Sloane’s eyes were like saucers. “Did the maid wake up?”

“Yes, after a few minutes. She was really groggy and confused at first. Then she was scared. Really, really scared.” I briefly closed my eyes and took another deep breath. “I asked her what happened, and…”

I trailed off as hot tears of rage, regret, and sorrow welled up in my eyes. Sloane reached over and put a hand on top of mine. “It’s okay. Take as long as you need.”

I sucked in another deep breath and continued. “She told me she was cleaning in the hall outside Jake’s room. He asked her to come in and watch the game with him because he didn’t want to watch it alone. She wanted to say no, because she had work to do, but at the same time, she felt like she couldn’t reject him.”

“Because he’s her boss,” Bree said, nodding slowly.

“Technically, his dad is. But it’s the same thing. She felt like her job might be at risk if she pissed off any of the family members.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“She said yes. He offered her a soda. She drank it, and that was the last thing she remembered before waking up naked on the bed.”

“So he drugged her.”

“Yes. I got her dressed and took her to the hospital because she looked really sick and could barely walk. But when they asked what happened, she lied.”

“About what?” Bree asked, brows knitting.

“She told them a stranger had drugged her at a bar. I stayed silent when she was talking, because I was so shocked,” I said. “But after the doctors left, I asked her why she lied. She said she felt like she had to.”

“Because of Jake and his family?”

I nodded. “Like I said, they’re rich as sin. Julia—that’s her name, by the way—was genuinely terrified of how they might retaliate if she reported him. She was also scared of losing her job, because she really needed the money for her own family. So she begged me not to say anything to the doctors, because she knew they’d call the police.”

“That’s a tough spot to be in,” Sloane said, wincing. “On the one hand, I’d be frothing at the mouth to turn him in. On the other hand, I’d hate to force a woman to take on a case like that when she already said she can’t deal with it.”

“That was the exact problem,” I said softly. “I didn’t want to force her to do anything. Especially because she was already so scared. But I told her that I was willing to help out. Make a statement about what I’d seen. Even testify in court if necessary. But she still said no. She said she would only turn Jake in to the police if there was real, solid evidence.”

Bree frowned. “Like what?”

“Like him admitting what he did on camera, or something like that.” I sighed and shook my head. “She thought her word and my word wouldn’t be enough. Not when his family has access to the most cutthroat lawyers that money can buy. They’d tear us apart in court. Make it look like we cooked up some scheme together to get money from the family.”

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