Page 41 of My Trojan Horse Majesty

His face falls into a deep scowl. “You want to talk to me because you were digging through my email? Don’t you think you should at least have the decency to keep quiet about something you found when you were invading my privacy?”

“I wasn’t digging through anything,” Izzy says. “I was on your computer when an email popped up, and a little notification showed up on the top right side of the screen. I saw my name on it.” She shrugs. “Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I clicked on it.”

Tim stands up. “Heck yes, you shouldn’t have. I don’t dig through your email.”

“Another Utah thing?”

Izzy snorts. “Old habits die hard.”

“Not very manly, if he can’t even swear,” I say. “That’s the first thing my British tutor taught me.”

“We need to go,” Tim says. “Now.”

“You, sit.” I point. “Until she’s done.”

Tim’s eyes are flashing when he turns toward me, and his lip curls. “No,youget out.” He tosses his head. “Before I do something very, very stupid in front of cameras that are recording.”

“I think it’s too late for that,” I say. “Maybe if you’d met me sooner, or just tried not to do as many stupid things you could have managed.” I shrug. “No way to know.”

“Tim.” Izzy points at his seat. “Please hear me out.”

Tim’s nostrils are flaring and his hands are tightly clenched, but he finally sits down again. “Which email that was sent to me did you read without my permission, exactly?”

“It was an email from Dr. Rebecca Hartfield. She was upset with you for asking her to dis-recommend me.” Izzy arches one eyebrow. “To USU. For the vet program.” She folds her arms. “So, then, I violated your trust more by reading the emailyouhad sent toher.” Her lips are pursed.

Tim leans back in his chair and exhales loudly. “I can’t be mad at you for seeing that, because you were doing me a big favor when you saw it. I’m sorry I got upset, and I can explain.”

“You can’t bemad at herfor seeing it while she was trying to break an insane stallion, alone, to come up with a huge amount of money for your bail?” I’m trying to suppress my laughter. “How magnanimous of you.”

Tim leans back and points at me, his eyes pinning mine at the same time. “I still can’t figure out why this guy’s even here.”

“Without me, you would still be locked up,” I say. “Izzy told me about your predicament, and I wired the money over right away.”

“You got an amazing horse out of it, so I don’t see?—”

“I promised him that I’d help him work with the stallion for a week or so,” Izzy says. “He’s hard to handle, and Dragotrustsme.” She frowns—atme. “Now, if you’ll just talk to me and ignore Leonid, I promise he’ll also refrain from interrupting.” She arches an eyebrow and glares at me.

LikeI’mthe problem.

I sigh, but I close my mouth.

“I shouldn’t have asked Becca to do that,” he says. “But if you were accepted, you would have moved hours away.” He sighs. “I just. . .” His shoulders slump. His entire body sags. “I just.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, and I—” His voice cracks, and I swear, it looks like he’s trying to cry.

She can’t possibly be buying this. Only, it looks like she might be softening. “You should’ve told me that.”

“Instead of using your position and authority to manipulate and control her.”

Izzy glares.

I throw my hands up. “I’m sorry. Go ahead.”

“You made me feel like I wasn’t good enough.” Izzy sounds so broken in that moment, that leaping across the table and smashing his face into goo doesn’t feel like enough. “I thought I was too stupid to be with you. I thought—” Sheiscrying. It’s not an act. The person she trusted the most betrayed her, and now he’s saying he did itforher.

I drop a hand on her knee.

And that one point of contact is enough. I already hated Timothy Heaston, but with my hand on Izzy’s knee, I can see his soul in his face, and it’s dark. It’s not the face of a serial killer, not quite, but it’s as dark as fouled water, almost as dark as I’ve seen.

“I am so sorry, Iz.” He stands up, arms outstretched, as if he’s going to gather her against him and hug her or stroke her hair or something.

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