Page 120 of Raging Inferno

“How is Jessie King involved?”

“Whose blood is on your shirt?”

Holy hell, there were news crews, photographers, and reporters everywhere. Usually, he was calm and composed in front of cameras. However, he hadn’t expected them, so he’d had no time to prepare responses.

Kayne stepped up. “We have no comment at this time. Consult the Serenity Shores Police Department for updates.”

“Who are you?”

“What’s going on?”

“Who set the fires?”

“Is the public in danger?”

Dominic and Kayne pushed forward through the throng of people to the SUV. Kayne drove out of the lot.

“I should’ve anticipated the media,” Dom said. “This will be a huge news story.”

“I’ll call my office and have members of our public relations team get here as soon as possible.”

Before Kayne could place a call, his cell buzzed. He pushed a button on the steering wheel and answered.

“Hey, Kayne, it’s Olivia.”

“Speak of the devil,” he said. “I was getting ready to call you.”

“The media have already descended?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Monique Sherrod and Chas Bray are flying in and should be there soon. They’ll coordinate with the local police department to address the press. They’ll call you when they arrive.”

“You are a lifesaver, Olivia.”

Once he ended the call, he told Dominic, “That was Olivia Mylonas. She’s married to my coworker Alex. She owns TKO Productions, along with two other spouses, Taylor Costa and Kendall Demarchis. They handle all the public relations and are excellent at their jobs.”

“Good, because after what Presley told us about Jessie and the others, this will be a major shitstorm.”

#

“Presley, can you hear me? I really need to talk to you.”

Presley recognized the voice. Jessie King. She had no desire to speak with the woman who had lied to her for years. The woman who had killed Gwen. If and when she faced her, Presley would be on her feet and not lying in a hospital bed.

“Maybe it’s easier if you’re unconscious,” Jessie murmured. “You’ll never know how much I regret what happened that night. My only excuse is that we were young and stupid. I honestly thought Gwen was dead. There was so much blood. If Tamera had found a pulse, we would’ve called for help. I’m not blamingTamera, or maybe I am. I don’t know.” She sighed. “I’ll return when you’re awake because I have a huge favor to ask you. You are the only one who knows what really happened that night besides me. Margy, Nancy, Charmaine, and now Tamera are dead. She didn’t make it. Her lungs were scarred from years of smoking.”

Jessie grasped her hand, and it was all Presley could do to avoid jerking it out of her grip. She wanted to know what favor Jessie was referring to.

“I ask that you not tell anyone what happened with Gwen. It’s completely selfish, I know. But I’ve become accustomed to my lifestyle. If people discover what we did, I’ll be ostracized, maybe even arrested. Sam might leave me . . . hell, he probably will anyway.”

Aw, too bad. Jessie would lose her life of privilege. Never mind that the others had lost theirlives.

“I’ve never had an actual job,” Jessie continued with her personal pity party. “I don’t know how I would support myself. Pathetic, right? I realize people will wonder what happened. You can say you don’t remember.”

Presley couldn’t wait to have this conversation when she was out of the hospital. Actually, it wouldn’t happen. Jessie obviously hadn’t seen the camera Val and Rena had set up to tape her confession. Presley assumed the police were now in possession of it. Plus, if Rena was still alive, she would spill her guts to save her own hide.

“What the hell are you doing in here?”

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