Page 129 of Faithful

Okay, so we fight fire with fire then, not water.

* * *

I waste a good hour on researching Charles Heller while I’m in my car in the parking lot of our apartment complex. I’m so anxious to know everything there is to know about the man that I forget about how late it is and don’t quite expect Leigh to be up when I finally make it inside.

Surprisingly, she’s curled up on the couch watching something with a lot of explosions on Netflix. A blanket is thrown over her lower body and an empty popcorn box is sitting on the coffee table.

I wrestle out of my boots and coat and settle next to her. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Why are you home at this hour?”

“What are you, my mom?” I gently knock her knee with my fist.

Leigh lowers the volume and straightens up. “I’m ready to listen if you’re ready to talk.”

She knows Kai and I aren’t good, but she doesn’t know the details. And perhaps I have no right to reveal Kai’s secrets, but I have a feeling that two heads are better than one if I’m to fight Gavin, so I choose to show some of my cards.

“Can you promise me that whatever I tell you right now will remain between us?”

“Of course, Dylan.” She touches my shoulder. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. Whatever you ask me to take into the afterlife, I’ll do it.”

She stops talking and gives me a moment to gather my wits.

“Kai had an affair a while back.”

“I’m sure he had more than one.” Leigh cracks a smile. “He’s sex on a stick.”

“The person is very high profile, and my father somehow got his hands on this information and is now threatening Kai with it. I need to find a way to invalidate this threat without turning it into a scandal.”

“Hmm.” Leigh taps her fingers against her chin and studies the mayhem on the TV for a bit, then says, “So you need to make this shit go away quietly?”

“Yes, without casualties.”

“Because?”

“Because that person is married, has kids, and is in the closet. And because a lot of other people will be affected. I know Kai’s public image isn’t the picture of sainthood, but he wouldn’t survive this.”

People condemn you for breaking up families.

Music is the glue that’s holding you together while you’re drifting through life.

If he loses that glue, what else is there?

“Okay, so are you giving me the name of that very high-profile person or am I supposed to help you without knowing who it is?”

“It’s Charles Heller.”

Leigh’s eyes widen. “What?”

“Don’t make that face, please.”

“But he’s like… old?”

“All the more reason to keep this a secret.”

“Jesus. You two are a disaster.”

“Yeah.”

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