Page 35 of Rooster

"I do," I admit.

"Did your research indicate that I had a massive crush on the librarian's nephew, who stayed with her during the summer and helped at our local library?"

"Bryant Hi—"

"Hilt," she says at the same time. "You realize how creepy that is?"

"Thorough," I counter, glad that she's still smiling.

"What else do you know?"

I swallow as I watch her face. "It's my job to research."

"What else do you know?" she repeats, but her tone doesn't make me think she's growing angry.

"You need to change the oil in your car."

Her head tilts slightly. "How do you have access to that?"

"There's an app on your phone."

"You went through my phone?"

I watch as she pats her pocket, a look of relief coming over her face to find that it's where she left it.

"I don't have to have your phone to access it," I confess.

"That's—"

"Thorough," I interject. "We needed to know what was going on with Henry."

"Wait," she says, holding a hand up, her eyes fluttering closed. "You went through my messages with Henry?"

"I needed to know if he left me clues."

"Leftyouclues."

"Correct," I say, wondering why I just couldn't keep my mouth closed, but lies of omission are still lies, aren't they? I didn't do these things to violate her in any way, although that may still be the outcome. "Henry put you in my path on purpose. Everything he did was calculated and part of his plan to get to me."

"I feel—"

"Violated?" I ask. "I'm sorry he did that to you."

"I sent him nudes," she says when her eyes open.

"You did. I scrolled past them quickly and blurred them before the other guys saw the messages."

"You shared the messages?"

"We're a team," I say quickly. "They didn't see the photos."

"Because they were blurred."

"Right."

"So they know I sent naked photos."

"You're an adult, Morgan. There isn't a soul here that's going to judge you for sending photos to someone you had a sexual relationship with."

---