Page 48 of Power Play

“Wow,” she says. “O-okay. It’s not like that’s something you could help.”

I swallow.

That’s not even half of it.

“Well, there’s more,” I say. Her eyes lift to mine again. “I…I took him out.”

Her eyebrows knit together, and her head tilts to the side.

“You…you took him out?” she asks, and I see her brain moving a mile a minute.

“To a strip club,” I tell her. One blow after another. But I keep reminding myself that this is for her.

She scoots back from me slowly, crossing her arms over her body.

“You took him out to a…strip club?” she asks. I nod.

“Yes, Lo,” I say. “And then I got him drunk. And then I recorded him admitting what he did to you.”

Her eyes dart back to mine, and she swallows.

“You…you didwhat?”she whispers. “You didwhat?”

“Lo,” I say, treading carefully. “Listen. We haveproofnow. Proof of what he did. I have it right here on my phone. It’s your call. If you want me to delete it, I will. I’ll do whatever you want, Lo. This is all for you.”

“What did he do to her?” we hear a voice ask, and we both jump when Tyson appears from the side of the house. “Forgot my fucking wallet,” he says, motioning to it on the ledge near the grill. But he doesn’t take his eyes off me. “What did hedoto her?” he asks again, his voice low and steady.

Fuck.

I look from him to her.

This is her story to tell—if she wants to tell it.

Although, I may have just fucked everything up.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Tyson walks down the patio steps, walking toward us on the bench. He stands in front of us and looks back and forth from her, to me, and back to her.

“Lola,” he says, his voice gruff, “what is he talking about? What does he have proof of?”

Her eyes are on the ground, and her body is shaking.

And I suddenly hate myself with a burning fucking passion.

You couldn’t just leave it alone, Buck.

I reach for her hand, but she pulls it away, covering her face as she bends forward.

Goddamnit, Buck. What have you done?

Tyson walks toward us and slowly kneels down in front of her. He looks up at her and puts his hands on her knees. She lifts her eyes to him slowly, and I can see the tears streaming down her cheeks. She doesn’t say anything at first. They just stare at each other while she cries.

“Do you remember the party that you and Levi went to break up a few years ago for Tate and Dad?” she asks. I swallow, closing my eyes and bowing my head.

“Yeah,” Tyson says.

“I was there,” she says, her voice shaky. “And so was Thad.”

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