Page 66 of Second to None

“Cass. Good morning.” Her words were clipped. “I’m sorry to wake you, but we have a situation.”

Well. All according to plan, wasn’t it? I rubbed at my eyes to knuckle the last vestiges of sleep out of them. Outside, distant birds bragged about how awake they were, or possibly about their sexual prowess. “You mean how Levi and I went out for dinner last night?” I asked. “Because, yeah. We got recognized, so I’m guessing there are pictures.”

“There are. Social media is having a field day with them. You and I will have a chat about what constitutes a fair warning when you go off-script, and soon.However.” Her voice tightened. “The real issue is there are more pictures. Video, actually.”

I leaned my shoulder against the wall, suddenly a little weak in the knees. “Video?”

“From a store in Olbia you visited a few days ago.”

It took a moment before it clicked. Fuck—the souvenir shop, filled with trinkets and sun hats and shrill shirts. The frilly pink bathing suit Emily loved. I closed my eyes, stomach knotting into a twisted bow, words staggering through my mind. “There was a camera?”

“Yes. Someone leaked the surveillance footage.” Simone’s tone was gentler now, perhaps in reaction to my near-whisper. “People are connecting the dots—asking questions about who the little girl is, about Levi’s sister, everything.”

‘Emily stays out of it.’It had been Levi’s one condition, the only thing he’d asked for—and now I’d messed it up. Hadn’t seen the camera, hadn’t thought to bring Frank into this silly, harmless shop. He would have spotted the surveillance setup, but no, I’d wanted to live like I didn’t have a care in the fucking world. And now Emily was caught in the net of it.

“How bad is it?” I whispered, phone pressed to my ear.

Simone sighed. “Bad enough. It’s trending. We may need a statement.”

God. I forced a breath into my narrow lungs. “Right. I… Give me a minute. I need to talk to Levi.”

“I’ll send you the link.” She hesitated. “I suggest we handle it fast, Cass. The longer we wait, the more the narrative spins out of control.”

Nerves crackled in my chest. “Yeah, okay. I’ll call you back.”

I hung up without waiting for a goodbye and then just stood there for a second, gathering myself. He’d walk, that’s what he’d said—the moment Emily became so much as a side note to an article, he’d walk, and he wouldn’t look back. But that had been… before. Before we fell back into… us.

Right?

Back in the room, Levi was stirring. Morning light picked out his lashes in gold, green eyes drowsy as he blinked up at me. “You all right?” he asked, husky with sleep.

“Something happened.” I sat down on the edge of the bed, my gut cramped up like I was about to be sick. “Pictures from last night’s dinner—which, no surprise. But also… from that shop on Wednesday? Seems they had a surveillance camera. The footage leaked.”

His eyes sharpened instantly. He pushed himself upright, shoulders taut, his hand gripping the sheet. “Video?”

“Yeah.” My voice sounded small. “We—we should look at it, I guess.”

He didn’t reply, just sat there staring at me, sheet bunched around his waist and in his hand. I opened the link Simone had sent, heart thudding almost painfully against my ribs, and scooted closer to him.

The footage was grainy, angled from above the store’s main aisle. It showed the three of us—Emily tugging on my hand, me laughing at something Levi had said. I grabbed a feather boa and tossed it around his neck, and he leaned in, whispering something in my ear as I ducked my head, smiling. Intimate. And Emily right there, clutching her bathing suit like a treasure.

Maybe, without last night’s dinner pictures to confirm our presence, it might not have gained traction. But if you knew who we were, it was pretty damn obvious.

The comments made my stomach turn. People asking about Emily, questioning Levi’s family situation.Is that his daughter? Did he have a daughter right after NC? But she’s too old, isn’t she? So did he hide her all along?Then links to tabloids talking about Jessica’s death because when you were famous, private grief became a matter of public consumption.

I barely dared to glance at Levi. His face was carved from stone, jaw set so tight it might fissure.

“I’m sorry,” I said, voice rough. “If I’d realized there was a camera?—”

“You promised,” he cut in, low and shaky. He turned his head, eyes hard, a twin set of marbles. “You fuckingpromised, Cass.”

“Lee…” I tried to reach for him, and he jerked back.

“Don’t fucking ‘Lee’ me.” The short syllables sliced through the air. “I told you Emily couldn’t be part of this. Itrustedyou to keep her safe. And now they’re talking about her, talking about Jess?—”

“I know. I—this wasn’t the plan. I’m so sorry.” I ached all over, phone clenched in my fist when all I wanted was to touch him. “We can fix this. Make a statement—deny it’s her, say it’s a family friend…”

“A family friend?” His laugh was harsh, almost cruel. “You think people are stupid? They know about Jess’s death, and there are old photos of me with her and Emily. I’ve managed to keep it quiet because I’m just not a big deal anymore. But now, with you?Fuck.” He tossed away the sheet and got out of bed. His naked back was a tense curve, head bent, facing away like he couldn’t stand even the sight of me.

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