Page 58 of Rebound

He grinds his teeth and clenches his fists. He’s not just upset, he’s raging inside.

“Bro, what’s wrong?” I ask, and he slams one of those fists down on the desk so hard it shakes. “Nathan, what the hell is going on? Is everything all right with Mel?”

“What?” Confusion flickers in his eyes. “Yeah, of course.” He shakes his head. “Look, Elijah, there’s no easy way to say this. She’s screwing you over.”

“What? Who is?”

“Who the fuck do you think I mean? Amber! I knew she was a bitch, but I never thought she’d sink this low.”

“Nathan, I have told you before—stop bad-mouthing her.” I stand up, my own temper flaring now. I’m sick of this constant tug-of-war. I’m sick of my own family refusing to see any good in the woman I love.

He jumps up too and leans over the desk toward me. “It’s not bad-mouthing if it’s the truth, and you really need to stop defending her. She’s not what you think she is, Elijah—she’s got you fooled. You should have made her sign a prenup.”

Making a visible effort to calm himself down, he sucks in a breath, plops back into his chair, and rubs the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Sit down, will you? We need to talk.”

Something is very wrong here. I haven’t seen him this upset in years. He does a good job of presenting a cool, calm front to the world, but inside, Nathan is a deeply passionate man. He loves his family, and he would do anything to protect us. The conflicted expression on his face tells me that he is about to say something he knows will hurt me.

I sit, forcing myself to match his calm. “Go on, then. Spit it out. But make it quick, because I have somewhere I need to be at five.”

With my wife.With the woman he hates. I have no idea how I will ever resolve the two halves of my life, but I have to find a way. And that means putting Amber first—every single fucking time.

“You both agreed to use Drake for the divorce, correct?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

“So, you’re both using the same lawyer. There is no prenup. Nobody is looking out for just you. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Not only for you, but for Jamestech?”

Where the hell is he going with this? “So you think I’m a dumbass. You’ve made that abundantly clear already. Is there a fucking point to any of this, or did you just want to come by and make me feel like shit? All of this is hard enough without you weighing in and pointing out my flaws.”

He bites his tongue, his nostrils flaring. He is working damn hard at controlling himself. “I did not come by to make you feel like shit—I came by to tell you she’s not playing by the same rule book as you. She doesn’t have a scrap of the honesty and integrity that you have, and I don’t want to see you get fucked in the ass.”

“Charming image—but where is this coming from?”

His eyes meet mine, and his voice is a low growl. “She’s not being repped by Drake alone. She’s gone to Freddie Kemp.”

The words are like a slap across my face, and I sag back into my chair. There’s got to be some mistake. Freddie Kemp is… Well, he’s an asshole, but he’s also damn good at his job. Probably the most vicious and ruthless divorce attorney in the States. He has represented movie stars, crime lords, billionaire bankers—and their spouses. In every single case, the end result was the same. Freddie’s client came out on top. Not just on top, but completely dominant. Their other halves were either wiped out or severely financially depleted. No, Nathan can’t be right. She wouldn’t do that to me.

“What makes you say that?” I ask, needing to hear facts.

“Man, I just saw her. I was in their building for a meeting, and she was tucked away with Freddie in his office. And when she saw me, when I confronted her, she knew she was caught—she was all pale and shaky, not like herself at all. Because she knew I’d tell you, obviously. She’s been playing you all along, Elijah.”

Can he be right? Can this be the truth? I run things over in my mind. Drake advised her to find her own attorney to check over the settlement, and she gave the impression that she wasn’t going to do that. But were we both wrong? Has she played us? Why else would she be in Freddie Kemp’s office? She doesn’t like the man. Always said he creeped her out.

“Maybe she was meeting Martha there?” I say as much to myself as to him. “They’re friendly.”

He shakes his head sadly. “Martha wasn’t there. I saw Amber arrive alone, and Freddie’s assistant met her and showed her into his office. I wasn’t totally sure at that point. I know I haven’t not been her biggest fan, but if I’m honest, I never thought she’d stoop that low. So I hung around and waited. She dealt with Freddie and nobody else. It wasn’t a social call. You need to wake up and take action. Without a prenup, and with that scumbag in her corner, she could take you for everything. All this time you’ve been playing nice, she’s probably been gathering information. Information Freddie Kemp will use against you.”

Last night at dinner, she did show a lot of interest in the Seoul deal. Was that more sinister than it seemed?

“When was this?” I ask, trying to get the timing straight.

“It was maybe twenty minutes ago. I came straight here.”

Her message arrived right after Nathan talked to her. Fuck, does this mean he’s right? She was trying to get in front of it, altering our arrangement so she could get to me before he did. Maybe come up with some bullshit story to cover her ass. Her perfect heart-shaped ass.

There really is no other reason for her to be alone with Freddie Kemp in his office. Or to be talking to his assistant. If this was a Martha thing, they’d be sipping cocktails in that place they like off Fifth Avenue, not holding business meetings.

Still, I ask, “You’re positive?”

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