Page 97 of Beyond The Break

He spits the liquid back into his mug, swinging his head toward me, his eyes bulging.

“Fin, please don’t tell me you’re getting back together with that witch.”

I smirk. “No, I’m actually going to try and get rid of her.”

I look at my phone and text Gabriel that I’m about to leave the house. He’s arranged for undercover cops as well as Meghan’s boss to hide out in the parking lot of the boat dock, where I’ll be meeting with her.

“Thank God,” he sighs a breath of relief, his hand pressed to his chest. “Can I help?”

“Yes, actually,” I stand from my seat and walk over to the front door to put on my shoes. “Can you call me if Eliana tries to leave?”

He raises an eyebrow as he watches me, but he doesn’t question anything.

“Of course,” he says.

“Thanks, see you soon.”

The drive to the boat docks is quick. I park near the back of the lot and look out of my tinted window until I spot Meghan standing near the water’s edge as she looks out at the boats. I put on my wireless earphones and call Gabriel.

“I’m three rows ahead of you,” he says as soon as he answers.

“Okay, everyone else is here?” I ask, sliding my phone into my pocket before I get out of my car and lock the doors behind me.

“We’re all here, recording everything, but be careful, Griffin. She looks fucking unhinged.”

Adrenaline runs through my veins as I approach her. She must hear me because she turns to look at me and boy was Gabriel right. It looks like she’s been crying all night, and then tried to cover up her swollen eyes with thick layers of makeup.

“Good morning,” I say gently, coming to stand beside her, hands in my pocket, “is everything okay?”

She sniffles, wrapping her shaking arms around herself, “I’m just having a hard time being without you.”

I bite down on my tongue until I feel a sting of pain. She didn’t have a hard time without me when I was in the hospital for six months. She didn’t even bother visiting me to explain herself, and now that I’m back she’s having ahard time? I almost laugh.

“Focus, Griffin,” I hear Gabriel say through the earphone.

I take a deep breath as I look down at her. “I’m sorry this has been hard for you,” I lie straight through my teeth.

She sniffles again, turning to face the water. “Why did you want to meet today?”

I clear my throat and shift on my feet. “I had a few questions that I thought might be best to discuss…offline.”

Her head turns to look at me so quickly it’s a miracle her neck doesn’t crack. Her eyes narrow as she studies my face and I know she’s trying to read me.

“Okay, ask away,” she finally says.

With a deep sigh I face her. “Did you kiss Colton knowing I would see it?”

She doesn’t answer at first, her eyes following a sailboat in the distance.

“Yes,” she finally admits.

My stomach churns as bile starts to make its way up my throat. I swallow about three times as my mouth salivates from the sheer disgust. She’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.

“Why?” This is the question that’s kept me up at nights.

“My boss was offering a huge bonus for whoever brought in the best story,” she says, tucking her flyaway hair behind her ear. “I thought if I kissed him, you’d be too distracted to perform properly. I didn’t think you’d get hurt.”

“So, you kissed my best friend so that you could write about my poor performance?”

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