Page 19 of Absolutely Pucked
“I hope this is about mediation.”
He laughed. “I’m not her bitch boy, Killian.”
“Then why are you calling?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I hated how things ended. We used to be friends,” he said, his voice dripping with false sympathy. “I want to work something out.”
“You and Delia are literally blackmailing me to keep me from getting a job,” I told him. “I know she seems to enjoy fucking me over, but I don’t understand why you’re in on it.”
He sighed. “Listen, I—” Then he went quiet for a beat. In the background, I could hear a woman, and it was most definitely not Delia’s voice. When he spoke, it was muffled, but I could understand him perfectly. “No, hon. Just a work call. Of course I’ll be done in asecond. Yes, I understand I need to respect family time on vacation. Give me two minutes, and you won’t hear a peep out of my phone. I love you too, babe.”
My eyes widened when he cleared his throat. “Oh my God. That’s Alyssa.” His wife. The one he had supposedly left for Delia. The one who was losing it all. Just like me. I almost laughed. “Was it the alimony or child support?”
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” he growled.
This time, I did laugh. “I think I do. You were never going to leave her, were you? Fucking me over was a way of pacifying Delia.”
“Agree to her terms,” he snapped.
My brows lifted. “I have. Repeatedly. She’s the one who keeps dragging it out. She rejected my offer three times.”
He was very, very silent. After a beat, he spoke, his voice tense. “I see.”
Ah. He didn’t know that. Those two dipshits were playing each other. “If you want her off your dick, you have to let me get a goddamn job so I can give her what she wants. Keeping me broke is going to be hell on those secret credit cards your wife doesn’t know about.”
I could hear the click when he swallowed. “You’ll hear from her attorney soon.”
“And I hope I don’t hear from you after my next job interview,” I warned him.
He said nothing, and a beat later, the line went dead. It wasn’t a promise of anything, but it also wasn’t a threat.
At least, not until the text came in.
It was from an unknown number, and it didn’t surprise me at all that Daniel had a burner so readily available.
Unknown: Six months, and this will be over. Then you can do what you want.
Me: I can’t survive on nothing for six months.
Unknown: I can unlock one card. It’s got four grand on it. Make it work.
He was joking. He had to be joking. I couldn’t make four grand last six months. He was out of his fucking mind.
Me: If I say no?
Unknown: Then you won’t work again. Trust me. You know I know people.
Something had to be done. I couldn’t roll over and take it up the ass like this. Not from him. Not from the monster that was taking real joy out of ruining my life. I also couldn’t keep sponging off Damir either.
I had a choice, but it was a shitty one.
Me: Four months. Or I’ll rob a fucking bank to pay for a PI to ruin you. I don’t care if I spend the rest of my life in jail if I take you and her down with me. You know I have shit on her. Your skeletons are in your closet wearing leather and lace.
Unknown: Four months. And then you lose my number for good, and Delia never knows we spoke.
It was an easy agreement. And now, all I had to do was swallow my pride and live rough. The only thing that was helping me stay sane and centered in all of it was the fact that this was my fault. And if this was the universe telling me how I could live in purgatory to get rid of my sins, then I was willing to accept it.
I had no idea what a clean slate would look like, but I was finally allowing myself to hope that there was some kind of happy at the end of this ever after.
