Page 49 of Lavender and Lightning

“How about you tell me what the hell has been happening, then? How many times has the Review tried to publish stories about her?” I ask, setting my glass down on the coffee table before getting to my feet.

“Only two or three times since she’s been outed. And they’re hardly stories. It’s just been rumors—”

“Lex, that’s not okay. Where are these rumors coming from? Who’s writing them?” I demand.

“It’s nothing as serious as all that. The Review has a place for their readers to submit tips or photos or rumors on the website. Since Mateo and Lydia’s relationship became such a hot topic, the submissions have been constant,” Lex explains.

“That’s not making me feel any better,” I growl, pacing away toward the window.

“They’ve been trashing all the submissions since the editor-in-chief was… gently reminded that she could be held liable if someone got hurt based on the material her magazine publishes,” Lex says.

I whip around to find her smirking at her own private joke, and I can only stand in stunned silence.

“How… they could sue over that, try to claim that you’re violating their right to free speech, or freedom of the press,” I question cautiously.

“Oh, I’ve been assured the conversation was entirely off the record, and Tonya was quite reasonable,” she says, putting her hand to her heart. But the Cheshire cat grin she can’t seem to remove undermines the sincerity of the gesture.

“No one working for that rag has a soul, so I find it hard to believe you managed to get her to come around, simply because it’s the right thing to do,” Mateo says darkly.

“Plausible deniability, Matty. In any case, Tonya’s been sending me the submissions for my records. It’s just been a bunch of jealous keyboard detectives trying to spin stories that have no basis in reality. Nothing truly nefarious like we’ve seen from the stalker,” Lex continues, standing to pick up my abandoned bourbon and finishing it in one swallow.

“After all the shit we went through with Seth and his cult, this is a rather cavalier attitude you’re adopting, Lex,” Mateo comments, swirling the amber liquor in the crystal glass.

I sigh, my stomach dropping. I’ve tried to block out that clusterfuck, but I don’t blame Mateo for not being able to do the same. The time between the breakup announcement and the day we’d gotten the restraining order had been when the worst of Seth’s behavior occurred. He’d refused to move out of The Valencia at first, but once we’d pried him off the ceiling like an angry cat, he’d taken to showing up at our other businesses without warning and trying to cause a scene. He’d nearly ruined Lucas’s Michelin-star opportunity by insisting his food was simultaneously raw and burnt to a crisp, and only leaving once the police showed up. Once we’d gotten the stay away order, Seth mobilized his followers to harass us in his place. They’d camp outside of the doors to our hotels and restaurants, flood our review pages with false one-star ratings, even going as far as calling the health department and claiming we had a bedbug infestation. It took following through on our threats of legal action for it all to stop, but it’d been the worst eight months of my life.

“They know better than to step foot on our property, and we hired her bodyguard for a reason. By cutting off their means of easily spreading rumors, it should stop them from doing that kind of damage again,” Lex replies.

“Or it’ll make them congregate in a dark corner of the internet where we can’t do anything about them,” Mateo sighs.

There’s a long stretch of silence as we all consider that statement. I understand his concern, having been the primary target of the smear campaign, but I tend to agree with Lex. We’ve shown we aren’t going to let these people make our lives miserable without a fight. If they try to go after Lydia, we’ll make sure they regret it.

“I still think we should tell her about the investigation. If she knows something, or remembers something from the break in, then it could be the lead Nyueng needs,” Mateo says, leaning back and slinging one arm over the back of the couch.

I hum thoughtfully, looking out over the skyline. I’ve tried to scrub that day from my mind, just to keep myself from dwelling in that pit of anger and fear any more than I have to. But looking back, a detail jumps out again. When we’d gotten back to the pack house, Lydia said something to Lucas that I hadn’t caught, but they’d shut me down when I’d tried to push, claiming it’d only make things worse and send me off on a murder spree. Had Lydia actually picked up on something and never said anything?

“I have my team working on something. If it doesn’t pan out, then we can reevaluate our options. Can we all agree to that compromise?” Lex sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose slightly.

Mateo and I share a look. He’s got that spark in his eyes, and I narrow my eyes in warning. He’s fought with Lex over far less, but I don’t think this is one he could win. She’s made up her mind, and we’d only be pushing her to exclude us in her future decision making if we continue on like this. He throws his free hand up in defeat, finishing his drink. Lex looks to me and I nod, even as my gut twists. I don’t like lying to Lydia, even lying by omission. But if this is what it takes to keep her safe and not terrified for her life every moment of the day, then so be it.

Lex’s cell phone vibrates on the desk, making me jump slightly. She moves to answer it, and I turn to Mateo. We’re both done for the day, and I’m looking forward to spending the afternoon just relaxing. Lydia’s working an event, and won’t be home for a while yet, but time apart is a good thing. Or at least that’s what I have to tell myself.

Lex sucks in a harsh breath, and Mateo and I whip our attention to her. She’s typing furiously, eyes hard and shoulders tense. She looks up after a moment, and her unreadable expression makes my heart stop.

“It’s Caleb. You two need to get home. Now.”

twenty-one

Lydia

“So,doyouthinkI should give Wes another shot?” Gabby asks as we sit at one of the round Formica tables in the employee lounge of the hotel we’re working in today.

We’re in the slow season for weddings, with it being too hot most days to have outdoor gatherings, and the beginning of hurricane season making people gun shy about planning anything big. So we’re working a smaller corporate event, some sort of award ceremony and mixer, but I’m not sure. They paid us for the centerpieces, not to give a damn about much else. After everything was set up, they shuffled us out of sight while the speakers did their thing. Now, the soft bass of the inoffensive classic pop music the DJ plays travels through the space. I’m sure things will liven up once more of the suits indulge in the open bar, but it is boring as hell for the time being.

“Absolutely the fuck not. He cheated on you, Gabs,” I reply sternly.

Wes is a beta who works at Carlos’s Café next door to Wila’s. He and Gabby dated for a few months until she found out he was hooking up with other girls from dating apps. Gabby is a bit of a hopeless romantic, so trying to get her to stay single long enough to figure out what she actually wants from a relationship is a task and a half.

“But he said that he was sorry. And it’s not like we were super serious, anyway,” Gabby says with a longing sigh.

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