Page 97 of Butterfly

“What?” His eyes narrow as he nearly opens the door.

“Do you remember Benny, Mrs Lawson’s canary?”

~ * ~

THE SOUND OF Dart snoring fills the car as Alex and I drive to Martin’s. I finish telling him about Dylan and Vance, and the more I reveal, the more his mouth takes a displeased slant.

“Are you okay?” I stroke his hand that clenches the steering wheel.

“I’m glad Dylan is out of the picture.” He takes my hand and kisses it. “Bastard deserved worse than that. And I can’t say I’m surprised by Vance’s behaviour. But I didn’t see that coming.”

I clear a ball of nerves in my throat. “Have you decided what to do with Rebecca?”

If his lips were pressed in a grim line before, now they’re set in a snarl. “I want to protect you. For you, I can do what she asks.”

“Don’t do it for me. You must decide what’s best for you.”

“You’re the best for me.” He kisses my fingers again, but his lips are cold and tense.

“Your career is important too.” If I’m being honest, both choices suck. If he refuses Rebecca’s deal, my secret will be splattered all over the tabloids and social media. If he agrees to Rebecca’s terms, he’ll do something he hates and that can potentially destroy his career. Either way, it seems that we lose something. “I told Tyler about my past.”

“And?” He arches his brow.

I shrug. “He’s okay with it. He was more outraged when I told him about Benny the Canary. He gave me a long lecture on why what I did was wrong.”

He laughs.

“Why are we going to Martin’s?” I ask, slipping my hand out of his.

“He wants to show us the pilot of season two. The episode still needs editing, but Martin is so pleased with the result, he wants to show it to us now.”

If it weren’t for the worry gnawing at me, I’d enjoy watching the episode. Some shots are rough with lights too bright, and in some scenes, the green screen is still visible. Also, the screens showing the footage of his CCTV cameras distract me from the episode. A camera is pointed at the stables. Since I took care of Blazer, he trots and prances like the stallion he is. He’s gained muscles, and his coat is glossy and thick. Excellent.

Emily appears on the main screen in all her scary beauty, and Dart lowers his ears when her voice booms in the room.

On the other screen, Blazer is a little out of focus. Still, it’s possible to see his taut body— “Wait.” An idea tickles the back of my mind. A crazy, probably desperate idea.

“What?” Martin asks.

Alex angles towards me.

“Are your security cameras always active?” I ask. “I didn’t even notice there were security cameras around.”

“They’re disguised as sconces on the walls. More elegant.” He shrugs. “If there isn’t any technical problem, which happens more often than I care to count, yes, I have a full view of the house and the immediate outside.”

“Do you have the footage of that night, when Dart was injured in the conservatory?”

He scratches his chin. “Oh, I checked. I don’t usually look at the footage. It’s my technician who takes care of that. But he didn’t say anything about that night, and I couldn’t find anything. I can check it again if you want.”

My shoulders stoop. “Yes, please.”

“All right.” He sits at his desk and clicks through a series of files with long names. “The files are automatically deleted when the folder is full. Don’t know how long it takes. So we might draw a blank.”

I shift my weight and chew on my bottom lip.

“What do you hope to find?” Alex asks.

“Just following my instincts,” I mutter.

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