Page 42 of Tainted Deception

The man who was still lying in bed sat up, bunching the blanket around his waist to cover himself. He had no idea I’d seen his hairy bare ass on camera ten minutes ago when he was fucking one of the girls. His eyes bulged when he looked at me, recognizing me in a heartbeat. I didn’t say a word as both women grabbed their clothes and rushed out of the room.

“Rynn,” he sputtered out. “You have no right to be here—”

“We need to have a conversation,” I cut him off. “One I’ve been trying to have for months, but you’re good at keeping your dirty secrets buried. You fucked up tonight.”

“You can’t do this,” he hissed, his face darkening a shade. “I’m the dean of Little Haven University. Respected in that town. I let you stay on campus—”

I laughed humorlessly. “Let me? We had an agreement, but that’s over now. Your time on campus is done.”

He stared at me as if trying to decide what to say next, and I spotted a used condom on the nightstand, making my face scrunch in disgust. Oliver Jennings. Or Dean Jennings, as everyone on campus knew him. He was a problem I hadn’t been able to deal with until tonight. Before Jace and Kian had come to campus, he wasn’t a huge issue. But now that he was under their thumb, I needed to get the dean out of the picture sooner than planned.

He glanced at his phone, and I clicked my tongue, silently warning him not to try it. I had no plans to hurt him, but we didn’t need to be interrupted yet. He slowly turned back toward me, puffing out his chest as if that would intimidate me. I scoffed, moving closer, keeping my gun aimed at him. His silver hair was sticking up every which way, and his bare chest was dotted with age spots.

He was sixty-four and did his best to stay as young looking as possible. When we’d dug into his past, I learned he’d had more plastic surgeries than I could count on one hand. He went to his Botox appointments religiously, which was why his face was practically wrinkle free.

“What do you want?” he snapped, his voice wavering slightly.

The click of the door came from behind me, and relief flooded me. The only other person who had the master key card was Gage. I didn’t look back, even as Jennings swallowed thickly when his eyes darted to the door.

“You’re going to step down,” I told him, making his attention snap back to me. “And endorse the person I choose to replace you as dean.”

“You can’t do that,” Jennings hissed as his eyes narrowed.

“I can,” I stated. “And after tonight, you’ll do it without arguments. Maybe you’ll even get a job at a different college. But if you refuse, then consider your career gone.”

His face paled slightly as I spoke about the one thing he loved. When I had first come to Little Haven, I’d had a hell of a time trying to find things to use against him. He had a wife, but the marriage was a sham. He didn’t love his wife or his kids, which meant threatening them wouldn’t do anything. All he cared about was his wealth. He worked in political circles and had powerful friends. He was smart, keeping his illegal dealings hidden. He was careful with everything he did, but he’d fucked up tonight, just like we planned.

I knew that Jace and Kian had found out about his little meetings with the female students. He had a wandering eye for girls young enough to be his daughter, and while repulsing, it wasn’t illegal since they were all over eighteen. I was curious about why Jennings let Kian and Jace hold it over his head when I knew it would be easy enough for him to bury that. But it wouldn’t be a problem anymore.

“Your little cocaine habit is going to get you in trouble,” I murmured, eyeing the glass table that still had powder residue on it. “And those girls? Bought and paid for. You’re just breaking all sorts of laws tonight.”

“You can’t prove any of it.” Jennings leaped off the bed, keeping the sheet wrapped around his waist. “I have friends in this city.”

I smirked. “So do I. One of them being the owner of this hotel. Which is how I was able to install cameras in this room before you checked in.”

I pulled out my phone, quickly typing in the passcode and pulling up the camera feed. Flipping it around, I let him see the screen. Rage covered his features as he watched the recording. Quiet footsteps came up behind me, and I could feel Gage at my back. But I didn’t take my eyes off Jennings because he looked like he was losing control. I didn’t need him trying to attack me.

“There are cameras all over this suite, catching everything. You snorting cocaine. Paying those girls.” I tilted my head. “Your little foot fetish. I’m not one to judge other’s kinks, but I don’t think your political friends would be so accepting, do you?”

By now, sweat was covering his forehead, his panic overtaking everything else.

“Resign,” I demanded. “Claim personal problems or whatever you want. I really don’t give a shit. But your time in Little Haven is done.”

“You can’t do this—”

“It’s done.” I put my phone back in my pocket. “If you don’t, then I’ll release this video to every news outlet on the West Coast. Your time in politics will be over. But if you comply, then I’m sure you can get another job within the year.”

He glowered at me, his lips pressed in a tight line. His professional life was all he cared about. This wasn’t the first time he’d had his dirty fun in hotels like this, but he was always cautious, making sure it was places he trusted. This time, he’d put that trust in the wrong person, and my patience had finally paid off. I’d been trying to do this since the beginning of the year when Jace and Kian had come to campus.

“I’m not just the dean. I’m on the town council,” he spat out, his eyes gleaming in anger. “They won’t stand for this.”

I raised an eyebrow. “They won’t find out. Unless you want this tape to be seen by everyone. You’ll be giving up your seat on the council too. And I want you to give a very warm welcome to the person who will replace you.”

A sharp intake of breath came from behind me. “Son of a bitch.”

The voice had dread sliding down my spine. The person standing at my back most certainly wasnotGage. I heard him rush forward as I spun around, my grip on the gun tightening. Kian was already close enough to snatch my wrist, and he pushed me back until my backpack hit the closest wall. We wrestled for the gun as he kept me pinned against the wall, and I cursed at him when he finally wrenched the weapon from my grip. His hand went to my shoulder, keeping me pressed against the wall.

“Doesn’t matter,” I gritted out, my chest heaving. “I already got what I needed.”

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