He smirked and shut the door, but I wedged my foot in between before he could close it.
"I'll also be sure to contact your lawyer with the evidence that you put those pictures online. I'm willing to settle this now without pressing charges."
Ben's smirk faltered. "You're bluffing."
"Okay," I quipped, removing my foot. "I'll leave since you're not interested."
Jessica looked at me in bewilderment as I turned around to descend the stairs. One step. Two steps. Any moment now.
"Hold on." His baritone voice called out to me, much clearer than before.
I buried the smile on my face before turning around with a neutral expression, pleased to see that Jessica lost her shocked expression. Ben stood on the patio of his brownstone, looking at Jessica with an ugly look.
"You."
The way he said it made me think of cockroaches. Jessica returned the look, straightening her back.
"Me."
"Are you willing to talk?" It was strange how powerful I felt, even as I looked up at him. His eyes flicked back and forth, unsure, cautious. I had all the cards; I just had to not screw this up.
"Fine. Come inside." He stepped aside to allow us into his dark apartment.
"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea," Jessica said quickly. "I've no intention of being sent to jail for whatever trumped up charge you're dreaming of accusing me."
The smile returned to his face. "Whatever." He zeroed in on me. "Now what is it that you want?"
My hands tightened around the pictures I held. "I want you to drop the lawsuit and the charges against Will. In return, I won't ruin your career by taking this evidence to the police."
His thick arms folded across his chest, his eyes flicking from Jessica, the paper, and me. "What evidence?"
Now don't screw this up. I kept my eyes trained on his, my eyes watering from not blinking. I held them out and he took them, another infuriating smile forming on his face.
"Is this all you've got? Screen captures?" He shook his head and peered at them. "You know, these aren't the most flattering pictures of you."
Ignoring the barb, I forced a harsh laugh of my own. "Oh, that's not all. Will has a ton of private investigators and computer savvy people at his disposal. We've already matched your IP address to the last login on your computer, and I already know that you emailed yourself the pictures from your phone."
None of that was true, of course, but as the last word fell from my lips his face visibly whitened. Bingo.
"And I'm pretty sure I can afford the best lawyers what with my boyfriend being rich and all."
"I won't drop the charges against Will. He attacked me in my own home-"
"After you attacked him first!" It was hard looking at him. Pain still throbbed in my chest from what he had done to me. I couldn't even see him anymore. I didn't recognize this bitter, vile person who somehow took over Ben's body.
"Says who? I have two police officers who arrived on scene-"
"Actually, they got there while you were fighting. I'm the only witness. You know that the judge will throw this case out, anyways. You have no proof, but I do."
Fury worked all over his face as he twisted his mouth and thought through everything I said. He knows I'm right. He won't risk ruining his career. Jessica caught my eye and flashed a quick, triumphant smirk.
"All right, I'll drop the charges and the lawsuit, but you better hold up your end." His mouth twisted with hatred, he spat on the ground.
My eyes narrowed. "You'll contact his lawyer tonight. If I don't hear about this from Will, the deal's off."
I stared into his blue orbs until I knew he understood and turned away from the man who wrecked Will's life. It was hard-really hard-not to run back up the stairs and knee him in the balls a second time, but I desperately wanted this to work. A tiny pathetic part of me hoped that Will would call me when he heard the news.
We closed the doors to my car and sat there in silence for a few moments. I heard Jessica's head turn against the headrest.
"That was awesome. I'm really proud of you."
"Thanks." My facial muscles somehow lifted into a smile. It was almost like I forgot how to do it.
"Now what?" she prompted me.
The car roared to life as I turned the ignition. The possibilities seemed endless-I had outsmarted the criminal defense lawyer who I used to look up to with a mixture of devotion and awe. He was the man who my parents loved, who had somehow gained their approval.
What did they know? He was just an idiot.
"Let's get a drink."
"Yeah, sounds good!"
Chapter 11
The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache and no memory of how I got into bed. Moaning, I sat up and blinked blearily at the sunlight pouring through the blinds. My mouth felt as dry as sandpaper and my eyeballs felt as though they had been dipped in acid.
Ugh. Hangover.
I peeked Jessica's bedroom, but she was not there. I wandered from room to room, searching for her, but it was clear that she had taken her things and left the apartment, probably to stay at Luke's house for the weekend.
Feeling lonely, I sat in a rickety chair at my kitchen table, listening to the ticking clock hanging on the wall, and slowly drank a tall glass of water as I watched my phone.
I've never felt so pathetic and alone in my life. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and DO something.
Do what? What could I do to help Will that I hadn't tried already? I dragged my laptop to the kitchen and scrolled through the comments section on an article at CNN about the DUI fiasco:
Rehab for a DUI? What an insult to the victims' families.
Rich kid heads to rehab, three people head to graveyards.
Not sure why people are blaming him when the article states that he was a passenger in the car …
Then I opened a gossip website: Lawyer drops all charges against William Pardini. The comments section consisted of people wondering how much Will gave Ben to pay him off. Disgusted, I closed the window and opened Photoshop. My first day of work was coming up soon, so there was still nothing to do. The blank, empty canvas stared at me and I glanced at my sketchpad, remembering what I was working on the night I got back from Europe.
I got the idea to make a mock-up of a nonprofit organization against drunk driving. I never had the opportunity to design a whole website, let alone a non-profit, and I wanted to do something for Will to thank him for everything he had done for me. Between Ben's antics with the photos and Will's arrest, I didn't have the time to focus on it.
Quickly, I started work. The pain in my head receded from a dull throb to a slight twinge in my head. I chose a neutral color scheme: soft blues, beige, and white. At the top of the website I made a banner: The William Pardini Foundation. Underneath the banner, I wrote a brief mission statement and cropped a photo of him to place over the text. I was so engrossed in the project that I didn't even notice my phone buzzing until it fell with a loud thump to the floor.
"Shit."
I dove down and answered it.
"Hello, this is Natalie."
"Good morning, Ms. Porter."
A ripened, male voice spoke through the cell phone. I knew that I recognized his voice, but I wasn't sure who he was. Was he perhaps an old client?
"Um-good morning." I still have no idea who this is.
"I wanted to thank you for what you did with Mr. Osland. William and I are very grateful."
A sudden shock went through me and the phone almost slipped from my face. It's Will's Dad. "Oh! Yes, well, I was just trying to help."
"Well, I hope you're still willing to help because William desperately needs it. He's going to meet the victims' families tomorrow."
"That's great!"
"Actually, Ms. Porter, it isn't."
The smile vanished from my face when I heard his icy tone.
"He's in no shape to visit them. What I want you to do is to accompany him. There will be media there and we need to present William as a stable, well-adjusted adult in a healthy relationship. I want you to support him, but above all, I want you to prevent him from doing anything stupid."
I could hear the panic rumbling in his voice. He was frightened that Will would say something that would damage the company's reputation.
"Why didn't he just ask me himself?"
"He does not know that I am calling you. I am worried about my son, Ms. Porter, and I know what you said to my wife about him. I am allowing this to happen only because every other attempt to help him has failed. You will be well compensated for your trouble."
"I don't want your money," I said quickly.
He sighed impatiently. "I need some kind of assurance that you'll do this."
I listened to the static on the other end. I knew that I wouldn't take his money, but perhaps there was something else he could do. "Settle the lawsuit with Luke and I'll do it."