Hard Bastard(192)

“Just that they were going to send the letter soon and now that they had pictures, they could finally destroy your family, or whatever. I put two and two together.”

“Who is she, Marla?” Cole cut in.

Marla cocked her head. “You really don’t know?”

“Tell us,” he growled.

“I don’t know her name,” Marla said quickly, “and I don’t know who she’s working with, but I’ve seen her hovering around Mrs. Redson. A little shrill, blond, stuck up.”

My heart nearly stopped. I looked at Cole. “Madison.”

He looked like he had come to the same conclusion.

“Yeah. Her assistant, I think,” Marla said.

“Are you sure about that?” Cole asked.

“Man, it’s my job to know these people. That’s why I get paid so much.” She looked afraid, and she went on quickly. “But I don’t do blackmail. You have to believe me! I’ve been hiding out ever since I found out what they were doing.”

Cole stared at her seriously for a second, and I put my hand on his arm.

“Cole,” I said softly, “I think she’s telling the truth.”

He nodded slowly. “She better be,” he growled. “Or else I’ll be back.”

Marla squeaked. “I’m not lying!”

Cole stepped away, moving back toward the sidewalk. Marla relaxed visibly, clearly scared shitless of Cole. I didn’t blame her; Cole could be terrifying, all muscle and intensity. I was even a little frightened of him at the moment even though I knew he would never hurt me.

“Listen, Marla,” I said softly, “do you know anything else that can help us?”

“No. I’m sorry. I don’t even know who she works with.”

“Okay.” I sighed. “We’re sorry about the doors, and about chasing you.”

“So, uh, you’re not going to call the cops on me?”

I choked back the desire to laugh as I realized that Marla thought we were going to have her arrested. She was probably terrified that she was going to get caught up in a blackmail case, and she probably thought she was going to go to jail for it.

“No,” I said. “You’re fine. Just lie low for a little while, okay?”

“Sure, yeah. I can do that.”

“Thanks, Marla.”

She nodded like a frightened squirrel. I smiled at her gently and then turned and walked away.

My mind was buzzing with all of this. I found Cole standing against the car, shaking his head and grinning at me.

“I can’t believe that worked,” he said.

I gaped at him. That arrogant bastard! “You mean you weren’t sure,” I said, incredulously.

“Hell no,” he replied. “We broke into that girl’s apartment. That shit’s insane.”

“Isn’t that what you did to the paparazzi guy?”

“He’s different. He’s a professional. Probably gets that all the time. This is some normal-ass girl we’re talking about.”

“Fortunately for us, she thinks she’s in trouble for the blackmail stuff. So I think we’re calling it even.”

Cole grunted and nodded. I leaned up against the car next to him.

“Your mom’s assistant,” I said softly.

“Can’t say I’m surprised.”

“Why?”

“She’s Cindy Redson. She hires the most intense and ruthless people she can find.” He looked at me and grinned. “You know, people just like her.”

I laughed as we climbed back into the car. The nightmare wasn’t over, but we knew who it was.

There was a lot more work to do, and a bunch of divorce papers I still needed signed, despite all the insanity that had distracted me from that.

But for the first time since we had gotten the blackmail letter, I felt confident. I felt safe.

Because Cole was driving.





Chapter 14





Cole





I followed Alexa back into the house, my mind a rush of anger.

The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. At first it almost seemed funny, but it was definitely anything but. Of all the people I thought it might be, I never would have expected one of my mother’s employees. True, she tended to hire pretty intense and ruthless humans, but I never thought they’d go after their boss’s children.

That took a particularly fucked up asshole. Unfortunately, I never paid my mother’s business one bit of attention, so I didn’t know a thing about this assistant. But if I had to guess, she would probably be just like a miniature version of Cindy, except young and ambitious.

Maybe she thought that blackmailing the two of us could somehow lead to her advancement in the company. Or maybe she just wanted the money and would quit once she got it.