Identity Crisis(80)

He hadn’t intended to watch them. He rather liked seeing the reports on television, knowing that in a way he was orchestrating the whole thing. And Garrett Thorne’s ex-wife showing up was just icing on the cake, that was all. Oh, what a mix it was. He had hoped when he’d heard of her arrival that Tess would come to see what a worthless excuse for a human being Garrett Thorne was. He had hoped against hope that the man had had his fill of Tess and was dumping her for his ex. But even as he hoped that, the rage that ran through him nearly choked him, that anyone in their right mind could jilt Tess, that anyone in their right mind could even look at anyone else. And for the briefest moment he had fantasized about how he would punish Garrett Thorne for hurting his beautiful Tess. But none of that was true.

Bile rose at the back of his throat as he watched the two couples fawning over each other in front of the press, as Thorne pawed and preened and all the while his ex looked on like he was God himself come down to save the day. Well, he wasn’t! He wasn’t.

And what the hell was the matter with Carla Flannery? She barely got one question, and a weak one at that. She was supposed to be an ace journalist. She was supposed to be young and hungry. Hell, he could have hired a kid off the street to do better than she had.

As the four disappeared back into Thorne’s house, he yanked his cell phone from his pocket and texted.

You can do better than that, Ms. Flannery. I’m very disappointed in you.

He sent it with a hard press of his index finger, then, as an afterthought, he texted again.

By the way, nice touch, the motorhome. Makes you seem important. But really, the kaki T-shirt is too tight. It makes you look like a slut with a military fetish. Daddy’s little girl, maybe?

They barely made it into the house before Garrett’s BlackBerry rang. He shrugged his resignation. ‘No doubt that’s Don calling to see how it all went.’

Everyone nodded agreement and waited for him to connect. Kendra grabbed a much-needed Diet Pepsi and passed around drinks from the fridge.

Sure enough it was Don, so, as they all settled around the kitchen table, Garrett put him on speaker phone.

‘Is Kay all right?’ Don offered no greeting, no “how did it go?” His voice was tight and breathy in a way Garrett had never heard him before. Everyone’s gaze turned to Kendra, who froze in her seat.

‘Yes.’ Garrett said, his stomach knotting dangerously at the tone of Don’s voice.

‘Thank God,’ Don breathed. ‘Look, just listen to me. I’ve forwarded you an email I just got from this Razor Sharp bastard.’

Garrett nodded to Stacie, who was already heading up the stairs for his laptop. Before he could say anything, Kendra spoke up. ‘What happened, Don? What did the email say?’

‘Shit, Garrett, you have me on speaker phone?’

Kendra stiffened in her chair. The bright color that Garrett had noticed always tinged her cheeks when she was making a public appearance, when she was doing the job she did so well, was suddenly gone and her face was porcelain pale. Harris scooted his chair close to her and slid an arm around her, and Garrett was jealous. That should be his job. But the angry glare Harris leveled at him was a reminder of whose fault it was that Kendra was in this position to begin with. As if he needed reminding. He swallowed back the burn of his guilt as Stacie returned with the laptop.

‘Pull it up,’ Kendra said, moving closer to Garrett. ‘I want to see it.’ Stacie stood behind her with both hands resting on her shoulders.

Just then, there was a knock on the back door. Stacie opened it and Dee and Ellis shoved in, caught the mood of the moment, and moved close to Kendra and Garrett close enough to look over their shoulders at the email.

‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ Don was saying. ‘Listen, Kay, it might be better if –’

‘I said pull it up.’ Her voice was hard and distant.

Willing his hands not to shake, Garrett did as she asked. There were two new emails; one just forwarded from Don, and the other one, just below it, was from Razor Sharp.

Garrett took a deep breath and opened the email.

Clearly you can’t control your bitch, Bachman. You’re her publicist. It’s your job to protect Tess’s reputation. FAIL! Don’t you know what she’s doing in there with Garrett Thorne and his whore of an ex and Harris Walker? The press may believe their lies, but I don’t. If you can’t control her, I will, Bachman. And I promise you, I’ll make sure she behaves herself.

R.S.

Everyone’s eyes were on Kendra. Garrett was sure everyone’s hearts were in their throats, just as his was, everyone aching for her, everyone fearful. But this time, she didn’t run for the bathroom. This time she didn’t hyperventilate. This time her blue eyes were like ice and the air around her was electric with her control. She squared her shoulders and glared at the screen, raking her teeth across her bottom lip. Garrett was once again amazed at just how tough, just how brave she was.