“Why won’t you talk to me?” he asked. “You know you can. I won’t tell anyone. Not even Shiv.”

“Because I fucked up, Ward.”

* * *

“You know I’m going to ask you to marry me one day, right?”

“You are?”

“Count on it. Are you going to say yes?”

“Of course.”

56. the blast zone

CHAPTER 56

THE BLAST ZONE

Chase

The more I told Dallas, the more tense his posture grew.

Halfway through the recap of my conversation with Luke, he leapt off my bed. “Holy shit,” he said, interrupting me. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

Good question.

“Uh, kind of been in shock over here. My life went from normal to a living nightmare in the span of twenty-four hours. Still not thinking clearly, in case it wasn’t obvious.”

I circled back to detailing the sordid chain of events. By the end of my story, Dallas was pacing the floor of my room, nearly as distressed as I was.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” He turned on his heel and made another lap. “I remember how upset you were the next day when you told me Kristen pulled that stunt.”

He was right. But I was still pissed at myself for trusting her in the first place.

“That doesn’t change the situation I’m in now.”

Dallas shook his head, raking a hand through his dark hair. “You have to tell Bailey.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said? Morrison is going to blow up her entire world.”

He meant well, but I’d been second-guessing and agonizing over that very decision for the better part of the last three days. If it was as simple as telling her, I would have already done it.

“How would he know if you told her the truth?”

That was the million-dollar question. But the price if he did was far too high—Bailey losing everything she’d worked three years for. Her future. Her shot at a career she deserved. Being financially independent, which mattered to her more than she’d ever admit.

Not to mention the blowback in her personal life. I had skin thicker than an alligator hide, but Bailey didn’t.

“I don’t know,” I said, prickly unease washing over me. “Morrison knows all kinds of shit he shouldn’t. How does he even know about her internship? It’s creepy as hell.”

When I met Stewart’s PI, Vincent, yesterday, the first thing I asked him to do was make sure Luke didn’t have a tail on Bailey. Vincent told me to sit tight, so I’d been obsessively watching my phone and waiting for an update since. Waiting to hear whether he’d gotten a hold of the full tape, knew who else might have it, anything.

So far, no word. I couldn’t even contact Stewart again until Vincent gave me the all-clear.

Sitting, waiting, losing my goddamn mind.