“I don’t get it,” Mateo said. “Why would you agree to help her?”
“It’s a really long story.” Layla sighed, in no mood for a retelling. “And it’s hardly worth getting into at this point.”
“Don’t be mad at her,” Tommy mumbled as he struggled to sit. “It’s not her fault.”
“I’m not mad,” Mateo shot back. “Just—” He shook his head. “Never mind. You okay? You want some water or something?”
Tommy shook his head. Looking at Layla, he said, “What’d she give me?”
Mateo handed over the note.
Tommy scanned it, then tossed it aside. “I feel like an ass.”
“Don’t,” Layla said. She thought of the crumpled T-shirt. Madison had set him up, pretended to seduce him, then fled—oldest trick in the book. Though she wasn’t about to tell him that and make him feel worse. “Why don’t you sleep it off? We’ll stay with you, if you want.”
Tommy shook his head. “No, I’m not . . .” He acted like he was about to get up, but Layla pressed a hand to his shoulder to stop him.
“Oh, no. You’re not going anywhere. For one thing, I’m pretty sure she took your car. That’s probably why she drugged you, to get the keys. For another, you’re under the influence. So you can either sleep it off or chill, but you’re not leaving until it’s worked its way through your system.”
“Yes, Mom.” Reluctantly, he sank back against the pillows, but the look he gave her was grateful.
“Did you find anything at Ira’s?” Layla perched beside him as Mateo took a chair just opposite.
Tommy’s lids drifted shut in a way that made Layla think he was falling asleep. When he opened them again, he said, “Check my phone.”
Layla handed it to him, watching as he input the passcode, then showed her the screen.
“Why are you showing me this?” She took the phone, struggling to make sense of why Tommy would show her a picture of a topless girl. Was he trying to emotionally torture her? If so, it was working. If that was what he was into, she could never compete. More importantly, she shouldn’t have to.
“I messed up,” Tommy said, rubbing his knuckles against his tired eyes. “He knew I was there. The pic is Ira’s way of screwing with me.”
“I don’t get it.” She looked at Tommy.
“There’s nothing to get.”
Layla was about to return the phone when Mateo said, “Can I see that?”
She smirked. “At your own risk. It’s R rated.” She started to laugh, but the look on Mateo’s face cut her short.
She watched as he stared at the image. When he lifted his gaze, he said, “You sure Ira took this?”
Tommy nodded. “Positive.”
“But why would Ira give you a picture of Heather Rollins?” Mateo glanced between Tommy and Layla.
“Wait—what?” Layla grasped at the phone to take another look. “You sure?” She studied Mateo.
His face flushed in embarrassment. “The broken-heart tattoo on her finger gives it away.”
“Lots of people have those.” Layla needed to be absolutely sure and not jump to conclusions.
“Trust me.” Mateo cringed. “I recognize the rest too.”
Layla dropped her gaze. Now she felt embarrassed for both of them.
“So, what’s going on?” Tommy inched up the headboard. “Are you saying Heather Rollins is with Ira? Because I thought she was with you.”
Mateo swiftly averted his gaze, and Layla couldn’t help but feel bad on his behalf. He hated gossip, loathed drama, but now, despite his best efforts to avoid all of that, he found himself right at the center. “They know each other. That’s all I can confirm. As for Heather and me, we had a thing, but it’s over.”
“But why would Ira do that?” Layla glanced between Mateo and Tommy. “Give you this picture, I mean?”
“To taunt me, mess with me.” Tommy scowled. “Let me know he knew I was there.”
“But why wouldn’t he just expose you?” she pressed. “Why would he be so discreet?”
Tommy covered his face with his hands, allowing the silence to stretch between them. When he finally looked at them, he confided about the video surveillance at Night for Night, and how the pictures had recently resurfaced despite Ira’s promise. “He’s evil,” he said. “He likes to screw with people.”
It was clear how much it hurt him to say it. Layla and her mom were estranged, but she’d never believed her mom was purposely plotting against her. She couldn’t imagine feeling that way about a parent.
“What if we’ve been reading this all wrong?” she said, unsure if she was trying to make him feel better, or if she was truly onto something. “What if Ira hasn’t been out to get us at all? What if he’s not behind any of it? What if it’s Heather?”
“That’s crazy.” Mateo was quick to refute it. Maybe a little too quick?
“But is it?” Layla looked at Tommy, who merely shrugged in reply. “Thing is,” she said, unwilling to abandon the idea now forming in her mind, “Heather was obsessed with Madison. She kept loads of pictures of her on her phone, which always struck me as odd.”
“She admired Madison,” Mateo said. “And they were friends. She explained to me once how she used to study her like an opponent before a big match—”
“And that didn’t strike you as weird?”
“Hollywood is weird. It’s also really competitive. Heather’s constant scrutiny of Madison was about trying to best her—not ruin her.”
Layla took her time to consider. While it wasn’t too difficult to bend her theory in a way that fit, obviously Mateo knew Heather better than any of them. Besides, what possible motive could Heather have for doing all that? Never mind the fact that she seemed too self-involved to have the sort of patience required to pull off such a stunt.
Heavy with regret, she realized they were right back where they’d started. “So what now?” she asked.
She hadn’t expected an answer, which was why she was surprised when Tommy said,
