He got up, straightening his suit with curt, practiced actions, and eyed us both before striding away.
I squeezed the handles of my tote and looked at Flynn. “He’s a monster.”
Flynn nodded absently, his gaze on the tabletop.
Had Mr. Woods been the one beating Charlie?
No. I hadn’t gotten that sense from him. With all the anger radiating off of him, I would’ve crawled under the table if I’d sensed violence. A man like him bullied with the force of his resources, not his body.
I didn’t hit Charlie. I’d figure out how to deal with the accusations later. I had another mess to sort.
“What’s the story with Lynne?” It couldn’t be true. Flynn was too caring to leave his sister floundering. He’d described his mom as a bitter, awful person. He wouldn’t leave someone who couldn’t help themselves with someone like that. Would he?
“It’s, uh…” He sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands, then slumped in his seat. “It’s exactly as he said. I left home and never looked back. I send money to Mom for Lynne’s care.”
“You send money,” I echoed. “You pay her off to not bother you with her?”
“No.” His voice lacked conviction.
“Mr. Woods is right?” I shivered, hating how the man could be so wrong about me but perhaps not about Flynn. I thought of something else the vile man said. “Is he also right that you’d protect your deal with him over me?”
“I…” Flynn raised his tortured gaze to mine. “This is so much bigger than us. My company employs a lot of people. For some of them, it’s their primary income. They have families.”
My mouth dropped open, his words lost on me. I’m spinning over his regretful tone. With Flynn’s resources, I had a chance to save my ass. I have nothing. I’d have to start a new career and the taint of the accusations would follow me around—if I wasn’t in jail by then. “You’re not going to help me?”
“N-n-no, of course, I will.”
If the stutter was resurfacing, I was making him nervous again, but it didn’t stop me from pressing. “How? Or should we talk in secret so we aren’t seen together?” His expression clouded over and my anger narrowed, spiking like the base of a mushroom cloud. I was an emotional wreck and it clouded my thinking. I’d taken care of myself for so long but suddenly I felt like I couldn’t survive without Flynn? I didn’t need him. My heart twisted, but I fortified my resolve. I stood up and reached for the leftover chicken breast but snatched my hand back. A small gesture for pride’s sake and the beginning of a long, lonely road. “What’s your excuse for not helping your sister? I can’t imagine her image will take down your empire.”
A muscle jumped in Flynn’s jaw. His expression was tortured. Worried for me and Lynne—or himself?
I spun and stormed out, my bag flung over my shoulder and knocking into people. I almost shouted, “So sue me!” but this crowd truly would.
Hot tears streamed down my face and I ignored all the faces turned my way. I was so glad I had half a tank of gas I could stretch out for weeks and grateful I hadn’t ridden here with Flynn. Why hadn’t I learned as a kid? It was me, myself, and I in this world, and in my case, all three of us might go to jail.
Chapter 14
Tilly
Don’t cry yet. I listened to the principal explain the terms of my leave. “Yes, sir. No, I understand.” I understood he’d drop me like I was Thor’s hammer if the school got anything more than a whiff of my turmoil. If this wasn’t resolved by the time school started, I might not have a job to go back to. And he’d made it clear that if I got arrested for something like child abuse, I’d be terminated.
I’d never said fuck my life after all I’d survived, but it was coming close.
I cruised through the help-wanted ads online. Anything with kids was obviously out. It was like flushing four years of college down the drain.
After the confrontation with Mr. Woods and witnessing the real Flynn Halstengard Tuesday night, I’d come back and cried myself to sleep. Then I’d strapped on my lady balls and searched for work all day yesterday.
Today, I was still unemployed. All my clients had abandoned me, and I wanted to hate them all but couldn’t. They had done what they felt was right for their kids, even though I was perfect for their kids, had helped them in so many ways. School was starting in over a month. Would the kids get set up with more tutoring before then? Or would their skills stagnate until then?
Worry gnawed at me. I’d invested so much of myself in their futures, and they were gone. I was off-limits, couldn’t even get updates of their progress. If I waited for things to blow over, could I build my business back up, or would rumors circulate and forever tarnish my reputation?
I had a feeling I knew the answer.
My parents. That asshole had tracked down my parents. My dad had blamed me for the dead cat when I’d sobbed over the limp body as my own took the most severe beating of my life.
A car accident? Anyone naïve enough to believe I could break only my jaw in a car accident didn’t deserve a dime, much less a fucking bank.
I wanted to lean on Flynn so badly. My platinum-haired knight in shining gym wear, coming to chase away the mean girls throwing litter. Why had he helped me all those years ago? A teen that risked ridicule to do that wouldn’t leave his sister.
It was before he’d left home. Before he’d left his mom and Lynne. Was his mom as bad as he’d said? Or was it like my parents, spreading a different story of hate
