Page 73

“Ready?” Zander asks.

I nod. “I’ve been ready for this.”

Reid is doing another live show from the Braxton this morning, this time with video. He’s been hyping it as a “Christmas Eve Morning Special,” and I’m sure he’s planning a few more digs at me before he leaves town.

That might have worked if not for two things: Mack runs the studio Reid rented at the Braxton, and Zander’s lawyers hired private investigators who dug up everything.

Not only did they find out about Reid’s livestream before he announced it, but they also tracked down his former cohost. The one he cheated on me with.

Turns out she isn’t as awful as I thought.

Sage told Zander’s lawyers everything. Reid had asked her to edit his secret recordings of me into something that would make me look like a gold digger. She refused, but she kept copies of the originals first. So Reid cut them together himself, and that’s the video that nearly destroyed my business.

Sage held on to those original files, including his edit requests. When the investigators contacted her and told her that Reid was cheating on her, she handed everything over.

She even wrote me a note, tucked into the file the lawyers gave Zander. She said she felt terrible about how everything happened, and that Reid wasn’t the man she thought he was. He had lied to her, and told her we were broken up when they got together.

“I still can’t believe it,” I say on the ride to the Braxton. “Reid actually asked Sage to edit those videos.”

“I can,” Jarek huffs from the backseat. “He’s exactly the kind of asshole who gets other people to do his dirty work.”

“True. I also can’t believe she said no. I thought she hated me and loved Reid.”

“Apparently not,” Pascal says. “If she really loved him, she wouldn’t have kept the raw footage, let alone handed it over. Maybe this is her way of apologizing.”

If Pascal’s right, then I forgive her. I know exactly what it’s like to fall for Reid’s snake-oil charm. What matters is what she’s doing now. Without her, I couldn’t do what I’m about to do.

The Braxton’s parking lot is nearly empty compared to last night. Inside, it’s quiet too.

Mack meets us in the lobby and whispers, like we’re on some kind of secret mission.

“His studio is down there.” He points down a hallway. “His stream runs through our system. Our AV team set up the broadcast, and they’re ready to go.”

“You’re sure you can get the footage onto his stream?” Pascal asks.

“Positive. He’s using our equipment and our studio. No hacking needed. We control the feed.”

“And you won’t get in trouble for this?” I ask. I don’t want anyone getting in trouble because of me.

Mack smiles. “Don’t worry about me. This place can’t run without me. It’ll take a lot more than taking down a guy with a mediocre podcast to get me fired. Reid might think he’s a big deal, but around here, he’s lucky we let him rent a room.”

“Thank you.” I hug him.

I feel completely calm, even though I’m about to do something a little unhinged. It’s because I’m surrounded by good men who care about me. For the first time in a long time, I feel invincible.

I look at the closed door, knowing Reid is right behind it, spewing lies to his followers. In a few minutes, Mack will cut into his show and play the raw footage, before Reid chopped it up to make me look bad. Everyone watching will see that he lied. It’ll end his career. And thanks to the guys’ media contacts, it’ll be everywhere by lunch.

“Are you sure you don’t want us in there with you?” Pascal asks. “Just in case?”

“No.” I shake my head, rise up on my toes, and kiss his cheek. “Thank you. But I’ve got this. Reid made me the villain in his story. He’s the villain in mine. It’s time I stand up to him myself.”

He turns his face and kisses me back. “I know you can do this.”

“But if anything goes sideways,” Jarek says, stepping in for his own kiss, “we’ll be right outside. Just open the door, and I’ll happily knock him out again on camera.”

“The four of us will,” Mack says. “I might not be part of your inner circle, but nobody mistreats women on my property.”

Zander gives him a respectful nod. It’s nice to see them all on the same side. My side.