40. Jake
CHAPTER 40
JAKE
W hen we got June’s text, there was no hesitation. We left our teammates right away. Malcolm gave Lachy and Ryan shit for leaving with me—I was dumb enough to mention June—but neither acknowledged him.
June insists on driving home, making me regret all the booze I drank earlier. She doesn’t look well, but she shoots down Ryan’s idea to call an Uber.
“Are you sure, Peaches? It’s not a big deal if we have to come get the car tomorrow,” Ryan insists.
She puts the car in drive and pulls out of the parking spot. “It’s not a big deal. I… I lied about having a headache.”
“Why?” I study her profile and don’t feel better about what I see. Her problem might not be a headache, but something upset her.
“Because of what happened after I left Malcolm’s office.”
“Was someone rude to you?” I ask through clenched teeth. If they mistreated her, there’d be hell to pay.
“I bumped into Wendy, Fiona, and Maya, and… shit. They noticed my dress wasn’t buttoned properly.”
I rub my face. Fuck. I can’t believe I didn’t notice that.
“What did Wendy do?” Lachy asks.
“Nothing. She only made a remark about my attire and then left with Fiona. It was Maya who…” June licks her lower lip. “She was the one who noticed I went somewhere with you, and she assumed we hooked up.”
“Are you happy now, dumbass?” Ryan punches Lachy’s arm.
“Hey! I didn’t think anyone was paying attention,” Lachy complains.
“It wasn’t Lachy’s fault. I was jealous he was talking to Maya’s friend,” June replies. “She was flirting with him.”
I keep staring at June’s profile, hating to see her looking so down. “What else did Maya say?”
She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“June…” Ryan leans forward, sticking his head between our seats. “Don’t keep things from us. Whatever she said clearly upset you.”
She sighs loudly. “She said she wouldn’t tell anyone about Lachy and me, but she warned me to stay away from Banksy. She probably thinks I want to sleep with all the players.”
“Bloody hell. It’s all my fault. I’ll talk to her and?—”
“And say what? That you’re betraying your best friend?” June’s voice rises in pitch. “Absolutely not.”
“I can’t let her think those horrible things about you, lass.”
“And do you think I want her thinking you’re a dick?” June retorts. “Besides, I don’t know if she’ll keep our secret, and Wendy already suspects I hooked up with Ryan the other day in the locker room. It’s over.”
My stomach sinks. “What do you mean, it’s over?”
She peels her eyes off the road for a second and looks at me. “The secrecy is over. I can’t live my life like this. I’m done being afraid of what people will think.”
“Are you saying you want to be open about our relationship?” Ryan asks, hope lacing his tone.
“Yes. Even though it scares the hell out of me... I do.”
Relief washes over me. Hell, I thought she was going to break up with us. I was already prepared to grovel. “If you weren’t driving, I’d fucking kiss you.”
She smiles. “I’m looking forward to that.”
Because we can’t control ourselves, we start celebrating June’s decision as soon as we leave the car. Getting to the elevator takes forever, and by the time we reach our floor, the front of June’s dress is fully open.
Ryan and Lachy keep June sandwiched between them while I get out my key to open the door. But when I walk in, I step on something that’s not the rug.
Frowning, I turn on the lights and spot the manila envelope with my name typed on the front in big block letters.
“What the hell.” I bend over to pick it up.
“What is it?” June comes closer.
“I have no idea. It only has my name on it, not the sender’s.”
“It doesn’t have postage either.” Ryan points out. “It was dropped off by hand.”
My stomach ties into knots. Mysterious packages are never a good thing. Our address isn’t listed, so whoever came over is either a friend, or someone with bad intentions.
“Maybe you shouldn’t open it. What if it has anthrax inside or something?” June pipes up.
I clench my jaw as suspicion nags at me. “I don’t think there’s anything chemical inside.”
Lachy pulls June away from me. “Stay back just in case, lass.”
I glower at him. “Really?”
“What? If you want to risk it, that’s on you.”
I shake my head, and then rip the envelope open. Slowly, I pull the contents out… and feel sick. There’s a note from my father. I’d recognize his handwriting anywhere, but the asshole also used his monogrammed paper, and signed it Dad . That’s just adding insult to injury.
I hope you enjoy these photos. I’d hate to see them plastered all over the news. I expect to see your request for a trade tomorrow. Don’t test me.
I don’t move, and I can’t breathe as I stare at the black-and-white photo of June and Ryan sharing an intimate moment right after her accident. There’s no denying they’re romantically involved. I suppose the other images follow the same theme.
“Jake, what is it?” June asks.
Ryan walks over and blurts out, “What the flying fuck.”
He takes the photo stack from my hands and goes through them quickly. I move away, hating that I put June and my best friends in this situation. My father warned me he’d come for my family.
“Let me see those.” Lachy takes the photos from Ryan, and he and June go through them together.
“Oh my God. These were taken when we went to the farmer’s market,” June points out.
“My father must have hired a PI to follow you.” I turn to them. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“The man following me...” June starts. “I bet he was the PI.”
I narrow my eyes. This whole time we thought the guy with the camera outside June’s school was a paparazzo. I should have known better. “I’m going to kill my father.”
June widens her eyes, then comes closer. “Don’t talk like that.”
“He’s the reason you got into that crash. You could have gotten seriously hurt, or worse.”
“But I didn’t. And the best revenge is him knowing his efforts were for nothing. He can’t blackmail you with those pictures anymore.”
Slowly, the red haze fades. I’ll never forgive my father for what he has done, but knowing he can’t win helps alleviate the blind fury coursing through my veins. “You’re right. He can’t.”
“We’ll talk to Melissa tomorrow,” Ryan chimes in. “The sooner we announce June is our girlfriend, the better.”
“Balls,” Lachy blurts out. “I just texted her. Should I have waited?” His phone rings, and his eyes bug out. “She’s calling.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Answer, you doofus,” Ryan replies, sounding exasperated.
“I’ll put the call on speaker. Hey Mel?—”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she cuts him off.
We definitely should have waited.