Chapter Fourteen I Won’t Give Up #2
Michael smiles. “Now we’re getting to the meat of it. Jace, tell Joe who it is.”
“You really don’t recognize her?” Jace asks me again.
“No! I saw her that one time in the bar, but you weren’t there. She’s a British tourist, but I never got her name, and I sure as shit didn’t do to her what those pictures lead you to believe.” This is insane. What the hell is going on?
“British tourist?” Jace frowns at me. “I can’t believe you don’t recognize her.
You gave me such shit for dumping you and Sam to go home with her.
” He shakes his head, staring at the picture.
“I can’t believe it’s her.” He looks up at Michael.
“Why would she do this? Besides the shit that happened with Sam, she’s the sweetest girl I know. ”
I’m crawling out of my skin. “Who the fuck is she?” I nearly scream.
Jace’s big blue eyes look at me with pure sadness. “It’s Veronica. My Veronica.”
The name takes a moment to come back to me. “Veronica Hamm? The one who hurt Samantha?”
He nods. “Yeah.”
“Fuck. Wait. So, you’re saying the British tourist isn’t a British tourist at all and was Veronica? How did I not recognize her?”
He shrugs. “Even back then you only had eyes for Sam. I guess what she looked like didn’t really register for you, only what she did to Sam made a lasting impression.” He sets the photo on the table and looks at Michael. “Is there more?”
Michael hands him the last pic.
Jace studies it for a second, not even flinching. “Who is this?”
“It’s Lydia, my old temp PA.”
“The one you fired? You fucked her?”
“Christ.” I stand up and pour myself three fingers of scotch.
“Fin actually fired her since she was transferred to his department. And no, for the hundredth time, I didn’t fuck anyone.
I haven’t had sex with a single solitary person in over two years except Samantha and that bitch Tiff.
Which I still don’t remember, but we’re being technical here, so there.
” I set down the bottle harder than I should and take a large gulp from my tumbler, when I’d rather drink it from the bottle.
I turn to them. “Look at that guy in the picture. You’ve both seen me practically naked. That guy is not me. He’s a different body type than me, close, but smaller and probably shorter, but my thighs are bigger. My chest is wider, and my guns are definitely bigger than that guy’s.”
Jace looks at the picture again. “Shit. Did you see the reflection?”
Michael nods.
I lean against the wall, not really wanting to look at Lydia getting nailed by some guy who’s been digitally altered to look like me. “What?”
Jace holds up the pic and points to the window. “Veronica is there, taking the pic, and giving us the finger.”
“Sam thinks she’s giving her the finger,” Michaels speaks up. He’s been rather quiet.
“Michael, what do you think?” I resume my seat on the couch.
“I think Veronica Hamm is Bonnie. I think she’s the mastermind behind all of this.
What I don’t know is why or how she got ahold of Joe’s blue tie, or if these pictures are doctored.
” He holds up his finger. “We’ll get back to that.
Here.” He hands me the note that came with the photos.
“You need to read this before we get into the other details.”
“Motherfucking bitch from hell.” I hand the paper to Jace. My eyes lock with Michael’s. “You don’t believe me. That those pictures aren’t me.”
The look of guilt tells me all I need to know.
“Actually, I believe you, Joe.” His response is not what I was expecting.
“To be honest, I didn’t initially. At first glance, those pics are awfully incriminating.
The photo from the fourth package was you.
The video from the fifth package was you.
The underwear and tie are yours. This next set of photos are good—whoever doctored them is really talented.
But mostly, when I look at you, Joe, I see a man who’s so in love with one woman, that there is no way in hell you’d cheat.
I know you, man, and even if you did cheat, you wouldn’t keep lying about it.
You’d fess up. Shit, man, you even fessed up to sleeping with Tiff, and she’s the one who raped you.
You don’t even remember it, yet you still owned up to it like you cheated. ”
He stands before me, his hand outstretched.
I take it, and he pulls me to my feet. His hand holds mine tightly, and his other grips my shoulder.
“You listen to me.” His brow is pinched, and his eyes stare at me like he’s pissed off, but his words tell me otherwise.
“You did not cheat. You. Were. Raped. Whether you remember it or not. That’s the truth of it.
I don’t know if you still harbor any guilt about it.
But you need to let that shit go. Understand? ”
“Yeah.” I nearly choke on my reply. That’s the most Michael’s ever said to me about the Tiff incident. He’s always made it clear he believed me, but still, the level of his support is moving. “Thanks, brother.”
“Don’t mention it, brother.” With a squeeze of my shoulder, he releases me, moving back to his chair.
“All this stuff doesn’t help, does it?” Jace motions to the photos and letter on the table.
I sit back down. “No, it doesn’t help having it thrown in my face over and over again. The worst part, though, is how it’s impacted my girl. I’ll endure any hardship if only to save her from all of this.”
“You need to remember that, Joe. She’s really upset.
I know she wants to believe in you, but her self-doubt and lack of confidence in being able to compete with all of this is eating her up.
She doesn’t want to see you. She made me promise that if she remained at MCI Towers, where we can keep her safe and under our watchful eye, then I have to keep you away.
If you force her to see you, she’ll run.
She’s proven herself to be quick on her feet and calculating.
I have no doubt if she wanted to, she could evade our protection like she did today, or before when she plotted to meet up with Daniel’s killer.
She’s smart. We all know it, and she’s not afraid to put herself in danger if she believes it’s for the greater good. ”
“Okay, I’ll agree to it for now, but I don’t know how long I can go without seeing her. I also have one condition. I need to go to her tonight. Even if it’s only to talk to her through the door. I have to speak to her. I need to do this.”
Thankfully, he agrees, and we spend the next few minutes filling Michael in on why Veronica hates Samantha so much, and what Veronica did to her in high school.
“Jace, you had no idea?” Michael asks in disbelief.
“No. You know I’m a self-absorbed prick.
I had no idea any of the girls I hung out with were bitchy to Sam.
Joe filled me in. I still can’t believe it.
I was so oblivious. Veronica has always been so sweet and quiet, maybe a little standoffish with the other girls.
But I had no idea she was plotting against Sam.
Veronica was never catty like that in front of me.
But the whole blowjob set-up thing—that’s a level of spite I couldn’t ignore.
I cut off all ties with Veronica that Thanksgiving.
The last time I saw her was at Dad’s funeral. ”
“You didn’t tell me she was there.” I’m not too happy about that.
“She didn’t approach Sam or me, so I figured it was harmless. Plus, I didn’t want to upset Sam by bringing it up.”
Understandable. “What are you thinking, Michael?”
He collects the evidence and puts it back in the envelope. “I think I need to get these to my forensics guy, but I want to show Victor first. Then we need to find Veronica and get a confession out of her, or prove it’s not you in these photos.” He stands. “We need concrete proof to show Sam.”
“We’d better fucking hurry. We get married in less than four weeks.” I glare at them both. “Don’t even think it. There is no way in hell I’m not marrying my girl.”