Chapter 23 Blackmail
“Terry, slow down!” Hallie called as her sister led her past all the food vendor stalls and kept on walking without looking back. “Did you want to talk to me or not?”
Terry kept power-walking away. There was something determined about the way she moved and a proud tilt to her head. This couldn’t be good.
Finally, she spun around as they reached a less peopled area of the grounds. She was wearing a jaunty yellow top with two tassels hanging down from the collar on long strings. This didn’t go at all with her tense expression.
“Let’s get right down to business,” Terry said, “You probably didn’t know one of the bartenders at the Cactus is a friend of mine. She called me to say you were there, and acting really bizarre.”
“I’m glad you had the satisfaction of hearing about it,” Hallie said.
“And there was more. Luke was acting kind of strange too, and the two of you weren’t sitting together. So, I came by to have a look.”
“Yeah, I saw you rushing out of there like a buffalo with its tail on fire.”
“But not before I found out the truth about you,” Terry said, a devilish smile on her crimson lips.
“What’s ‘the truth’?”
“You’re not really in a relationship with Luke, are you? I saw what was going on last night. You didn’t even care that he was dating another girl.”
Hallie’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t have figured it out so fast... Or maybe Terry had somehow grown smarter, motivated by sibling rivalry and revenge.
“Yeah, I see by your reaction that it’s true,” Terry confirmed, holding her fists up like a gambler on a winning streak.
“You don’t see anything,” Hallie said flatly.
“I knew it! I knew he was too good-looking for you.”
Hallie opened her mouth in indignation. “Excuse me?”
“Sure, you’re not hideous,” Terry said matter-of-factly. “I don’t have to avert my eyes from looking at you. But you know how I always said you look like Charlize Theron, but like an uglier, more bloated version of her?”
“Yeah, thanks. Thanks a lot.”
“Also, your nose is longer, while Luke is completely flawless. He’s Hollywood-actor hot.”
“It’s a good thing not everyone is as superficial as you,” Hallie said, trying to cool her temper as she turned to go. “Ugly people and good looking people get together all the time.”
“Hey, wait! You haven’t heard my terms. Where are you going?”
Hallie faced her again, a sinking feeling permeating her stomach. “You have ‘terms’?”
“Or do you want me to tell mama and daddy?” Terry asked casually, spinning one of the tassels from her shirt around in her hand. “Or maybe I should tell your old boyfriend Rob Hernandez. I’d love to see what he would do.”
“You’re not telling anybody!”
“Here are my terms,” Terry said, fixing her with a frosty stare, “You and your so-called boyfriend have got to move to the city as soon as possible. No more hanging around here and showing off for mama and daddy. I get to run the ranch. Even if they offer it to you, you’re going to say no.”
“Really?” Hallie scoffed.
“You know what the consequences are otherwise.”
“I can’t believe you’re trying to blackmail me!” She had once thought there was a chance she could live in peace with her sister, but it looked like this would be impossible.
“I am blackmailing you,” Terry insisted.
Hallie took a deep breath and firmed her stance. She couldn’t let Terry win, no matter what.
“Nice try, sis. I’d like to see you tell this story to mama and daddy. First of all, they’re never going to believe you. And even if they do, they’ll call you a snitch, and you’ll come out of this worse off than me.”
Terry squirmed a little, pulling her lips to one side in an annoyed grimace. “We’ll see about that.”
“I dare you to tell them,” Hallie said, “See how they like it when their favorite daughter breaks this wonderful new to them.”
Hallie stormed off, feeling like she was losing control of her emotions. She just hoped Terry wouldn’t call her bluff.
Although Terry had no proof that the relationship was fake, the fact that she knew it bothered her. If Terry could see the truth, maybe so could others.
What she saw next riled her up even more.
There was Luke leaning on one of the wooden enclosures while talking to a red-haired woman in a bright colored blouse.
The more Hallie watched them, the more she became alarmed, not just because her ‘boyfriend’ had run off again, but also because that woman looked like Travis’s girlfriend Carly.
Then Hallie saw Travis approaching Luke and the red-head at speed, and he looked mad...