Scandalous (7 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Roman

“Beth?” I call out, slamming the front door. I throw my jacket down on the sofa and walk through to the kitchen. An empty wine glass sits on the counter in the otherwise undisturbed room. I pull out my phone and try calling her but there’s no answer. Tapping out a text, I toss the phone on the counter and wait for her to reply.

I open the fridge and grab a soda, trying to stop myself from thinking the worst. My phone beeps and I scoop it up, only to see it’s Carlos. Sighing, I press answer.

“What do you want?” I growl. “Now is not a good time.”

“She told you then?”

“Told me what?” I ask, annoyed.

“The letter. You better be saying good shit about me, Roman. We have a deal, remember? Don’t try and mess with me or I’ll fuck up your life.”

“Wait, back up a second. What letter? What are you talking about?” I ask, my thoat constricting.
This is not good
.

“Beth. I know she’s read my letter. I saw her pick it up.”

“Carlos, I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about,” I say. “I haven’t seen her since yesterday. If she did read your letter she’s said nothing about it to me.”

Silence fills the line.

“Look, I have to go. I have no idea where she is, but I have a pretty good idea of who she’s with.” I slam the phone down on the counter, pissed off at everyone. Why the fuck would she call him and not me?

My phone beeps again, this time with a text from Beth.

Beth: Sorry, had to get away for a few days. Will call you soon. Xx

Not fucking good enough. Growling, I kick the edge of the counter, sending a chair flying across the kitchen in the process. I have to find her. Who knows what the fuck Carlos put in that letter. He could’ve told her everything for all I know.

I put my hands to my head, closing my eyes as I try to think. Where would they have gone? A hotel maybe? Fuck, they could be anywhere. I’m never going to be able to find them. Refusing to give up, I grab my keys and fly out the door. I’ll start at the only place I know: his house.

Mia opens the door, her expression surprised. Not that I can blame her. We’ve only met once.

“Roman. Wow, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?” she asks, her brow creasing as she wraps her jacket a little tighter around her waist.

“I’m looking for Coop. Is he here?” I ask, an edge to my voice.

“No.” She blushes, her gaze dropping for a moment. “He’s staying at the Alwhich Hotel for a little while.” She doesn’t need to say any more. “Why are you looking for him?” she asks nervously.

“Because I can’t find Beth,” I reply, my voice tight.

Her eyes darken as they narrow at me. “And you think they’ve ran off together?” she asks with a laugh. It’s a nervous laugh, and I’m pretty sure the idea is not impossible to her.

“Honestly? I’m not sure. There is some shit going on with us and I know he is the first person she would call…” My voice trails off. I can’t bring myself to finish the sentence.

“Hold on.” She disappears for a moment before coming back, a phone in her hand.

“What are you doing?” I ask her, alarmed.

“Calling Coop.” She says it so simply, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I wait anxiously as she dials his number and holds the phone against her ear. “Hey,” she says, her voice sugary sweet. “I thought maybe I could come over tonight and we could get some dinner. No? Where are you? Oh, sure. Well, I’ll see you then. I love you.”

She presses end, her lips tight as she raises her head. Her eyes meet mine and I know it’s not good news.

“He’s at a cabin up at Steenport on the lake. If she’s with him, that’s where we’ll find them.” She grabs her purse and my eyes widen.

“We?” I shake my head. “No, Mia, I can’t let you come.”

“Either I come or you don’t get the address. I get that you’re worried about Beth or whatever, but this affects me too.” She glares at me, almost daring me to answer.

I groan and give in. “Fine. Let’s get going then.”

***

Steenport is about two hours out of the city. The drive has been quiet, with both of us lost in our own thoughts as I drive through the mountains. If it weren’t under these circumstances, I’d be marveling at how beautiful the drive is.

We’re almost there when Mia turns to me. “What are you planning on saying if she is there?”

Her question catches me off guard because I have no fucking idea. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. What am I going to say? It depends on what she knows. I have no idea how fucked in all this I am, but I’m pretty sure I’ll have a lot of apologizing to do. Suddenly, giving in so easily to Mia coming doesn’t seem like such a good idea. What I need is for Beth to take the time to listen to me, and knowing I dragged Mia into all this isn’t going to help me.
Fuck
.

“Roman?” Mia pushes.

“I have no idea,” I mumble.

“Really? You’ve had the last two hours to think about it,” she laughs. She points to a sign indicating a side road. “Turn up here, then follow the track down to the water. It’s the second or third cabin on the right. I’ll know it when I see it.”

“What are you going to say to Coop?” I fire back.

Her expression darkens. She frowns as she stares out the window.

“I’m sick of him always running to help her.” She shoots me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, but I am. No matter what I do, it’s like she’ll always come first, you know?”

I understand what she’s saying, and I feel bad that there’s nothing I can say to make her feel better. Hell, I wish Beth would stop turning to Coop every time things got hard between us, but I can’t deny he’s her friend. I don’t envy the position Mia is in.

“Do you think a lot of it is he feels guilty for not being there for her after the attack?” I ask delicately.

“I know that has a lot to do with it.” She shakes her head and laughs. “God, I’m an awful person. I feel bad about what happened to her, and I understand
why
he’d feel that way…it just doesn’t make it any easier to handle.”

I turn left and follow the road down to the lake, letting her words sink in. This is the deepest our conversations have ever gotten. It feels strange to be in the same situation as someone but to be able to see it from a different angle. Beth and Coop are close. That’s it. If I fight their friendship, I’ll lose her. It’s that simple.

I hope Mia realizes that too.

I pull in behind Coop’s car and turn off the motor. My heart is racing because I have no idea of the situation I’m facing once we knock on that door, or the repercussions I’ll have to deal with for going to Mia.

“Let’s do this,” I say, my voice sounding much more confident that I am. I get out and close the door, meeting Mia around her side. Together, we walk up the steps toward the front door.

We reach the door just as it swings open. A bewildered Coop peers out, glancing from Mia to me and back to Mia.

“What the hell is this?” he asks, his eyes angry.

“Is Beth here?” I ask.

“If she is, it’s because she doesn’t want to see you,” Coop fires back.

Mia frowns at him and his expression softens.

“Mia? What are you doing here?”

“Seeing how your studying is going,” she mumbles. She laughs and wipes her eyes. “God, I’m such an idiot. I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming.”

Coop reaches for her hand, but she yanks it away. Turning, she leans against the balcony, her shoulders rolled forward. Coop steps toward her and I sneak past him, inside.

The first thing that hits me is how romantic this fucking place is: a crackling wood fire, cozy furniture, a huge balcony that wraps around the whole damn cabin. Why would he bring her here?

Beth appears in the doorway. She stops in her tracks, her eyes wide. “Roman?” she gasps.

“I was worried about you,” I say, my voice gruff. “Why the hell did you leave without me?”

“Because I needed to get away and you weren’t answering your phone,” she replies bitterly. “After our fight you didn’t come home.” She shrugs. “I needed someone and you weren’t there. Of course I was going to call Coop.”

“What happened that you couldn’t wait until morning?” I ask. I step forward. She backs away, so I take another step forward, this time slipping my hand around hers, holding it firmly. “Talk to me, Beth.”

She sighs and walks me around to the sofa, sinking into the middle seat. I sit next to her, trying to read her body language. She’s not angry enough at me for Carlos to have said much, but there is something off about her behavior. I just can’t figure out what it is.

“I got a letter from my father. I freaked out and I ran.” Her voice is flat. My body tenses as I watch her.
Something isn’t right…

“Where is this letter?” I ask.

“In about a hundred pieces in my bag. He’s been watching me, Roman—for God knows how long. How did he even find me?” she shudders, closing her eyes as she presses her fingers against her temples. “He had to have hired somebody to find me.”

“Wow,” is all I can manage to say. “How do you feel about it all?”

“I feel angry and violated. How the hell do you think I feel? I can’t believe after all this time he wants back in my life.” She laughs, throwing her hands up. “Why now?”

“Look,” I say. “Whether you want to give Carlos a chance or not, it’s not something you have to decide now, okay? When and if you’re ready, then you can decide. You do this on your terms, not his.”

Beth studies the coffee table in front of her, not speaking for a moment. Finally, she raises her head, her eyes meeting mine.

“Carlos?” she repeats, her voice tight. She raises her eyebrows, waiting for me to dig further into my mess.

Oh, fuck.

“I never told you his name. Hell, I didn’t even know his name until yesterday. How did you know his name is Carlos?” She raises her eyebrows. “Roman?”

“I…” I have nothing. I curse and stand up.

Beth jumps to her feet and glares at me. “You knew about him, didn’t you? Did he talk to you? Tell me now, Roman, or I swear to God—”

“I never meant to hurt you, Beth,” I begin.

She laughs and shakes her head. Running a hand through her long golden locks, she runs up to me, her fists hitting my chest. “Tell me what you know right now or it’s over. Tell me everything.”

I sigh, defeated, and sink back down into my seat. Beth stands, guarded, on the other side of the coffee table. I have no idea where to start, so I decide the beginning is as good a place as any.

“When I first met you back at that club that night, I was working for Carlos—only I had no idea who he was. I was doing some private investigator work and he hired me to watch over you.”

“Watch over me?” she screeches. “Did that involve seducing me? Did he pay you to do that too?”

“It wasn’t like that—”

“Don’t try and tell me what it was like, Roman. You were spying on me.”

“For God’s sake, let me explain,” I growl.

She glares at me, but closes her mouth.

“It wasn’t like that. I liked you from the beginning, Beth. It was unfortunate that I had to meet you under those circumstances, but I don’t regret it.” I stand up and walk over to her. “As soon as I figured out who he was, I stopped. I hated lying to you, but I couldn’t tell you the truth.”

“And that’s everything?” she asks, narrowing her eyes at me.

I shrug helplessly.

She sighs and holds her head. “Roman! For Christ’s sake, tell me the God dammed truth!”

“He wouldn’t take no for an answer when I told him I wasn’t reporting on your life anymore. He found out some things about me and tried to use them against me, to get me to do what he wanted.”

“What things?” she asks, her voice suspicious.

“Things I promised myself you’d never find out,” I mumble. There is no way I can tell her the truth. It’s obvious things are over between us, and even if they weren’t, there’d be no chance in hell of her forgiving me for what happened in the past.

“Roman, you need to talk to me,” she shouts, frustrated. “This isn’t fair. I think I’m being very understanding considering the circumstances and you’re giving me nothing.”

“I’m sorry,” I mutter. I stand up, the urge to escape too strong to ignore. I have to get out of here. “I’m so sorry, Beth,” I say, backing towards the door. “I’m sorry for everything.”

“Where are you going?” she cries, her eyes widening. “So that’s it? You’re just going to run? A fucking coward. That’s what you are.”

I don’t need her telling me that. I already know what I am. I yank open the door and walk out, past a startled Mia and Coop, down to my car.
Don’t think about it. Just leave.
My stomach is in knots as I back out of the driveway and speed off down the track.

It’s better for her if I’m out of her life. It’s better for everyone.