Suz? He was threatening her best friend? As if.
“I hope you have a good life-insurance policy if you think you can get anywhere near her and survive. Not to mention her four brothers and mom and dad, who are all on the police force.”
They were still moving down the highway at a steady clip, Phil traveling in the high-speed carpool lane as the miles flashed by.
“Susanna? Oh hell no, I would not go within twenty feet of that woman without her first being restrained. I was talking about your boyfriend, Parker Wilson, and the rest of that deranged crew at their fairy-boy dating service.”
Now his threat made even less sense. “You’re scared to go near a woman, but you plan on taking on three ex-Rangers? You did tell me once you’ve already prepaid your funeral expenses, correct?”
“I’m not stupid, and I know my strengths and weaknesses. You will help me out this weekend, or I will contact certain business associates I have who will be more than happy to publish a full disclosure tell-all about how the owners of DreamMakers are using their company to stalk women, and how they abuse client confidentiality.”
What? “I had already called off our relationship before—”
“I had a signed contract with the company that they violated,” Phil snapped. “I doubt DreamMakers can afford the negative publicity that will sweep in when people begin to doubt their discretion. And it doesn’t matter in the end if Parker can prove he did nothing wrong. Enough people will believe the rumors, and the lingering suspicions will be enough to destroy them.”
Lynn’s chest went tight. All she could picture was the look of pride Parker wore every time he talked about how much he enjoyed his job and how important DreamMakers had become in his life. Not to mention Dean, Jack, and Didi all relied on the company for their jobs as well.
Still, Phil had to be bluffing. He was not the type to want to be dragged into the media himself. “I don’t believe you’d do that.”
“You would regret your decision. Very quickly.” He waved her phone in the air. “I have an email written with all the details ready to send at the push of a button. Plus, I already sent a text message to your best friend and told her you were going on a retreat this weekend. Needed a little space to find yourself. Don’t try to contact me, I’ll see you on Monday, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.”
Lynn pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “You are not seriously blackmailing me just so you can get a job.”
“I’m forty-seven years old, and if I don’t get this position I’m going to be hung out to dry.” Phil shouted loud enough she jerked away in fear at the anger in his voice.
Also? “Forty-seven? You told me—”
“Lies, Lynn. I told you lies.” He stared straight ahead, both hands clenched around the steering wheel as he fumed. All signs of the calm and rather boring man she had known shifted into a tower of fury and unexpected danger. “The only reason I went out with you in the first place was because you’re the type of woman Mr. Bigelow would be impressed with, and now you. Will. Do. This.”
Lynn edged back on her seat out of his arm’s reach, just in case, cut to the core by his insults.
“Don’t think for an instant I won’t do what I have to. I have the contacts, and they will find a way to make this go viral in the worst possible manner,” Phil threatened again. “The paper already has pictures on file of the two of you together. I can see the memes circulating already.”
She cringed involuntarily. He was totally off his rocker. Like tipped-off-the-porch-and-into-the-fishpond off his rocker.
“Decide. Help me with this innocent ruse, or I send the email.” His tone of voice changed again as he regained his control. Firm and even, oh so reasonable. The Phil who took control in the office and made people snap to attention. “I promise I will never say a word to anyone regarding DreamMakers if you do this one thing for me. Please, Lynn.”
If it had only been about her, the decision would have been simple. She would have told Phil to take a flying leap. To stick his lying and conniving plot up his fine and pretentious butt. Only she simply couldn’t do it. The whole horrifying situation wasn’t hers to untangle.
It was Parker’s.
Lynn hoped she knew what he’d tell her—that no matter what happened, DreamMakers would be fine. But she…
She wasn’t brave enough to hurt him.
Pretending to go along with Phil was the only solution she had right now. She wouldn’t let herself be put in physical danger, but until she found a phone and talked to Parker, her hands were tied. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
He seemed suspicious at her abrupt change of mind. “Really?”
“I don’t like it, not at all. But I get how if you’re getting on in years—” holy shit, he was twenty years older than her? “—it’s important to have a job that will sustain you into your final years of wage earning.”