“Philip said someone broke into his study.”
I had to tell the truth. He’d know it if I lied. Besides, not telling Colin the truth was what had gotten me into this in the first place. I had to trust him. I’d trust him to keep me safe with the truth. If he wasn’t what I thought, I was fucked anyway. “I did that. I went into his study. The cops said they’d arrest me or take Bailey away if I didn’t help them. So I found out about this drop, but I didn’t tell the cop, I swear. And they were going to tell you about—well, I met with Andrew. That’s where I got the money. I wanted to ask him to leave Bailey and me alone, and he did. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just didn’t want to fuck it up, but that’s the truth. That’s the whole fucking truth. I swear it, okay?”
He said nothing.
“I swear it on Bailey’s life.”
I implored him with my eyes, hoping I didn’t look quite as out of my mind as I felt. It would also have helped if I could have made out his face, but my vision was still fuzzy for anything more than a foot away.
“Do you believe me?” My voice cracked.
Colin’s harsh breath sawed through the night. “Yes.”
“Forgive me?” I whispered.
He nodded shortly.
“How kind of him.” I heard Philip’s voice and looked over to see his leaning form against a concrete wall. “But that’s only fair, considering he was keeping secrets for far longer.”
Chapter Five
“Shut the fuck up,” Colin growled.
“I told you to tell her yourself,” Philip said, his tone bloated with pleasant inevitability.
“Another word and I’ll quit,” Colin said. “Don’t test me.”
Even though I knew it was in Philip’s best interest to stir up trouble between us, I couldn’t help but ask, “What are you talking about?”
Philip smiled, the cat got the cream. “Didn’t you ever wonder how you ended up with him that night? A man so ready to take on your baggage, almost as if he’d already known.”
Colin’s low, rumbling response reminded me of a dog I’d once seen chained to the front of a broken-down house. It sounded like fear.
“Colin?” I asked.
“Ignore him,” Colin ground out.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered, waiting for him to say Philip was crazy, that he was wrong, but Colin just stood there, glaring impotent wrath at his brother.
“I own that club,” Philip said, then nodded at whatever he saw on my face. “One night we hear there’s a disturbance out in the alley.” He shrugged. “Some people having sex.”
My breath caught. Suddenly I wished I’d listened to Colin, who vibrated with anger but made no move to stop Philip. Why should he? I’d asked for it.
I didn’t want to hear my shame described in cool, clipped tones, but Philip continued inexorably. “Normally I don’t care what people do, but I discourage public displays of prostitution. I don’t need the cops breathing down my neck. My bouncer’s tied up, and Colin was visiting to talk about business, so I send him out. He comes back, says it’s not a problem, but next thing I know, he’s looking through receipts and spending every Saturday night at the club. It wasn’t hard to figure out he had a little crush.”
A small sob escaped me, cementing my humiliation.
“Your lover’s drama is fascinating,” Philip continued, “but if you didn’t tell the cop, then who did?”
Shelly staggered up like a baby doe, ready to take responsibility for giving information to the police about Philip. He would kill her.
I stepped in front of her. “Why did you pay Tony Yates to fuck me?”
“What?” Colin and Shelly asked at the same time.
Philip strolled forward. “So you admit to snooping in my study.”
Colin inched in front of me. We were like a line of dominoes: Philip, Colin, me, and Shelly. The only question was who’d fall first.
“What are you talking about?” Colin asked me without turning.
“Tell him,” I said to Philip.
“You’d protect her?” Philip asked Colin, his disdain clear. “Even knowing she betrayed you?”
“What is she talking about?” Colin asked him.
Philip’s face came into focus as my vision cleared, lined with fury. “She’s just some girl you picked up at the bar, nothing but a little slut, and you wanted to throw away thousands of dollars for her.”
“That was my call,” Colin said.
“Bullshit,” Philip said. “I’m the head of this family, and she was taking you for a ride. She wanted it. It’s not like he had to go to her house to do it. Just wait for her to come back around the club, slumming for another fuck—”
Colin slammed his fist into Philip’s gut. Philip bent over and then fell sideways to the ground, making gasping noises that rivaled our own when we’d emerged.
Colin picked Philip up off the ground and slammed him down onto his knee. Colin dragged him up again and waited while he caught his breath.
“Fight back,” Colin said, shaking him.
“Colin, no.” I reached out but didn’t touch.