“I don’t think Matt is all that bright,” Tina shook her head. “But he could have hired some backstreet detective to shadow me. Maybe he didn’t want to talk to me while I was at home. Or he even knows Dad is away, and Dad mostly takes Mom on his tours.”
“Does that make sense? Why would he not want to talk to you when your Dad is around? Isn’t the message for your Dad?”
“Maybe he doesn’t have the guts to face Dad or even talk to him and I’m the designated middleman or middlegirl.”
“Ok, enough with the speculations,” Clay said. “What happens now?”
Tina stopped moving around. She stood very still, then walked over to the window and stared out at the sea. “Hmmm. This guy might release those photos out of spite. I never did him wrong, but he seems to have taken the loss of his job quite hard...”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?” Clay shook his head, joining her at the window. “You grew up sorrounded by money, sweetie. You wouldn’t understand.”
Tina spun on her heels and stared up at his clean-shaven, sharp-chinned face. “What the hell has my growing up in a rich home got to do with it?”
Clay smiled. “Don’t scratch my face. You have no idea what some people would do for money. Considering how famous your Dad is, Matt can sell that video for a considerable sum of money. Some websites and magazines would buy it before you can say Jack. Some mags would turn the video into photos.”
Tina frowned, looking outside again. Her slim hands brown hands were holding the bars.
“Maybe he’s going to call Dad,” she said at last. She seemed to be thinking hard. “He didn’t specifically ask me to tell Dad. It’s like he was telling me what he plans to do and trying to sound apologetic about it as he was using me to hurt my father. What a creep!” She turned to Clay, and now there was an earnest look in her eyes. “Clay,” she spoke slowly, as if trying to emphasize every word, “we have to run away. I mean it this time. We have to. And if you aren’t coming with me, you can sit your yellow black ass and stay away from me. ”
“Make up your mind about the yellow and black.”
“Get serious! I mean are you going to act scared or will you come with me?”
“Ok...where are we supposed to be going?”
“Do you know what will happen when this idiot sells that video or leaks it on the internet?”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Work with me here, Clay!” Tina yelled, exasperated. “Will you or will you not come with me? I don’t want to be around when that happens!”
Clay shook his head. “I think you are panicking. For one, it’s better to hang around until we are sure that there is no way to stop this guy, because he can be stopped. Your Dad can scare him into changing his mind. Your Dad is good at this scare thing. Secondly, the video has not been leaked yet, and it’s better to hide when we are sure they have really been leaked. Right now we are dealing with a possible blackmailer, who I think would rather make money than leak the damn photos that expose him as well. You realize that unless he edits the video it will show his face as well? Anyway, he’s probably clever enough to do that. But your face would be very visible...that’s the only way he can get your Dad cornered. All those online photos of you and your Dad together! Anybody who saw the video, assuming it’s clear enough, would recognize you. Or a mere caption is all they would need...”
“Hey, whose side are you on? You know, you aren’t really helping me right now. Can you imagine me facing my parents about this again after that group sex thing? I can’t even look my Dad in the eyes since that day. But I like your thinking...I guess I’m kinda dazed and seeing things in a hazy manner. And if that video was leaked, my running away wouldn’t help much as long as my face is with me.”
“That was my third point.”
“But not so many people would recognize me out there. I’m not the celebrity...my Dad is. It’s here I have to worry about.”
Just then her phone rang. The time was five-thirty P.M.
“It’s Dad!” she whispered as she moved away from the window.
“Tina? Where are you? You had better be visiting some girl friends of yours and not that half-baked Clay boy. Listen, Tina, I want you home in the next half hour. Your Mom and I just arrived and got a very disturbing message on the answering machine.”
Julia hardly ever received calls...she only made them.
“Dad...I got a call from Matt...”