Over the Edge (Bridge #3)(75)

His next words were less forceful. “She warned you this wasn’t going to be simple, trying to make things work. Shit’s going to get messy sometimes.”

I shook my head. “Not like this.”

“You never thought somewhere down the road, she’d want a family? We’d be in the same situation. Until modern science can figure out a way to make a baby out of two sperm and an egg, it would have to be you or me.”

“Then we could have had a conversation and figured it out. Instead, you made the decision without consulting anyone, not even her.”

That shut him up for a second.

“I know we’re dealing with this because of me. But we’re here now. We can figure this out.” He sighed. “Ian, she’s eight weeks pregnant. We got the ultrasound this week, saw the heartbeat and everything.”

Jealousy and love and rage fought for dominance in my thoughts, a toxic cocktail of emotion.

“Thanks for letting me know, Will. Fucking magical. What can I say?”

“Listen, *, I’m telling you that so far everything looks good. She’s healthy and so is the baby. Sorry, I thought you might want to know.”

“Thanks.”

My tone was full of spite, but deep down, I was grateful to know. I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if something happened to Liv. I couldn’t live with it.

“I don’t know why I bothered calling. I just… Whatever.”

He hung up, and I nearly threw the phone against the wall.

I shouldn’t have picked up the phone. I should have never fallen in love.

WILL



Kevin Dermott had long been fired from his senior position at a prominent firm on Wall Street. As soon as word got around that an investigation was brewing, he’d been escorted out. While his humiliation was likely still ripe, he got to lick his wounds at his multimillion-dollar home on the Upper East Side.

I rang the doorbell, and he answered.

“Will Donovan, hey.”

“I reached out by phone a few times.” When I hadn’t heard back, I decided to pay him a surprise visit. I was determined to squash this situation before the trip to London.

“Sorry, I’ve been screening calls. What can I do for you?”

“I want to talk to you about Jia Sumner.”

He glanced over his shoulder and back to me. “I don’t really do business with her anymore.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard.”

He frowned. “What have you heard?”

“I heard that you’re blackmailing her to get cut into the Reilly Donovan Capital profits.”

He shook his head. “No, that’s not true. I don’t know what she’s telling you, but I haven’t talked to her in months.”

“I know about the video.”

He took a step back. “I have to go.”

I put my hand on the door before he could close it. “Listen, Kevin. I need you to think really hard about this. I know it’s been a rough few months. Your career has taken a major hit, no doubt about it. But you’ve still got your family. Your wife, your kids. That’s what really matters at the end of the day.”

He stared at me, his eyes cold and still. There was no question in my mind that he’d caught the meaning behind my veiled threat. I wasn’t above making his life hell in every possible way if he compromised Jia’s career or my company.

He stepped through the doorway toward me and shut the door behind him. “What about the video?”

“I want to make sure it never sees the light of day.”

His breaths came shorter, and I could tell his adrenaline was spiking. “I don’t want it to either. I’m in the f*cking video too. It was a mistake. I should never have made it.”

“Then why are you threatening Jia with it?”

He flinched. “I’m not. I told you I haven’t talked to her in months. I didn’t bring her up with me when I got promoted earlier in the year. I don’t think she’s uttered a word to me since. I do know she’s calculating as hell, though. So I want to know what she’s saying to you.”

“Reilly gave up his shares at the fund. Did you know that?”

He shook his head. “No, it hasn’t come up. We’ve had a few other things on our plate.”

“He’s threatening to leak the videos if she doesn’t cut him in. She’s seen them, so that means he has them.”

Dermott swallowed and rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. “Goddamnit.”

“Why does he have these videos?”

“We got drunk one night, and I made the mistake of sending them to him. I had no idea he’d ever use them against me, let alone her.”

“I don’t care what’s gone on between you and Jia, but I need you to make these videos disappear, once and for all.”

He nodded. “I will. Consider it done.”





Chapter Twenty





IAN



I chugged down a bottle of water, replenishing all the fluids I’d lost in the heat of the fire. Darren dropped down beside me on the length of street curb I’d claimed for my recovery. More crews had come onto the scene, and the fire was under control now. Everyone was safe. The building was damaged but not completely destroyed. Another day on the job.