Take a Chance on Me(77)

Mitch propped his hips against the counter and crossed his arms. “Since you’re both here, we need to talk about the situation. I’ve given this a lot of thought and see only one option: you cannot pay her.”

“But—” Charlotte began, but Mitch held up his hand.

“Everyone knows blackmailers come back. The best thing to do is let the chips fall where they may.”

Horrified, Maddie could only stare at him. “There has to be another way.”

“There’s not,” Mitch said, with no inflection in his voice.

“No, Mitchell,” Charlotte said, shaking her head. “You’ll be disbarred.”

“Not your problem.”

“It is. You’re in this situation because of him.”

Mitch’s jaw hardened, turning stubborn. “No. I’m in this situation because I was arrogant and stupid. Now it’s time to pay.”

Charlotte’s chin began a fine tremble. “The price is too high.”

“That’s the thing about mistakes: you never really know what they’ll cost you.” His gaze flickered to Maddie.

The parallels weren’t lost on her. Still, his mother was right: there had to be another way, one they hadn’t thought of yet.

Before she could speak, Charlotte stood and turned toward her son. “You were never convicted, you never even went to trial, and there’s no reason you can’t go back to practicing.”

“The point is moot,” Mitch said. “It’s too late.”

“I’m paying.” Charlotte’s voice took on a stubborn edge. “I can afford it.”

“You are not.” Mitch straightened to his full six-three as though he could force his will by sheer size.

No. This was wrong. All wrong. He was supposed to fight for his future, not give up.

Maddie snapped out of her stunned silence and turned to Mitch’s mother. “Could I have a moment alone with Mitch, please?”

Charlotte frowned and pointed to Mitch. “This is nonnegotiable.”

Mitch’s face turned stony. “I’ll expose her myself if I have to.”

Mother and son squared off, and Maddie placed a hand on Charlotte’s arm. “Just let me talk to him.”

“All right, dear.” Charlotte gave a slight nod, then turned and strode gracefully from the room.

His posture a rigid, inflexible line, Mitch scowled. “I leave you alone for five minutes and you’ve already gone over to her side?”

Maddie’s head snapped back at his accusatory tone. “No, I’m on your side. But I don’t see the point in being rash.”

“There’s no other way.”

“How do you know? You don’t even have all the facts.”

“What facts, Maddie?” His hands clenched, and his black tattoo rippled as his muscles flexed. “She has to have proof. Only four people besides myself know about the evidence. Thomas is dead. My parents and sister sure as hell aren’t going to set the record straight.”

“What about the guy who hacked the system?”

Mitch shook his head. “No.”

“How do you know?” Maddie demanded, her frustration level rising.

“Because I got the guy’s brother off on a fraud charge.”

“But—”

“It’s not him, Maddie.” It was plainly not open to discussion.

Maddie’s shoulder slumped. “So you’re giving up?”

“No.” His arms crossed again and it felt like the shut-out it was. “I’m getting out from under their thumb. I don’t want to live like this anymore, Maddie.”

“Isn’t throwing away any chance of a career to spite your father still living by his rules?”

His jaw tightened, and Maddie realized that he contained a healthy dose of rage. “What career?”

If she were smart, she’d back down. He was being unreasonable and not thinking things through. But today she was more brave than smart. “What about Luke’s case? I don’t think the people of Revival care about your past as much as you do. You could have a future here.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I gave the files back to Tommy this morning.”

“You did what?” Maddie stood up from the table, suddenly furious.

“I’ve made my decision and that’s final.” He drew a familiar set of keys out of the pocket of his jeans and held them out to her.

Her heart slammed against her ribs as a steady, irate temper flared inside her. “What are those?”

“Your car keys.”

It was like a slap in the face.

When she didn’t reach out and take them, he tossed them on the counter, the metal making a too-loud clatter against the white and blue ceramic.

“I paid Tommy two grand to stall the repairs, and to buy Mary Beth’s silence I had to take Luke’s case.”

She clenched her hands into fists. “Why?”

His jaw jutted, making him look impossibly stubborn. “I wanted to keep you here and I wasn’t above using underhanded tactics to get what I wanted.”

“That’s not,” she said through gritted teeth, “what I meant. Why are you doing this now?”

His expression hardened, and he looked remote. Unreachable. “I’m doing the right thing.”