As promised, Paige had waited for Leonard, and thankfully, all Pierce had done was punch him one good time and tell him to get out. Of course, Leonard hadn’t been happy about it, but when Paige had offered him another fifty dollars, he’d seemed content. She’d then asked him where he wanted to go, and he’d told her to drop him off at a well-known shelter. Paige had thanked him for all his help, and he’d wished her well. Now she was standing in front of the overnight box at the car rental company, preparing to deposit the key to the vehicle she’d rented. When she did, she walked over and sat inside Derrick’s brand-new two-seater, and he pulled off.
“I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re up to, but I’ve got some bad news,” he said.
“What?”
“You know that day I called you? While you were at O’Hare, getting ready to fly to Vegas?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Well, Andrea heard everything I said to you.”
Paige bugged her eyes. “She what? How?”
Derrick sighed and wouldn’t look at her. “Paige, I’m so sorry.”
“How did this happen, Derrick?” she ranted.
“Before I called you on my office phone, she’d called me on my cell, but I guess I didn’t end my call with her. I must’ve just set it on my desk, thinking she’d hung up.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I’m not…and she heard everything. About the rape we faked and how you’re trying to take your sister’s husband from her.”
“Oh my God,” Paige said, dropping her face into her hands.
“I messed up, Paige, and that’s not the worst of it.”
“Meaning?”
“She also heard me say how you’ve let me bring my women over to your condo, so she’s threatening to tell Camille as payback.”
“She doesn’t even know my sister, does she?”
“They go to the same hair salon, remember?”
This was bad. Especially since Andrea had never cared all that much for Paige.
“You have to stop her, Derrick.”
“How? Andrea is mad as hell, and she’s only two seconds from kicking me out of my own house and divorcing me. So there’s no reasoning with her.”
“How could you be so careless?” Paige demanded to know.
“I’m sorry.”
If he said he was sorry one more time, Paige wasn’t sure what she might do to him. “Do you realize what this might mean?”
Derrick drove through an intersection but didn’t respond.
“Do you? It’ll mean all my hard work was for nothing. If Andrea tells Camille anything, Pierce will never speak to me again. He’ll hate me from now on.”
“I wish there was something I could do.”
Paige wanted to slap Derrick silly, but she couldn’t focus on him right now. What she had to do was direct her attention toward the matter at hand—this disaster Derrick had so recklessly created and the nightmare that might result from it.
For the next twenty minutes of the drive to her home, they rode in total silence. No radio, CD, or anything. So she sort of jumped when her phone rang. She checked the screen and was surprised Owen hadn’t called her first thing this morning since it was Wednesday.
“Yes,” she said.
“Hey, I just called to tell you, I’m through.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“You’re free and clear.”
Paige was shocked. “You mean that?”
“Yep. You no longer owe me a single dime, and this is the last time you’ll hear from me.”
“Why’d you change your mind? Of course, I’m very grateful, but I just wondered.”
“You’re not worth it, Paige. You’re just not worth the trouble.”
Paige was speechless and, strangely enough, hurt.
“You have a nice life,” he said, and Paige was glad this whole blackmail drama was over with.
“Who was that?” Derrick asked.
“Owen.”
“What did he want?”
“Nothing.”
“You know, while you were on the phone, something dawned on me,” he said. “Maybe you should tell your sister everything yourself.”
“Are you crazy?”
“I’m just trying to figure out how you can fix this.”
“Derrick, just shut up, okay?”
“Fine.”
Paige never said another word to him for the rest of the ride. Instead, she hoped and prayed Andrea wouldn’t tell. She prayed for a complete miracle.