How in the fuck did this happen?” I roar into the phone the second Ray answers.

“I could ask you the same question,” he bites back. “What the fuck were you thinking, Tag? A fucking drunk? Really? After everything I’ve done to restore your career?”

“Don’t you fucking dare. You don’t even know her. You don’t get to make those assumptions based on what some dumb-ass reporter thinks he knows.”

“I wouldn’t fucking have to if my client had told me what the fuck was going on in his life. You haven’t been answering any of my calls, Tag. What the fuck am I supposed to think?”

I exhale loudly, trying to rein in my anger. It obviously isn’t getting me anywhere. And it’s only pissing Ray off even more.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I should’ve called. I should’ve explained what’s been going on. But, believe me when I say, it was the first thing on my list to do today. I just found out about Lexi’s past the night before last. I was going to call you today, find out how we should handle it.”

“You mean to tell me you didn’t know until two days ago? How is that possible, Tag? And, even still, even if you didn’t know about the accident, you couldn’t have thought dating a drunk was a good idea. Not after everything you’ve been through.”

“Stop. Fucking. Calling. Her. That,” I seethe. “She’s not a drunk. In fact, in the entire time I’ve known her, she hasn’t had so much as a sip of alcohol.”

He lets out a sardonic laugh. “You expect me to believe that? I saw the picture, Ian. I saw you carrying her into the house while she was stone-cold drunk.”

I cringe a little when he uses my real name. I don’t think he’s called me that since the first day I met him. The turning it causes in the pit of my stomach reminds me of when I was a kid and my mother would use my full name whenever I was in trouble.

I shake it off though, my need to defend Lexi eclipsing my need to please Ray.

“You saw what a reporter wanted you to see. I was carrying her inside because she’d almost slipped on the ice. I didn’t want her to hurt herself. The picture was simply taken at the perfect moment to make it appear how the photographer wanted.”

Ray sighs loudly. “Be that as it may, it looks bad, Tag. This is bad. Not only are people up in arms about the fact that you’re dating a woman who almost killed someone—a fucking kid, no less—but now, they’re all turning their backs on you. People who, yesterday, were singing your praises are now convinced you’d paid Angela off to keep her quiet. And they’re wondering if she wasn’t the first.”

I put the phone on speaker, tossing it onto the table and running my hands over my face. “Of course they fucking are. Because, naturally, if I’m dating someone who made a mistake, that must mean I’m a fucking rapist, too.”

Ray kicks into gear at the defeat in my voice. “We’ll fix this, Tag. We just need to get you home. We need to get you away from that girl and show everyone that what they think they saw isn’t true. They don’t have to know you knew about her past. We’ll spin it, so you look like the victim here.”

“No!” I howl, springing to my feet and grabbing the phone again. “That’s not a fucking option, Ray. I won’t leave her. And I sure as shit won’t drag her through the mud to make myself look better.”

“What the fuck, Tag? Do you realize what’s at stake here? What’s the harm? People will forget about her as soon as you drop her. I don’t see the problem here.”

“The problem, Ray, is that I’m in love with her. So, no, I’m not going to fucking drop her, as you so eloquently put it. She’s not going anywhere. And neither am I.”

“You’re what? You’ve been there all of a month, and you think you’re in love with her?” The shock in his voice rolls through me, only deepening my anger.

“I don’t think anything. I fucking know it. So, tell me what we’re going to do to fix this.”

Ray lets out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. I hope you realize what you’re doing. I knew how to fix this when I thought you’d use your damn brain instead of your dick and listen to me. But, obviously, that’s not going to happen. Let me think.”

I let the insult slide through because, as much as he’s pissing me off at the moment, I know Ray has my best interests at heart. He’s not only my agent; he’s also one of my best friends. And I know this hurts him almost as much as it does me. Not just his income, considering whatever sponsors he managed to reel back in are no doubt going to bail. But it hurts him on a personal level, too. He doesn’t like seeing his friends in pain.

“First things first,” I say before he can get too much into defense mode. “We need to find out how this even came out.”

“Already ahead of you there,” Ray tells me, some of his usual confidence coming back into his voice. “As soon as the news broke, I tracked down the little fucker and made him talk. It sure as hell wasn’t easy. I had to get pretty creative to get him to spill it.”

I don’t even want to know what sort of threats Ray made to get the asshole to speak. Not right now at least. Right now, all I’m concerned about is who and why.

“Name is Paul Sharp. He’s some small-time sports writer for a local paper. His stories have been gaining a little more traction lately though. After Angela dropped the charges, he wrote a series of articles that didn’t exactly paint you in a positive light.”

“I saw,” I say, my tone devoid of the anger that’s taken up residence in my chest. It shouldn’t surprise me that the dickwad whose articles I’d been reading the other day was the one to do this. “How did he find out?”

“Followed Jeffers when he came to visit you. Asshole had been watching Brandon’s every move, waiting for him to give some sort of hint as to where you were. When Brandon had unexpectedly jumped on a plane, Sharp said he knew there was only one place he could be going. To you. So, armed with only his camera and his cell phone, he’d bought a ticket and followed. Son of a bitch didn’t even have an overnight bag. Just jumped on the plane and left.”

I shake my head. “So, he followed B, found out where I’d been hiding, and then what? Thought it would be a good idea to try to ruin the life of an innocent woman?”

Ray is silent for a second, as if he’s thinking over his next words. When he finally speaks, I wish he had stayed quiet.

“She’s not exactly innocent, Tag. Even if what you say is true, she did drive under the influence and nearly killed a little girl.”

I bristle at the surety in his voice. Reminding myself he doesn’t know Lexi and has no idea what she’s put herself through, and that I’d probably have the same reaction if I were in his shoes, I explain her to him, “I’m not debating that, Ray. She fucked up. Big time. But nobody knows that more than Lexi. If you met her, knew exactly how much guilt has hindered every single moment of her life since then…you wouldn’t be saying the things you are. She’s guilty of making a stupid decision. But who among us can say we haven’t? Hell, I can name a handful of times when you got behind the wheel when you probably shouldn’t have. The only difference between you and her is, you were fortunate enough to make it home. One split second, and you could’ve been exactly where Lexi is right now.”

Ray doesn’t say anything, but if the change in his breathing is any indication, he’s definitely affected by my words. He knows damn well he’s driven under the influence. Maybe, now, he’ll think twice.

“So, yes, she’s guilty. But nobody can say she’s not sorry. Whoever the fuck said that in that article is a goddamn liar. I’ve seen her guilt firsthand. I’ve seen the half-life she’s been living since that night. And, when she was finally starting to make a little progress, this happens.”

The look on Lexi’s face when she told me about the article will haunt me for the rest of my life. It might have only been an hour ago, but I already know it’s a memory that will be forever etched into my brain.

And, when she told me about the remarks from her friends, the person who’d said she didn’t feel any remorse, her face crumpled in such a way that I instantly wanted to hurt the person who’d caused that pain. I wanted to track them down and make sure they felt every ounce of the pain they’d put her through.

I’m not a violent person by nature. But I’m finding that, when it comes to Lexi, I’ll do all sorts of things I’ve never imagined. Starting with cruel and unusual punishment.

Ray apologizes for his remarks, his words sounding sincere, even to my enraged ears. He tells me to keep my phone nearby, so he can get in contact with me whenever he needs me.

“We’re going to make this better, Tag. I promise. I just need some time to get it all sorted out. We’ll find a way to make this work. Stay by your phone, and get things squared away, so you can come home. I need you back here soon. Laying low after Angela dropped the charges was good. But I think, if you stay hidden after this, it’s only going to make things worse.”

“I’m not leaving Lexi. Not after all this.”

“Then, bring her with you. Let’s show them that the two of you are serious about each other, and despite her past mistakes, this girl is good for you. Show them she’s changed, and she’s changed you. For the better.”

I hesitate, certain Lexi isn’t going to like the idea. “I’m not sure I can convince her of that. She’s pretty shaken up.”

“Make her see reason. I’ll give you a few days. We’ll make a statement this evening, but by the end of the week, I need the two of you here, in Seattle. I’ll call you when I have more details.”

I promise him I’ll do my best and disconnect the call.

My spirits have lifted a little after talking to Ray, but I’m still pissed as hell. If Paul Sharp happens to cross my path anytime in the near future, he’d better hope I’m feeling particularly charitable that day. Because, right now, I want nothing more than to pummel his ass into the ground with my bare hands.

But, knowing Ray is on my side and that he’s confident we can get this to all blow over, it gives me hope that this might not be the catastrophe I originally thought. Maybe we can spin this in a positive light. I like the idea of letting people know Lexi is mine. That I’m hers. And that the two of us together is not a bad thing. It’s as good and pure as they come.

Now, if I can just convince Lexi to tag along.

I walk into the bathroom and splash some cool water on my face. Once I’m positive that the flushed anger is washed from my cheeks, I head over to Lexi’s.

After we talked, she asked for a few minutes alone to think while I called Ray. I didn’t like the idea, hated the thought of her being alone while she was so visibly shaken. But I needed to talk to Ray, and despite my hesitance, I agreed it might be good for her to clear her head.

I knock softly as I open the front door. “Lex? Where are you?” I call out as I step inside.

I’m met with silence.

I check the kitchen, but she’s not there. Returning to the living room, I climb the stairs to her room. Maybe she went to lie down. Crying can really take it out of you. And she certainly did her fair share of that this morning.

I step into her bedroom, and my stomach drops. The drawers of her dresser are open, clothes strewed across the floor. It’s obvious she was in a hurry.

I don’t even have to check the closet to see if her suitcase is missing. I already know.

I rush down the stairs, sprinting across the snow as fast as humanly possible to Margie’s house. I bang on the door, and she answers, looking at me like I’ve lost my damn mind.

“Is Lexi here?” I ask frantically before she can speak.

She gives me a puzzled look. “N-no. What—”

I don’t wait for her to finish. I can’t. Lexi couldn’t have gotten far yet. I was on the phone with Ray for only a half hour, tops. And she doesn’t have a car.

At the thought, I run back to my house. As I round the side, I can’t say I’m surprised by what I find.

An empty space where my truck should be.

Seems that, in her desperation to get away, Lexi was willing to overlook that whole no-license thing. I wonder how it felt for her to slip back behind the wheel. I wonder if she’s okay.

And then I realize, it doesn’t really matter at the moment.

Because she’s gone.

And I’m not okay.