She jumped when the phone beeped almost immediately.
Tsk tsk, Pretty Pru. I already told you that. You’ll pay. It’s that simple. The world has only seen what you’ve let them see. You have them all fooled. But not me. I know the truth. I know all your dirty little secrets. And, I plan to make your payment long and hard.
I can pay you for the journal. I’ll pay you more than the newspapers will,she offered knowing that would mean spending most of her fortune, but she didn’t care.
So like a spoiled rich brat to think she can buy her way out of everything. I can’t be bought.
PJ took a deep breath and pulled up her contacts, then pushed the entry for her uncle and aunt, Brian and Susie Chambers. She listened to the ringing on the other end of the phone as her mind raced through the list of people who could be behind this.
“Hello.” It was Brian who picked up the phone.
“It’s me,” PJ said and realized she sounded awful. The words came out sounding more like a sob than anything intelligible.
“Pru, how’re you holding up?” Brian asked, and she could hear the genuine concern in his voice. It took several minutes for her to get it together enough to answer him.
“Uh, it’s not good, Brian.”
“I know, hon. Susie saw it on one of the talk shows this morning. Your mom said you were handling things okay. That you’re taking a few days off?”
PJ shook her head even though he couldn’t see her over the phone. “I didn’t tell Mom and Dad all of it.”
There was a slight pause on the other end before her uncle answered. “Didn’t tell them what, Pru?”
“Whoever leaked those things from my journal—they have the whole thing. They have all of it, from the time I left rehab on. They know, Brian.”
PJ could hear him talking in the background before Susie’s voice came on the phone.
“Are you sure they have it all? Maybe they just got pieces of it?” Susie asked, and PJ lost her fight against the tears as she answered.
“The journal is missing—they have it. And they texted me. They know about the baby.” PJ’s shoulders slumped, and she pulled her knees up to her chest as she waited for a response.
“Did they ask for money?” Susie asked.
“I tried to buy it back but they don’t want that. They want me to pay for my selfishness. I don’t know who it could be.” She could hear more muffled talk as Brian and Susie spoke.
Brian came back on the phone. “Susie and I need to talk about this, Pru, but we’ll call you soon. I want you to tell your parents about this, you hear me? You need to let them know what’s going on so they can increase your security and help you deal with this if it does come out.”
“I’ll tell them soon, Brian. I just want a few days, and I’m in a safe location right now. No one knows where I am.”
And, no one was supposed to have your cell phone number, either.
It was stupid really, but PJ was twenty-nine years old. She didn’t want to run to her parents to fix her problems anymore. Lord knew, they’d had to do enough for her when she was younger. They shouldn’t have to carry her through this now. Whatever this person wanted, she’d handle it herself.
* * *
Gabe looked up and studied her face when PJ entered the kitchen. She looked a bit like she might have been crying, but he didn’t want to push her with questions.
He couldn’t imagine having his private thoughts spread out on the Internet for everyone to see. That had to hurt, even though she’d put up a pretty good front so far.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” he said, tossing the freshly sliced tomatoes onto the top of the salad. “I thought we’d eat out on the patio?”
PJ nodded at him but didn’t speak, and that’s when Gabe was sure—she had been crying. He came around the kitchen island and pulled her into him, tucking her head under his chin and rubbing her back.
The gesture had been meant to comfort her but she felt so effing good in his arms—so perfectly right when he held her close. He could feel her small arms come around his back to hold him, and he really didn’t want to let her go.
The disappointment he felt when she pulled away was tempered only slightly by the smile on her face when he looked down at her.
“Thanks. I needed that,” she said.