Page 91 of Set It Right
“You’re really going to sell me out?”
“If you don’t take care of this yourself, yes, I will. You didn’t care enough about me while we were married to be honest, and I sure as hell am not going to throw myself on a grenade for you now that we’re nothing to each other. This is your problem, Jackson. You know I had no hand in any of this.”
“We both know that,” he conceded. “I doubt anyone will believe it, though.”
“God!” She tapped her forehead with her fist. “Have you always sucked so much?”
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Zara wouldn’t have appreciated it, and it would have alerted Jackson to my presence. But damn, I hadn’t expected her to say that. She was killing me.
I’d never wanted to kiss someone more in my whole life.
“You used to like me just fine.” Jackson sounded almost offended.
“And you used to be kind of charming. Now, you’re just…you’re a coward.”
A pause. Then, “A coward?”
“Yes. A spineless coward. You’d rather your ex-wife get tangled up in your screwup than own up to it and figure your way out. I’ve had enough. Pay back the money you owe, or I’ll take action.”
“Zara…I need time.” He exhaled hard. “It’s not something I can get sorted out easily. You’re good with numbers. You have to understand.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing to understand. You willingly put yourself in a very bad position. How you get yourself out is your concern. I want nothing to do with any of this.”
He blew out a long breath. “You have to give me time. Ignore the calls from Mercer. It’s not like he’s actually going to show up in Wyoming. And if he does, I’m sure your little buddy, Mac, will protect you. You know that guy tried to talk me out of marrying you, right? He probably wanted you for himself.”
Her jaw went rigid. “Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He did. He knew exactly what he was talking about. I’d thought I’d hidden my feelings well, but apparently not from Jackson. The fact that he had figured out she’d come to Wyoming and was with me was the only thing keeping me calm. It meant this place, and maybe me along with it, had been on her mind, despite the silence and distance between us.
He barked a humorless laugh. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’re with him, aren’t you? Christ, I should have known. All those times I caught him looking…oh, this is rich.”
Hell yes, she’s with me. You can eat shit, man. She’s never gonna be yours again.
Zara cut in before he could say anything else. “Hey, Jackson? Just so you know, I’ve recorded this phone call, and I’ll be sending a copy to Mercer. I’m sure he’ll be pretty interested in the part where you admitted I never knew what you were doing, so he can cross my name off his list.”
“What? Are you kidding me, Zara?”
“I’m not kidding. I don’t think anything about this is funny.”
He chuffed like an angry bull. “I said I need time.”
“What you need doesn’t have anything to do with me. If I hear from Mercer again, my lawyer and I will be moving forward.”
Silence went on for so long, I was beginning to think he’d hung up. Then, he let out a long breath that sounded an awful lot like defeat.
“We’ll have to ask Mom and Dad for money.”
Zara didn’t seem to feel any pity for him. “Then do it. I’m sure they’d rather give you a loan than see your kneecaps get broken or you get thrown in jail.”
“Probably,” he muttered. “Don’t block me when we hang up so I can let you know when I’ve taken care of it.”
“Text me. Don’t call.”
“It goes without saying you don’t want to hear my voice,” he bit out.
“You’re right. It does.”
She ended the call before he could say another word, tossing the phone on the cushion beside her.
