Page 110 of Hard Count
“Vivienne.”
“Henry.”
The waiter came by instantly.
“Coffee, black. Martini, dirty.” The waiter nodded at Vivienne.
“Tell me.”
She played out the situation starting with Jayson, whom Henry already knew. The nine-year arrangement and then Noah, the photographs, the amended contract with the ten-million-dollar forfeiture clause. The running figure across nine years and the pending tax bill.
Henry looked at her across the table.
“How much time do you think you have?”
“Caleb Ward is a careful reporter. He’s not going to publish. I’m not worried about him, it’s every thirsty bitch in that office that I’m fucking worried about.”
“You’re wrong about that.”
He said it without emphasis.
Vivienne said, “Tell me why I’m wrong.”
Henry leaned back.
“Social media finds everything, you know this better than my old ass. Who took these pictures?”
She waited.
“I think I know.”
He set his coffee down. “It’s Jayson, isn’t it? He doesn’t need more money. Jayson doesn’t fear jail. What Jayson wants is order in the castle. When something violates that order, that something pays.”
“And Piper is that fuckingsomething,” Vivienne replied.
“You need to protect him. Jayson will kill him. I know these men, Vivienne.”
“Well Henry, that’s why I flew here, commercial for fuck sake, to save my Piper,” Vivienne continued, “So what do you recommend?”
“I recommend that you not fight him.”
“That’s not an option.”
“I know it’s not an option. I’m telling you what I recommend before I tell you what I can actually do.”
She nodded.
“What can you actually do?”
Henry was quiet for a moment.
“I can talk to a couple of my lawyer friends on the Days team and ask them to calm him down, but it will not last, and the pictures are still out there, and we don’t know who has them.”
Vivienne nodded once. She was already considering a second option in her head. A fixer she had used before, for a basketball player she repped who got filmed at a gay bathhouse.
“Would that work?”
“It would buy you time. It would not solve your problem.”
