Page 64 of Break Me Not

“Is there anything…?”

I didn't really know what to ask, but she seemed to get the gist. She shook her head.

“He's mostly just an asshole. He spends time on social media commenting on girls’ videos, calling them whores. Though lots of times he's actually already subscribed to their OnlyFans. Weird, huh?”

I cleared my throat. None of this would help me or Liz.

I let out a sigh of disappointment.

“What do I owe you?”

“This was a low-lift job, so I won’t charge you much. I want you to do something for me.”

I shifted uncomfortably under her stare.

“I can't give you anything about my clients.”

She rocked back on her heels. “It's not about your clients, per se… You go to a club—one that your friend Sloan hasn't allowed me in. Well, I want in. You know, to see what all the hype is about.”

I never thought Club Pétale would follow me like this, but I also wasn't surprised that she had done her research on me as well.

“Why won't she let you in?”

She shrugged. “I may or may not have broken into their database once or twice.”

“Once or twice?” I asked.

I started looking over my shoulders again, but this time, instead of being worried that someone would come upon us, I was getting a little scared of what the girl in front of me could do.

“Just put in a good word for me and we'll be even, okay? I've asked a couple people to do the same, but that didn’t work, so just… Use your charm, I guess? Your client was a waste of my time, and I would feel bad charging you as much as I usually do for something this stupid.”

“Okay…”

She turned and started to walk away but then stopped.

“Guys like this hate it when their dirty laundry is aired. I'm sure you know about why he and his ex-wife were together, so I didn't put that in the report. But his image is everything to him. His parents are always checking in on him, his work has already put him on leave. If anything else happens to… damage his reputation, it would likely be the end of him.”

Given what Liz had told me, she was right. Their parents had been ashamed when they got pregnant right out of high school. Not married. No job. No house. They pushed them together to save face.

“Thank you,” I said sincerely. It wasn't a lot, but it did get my thoughts in order. I still needed to think about what would be strong enough to make him disappear, but it was a start.

She nodded. “Don't forget about my favor! I know you're going there tonight, so there’s your chance!”

I couldn't help the shiver that ran up my spine.

Information brokers are fucking scary.

Liz

“Oh yeah? How close?” I asked, leaning forward toward Sloan.

Lillian was under her arm, unmasked, and smiling at me, obviously enjoying where this was going. Her mischievous gaze told me she was just waiting for me to go in on her.

The club was a lot less crowded, given it was a weeknight, but it was the perfect time to exact my punishment.

The last few days have been nonstop at work. The buyers Stefan had said were coming over for a showing were the worst of the worst. They were snobby, uptight, and thought that having money would make anyone bend over for them.

While I didn't technically go against Stefan’s orders, I made it difficult for them, which included showing them literally every single other painting I had. I had waited until today to finally show them the royal collection, but they’d been so worn down that they’d taken one look at it, thought it was not as exciting as they were promised, and left.