Page 127 of Studs Up
“Alright,” he waited.
“I have a friend who is being blackmailed.”
“A friend,” he raised an eyebrow at me.
“Yes an actual friend.” Boyfriend, but close enough. Holden had said it at the cabin and I guess that’s what we were but the word felt casual for what we shared.
“And he’s being blackmailed?”
I nodded.
“Does he want to make a report?”
“He can’t.”
“Because of the reason he’s being blackmailed. Is it something illegal?”
“No, extremely private, and he could lose everything if his employer found out.”
“Look, I’m not in fraud. But I can tell you, if it’s not illegal it’s better to make a report and start an investigation.”
“If he were to do that, could his information be kept secret?”
Ethan heaved a deep sigh.
“No. If the investigation leads to an arrest and it goes to court, he’ll have to testify. All of that will be public.”
My heart didn’t sink. It plummeted to the center of the earth.
I nodded again.
“What are their demands?” Ethan asked and clicked his pen like he was ready to take notes.
“Follow the demands or be exposed.”
“How are they communicating?”
“Text.”
“That could be easy enough to track if they aren’t using a burner phone.”
“We have no idea. They come from an unknown number.”
“Does your friend text back? Engage with them?”
I shook my head.
“That might be worth a try. Might indicate who this is, but even then. If your friend doesn’t want to press charges then there’s nothing we can do.”
Frustration had me seething. It wasn’t Ethan’s fault or Holden’s. But I felt trapped. Everywhere I turned I kept bumping into walls and blockades.
Part of me just wanted to fuck it all and say it to every one. Take the brunt of it. At bare minimum Holden wouldn’t be alone when he was exposed. I was confident that the blackmailer would do it or Holden could make the choice.
But he asked me not to, and for now, that was what I could provide. His trust in me.
Ethan tapped a pen on the table and watched me.
“Nolan, this is a friend right? This isn’t you?”
