“Of course. What does that—”
“Ninjas are Japanese.”
“I can wire money to Japan. I have yen!”
I’m sure she has lots of yen. “So why don’t you just hire the ninjas to save Jo?” I say with faux carelessness. My feelings about Jo are too volatile for my liking. I need to get a hold of them before I see her again. “Cut out the middleman?”
“Because you’re not a ‘middleman’! You’re the only one who can fix this!” She lets out a frustrated sound. “Do you know she’s engaged?”
I sit down on the bed, resting my back against the headrest. “Yes. She showed me her ring.” Even though I know it’s snide, I can’t help but add, “Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very good one. I hope her fiancé is capable of providing for her.”
Speaking of which… Would it be wise for me to just hand over child support money without any strings attached? Perhaps I should demand that she and her fiancé adhere to certain conditions. After all, I’m not in the habit of paying for others’ lifestyles…especially not ones they haven’t earned.
“Forget the ring! She’s marrying him because of a sex tape!”
My vision goes hazy red for a moment. She might as well have punched me in the gut. “What?”
“Her fiancé filmed them having sex without her knowledge! And now he’s threatening to release it!”
Another wave of rage surges, and my hands clench. If he were here, I might communicate how I feel about his behavior with my fists. Not because I’m out of control, but because certain things are better communicated that way. “Bastard.”
It’s one thing for a woman to film herself and her partner having sex, but it’s something else when it’s without explicit consent and, worse, used for blackmail. It’s revolting that anybody who feels like it will be able to watch Jo in bed with another guy, whether she likes it or not.
No one should ever see her like that—uninhibited, wild and hot.
She should only be that way with me.
“That even isn’t the worst.” Yuna’s voice cuts through my thoughts. She’s close to hyperventilating. “His plan is to make it look like it’s her father who leaked it to his students and the PTA! He’s a high school English teacher, you know. Her dad, I mean. Jo can’t let that happen.”
I grind my teeth, trying to control my temper. If I want to solve this, I need to think clearly. “Who is this man?”
“The blackmailer? Aaron Korvid. I already looked him up. Some loser who’s set to either inherit a big trust fund or else go scrub toilets. He’s good for nothing.”
The name is vaguely familiar. Where have I heard it before?
“Can you bring napalm?”
Napalm? “For what?”
“So we can give him a fiery death, duh. Doesn’t your company make it?”
I stiffen, wondering what she’s implying. “Blackwood Energy is not a weapons manufacturer.”
“Yeah, but come on. You only need gasoline and those Styrofoam peanut things to make napalm, right? At least, that’s what Google said.” She huffs. “You guys have gas.”
I run a hand over my forehead. “You don’t have to have gasoline from Blackwood Energy. Any gas station will—” I stop, not wanting to encourage her. She might actually do it. “But don’t do anything. Let me handle this.”
“I knew I could count on you!” Yuna says with an audibly relieved sigh.
“I’m glad you called.” If she hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known. This changes all my earlier plans. I’ll be damned if such a morally reprehensible man is going to come anywhere near my child or Jo.
You’re feeling awfully possessive of her.
I am not. This isn’t about her, but the wrongness of the entire situation. I’d do it for anybody.
Absolutely anybody.
Chapter Twelve