Ruthless King

She bit her lip.

“You were going to pay it?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I only just got the note! I hadn’t thought about what I was going to do because I wasn’t feeling well and I just wanted to go home to bed. And then you swooped in to take care of me and it slipped out of my head.”

Which was really dumb.

Someone knew her real identity. And they were trying to blackmail her.

“Ten thousand isn’t that much money.” Not that she had that sort of money. So how she would have gotten it, she had no idea.

“No. Exactly,” he said.

“What?”

“Why bother going through this for ten thousand dollars? It doesn’t make a lot of sense. If someone is going to blackmail you, they do it for something big . . . like a hundred thousand dollars.”

“I’d have to sell a kidney for a hundred thousand.”

“That’s another thing. Why blackmail someone who doesn’t have any money? It’s almost like they asked for an amount they thought you could pay. But why risk exposure for ten thousand? How did they know you wouldn’t go to the police?”

These were all questions she should have been asking herself but probably wouldn’t have. She had no doubts that she’d have been in a state trying to figure out what to do.

“And if you don’t pay, then what? Who are they going to tell? An anonymous email to Margaret? How do they know where you work and that it would be a problem for you if she found out what you’ve been doing?”

“Are you . . . are you saying this is someone I know?” she asked.

That’s where she thought he was going with this. But that seemed crazy, right?

“Who knows that you’re Nyx?” he asked.

“Um, well. Sasha, Mrs. Yards, Dan, and Scott. But they’re all my friends. And Santé. But I can’t imagine he’d want to blackmail me.”

“Yeah, Santé wouldn’t make much sense. Does he know why you were keeping your identity a secret?”

“No. I just told him that I didn’t want to deal with issues in my personal life. I think he thought I wouldn’t last. In fact, he was reluctant to even give me a chance, but Sasha convinced him to and, well, people seem to like my act. So he ended up using me as a promotional tool, which worked for him.”

“We won’t rule him out yet, but he’s unlikely. He wouldn’t want you to stop. Besides, he doesn’t need the money. Dan and Scott. Tell me about them.”

She shrugged. “They’re a cute couple. Dan works as a pilot. He likes to dress in drag and perform. Scott is a fitness instructor. We’re good friends. Then there’s Mrs. Yards, she’slived across the road for as long as I can remember. She’s good friends with Mama. And Sasha rents a room from her.”

“Right. How long have you known her?”

“Sasha? I don’t know. Eight months, I guess. But why would she do this? Why would any of them? And why now?”

“That’s a good point. Do any of them have any money issues? Secret gamblers? Addicts?”

She shook her head. “These are normal people. Well, normal is subjective, I guess. I mean . . .”

“What is it?” He sat forward.

“Mrs. Yards had to take on a renter to help with bills. But she would never do this! She’s like a grandmother to me. And, well, I do remember Sasha saying something about tips being bad lately. But I don’t think that means anything!”

“They’re both on the list of suspects. Especially as they’re both having money issues, know your secret, and know why you’d want to keep it.”

“They’re my friends, Regent.” She couldn’t believe that any of her friends would do this.

“Baby, there are very few people in this world you can fully trust. I’m one of them. I need you to trust me to take care of you, and this is part of that.”