by Alisha Rai
“Or a stalker,” Carol added.
“Or simply someone nefarious who doesn’t want any trail of who they’re talking to. I can think of ten other dangerous scenarios off the top of my head. Do you see why it may not be a great idea to have an app where people are encouraged to pretend to be someone else?”
Realization dawned in his dark eyes. “Oh. Oh.”
That was the nice thing about Akash. He was teachable. “Sometimes tech people get wrapped up in their own genius. You have to look ahead to the consequences. Conflict or not, I’d hard pass this one.”
Akash made a note on his tablet, then moved on. “How about an AI system? It’s so you can play with your pet when you’re not home.”
A loud crack came from the kitchen, and Katrina glanced that way. Jas had been very quiet while she’d been on her call, thankfully. She smiled at this noise, though, the reminder that he was nearby.
They’d slept in this morning, and though she’d had grand plans to make waffles for breakfast, she’d been too tired to put together anything more complicated than oatmeal. She’d watched Jas carefully, and he’d eaten every bite with apparent enjoyment.
She still wasn’t really sure of anything, except that they liked each other. That should have been enough. She should be satisfied with that, and the fact that he’d opened up as much as he had.
It should be enough.
“Katrina?”
“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “Send me more details about the pet AI.” It sounded absurd, but she was always willing to take a chance on the pet market.
“Will do.” Akash closed his tablet cover with a satisfied smile.
“Is that all?” Katrina asked, her finger hovering over the end button.
“I actually have something I need to discuss with you. Akash, can you give us a minute?” Carol tugged on her bright blue blazer.
Katrina waited until the young man had left the office. “How’s he working out?”
Carol’s smile was faint. “He’s smart and trainable. He’s not Lakshmi yet, but I see some potential. They’re definitely related.”
“No one’s Lakshmi.”
“Truer words.” Carol clasped her hands on the table. “How are you doing?”
The sympathy in Carol’s eyes tipped her off. “You heard about the viral thing.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry. My lips are sealed.” Carol twisted her wedding ring. “You have someone there with you? Rhiannon?”
Unease slithered through Katrina. “What’s going on?”
“I have some bad news. Your dad somehow got my digits.” Her lip curled. Carol had always seen right through her dad. Which was the main reason Katrina had hired her later. “He called me today and asked if I have a contact number for you.”
Her mouth went dry. “That is bad news.”
“I’m so sorry, Katrina. I stonewalled him, but I assume he’s calling everyone you used to work with.” Carol’s gaze was worried. “If he digs and finds out I work here . . .”
“He’ll probably rightly assume I’m behind the fund.” Damn it.
You have a plan for this. You have multiple contingency plans in place for this. “Text me his number.” She was proud of how well-modulated her voice was.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” They said their goodbyes, Carol still looking worried. Katrina’s phone buzzed almost immediately.
A number couldn’t be evil. Could it?
Her finger hovered over the delete button, ready to exorcise it. There was no good reason to ever be back in touch with her dad, right? At the very least, she could have Jas or Rhiannon in the room with her when she did this. If she did this.
Actually.
Wait. Wait a damn minute.
Katrina straightened. This asshole had the nerve to come sniffing around, after everything he’d done to her? After Hardeep had given him bags of money to go away? Oh no.
She took a deep breath, and let the anger rise up. Anger was good, especially when it was this cold, fiery anger.
Katrina mentally flipped through those elaborate plans she’d crafted for just this possibility, until she found her favorite one. Yes, she was doing this. She could do this, and she could do it on her own. She wasn’t the same scared child she’d been the last time she’d dealt with her father.
She rose and went upstairs quietly, to her bedroom, lest Jas hear. She masked her number first, so it wouldn’t show. Even her number was too much information for her biological father to have.
The phone rang once, twice, and then a man’s gruff voice came over the line. “Yeah?”
Sweat beaded on her upper lip, but her anger kept her cold.
“Hello?” he prompted.
Thomas King sounded different, and yet not. She hadn’t spoken to him since the day after her wedding, when Hardeep had paid him a substantial amount of cash to go away. Actually, had she spoken? No, she’d stayed silent. She’d been too scared. Hardeep and her father had coldly worked out the financial arrangements.
That was okay, for who she’d been then. She was different now, even if he was not.
She took up space now. She was happy. Radically happy. “Hello,” she said.
“Katrina.” He sounded triumphant. He’d known she would call if he rattled some cages.
“Father. I hear you’re trying to find me.”
He paused, like he was surprised she’d confront him so bluntly, and maybe that was surprising to him. “The whole world’s trying to find you.”
She nodded, her suspicions confirmed. Blackmail.
She was numb now, the kind of icy control that came with pure rage. “So you recognized me in those photos.”
“What man can’t recognize his own daughter? Even if she doesn’t look quite the same as she used to.”
Her dad had always been freakishly obsessed with her face and body. They’d been, after all, tools to make him money.
Katrina wrapped her arms around her middle. She would not think one negative thing about her physical appearance. She loved it. She loved herself. He was a monster, and she was beautiful the way she was. “You have one minute to tell me what you want before I hang up. The clock is ticking.”
He hesitated, but something must have convinced him she was being sincere, because he spoke in a rush. “The world wants to know who CuteCafeGirl is. I know you well, daughter, and understand how much you value your privacy, how fragile you are. So I wanted to assure you I wouldn’t tell anyone who you are.”
The ice thawed enough for her to shake. Fragile. That was the word he’d used to convince her that she needed him so much, that he was the only one who would be able to take care of her, that she was incapable of looking after herself.
Two panic attacks in public settings, two hospital visits. That was all it had taken for her father to get her fully under his control.
You’re strong. You’re not alone now.
Katrina wished Doodle were in the bedroom. “What do you want in exchange for your silence?”
“I would never demand anything.” Her father clucked his tongue. “If you’d like to give me a gift, I’d consider accepting, but this isn’t blackmail, love.”
Bull. Shit. She swallowed. “Your minute is up.”
“Why don’t you think about how much your privacy is worth to you?” her dad said in a rush. “And call me back tomorrow for negotiations. I’m in driving distance to Santa Barbara right now. Perhaps we can meet in that charming café?”
The café that had once been her refuge, that she wouldn’t be able to return to for a while, barring a better disguise than her baseball cap? This huge asshole.
“Don’t wait too long, though. You know how quickly people dig up dirt on the internet.”
She hung up without saying goodbye, his threat lingering in her ears.
She pinched the bridge of her nose. What would her friends do? Rhiannon would blow up his threat by exposing her face and name herself. Jia would do something similar, and leverage
every contact she had in the influencer world for the biggest impact.
Katrina wasn’t Jia or Rhiannon, so she couldn’t handle it like they could. That was okay.
She inhaled and exhaled, until enough of her panic dissipated that she could think clearly.
She had to keep her privacy.
She had to neutralize the immediate threat of her father.
She had to try to address this media circus once and for all.
Okay. Katrina nodded. This was doable. Time to get to work.
She texted the group chat, blunt and to the point. My dad saw the story. He’s blackmailing me. I’m coming back home. Will keep you posted on when.
Rhiannon’s response came right away. I didn’t listen to you, and I’m already on my way back. Be there by early am, pacific time. Lakshmi’s staying behind.
Jia replied a second later. We’ll think of something.
I’ll call you later. I have some ideas. Katrina placed the phone carefully on the table and rose to her feet, grabbing the hoodie Rhiannon had sent with her.
She paused as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She did look different from the sad-eyed woman her father had known, the one who had graced magazine covers and lounged on beaches. She ran her hands over her tummy. It was full now, protruding, the curve of it pronounced. Her thighs were dimpled. Her arms jiggled. She had changed, on the inside as well as the outside.
She’d never been fragile. She’d believed in someone who was supposed to protect her, and that belief had gone sideways. That wasn’t her fault.
It’s not your fault.
She repeated the words as she made her way downstairs, and found Jas in the kitchen. He looked up and smiled, his teeth white. “Hey, look at what Doodle can do. Doodle, sit.”
The dog plunked her butt on the tile, her tail wiggling.
“Good girl,” Jas crooned, and gave her a treat. She snapped it up and gobbled it down. “Isn’t she brilliant?”
Her smile was forced. “Uh-huh.” Even her fake smile faded as she caught sight of the food lined up on the counter.
He followed her gaze. “We have so many leftovers in the fridge, I figured we could clear them out. How do you feel about a smorgasbord— Katrina?”
The nausea caught her unexpectedly and she shook her head, darting from the room and out the front door. She clutched the railing and took in deep breaths.
A big hand came to rest on her lower back and Doodle pressed against her leg and whined, a high-pitched and plaintive sound for such a giant dog. “Are you sick?” Jas asked quietly. “What happened?”
The words spilled out of her, words she’d never confessed to anyone. “When I was young, my dad, he’d put a bunch of dishes on the counter for breakfast. If I completed everything I was supposed to—smiling, running, singing—I could choose one thing to eat. If I didn’t perform well, he’d take away one plate as punishment for each infraction.”
She expected him to be upset, but his “Holy shit” was violent, as was the embrace he pulled her into. “Katrina.” His chest rumbled under her ear. “I’m so sorry. That’s utterly abusive.”
She breathed in through her nose, out through her mouth. His scent was better than any other kind of air. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not. Let me go clean up the food. Or I’ll make you something. You’re always cooking, I wanted to give you a break—”
“I like cooking.” She pulled away. “Rhiannon’s on her way home.”
He blinked at the seeming change of subject. “Oh. Good.”
“I would like to go home, as well.”
“Why?”
“Because my dad is blackmailing me, and I realized I’d like to be around all the people I care for more than I’d like to run away.”
“Your dad is what?”
“It’s okay.” She patted his chest. The weak sunlight lit the porch, turning it into a golden cage. No, not a cage. She was here voluntarily, and she’d go home voluntarily.
She didn’t have a sword, but she could at least have her rage. The rage, and her own intellect. She smiled through her anger. “I think I have an idea on how to head this off.”
“What’s the idea?”
“I’m going to write a statement.”
He waited, then frowned. “That’s it?”
“Yes. I’ll beg for people to leave me alone. Appeal to everyone’s sense of goodness.”
Jas steepled his fingers under his nose and looked down at her from his greater height. “Your plan is to appeal to the goodness of . . . the internet.”
She managed a wobbly smile. Cynics, she was surrounded by them. She wasn’t a cynic, though. She couldn’t afford to be. She had to believe there was good in the world, and so she’d appeal to that good first. “Yes. It’s one thing for Jia to do a video telling the world that this isn’t a fun love story, it’s a damaging privacy infringement. It’ll make more impact coming from CuteCafeGirl.”
“Okay. Kind of see your reasoning. I don’t think a statement could hurt you. How will this get your dad off your back though?”
“If people stop caring about who I am, there’s no story. If there’s no story, there’s nothing for my dad to blackmail me with.”
He did not look convinced. “I don’t know. That sounds like a stretch.”
I’ll also crush him for good measure.
That part, she wouldn’t share with Jas, not yet.
The rage flared again. The crushing? No white knight needed this time. That was going to be all her. “It’ll work.”
NOT FOR THE first time, Jas wondered if that woman with the camera had known, when she’d taken those photos and spun an elaborate story, that she’d be revealing Katrina’s underbelly to the world. Had it even occurred to her that that would be a possibility? Or had she blithely only been concerned with entertaining her followers with a romance casting real people?
He puffed out his cheeks. “If you say so.”
“I do.” She moved closer to him. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
Her grimace was deep. “For making everything about me again.”
He snorted. “Last night, everything was about me.”
“So we’re trading?”
Trading sounded good. It sounded awfully close to sharing. He wrapped his arms around her.
She rested her head on his chest. Around the corner, the hay bales were still piled high. “I’ll be sad to leave this place. Us being alone together.”
“You hate me being around you when you’re working.”
“It’s because you make noises.” She pressed a kiss on his chin to soften the blow.
“How much time will you need to pack?”
“Not long, but I have to write my statement, talk to my lawyer, put some things into motion on the publicity side.”
Another few hours with her, alone? Yes. “Right. Let’s do it.”
“Actually, never mind. You’d have to drive late into the night if we did that.” She worried her fingers. “Times like this, I wish I felt confident enough to drive. But . . .”
But she didn’t want to risk a panic attack at the wheel, and neither did he. “I’ll drive you all night. Don’t worry.”
If anything, that brought more worry to her expression. “Are you only saying that—”
“Katrina.” He shook his head, trying not to let his exasperation creep through. “I am a grown man. Trust that when I say I’m fine with something, I’m fine with it.”
She nodded, and he bent down to kiss her nose. “Let’s clean up and we can take the leftover food to the big house and say goodbye.”
“Don’t forget the hay.”
“I could never.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“GOD, I’M EXHAUSTED.” Rhiannon lay on her back, her sweatpants and hoodie travel-worn and stained. She’d rolled off her international flight two hours prior. Gerald had picked her up.
“You and me both, sister.” Jia slumped on the couch, her head resti
ng in her hand. In deference to Jas’s presence in the room, she wore a simple scarf over her hair.
Katrina shifted from her position on the other side of the couch and stroked Zeus, who was curled up into a tight ball in her lap. Doodle had easily gone off with Gerald to explore her new home, but Zeus had been clingy since they’d gotten home. Understandable. Anyone who said cats didn’t feel affection for their owners had never had a sweet little cat like Zeus.
She glanced at Jas. He should have been the most tired, having stayed up late to drive them down, but no one would have known it after his quick shower and change of clothes. His shirt collar was crisp, his eyes alert but unreadable. He leaned against the wall next to the door, his sharp gaze on the television. The energy in the room was expectant and tense.
“Does anyone want any breakfast? Coffee?” Katrina asked. It was early still, barely eight.
Rhiannon yawned. “Nah. You said she’ll be on soon, right?”
“Yes.” This had been the only time slot Good Morning Live had been willing to give, but it was a good one. Late enough to catch the parents whose kids had headed off to school, early enough so people might see it before they left for work. Media spurred media, too, so she was sure clips of this would shortly be aired by other outlets and on social media.
She drummed her fingers on her knee until Zeus batted at them. She was nervous about this part of her plan, more so than the errand she had to run after this.
One thing at a time.
Jia stirred. “I think this was a smart move. I’m sure whatever statement you gave to Mona was wonderful and from the heart.”
Jia’s confidence soothed Katrina’s doubts and second-guessing. “I hope so.”
“Smart, picking Mona to read your statement,” Rhiannon remarked. “She’s far removed from you, and clearly trustworthy, or she would have given you up long ago.”
Katrina nodded, feeling a rush of affection for the older café owner. It was true—Mona could have revealed a lot about Katrina, and she’d kept mum. So had the other owners of the mom-and-pops Katrina frequented in the area. She had multiple little teams in her corner.
Jia straightened. “Unmute. It’s on.”
