Ruby Red 3 - A Romance for All Time (Complete)

Chapter 33

Ali wasn't sure she heard the other woman correctly.

"Jack, my..." she almost said her Jack but caught herself in time, "ex-husband paid you to sabotage me?"

When this gossip monger who lived off the worst days of people's lives had shown up Ali hadn't wanted to let her in never mind talk to Penelope. But she came with Leif, one of the most upstanding people she'd ever met. Leif was kind and conscientious. Being his friend held weight with Ali. Still, she never expected the name of her ex-husband to roll off his friend's treacherous lips.

"Yes," admitted Penelope. "Twice."

"What? Twice?" squeaked Sam. Ali squeezed his hand. She knew what he was feeling, the dread pooling in her stomach as well. New York was their safe space. A Jack-free zone. He had no connection to the city. He was on the other side of the country, part of another life.

"Yes," Penelope regarded Sam. The woman had yet to make direct eye contact with Ali, outside of a few furtive glances. She kept pulling on her skirt like she could cover up her deeds with the thin material. Ali suspected no amount of fabric would conceal the errors of her ways if Jack were involved.

"Go on, Penny," mewed Leif. The normally confident and boisterous man was so tender and conciliatory. Making it blatantly obvious he cared deeply for the woman. A part of Ali wondered if the feeling was mutual. The angst rolling off Penelope blocked Ali from reading any other emotions.

"Yes, Penny," Ali used Leif's name for her. "Go on."

"The... the first time was when I... how did you put it... accosted you on the street before Jack's interview on TV came out. He... paid me to ambush you." More skirt pulling. "Told me where to find you and what to ask."

"How?" asked Sam. "How did he even know where she was?"

Ali suspected she knew the answer, but Penelope confirmed it. "I asked him the same thing." The other woman locked eyes with Ali as if asking for permission to spill her secret. Ali gave her a slight nod. "He has people following her. Her every move."

Beside her, Sam swore. Ali wished she could be shocked enough to be so emotional. But this was Jack. No one knew better than her the lengths Jack would go to once his pride was hurt. The deal she'd made last year should have been enough to get him to leave her alone. It seemed it wasn't.

"And the second time?" Ali held Penelope's gaze.

The brunette's hands settled in her lap. The calm of a cleared conscious settled in, giving the reporter a sense of confidence. She didn't avert her eyes. "This morning."

"I don't...," Sam's voice trailed off.

Ali braced herself for the worst, trying not to squeeze Sam's hand in hers. Could this be about what happened in the coffee shop? Moments ago, she'd begun to tell Sam the story. After her hands had stopped shaking from the almost abduction by his stalker ex-girlfriend. That morning seemed weeks ago.

"He paid me to take photos of you and Noah. To catch you in the act."

Ali felt a wave of nausea. This was what it was all about, why Noah was acting so weird, why he'd attacked her like that. In a usual Jack-infused way, it all made sense now.

"Noah?" The confusion in Sam's voice prickled across Ali's skin.

This was not how she wanted to break the news of the altercation with Noah. Sam deserved the privacy of hearing the story from her, where she could take the time to help him understand. Like so much else, that privilege once again robbed from them.

Bottle-green eyes searched hers as she gave her fiancée the cold highlights. "I bumped into Noah this morning at the café by the shelter. He said he wanted to apologize for," Ali glanced at the reporter, then back at Sam, "what happened at the gallery."

Sam's grip tightened. Ali's heart hurt at the images Sam must be reliving, the site of Noah with his arms around her, the attempted kiss that drove them apart months ago.

"We had drinks and talked for a bit. I spilt some coffee on my skirt," Ali pointed to the faint stain on the fabric of her outfit," and when I came out of the bathroom, he..." She really didn't want to tell him this part. Not in front of this gossip hag. But Sam needed to know. "Well, he tried to kiss me again."

Ali wasn't sure how she expected Sam to react, but calm silence was the last on her list of possibilities. "Sam? I pushed him away."

"Why would Noah do that?" His voice controlled, flat.

"Because Jack paid Noah as well," piped up Penny. "To make it look like Ali was being unfaithful. To paint her..." Here the woman's voice faltered.

Ali picked up the tale, "as a cheating whore."

Sam exploded beside Ali, jumping to his feet. "The bastard. Bastards. They're not getting away with this." He headed toward the door.

Leif shot up after him, blocking his way, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sam. Calm down. You can't go off half cocked. You'll make it worse." The man's voice was calm, cool. Ever the peacemaker politician negotiating a deal between hostile parties. "We need to act rationally."

"I don't wanna be rational," spit Sam. "I want to hit someone."

"Join the club," called out Ali.

That stopped Sam. His shoulders slumped and turned towards her. The expression of sadness on his face made her heart ache. Closing the distance between them, Sam fell to his knees before her. "My love, I'm sorry."

Ali ran her thumb over the crease in his forehead, wishing she could stop being the reason the worry line kept appearing. Sam certainly got more than he bargained for when he signed up for a life with her. For a fleeting moment she wondered if she should leave him, let him live a normal life.

As if reading her mind, Sam whispered "no", before taking her hands in his. Moss green irises swam with worry. No indeed. She knew he loved her almost as much as she loved him. They would get through this and whatever else life had to throw in their path together. They were always stronger together. Bringing his hands to her lips, she let him know she wasn't going anywhere.

"What stopped you?" Ali asked Penelope.

"I... I was there." Ali knew what the woman meant. "I saw what... Noah did to you. It was wrong."

"But you didn't stop it," growled Sam.

Penelope hung her head, a weak no escaping her lips. Then she met Ali's eyes again. "I didn't know he'd take it that far. The plan was to get her to his gallery, make it look like she was cheating. I'd capture a few pictures of her entering the place, he'd put his... arm around her. It stunned me when he- "

Ali raised an eyebrow at the woman, mutely asking her not to provide details in front of Sam. The message received and accepted as Penny modified her statement, "made a move. By the time I'd put down my camera, Ali had things handled."

The two women exchanged a silent conversation, acknowledging the situation and how they needed to support each other moving forward.

Leif positioned himself behind Penelope, like a pillar of strength. Penelope sat up straighter, as if taking solace from his nearness.

"Sam, she's telling the truth now. Give her credit for it." Leif cut in. "She didn't give the pictures to Jack."

Ali watched Sam close his eyes, trying to regain his composure.

"I have the SD card here." Penelope pushed a small plastic square across the table. "I told Jack I didn't get the shot."

Both Sam and Ali reached for it. Ali got to it first, dropped the item on the wooden floor and stomped on it with the heel of her stiletto, crushing it. These new shoes were turning out to be quite handy. She gave the square a few more good stabs before bending down and picking up the cracked object. Snapping it in half, Ali tossed it back on the table. There was no way Sam would ever see those images.

Sam dragged himself over to sit beside her on the couch, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "So, what do we do now?"

Penny took the words out of Ali's mouth. "We beat Jack at his own game. Whatever it takes."