Playing in SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 9) Read Online Free

know who she was, but now I’m sure it was
her.”
    “Oh yeah. She knows
martial arts, so she jumped in to help.”
    “Again, because she
wants you.”
    “Where were you when
it was all going down, huh Mish?” I ask, effectively shutting her
up, because we both know she wasn’t trying to help Jeanne, that’s
for sure.
    I’ve had enough, and
I walk away from them all, but Jesse catches up to me. “I’m glad
you finally made it happen.”
    “What did I make
happen?” I ask, genuinely confused.
    “You and Audrey. You
liked her back in high school, I know you did. You just let yourself
get too scared to do anything about it.”
    “I didn’t think
anyone knew that.”
    “I’m not your best
friend for nothing. Just don’t fuck it up this time. We all have
blame to share for how we treated her, but you were the worst.”
    “Um, wow. Best Friend
of the Year talk going on.”
    “You know what I
mean. The prom stunt devastated her. She didn’t deserve that.”
    “No, she didn’t.
Trust me, I’m going to do everything I can to prove to her that
I’ve changed. I don’t care what anyone else except Jeanne thinks,
and she loves her.”
    “Of course she does.
Audrey is the perfect example of what she can be—totally hot while
not pretending to be anything she’s not.”
    Well, Audrey is
pretending, but not in the way he thinks. She definitely doesn’t
hide her brains, and she does work for Reina Corrigan. Just not in
the way she presented it to Misha. I have no doubt she meant what she
said about her never getting a job, though. Even from the little time
I spent with her, I can tell that Reina is loyal to the women who
work for, and with, her. I don’t want to be on her bad side, that’s
for sure. I tell Jesse I’ll see him soon, and head over to where I
see Audrey sitting with her friends.
    * * *
    Audrey
    I sense Blake walk up
behind me, even before the guys at my table go wide-eyed. I don’t
like this connection we’re developing. Or, rather, I do, and that’s
the problem. Some sweet words can’t take away all the pain I’ve
felt for the past 20 years.
    “Hi guys, do you mind
if I join you? I’m Blake, by the way.”
    “We know who you
are,” Jimmy tells him with a scowl. “And we remember what you did
to Audrey.”
    “So that’s a ‘no’
then? I guess I’ll just stand.”
    He places his hands on
my shoulders in a proprietary way, and I have to force myself not to
lean back into him. If I thought the guys’ eyes were already wide,
it’s nothing compared to now, as he strokes my shoulders like it’s
nothing new. Jimmy’s eyes meet mine, and he looks like he’s about
to go nuclear on Blake’s ass. Or at least send a nuclear bomb his
way.
    “Blake, why don’t
you go back and sit with your friends?” I ask, trying to avoid a
disaster.
    “I’d rather sit
with yours.”
    “You never did
anything but laugh at us in high school, and now you want to sit with
us? And you’re acting like you’re into Audrey again. This is just
too fucked up.”
    “I’m truly sorry
for how I treated all of you. I was young and stupid. That’s no
excuse, but it’s all I’ve got. As for Audrey, I’m not
pretending. I want her, and thankfully, she’s agreed to give me a
chance to prove that I’ve changed.”
    “Seriously, Aud?”
    “Yes. We’re
together. I believe he’s not the asshole he was in high school. He
might be a different kind of asshole now, but I’m willing to give
him a chance to prove himself.”
    “He destroyed you.”
    “Almost. He almost destroyed me. You guys helped me stay together, and I’ll
be forever grateful for that. You know how much you mean to me. I
need you to trust me on this.”
    “We’ve always got
you back. You know that. I just don’t want to have to pick up the
pieces again.”
    “I’m not that girl
anymore.”
    “Yes you are. You
just hide it better.” Jimmy looks up at Blake, “The men you see
at this table are some of the most powerful in the