Chapter 32

Arsen

ELITE GROUP CHAT

*Prism adds Arsen to chat*

Kruger: OMG! It’s bad enough I have to look at the guy at the breakfast table, and now he’s in our chat.

Ryan: He’s elite now.

Kruger: He was walking around showing his pierced nipples to my wife this morning. *cursing emoji*

Arsen: I was walking to the bathroom. *eye roll emoji*

Prism: *heart eye emoji*

Kruger: P! Tell your man to put his nips away.

Jamie: You might as well not have a wedding. You call her your wife anyway. It’s like it doesn’t mean anything.

Win: Was he wearing pants?

Prism: *shorts emoji*

Wes: We walk around in Speedos all the time, Kruger. What’s the big deal?

Jess: I didn’t even see him.

Kruger: You could have!

Max: Welcome to the chat, Arsen. You’ll never know peace again.

Rush: I was starting to wonder if anyone would ever add him.

Rory: They’ve only been dating a few weeks!

Prism: *bashful emoji*

Max: More peace than I got.

Jamie: We were busy with championships, bro.

Ryan: Where we cleaned house!

Lars: *trophy emoji* x3

Madison: *celebration emoji*

Landry: Summer is loading…

Rush: You’re all welcome in Cali. *surfboard emoji*

Jess: Movie night tonight?

Rory: Oooh yes!

Prism: *popcorn emoji*

Jamie: What kind of movie?

Ryan: Are you scared, bro?

Madison: I’ll bring cupcakes.

Jamie: I’ll be there.

Jess: I’m thinking a scary alien movie. Arsen likes sci-fi.

Prism: *alien emoji*

Jamie: Mads, your cupcakes better have extra icing.

Wes: *laughing emoji*

Landry: I’ll bring a big platter of subs.

Win: I’ll make Lars one here.

Lars: I can make my own sandwich.

Win: I won’t have it.

Arsen: Whose place?

Max: Yours.

Kruger: You mean mine!

Prism: Same difference.

Jess: Arsen gets done at the radio station around 8, so let’s meet around then.

Kruger: How do you know his schedule?

Jess: He’s my brother.

Kruger: Prism is your brother.

Jess: Well, now Arsen is too.

Arsen: *yellow heart emoji*

Kruger: You better wear a shirt tonight, Arsen.

When Matthew toldme his friends were ridiculous all the time, I had no idea how true that was. The running banter, commentary, and shit-talking seemed to have no end. It was entertaining as hell.

I’d hung out with them plenty in the three weeks since I’d started dating Matthew, but this would be the first movie night for me, and I had a feeling it would be extra entertaining. Apparently, Jamie was a screamer.

Since I had a few before having to be at the radio station, I swung by a store just off campus to grab popcorn and some snacks. I knew they were already bringing food, but Matthew sent a popcorn emoji, and I was going to make sure there was some.

It took a few to find a nut-free brand, but I managed and grabbed three bags. Then I remembered Jamie ate like a goat and grabbed another. I also grabbed a few other snacks I knew Matthew favored and an energy drink for me for work.

As I was loading the bags in the back of the wagon, my cell rang. I pulled it from the pocket of my black and white Adidas track pants, noting my father’s name flashing across the screen.

I hadn’t talked to him much in the last week or so because, it being election season, Dad was going hard on the campaign trail. It was usually something he dragged me around for, but this year, he was blissfully undemanding about my time.

I wasn’t sure if he was trying to respect the fact that I had a boyfriend now and my own life or if he was feeling guilty for his rival directing his ire at me. Maybe it was both.

“Hey, Dad,” I said, accepting the call as I walked around to the driver’s seat of the Mercedes.

“Son, did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No. I’m on my way to the radio station.”

“Do you have your hands-free driving on?” he asked as I was hitting the speakerphone button and slipping my phone into the cup holder.

“Of course I do,” I said.

“Good man.”

“How’s the campaign going?”

His answer was pragmatic. “I’m doing well in the polls.”

“I saw.”

“You’ve looked?” He seemed surprised.

“Am I even a politician’s son if I don’t look at the polls?” I teased.

“Funny,” he deadpanned.

I chuckled. “But seriously, how are things? I haven’t just looked at the polls. I’ve been keeping an eye on the headlines. I haven’t seen anything about anything.”

Anything about anything = no smear campaigns.

Well, I mean, I guess there were some smear campaigns.

Are you even a politician if someone doesn’t badmouth you in the press?

What I really meant was no one was claiming he had to buy his son out of two recent arrests for drug charges.

He cleared his throat. “That’s why I’m calling.”

I sobered up, hands tightening on the steering wheel. I waited none too patiently for him to continue.

When he did, he said, “How is your boyfriend? Still together I presume?”

“Why are you asking me about Matthew?” I demanded. “Did something happen? What’s wrong?”

“Everything is fine. I didn’t mean to alarm you.”

“Then next time, don’t lead with questions about him,” I snapped.

“I guess you really are in love.”

“I told you I was.”

“We still haven’t met him. Your mother is beside herself.”

I snorted. “Please, she probably internet-stalked him so hard she has more photos of him than I do.”

“He swam very well in the championships last week.”

I barked a laugh.

“We would have attended but didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.”

A lump formed in my throat. It actually meant a lot that my parents were so willing to come there and support him. It also meant a lot that they stayed away to respect the boundaries I’d set. “I appreciate that, Dad, but I don’t think he’s ready.”

“Well, until he is, your mother will just continue internet-stalking him.”

“That’s not creepy or anything,” I mused. In truth, I thought it was nice she was interested in getting to know him even through the very little he posted on social media.

I’d have to ask him later if he’d be okay with me texting her a selfie of us.

“I met with McClaren.”

The engine revved a little when my foot pressed harder on the gas. Just the mention of the man’s name made my blood pressure skyrocket.

“When?”

“A few days ago. I just haven’t had time to call, and I didn’t want to just make a quickie phone call. I wanted to give you my full attention.”

“What happened?”

“It was him.”

“He admitted it?” I exclaimed. Just like that?

I turned into the station parking lot and drove to the back where the employees parked, taking my usual spot beneath a tree. I left the wagon running and glanced at the clock, noting I had ten minutes until I needed to go inside.

“He didn’t have much choice.” Dad confirmed. “He couldn’t deny the proof.”

“You found proof?”

“After you left the police station that night, I overheard one of the arresting officers on a private call.”

“You overheard, huh?”

“Well, perhaps I followed him to the back and hid around the corner,” Dad explained.

I grinned, imagining my father, the senator, creeping around the police station to eavesdrop on police officers.

“He was quite upset on the phone. Going on about how he didn’t know his son was in the car. How if he knew he had a son, he wouldn’t have planted the drugs while Matthew was with you. He would have waited until you were alone.”

I growled under my breath. I knew that cop had set me up.

“I couldn’t hear what the man on the other end of the line was saying, of course, but it was obvious he wasn’t happy. The officer seemed very nervous and was very apologetic to the senator.”

I’d say I was surprised by McClaren’s stupidity, but I wasn’t.

“When he ended the call, I stepped from around the corner, and the cop pretty much confessed to planting the drugs in your car with the intent of getting you arrested for possession. He was paid by Senator McClaren to do so. He realized he’d made a mistake after the arrest when Niles revealed Prism’s paternity. Alarmed, he called the senator to let him know that he’d accidentally framed his son along with mine.”

“What a shitshow.”

“Indeed.” Dad agreed. “The officer was worried about his job.”

“You mean the one he doesn’t deserve?”

“Yes, that one. So I made him a deal. I would keep silent about his part in the setup if he provided me with a record of the brief text exchange he had with McClaren, a bank statement showing the payment he’d collected for being dirty, and a screenshot of the call history on his phone, which showed direct calls to McClaren’s personal line.”

“He agreed?” I asked.

“It was that or go to jail.” Dad’s voice was hard, every inch of the powerful senator he was.

“So he gave it to you,” I surmised. “And what, he just gets to go back to terrorizing the people of Westbrook?”

“He was transferred this morning.”

It really wasn’t good enough, but in the grand scheme of things, he was a small fry compared to McClaren.

“And?” I pressed.

“And I hired a PI to dig around and find out if McClaren was also the one who’d planted those drugs at the party you were DJ-ing.”

“Did he?”

“It appears so. He paid someone to slip inside and plant the drugs. They were supposed to plant them with your equipment, but somehow they ended up in the closet. I’m not clear on how or why that happened. Anyway, later, an anonymous tip was called in about drug distribution at the party, which prompted a raid,” he explained.

“And we just happened to be in the closet with the drugs.”

“Next time, stay out of closets,” Dad suggested.

I thought of Matthew and his aversion to them. So much so that he didn’t even hang his clothes in the one in his bedroom. He insisted on having everything shoved into a dresser.

“Pretty sure it’s safe to say I will.”

Dad went on. “When I met with McClaren, I showed him all the proof I’d collected. I let him know in no uncertain terms that if he wanted to have a go at me in the press, I was prepared to do the same.”

I wasn’t na?ve. I knew that meant more than just waving his receipts for the world to see. “You blackmailed him,” I deadpanned.

“Arsen—”

“Don’t Arsen me,” I spat, my back leaving the seat as I straightened. “I told you Matthew is not a pawn.”

“I realize that.”

“But that didn’t stop you from threatening McClaren with revealing his secret son he’s ashamed of and how he abused him.” My chest heaved. I was pissed and wanted to punch something. Preferably McClaren’s face.

“I did use that threat,” my dad admitted.

I made an angry sound.

“But, son, it would never come to that. Even if it did, Matthew would be the victim. No one would look at him with any sort of animosity.”

“But there would be pity. And an invasion of privacy. Making him relive old trauma. Connecting him with a scumbag piece of shi?—”

“Arsen!” Dad snapped. “It wouldn’t have happened. Yes, I showed my hand to McClaren. It was the only way to get him to back off. I understand you wanting to protect your boyfriend, but I needed to protect my son.”

“I don’t care about me.”

“And what would it do to him if you were continually set up and eventually caught in the press by something his father framed you for?”

I fell silent. He was right. Seeing me dragged and knowing it was because of his biologic would hurt Matthew in a way he didn’t deserve.

“I had to protect you. And by doing that, I protected him,” Dad said, voice gentling. “I understand my methods were not above board, but it had to be done. I never would have gone to the press as I threatened. I just needed him to think I would.”

I stayed silent, my heart thundering in my chest as I digested all of this.

“Son.”

“Did it work?” I finally asked.

“Yes.”

I blew out a breath.

Across the lot, Eli came out of the back door of the station. The second he saw my car, he threw up his hands in a what the hell are you doing gesture.

I grabbed up my phone, disconnecting it from Bluetooth and pressing it against my ear. “So it’s over, then?” I asked, shutting off the engine and reaching for my keys.

“For you and Matthew? Yes.”

“What does that mean?” I scrutinized, getting out of the wagon and slamming the door. I motioned to Eli that I was coming, and he shook his head and went back inside.

He could cue up my timeslot. We did it for each other all the time.

Dad sighed. I realized then how tired he sounded. I felt bad for giving him such a hard time but not bad enough to apologize for it. My father chose this path as a politician. He knew what it involved, and unfortunately, dealing with underhanded shit like this was not new.

But Matthew? He didn’t ask for any of this.

“McClaren was quite angry.”

I made a rude sound. “Yeah? Tell him to get in line.”

“I’ll deal with his anger. It’s not as if he’s ever been pleasant anyway. The important thing is that if he comes at me again, it will be direct and won’t involve you or your boyfriend.”

“I’m sorry you have to deal with him,” I said. “But I do appreciate you keeping Matthew out of this.” I cleared my throat. “And me too.”

“That’s a father’s job.”

“Tell that to McClaren.”

“Yes, well, some people shouldn’t procreate.”

“As much as I hate that man, it’s the one thing I’m glad he did.”

Dad laughed. “You really are in love.”

“I guess I am.”

Someone in the background called out, and my father lowered the phone and replied. “I’m sorry to cut this short, son, but I’m needed for a meeting.”

“Thanks for calling. For everything.”

“Call your mother,” he said.

I don’t know why he always told me to do that. I did it without reminders.

“I will.”

“Let me know when that boyfriend of yours is ready to have dinner. I’ll reschedule everything on my calendar.”

“Okay.”

After saying goodbye, I ended the call and shoved the cell into the pocket of my black Louis Vuitton bomber jacket. Look, a lot of people say LV is overdone these days, but that jacket looked good with my black-and-white track pants with the white logo printed all over the black fabric. Plus, the inside was all white and buttery soft. Perfect for Matthew to steal. And he would be stealing it. It had become a habit for him to take whatever I wore the day before to dress himself because it smelled like me.

Inside, Eli yelled for me, and I jogged into the booth.

“Thanks for starting it off for me, bro. I owe you one.”

“Yeah, you do,” he affirmed, and I got to work.