“Okay, well, I thought it only fair to warn you that your story is all over town, and we sold out of papers. It was also picked up by the Associated Press, and it ran in the Vegas papers this morning.”
“Oh my lord!” Cathy said.
“That’s not all. Junior Cooper uploaded the video to social media on your behalf. It went viral last night and is something of a sensation this morning.”
“Uh, wait! What? You mean the whole thing…what you wrote and the video?”
Mavis chuckled. “Yes. The whole shebang, honey. If there’s justice in this world, your ex might just be persuaded to back the hell off now.”
“Oh my gosh, Mavis! Uh, I don’t know what to say except thank you.”
Mavis laughed. “Well, there’s no way to tell how this will play out, but we’ve definitely put him on the hot seat. And you’re welcome.”
Cathy hung up, then looked up at Duke.
“That was Mavis Webb. The story she wrote was good for business. They sold out of newspapers this morning. And the story was picked up by the AP and ran in the Vegas papers this morning.”
Duke grinned. “That is awesome.”
“That’s not all,” Cathy said. “Last night, Junior Cooper uploaded the video of our little altercation in the parking lot at the Crown. Mavis said it went viral. I’d bet good money you become the hero of the moment because of it.”
The smile slid off Duke’s face. “Uh, well, I’m not sure all that is necessary,” he said.
Cathy burst into laughter, and was still laughing when Jack and Hope walked in.
“What’s so funny?” Jack asked, and then looked at his brother and started grinning. “What did you do, Duke?”
Duke frowned. “Why does it have to be something I did?”
Hope hugged him. “Because, darling…you are so good at putting your foot in it.”
Cathy shook her head. “No, no, it’s nothing like that. Long story short…the video of what happened yesterday was uploaded to social media, and it went viral last night. I just told Duke there was every possibility that he was going to be the darling of the internet for some time. I think it just startled him. And I’m sorry for laughing at you, sweetheart.”
Duke grinned wryly. “Hey…if I have to spread myself around a little to satisfy my fans, I guess I can pull it together enough to participate.”
They were still laughing when he took the last of the pancakes off the griddle, but the conversation soon changed to the food and the day, and they all forgot about what was going on beyond their walls.
Chapter 16
Unfortunately, Blaine’s day of hell was just beginning. He was at breakfast when his phone signaled a text. He glanced at it and noticed it was from one of his casino managers. Thinking there must be a problem at the casino, he pulled it up, then frowned.
The message was vague, but the manager had sent a link.
Boss. You need to see this ASAP.
So Blaine clicked on the link, then quickly realized it was the confrontation between Cathy and Gage Brewer. But the shocker came when he plainly heard her say his name, and that he had threatened to kill her. His heart stopped. When she asked Brewer if he was the hitman her husband sent to take her out, he groaned.
And then his maid brought in the morning newspapers and the first one he opened had a story on the front page with a still picture of the confrontation, and his name and his ex-wife’s name front and center.
“What the fresh hell is this?” he shrieked, and grabbed his phone and called his lawyer. The call went straight to voicemail, which infuriated him, so he called him again, and again, and again, until the call was finally answered.
“Hello.”
Blaine frowned. The terse tone of his lawyer’s voice did not sit well with him.
“Why the hell didn’t you pick up? I need you.”
“I was making love to my wife, and she takes precedence over everything, including you. Now what do you want?”
Blaine wanted to argue, but something told him this was not the time to denigrate a woman, especially when one had just thrown him into his own personal pit of hell.
“I’m sorry. But I have a thing happening that needs to be stopped.”
“I already sent a lawyer to get your PI bonded out today,” he said.
“It’s not that. The whole thing is all over the morning papers, and the video is on social media. Her words, saying I threatened her life. Her