Outer Masks - Chapter 22: A Crumbling Castle

No matter how much he may have feared this outcome, Joseph Gabriel Goldberg never believed that he would ever truly find himself being arrested. 

“Turn,” The booking officer said from behind the camera. 

Joe, who had been facing the camera, turned his body so that the photo of his side profile could be taken. 

Once the picture was taken, Joe was led to a holding cell, which was smaller than he expected it to be, but was also just as unimpressive as he expected. He looked over the concrete floors and walls, tried to ignore the quiet hum of fluorescent lights overhead, and told himself there was nothing about this place that should intimidate him. 

Joe sat on the narrow bench, his elbows resting on his knees, looking down at his ink-stained fingers, and ignoring the seven others locked up with him. 

This is just a temporary setback, I’ve already called Ethan, now I just need to wait for my arraignment. Peach may think that she’s won, but I won’t go down that easily, Beck, I won’t let her stand in between us again. Joe thought. 

Joe exhaled slowly through his nose, tilting his head back against the wall. He felt like a caged animal, and he hated how this cell reminded him of his years with Ivan Mooney. 

He had not thought about his adoptive father in the year since the man had his stroke and was placed on life support. Joe could not even remember the last time he visited the hospital, too caught up in his breakup with Candace and his relationship with Beck. 

The sound of keys rattling outside the cell pulled him from his thoughts. 

“Goldberg,” An officer called out, unlocking the cell door. 

Joe looked up slowly, staring blankly at the officer. 

“On your feet, there are some questions we want to ask you,” The officer said, waiting for Joe to leave the cell before handcuffing him and leading him out of the room. 

Joe kept his expression neutral as his eyes darted around, taking in every detail of the precinct. 

The officer guided him down a narrow hallway, the harsh overhead lights buzzing faintly as they passed beneath them. The precinct smelled faintly of stale coffee and disinfectant, a scent that clung to the back of Joe’s throat. 

They soon stopped in front of a small interrogation room. The officer opened the door and gestured for Joe to step inside. The room was exactly what he expected, having a metal table, two chairs, and a camera mounted high in the corner. 

Joe sat down, folding his hands neatly on the table as the officer removed his cuffs. 

“Someone will be in shortly,” The officer said before stepping out, the door clicking shut behind him. 

Joe glanced at the camera a few times as he waited, wondering if he was being watched in real time or not. Eventually, Joe leaned back slightly in his chair, letting his shoulders relax as he knew that letting his nerves get the better of him would just make him appear guiltier. 

A few minutes passed before another officer stepped inside, an older, sharp-eyed man who looked as if he had seen everything terrible in life. He carried a thin folder in one hand, setting it down on the table as he took the seat across from Joe. 

“Joseph Goldberg?” He said casually. 

Joe offered a small, polite smile. “That’s me.” 

The other man did not return it. “Do you know why you’re here?” 

Joe let out a quiet breath, purposely hesitating for a moment. “I do not, Mr...” 

The officer did not provide his name, instead flipping open the folder that he had brought with him. 

Joe’s gaze flickered down, catching glimpses of printed screenshots, timestamps, and grainy stills from security footage. 

Joe’s stomach tightened, but his expression did not shift, not wanting the man sitting across from him to see even the smallest hint of the shock he was feeling. 

The officer watched him for a long moment, waiting for Joe’s façade to crack. When nothing happened, he tapped a finger against one of the photos. 

“You broke into a secured building,” The officer continued. “Accessed private surveillance systems, stole footage, and distributed it online using a device that traces back to you. Do you have anything to say about this?” 

“I want a lawyer,” Joe said evenly. 

The officer did not react right away, leaning back in his chair, and studying Joe like he was trying to peel apart his inner thought layer by layer. 

“Staying quiet isn’t going to make this all go away. You could make this easier for everyone if you just admit what we both already know you did.” 

Joe said nothing, looking down at the table as he ignored the officer’s statement. 

The silence stretched for some time, the two men locked in a quiet standoff, each waiting for the other to give in. 

The officer finally exhaled through his nose, leaning forward slightly, his forearms resting on the table. “You aren’t as smart-” 

Joe tilted his head. “I asked for a lawyer.” 

“And you’ll get one,” The officer said easily, standing up, grabbing the folder, and walking to the door. “Your arraignment has been scheduled for tomorrow morning.” 

The officer paused with his hand on the door, glancing back at Joe one last time before walking out of the room  

Joe let out a quiet breath through his nose, his jaw tightening once he was alone, irritation curling in his guts. He tapped his fingers against the table as he thought over the entire interaction he had with the officer. 

I was sloppy, what is wrong with me today? It's like I’ve just lost the ability to... No, this has been a long time coming, I shouldn’t have allowed myself to be blinded by righteous anger. Joe thought, lamenting that he did not do a better job covering his tracks. 

He had gotten too comfortable, to the point that he allowed Peach Salinger to outsmart him. 

What is this trial going to look like? With the wealth and connections that Peach’s family has, this could be the fastest trial the city has ever seen, and I could be sentenced to years in prison. 

The idea of being locked away in a place worse than the building he was currently in, made Joe’s stomach turn, followed by a cold, unfamiliar dread creeping up his spine. 

But most importantly, Joe feared what Beck’s reaction would be once she found out the truth. He was sure that Peach was reveling in telling Beck every sordid detail, exaggerating it all for the purpose of turning Beck against him, and satisfied that her warped perception of him had been proven right. 

Will you truly believe whatever picture Peach paints of me, Beck? God, will you look at me and only see a monster if I am ever able to grace your captivating presence again? Will you even wish to see me again? 

As his thoughts continued to spiral, it felt as if his heart was breaking. The pain felt worse than when Candace broke up with him, and as he thought about his ex-girlfriend, Joe could not help but think that soon Beck would be looking at him the same way Candace did in her final moments. 

No, no, that won’t happen. You’re nothing like Candace, Beck, you’re not a lying, cold hearted, manipulative bitch. I just need to talk to you, because I know that once you hear me, really hear me, you’ll understand that I did all of this for you, for our relationship. 

As Joe tried to reassure himself about Beck, a small part of him doubted that Beck would believe in him over her best friend. 

~X~

“Huh, you know that was not what I was expecting you to tell me when you walked through my door,” Max said as he stared at Rory. 

“You don’t look all that shocked,” Rory muttered, leaning back further into the couch. 

Max crossed his arms, staring off to the side. “No offense, Roro, but I’ve always seen your brother as a fucking weirdo, I just didn’t think he would be this level of unhinged.” 

Rory’s head snapped toward him. “Max-” 

“What?” Max shot back, uncrossing his arms as he turned to face her fully. “You want me to lie to you? Pretend like I don’t think this is coming out of nowhere?” 

“Yes! Fuck, I don’t know!” Rory snapped, pushing herself upright. “But this is coming out of nowhere for me!” 

For Rory, there had been nothing about her older brother that indicated he could ever do something like this. Joe had always been the one person whose intentions she never had to question, who she thought that she knew best out of everyone close to her. 

Now she was expected to accept the fact that Joe was not the man she had spent decades believing him to be, and to essentially throw away their relationship. 

Max ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, fine. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you, but you just said that your parents thinks that Joe may have killed his ex. You don’t think that sounds like something is seriously wrong with him? So, I can’t act like I’m not glad he’s locked up right now.” 

Rory flinched slightly, her jaw tightening as she looked away from him. “I know how it sounds, you think I don’t? I’ve been going over it in my head since my parents told me, trying to find some way, anyway, to make sense of it all. I… I can accept that he… that he outed Peach and that he most likely did it because he viewed her as a threat to his relationship with Beck and because he didn’t like how close we were getting. But the idea of him hurting someone like that, of him killing someone, it just… it doesn’t fit, not with the person I know.” 

Her voice cracked on the last word, and Rory quickly looked away, blinking hard as she tried to keep herself together. 

Max watched her for a moment; his expression softened despite himself. He knew how much Rory loved and looked up to her brother and could see how deeply this revelation was affecting her. 

“Look, I’m not saying you have to flip a switch and suddenly hate him. That’s not how this works, he’s your brother, of course you’re going to want to believe the best in him. And if Joe really did kill this Candace girl, then he’ll be proven innocent if he ends up being accused. But you also shouldn’t ignore everything else.” Max said carefully. 

“I’m not,” Rory muttered. 

It felt as if she had been running around in circles these last couple of days, unable to make sense of the emotions that were clashing within her. Talking to her parents, Peach, and even Max did not help; if anything, it only made everything feel louder, messier, and more impossible to understand. 

Rory pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, exhaling shakily. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” 

Max did not know what to do either, instead placing his arm around Rory’s shoulder, and pulling her body against his own. 

This is a fucking shitshow. Max thought, resting his chin against the top of her head. 

Rory did not pull away, letting the silence between them stretch; her thoughts racing in circles that all led back to the same place. 

“I keep thinking…” Rory started, her voice quiet and uneven. “If I just talk to him, like really talk to him, he’ll explain it. That there’s something I’m missing, something that makes all of this make sense.” 

Max took a moment to respond right away and when he did, his voice was carefully composed. “And what if there isn’t? What if this is who he actually is?” 

This time, Rory could not stop herself from crying, the weight of everything finally crashing down on her all at once. Her shoulders shook as she folded in on herself, one hand coming up to cover her mouth as she tried to contain her whimpers. 

Max tightened his arm around her immediately, pulling her closer without hesitation. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” 

Rory shook her head against him. “No, it's not. if you, Peach, my parents were right and this is who he is, how did I just… didn’t see it? Is it my fault that h-he... that he’s l-like this? Was there something that I could have done to keep him from-” 

“Don’t fucking say that,” Max hissed angrily. “Don’t blame was yourself for his fucking shit, alright? You’re not responsible for any of that, people hide things, especially the worst parts of themselves, so there isn’t anything you should have known or done better.” 

Rory let out a broken laugh, pulling back just enough to look at him, her eyes red and glassy. “Max, that isn’t true. If you what things were like for us before we had ended up in foster-” 

“Shut up, I already know where you're going with this, and you should shut the fuck up because its goddamn bullshit,” Max said, quickly cutting Rory off. “I know you and Joe had a fucked up childhood, and who knows what could have happened to him in the time you guys were separated, but that doesn’t excuse your brother becoming an asshole. You were a kid too, Roro; you went through a lot of the same shit he did, and you didn’t turn out like that. So don’t sit here and try to rewrite your whole life just to make sense of his.” 

Rory stared at him, her lips parting slightly, but she could not form any words in response. She still wanted to deny what Max said but knew that her friend would only dig in his heels and argue with her further. 

Max doesn’t get it; he’ll never be able to understand. When we were children, Joe always put me above himself, even when it was to his own detriment. And I could never do the same for him; I was too fucking scared to. Rory thought. 

Rory swallowed hard, her fingers curling into the fabric of Max’s shirt as her breathing slowly steadied, fighting against the itchy feeling in her throat. 

Rory’s phone soon started to ring, and the woman rushed to pull it out of her jeans pocket. She rolled her eyes and tossed her phone onto the other side of the couch when she was that it was a spam call. 

“Who were you hoping that would be?” Max asked quietly. 

Rory groaned. “I thought, I thought it would be Peach. I haven’t heard from her since I told her about Joe.” 

Max pursed his lips. “You think she’s avoiding you?” 

Rory huffed, rolling her eyes. “I hope she isn’t; I know that she and her dad have a lot to clear up with each other and then there’s the Joe of it, she could just be busy.” 

“Then have you tried reaching out to her?” 

“I texted her twice yesterday, but she ignored them.” 

“That sucks.” 

“Did you use up all of your inspiring optimism a few minutes ago, asshole?” 

Max grinned. “Sure did, trying to motivate your depressed ass is hard work. Had to pull out the big guns and everything and it still wasn’t enough.” 

Rory chuckled, playfully slapping Max’s chest. “Poor you.” 

“Exactly, I’m the victim here,” Max said, pointing his thumb at himself. 

In that moment, Rory felt just a bit lighter, able to ignore the pressing anxieties she had about Joe and Peach and convince herself that things could work themselves out. 

~X~

The Next Day 

If you had told Candace Stone that her ex-boyfriend would wind up in jail do to anything other than her direct intervention, she would have laughed in your face and told you that Joe Goldberg was far too slick for anyone else besides herself to be aware of his true nature, not without her bringing it all to light from the shadows. 

And yet, Candace now stood across the street from the courthouse, staring up at the building as people passed her by without a second glance. 

Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, nails digging into her sleeves as to ground herself in the moment, almost afraid that if she did not, then she would find herself in kind of tantalizing daydream. 

He's really in there, and his perfect fucking mask has finally slipped. Candace thought. 

For so long she had been forced to hide, fearing for her life once it had been made clear to her that no one else was going to help her, was going to believe her. 

She had dug her way through the earth only see just how little her life matter to the world. The police did not believe her, the few friends she had and her band mates barely blinked when she went missing, moving on quickly as they accepted her disappearance at face value. Her own family had not mourned, assuming that she had simply run off somewhere for one reason or another, never to be seen again, once they realized she was missing, like her brother had always dreamed of doing. 

It had been hard to vanish, but Candace was sure that if she had not and Joe had caught even the smallest hint that she had survived his attempt on her life, he would make sure that he would not fail again. 

Most people in her position would have gotten as far away as possible from their would-be murderer, but idea of allowing Joe to get away with what he did to her, made her blood boil. 

She had spent months watching him, looking for any crack in his façade, and it was the arrival of Guinevere Beck in Joe's life that Candace finally saw the opportunity to take her revenge. 

While she did not want Beck to suffer the way she did, she a deep annoyance in his heart whenever she looked at the other woman. 

Does Joe think about me whenever he's with her? Or has he already shoved me to the back of his mind? 

Candace could see shades of herself when she watched Beck, seeing a lot of the woman she used to be before Joe ruined her. It had been a bitter pill to swallow, realizing that she was not special and how easily her ex had been able to move on and replace her with a new model. 

The woman's good mood immediately died when saw Ethan walking up the courthouse steps.  

He looked the same as always, soft, unassuming, and completely unaware of the kind of person he had been working beside all this time. There was a crease between his brows as he checked his phone, clearly stressed before he entered the building. 

Of course he’s here, Joe must have called him. Candace’s jaw clenched, her eyes having caught the thick envelope that Ethan had been carrying under his arm. 

She was sure that the money Joe needed to post bail was in the envelope, and the notion made something cold and sharp settle in her chest. 

Candace let out a quiet, humorless laugh under her breath. “Unbelievable.” 

You would figure that the Salingers being involved would mean that Joe's bail would be too high for him to realistically pay. Did they set it low because he was accused of nonviolent crimes? Or does Joe have more money than I thought? 

Candace’s lips pressed into a thin line, an overwhelming sense of rage coiling in her chest. She should not have allowed herself to think that things were finally going her way, being brought back to the reality of the situation. 

If Joe could make bail this easily, then what were the chances that he would receive proper punishment? What if they offered him a plea agreement? 

Eventually, the man who haunted her dreams, exited the courthouse alongside his friend, looking completely unbothered and as if he did not spend almost forty-eight hours in police custody. And seeing him look so composed only served to irritate Candace further. 

She did waste time before she crossed the street, keeping her head down and pulling her hat lower over her face as she followed the two men at a distance. 

“I really do have to thank you, Ethan,” Candace heard Joe say when he and Ethan came to a stop at a crosswalk. 

Candace stood behind a nearby streetlight, straining to listen to their conversation. 

“It was nothing,” Ethan said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “But I... I ugh, you never did tell me why Peach would believe that you could do any of this.” 

Joe let out a quiet breath, shaking his head as if the conversation tired him. “Because Peach doesn’t like me,” he said simply. “She never has.” 

Ethan frowned. “Yeah, but this is… a lot, man. Breaking into a building? Stalking? Leaking pictures of her?” 

Joe’s expression softened; in Candace’s eyes, his shoulders slumped just enough to sell a veneer of sadness. “I know, but Peach has always thought she knows what’s best for Beck. I think… I think she just needed a reason to get rid of me.” 

Ethan’s frown deepened, uncertainty flickering across his face. “Yeah, maybe... but...” 

“But what?” Joe asked. 

“The credit card that you had me take from your dresser, it... it didn’t have your name on it. The card and the account connected to it were under the name of Benjamin Ashby III.” 

joe temporarily went still, long enough for Candace to catch the change in body language. She gritted her teeth when the two men started to walk across the street, rushing to catch up to her and pulling her cellphone out of her pocket. 

Joe blinked, letting out a quiet, almost embarrassed laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Right… yeah. That.” 

Ethan shifted awkwardly on his feet, waiting for Joe to tell him the truth. He did not want to think the worst of his friend and boss, but something about this felt off. 

Joe cleared his throat, purposefully not looking the other man in the eyes. “This is really embarrassing to admit, but I... I have a lot of debt.” 

Ethan blinked. “Debt?” 

“As you know, my adoptive father used to own the bookstore before I took it over. But I was only able to do so because Ivan had a stroke and is currently in a coma.” 

Ethan’s eyes widened. “Joe, I’m so-” 

Joe shook his head. “No, it's okay, I get it, I would have questions too if the shoe was on the other foot. Things have been hard for me ever since; Ivan’s medical bills are insane, and I’m not making enough money from the bookstore to really put a dent in them. So, I... I’ve been signing up for credit cards under fake names and maxing them out to try pay it all off.” 

“So, it's like a credit card Ponzi scheme?” 

“Yeah, it’s exactly like that.” 

He can’t actually believe this bastard, can he? This has to be the dumbest explanation I’ve ever heard! Candace thought, having been using her phone to record their conversation as best she could. 

“Wow,” Ethan said slowly, running a hand through his hair. “That’s… that’s a lot, I'm sorry you've had to go through that. But you could have told me,  

Joe gave a small, self-deprecating smile, the kind that made him look more ashamed than guilty. “I know, but I wasn’t sure if you would understand. It’s not something that can just randomly bring up one day.” 

Ethan let out a quiet, awkward laugh. “Yeah… yeah, I get that.” 

He’s buying it. Candace’s stomach twisted.  

“I mean,” Ethan continued, hesitating. “You should probably stop doing that though, right? Because if that comes out-” 

“I know,” Joe said quickly, nodding. “I’m already working on fixing it. This whole situation with Peach just sped things up in the worst way possible for me.” 

Ethan sighed, shoulders dropping. “Damn. I just don’t want to see you get screwed over if this goes to court.” 

Joe’s expression softened again. “I appreciate that, I truly do.” 

Candace felt her nails dig harder into her palm, barely registering the sting. Even now, with everything stacked against him, Joe was still doing what he did best, twisting the narrative to make himself the victim. 

The next light changed, and the two men continued down the street, their voices fading as Candace did not follow them this time. 

Candace stopped recording, slipping her phone back into her pocket and turned away, already thinking about what to do next. 

Joe’s life had clearly not been disturbed enough; she needed to do something that would truly rattle him, just as she had when she had directed Beck towards seeing a therapist, leading to her and Joe’s breakup. 

And as her thoughts drifted toward Beck, an idea came to Candace’s mind, one that could bring as reward as it did risk. 

~X~

“I... I don’t know what to say,” Beck said, staring at the pictures that lay scattered across her coffee table. 

“How about, ‘Peach, I’m sorry that I brought a total fucking psychopath into our lives because I was horny’?” Peach said sarcastically. 

Beck frowned, her fingers tightening slightly against the edge of the table. “That’s not fair, Peach.”  

“Not fair?” Peach let out a sharp, incredulous laugh, pacing in front to the other woman. “He broke into a building, stole footage of me and his own sister, and leaked something deeply personal about me to the entire world, and you’re worried about me being fair to you?” 

Beck flinched, her gaze dropping back to the photos. “I’m not saying what he did wasn’t... horrible, it is. I just… I don’t understand why he would do that.” 

“Because he’s obsessed with you,” Peach snapped immediately. “How are you still not seeing that? Didn’t you breakup with him because he was being a jealous and possessive little freak?” 

“Y-Yeah, I-I did,” Beck stuttered, glancing down at the floor. 

Peach narrowed her eyes at the other woman, catching the strange reaction. Beck had always been terrible at lying and keeping secrets, especially when it pertained to her own behavior. 

“Were you planning on getting back together with him?” Peach asked incredulously. 

Beck stayed silent, a guilty expression appearing on her face as she still could not make eye contact with Peach. 

“What the fuck, Beck?!” 

“I know!” Beck exclaimed, dragging her hands down her face. “I know how it sounds, okay? I just… I didn’t know how to turn it off.” 

Peach stared at her like she had just spoken a different language. “Turn what off?” 

Beck swallowed hard, her voice dropping. “The way he makes me feel.” 

Silence fell over the room and Peach let out a short, disbelieving laugh, shaking her head as she stepped back. “You cannot be serious.” 

“It’s obviously different now,” Beck tired to reassure her friend. “I didn’t know that Joe was capable of something like this. If I had known, I never would have-” 

“You still don’t know,” Peach said coldly. 

Beck froze. “What?” 

Peach stepped closer, glaring at her. “You don’t know what he’s capable of, Beck. Not really. And the fact that were even entertaining the idea of going back to him after how you two ended things?” She shook her head. “That’s exactly why he gets away with it.” 

Beck’s chest tightened. “Peach-” 

“I was humiliated in front of the entire world because of him,” Peach snapped, her voice rising. “He violated me, because of you and you’re still sitting here talking about your feelings for him.” 

“You asked about my feelings!” Beck shot back, sighing as she rubbed her face again. “I’m not saying that what he did isn’t fucking terrible, I’m not siding with him, Peach, so stop trying to turn me into the bad guy here!” 

“So, you're not going to run to him the second I turn my back?” 

Beck's eyes widened. “How can you even ask me that?” 

Because you've already done it. Or have you forgotten what happened when I took you to Connecticut? Peach thought, gritting her teeth. 

“I'm done with Joe, Peach, for good. I’m not going to choose him over you,” Beck said softly. 

Peach searched her face, her expression unreadable, like she was trying to decide whether or not Beck even believed her own words. 

“You better not,” Peach said finally, her voice low and steady. 

Beck nodded, watching as Peach sat down next to her. She sighed, her leg bouncing up and down anxiously. “Why does every guy I date turn out to be so fucking awful? I thought Joe was different…” 

Her voice trailed off, the words sounding hollow even to her own ears. 

Peach did not respond right away, simply watching Beck. “He’s not different, he's just worse.” 

Beck swallowed, looking back down at the scattered photos, her chest tightening as doubt crept in. 

She could not believe that Joe would do all of this in some insane attempt to separate her from Peach. Yes, Peach could be difficult and overbearing at times, but that did not warrant her ex manipulating her life and trying to isolate her. 

But could Joe really have been the one to attack her with that rock? Could he really have killed his ex-girlfriend too? Peach seems to think so, but nothing about Joe would make me thing he's capable of that. Peach said it herself that she didn’t have proof of it, but I also didn’t think Joe would be capable of outing someone either. Beck thought uncomfortably. 

“What, what are you going to do now?” Beck asked, her voice quieter than she intended. 

Peach huffed. “Joe’s been arrested, so the next step would be to bury him in court once a date is set.” 

“Wait, what?” Beck's eyes widened, staring at her shocked. “When did Joe get arrested?” 

Peach smirked as she thought about the man rotting in a cell right now. “Two days ago. Daddy and I brought the evidence the Haydens found to the police, I mean, there was no way in hell that was I going to let that bastard get away with all of this.” 

Beck stared to tune Peach out, the woman’s words sounding muffled as Beck thought about Joe.  

Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. Joe is in jail. 

Beck shook her head, trying to calm down as she watched Peach’s continuing to speak, unaware that she was not longer paying attention. 

What was wrong with her? Peach had been right, she had broken up with Joe for good reason and yet if Peach had not come here today, she would have still been trying to take Joe back from Karen. 

Did she just have bad luck when it came to men? Or was there something horrible about her that drew these types of men to her? Each one of them had either been emotionally distant, controlling, cruel, allergic to commitment, or some combination of all four. 

Joe was supposed to be different, he was the one who she saw herself falling in love with. It’s why she had been so destructive and avoidant when he told her that he loved her for the first time, because she felt the same and it terrified her. 

“What the hell?!” Beck jumped slightly when she heard Peach shriek, seeing the anger on Peach’s face the other woman stared at her phone. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Beck asked. 

“Joe made bail,” Peach growled as she read the text from her lawyer. “Where the fuck did that hipster reject get ninety thousand dollars from?” 

“You made his bail ninety thousand dollars?!” Beck repeated, her voice rising in disbelief. 

Peach did not look up from her phone. “Daddy wanted to make sure it was high enough to keep him locked up. Clearly, we underestimated how resourceful he is.” 

Beck was equally confused as Peach, Joe was not rich, from what she knew, there is no way that owning and operating Mooney's would allow Joe to generate that kind of money. 

“I have to go,” Peach said, already grabbing her coat and her bag. 

Beck blinked. “Go? Where are you going?” 

“To figure out how this happened,” Peach said, glancing at Beck once she reached the door. “He shouldn’t be allowed to walk around free.” 

She then turned around and walked out of Beck's apartment, the door slamming shut behind her. 

Beck sat there in stunned silence, staring at the door long after Peach had left, the echo of it slamming shut still ringing in her ears. 

Beck let out a shaky breath, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes. “What the fuck?” 

She just wanted this day to be over, to longer think about Joe and just how little she truly knew him. 

She looked down at her coffee table, seeing the copies of the pictures and documents that Peach had brought with her, her gaze eventually falling on the picture of Joe breaking into a security room. 

She hated that a part of herself was considering reaching out to Joe, just so she could hear his explanation for everything. Or at least that is what she was telling herself, not wanting to admit the truth. 

Beck turned when she heard a knock at her door, her heart stuttering in her chest. At first, she thought it might have been Joe, her stomach twisting as she pushed herself to her feet, crossing the apartment slowly. 

But when she opened the door, her words died in her throat. Instead if her ex, standing in front of her was a woman with long auburn hair, blue eyes and pale skin. She was shorter than Beck, dressed in all black clothes and with a baseball cap on her head. 

She smiled at Beck when the door opened, looking strangely relieved to see her. 

“Hi,” The woman said softly. “I’m sorry to just show up like this, I know it’s weird. 

“Do I know you?” Beck asked hesitantly. 

Candace shook her head. “You don’t know me… but I know you.” 

Beck frowned, her grip tightening on the door. “Okay…?” 

The woman squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, loudly sighing. “Sorry, that came out wrong. My name is Candace Stone, and I-” 

Beck’s breath caught. “Y-Your Candace?” 

Candace tilted her head to the side. “You know who I am?” 

Beck's mouth opened and closed rapidly as she struggled to find words, completely shocked. “I-I… my friend, Peach mentioned you. She… she said that Rory-our friend told her that her brother used to date you and that you…” 

Rory told Peach about me? Candace thought, wondering just how Rory came to learn about her. 

“Could I come inside?” Candace asked, her gaze flicking briefly over her shoulder before settling back on Beck. 

Beck hesitated, her fingers tightening against the edge of the door as her mind raced. 

Every instinct told her to say no, to shut the door, to call Peach, to not let whatever this was get any worse than it already had. 

“…Okay,” She finally said, stepping aside so the other woman could enter. 

Candace let out a breath she had not realized she’d been holding as she walked past Beck. 

Beck took a deep breath, before shutting the door, staring at the back of Candace’s head and waiting for her to tell her the truth about their shared ex.