I keep my hand on Cata's back as she talks to the cop. I can tell she's nervous by the way she keeps biting her thumbnail.

"I think this all started when we were in high school," she says.

The cop gives her a stern look.

"Diego and I have known each other for that long. We were high school friends. Sweethearts," she says, quickly. I fight back a grin.

"The summer after graduation, I sent him photos of me. Naked photos." She takes a deep breath and looks at the floor. "They were supposed to be for him only, but he accidentally left his phone at work, and someone found the photos and spread them around to all the kids on the island."

The cop nodded slowly. "Okay ... and what does this have to do with today's incident?"

"I think that one of the guys who got the photos had a crush on me. Maybe he even took Diego's phone back then. I don't know. His name is Jake. He was another gamer. He asked me to a dance my freshman year, and I said no."

I broke in, not quite picking up what Cata was putting down. "He was an acquaintance in high school, but he didn't have anything to do with the photos."

The cop looked more confused than ever.

Cata's voice rises a half-octave. "He had a crush on me in high school. And now he games for Diego on the weekends."

The cop shakes his head. "You mean, games with?"

"No," I say quickly. "We play video games here for an online audience. Jake's a fill in gamer."

"You get paid for playing video games?" The cop asks, skeptical.

"Um, yeah," I mutter.

"Anyway," Cata interjects, "I think he's had my photos all this time. And I think he's jealous of Diego because of a business deal. He's really the one you should be looking at. Search his computer. You'll see."

"You think Jake would swat me?" I turn to Catalina.

"Yes," she says. "Have you told him about the deal?"

I shrug. "I mentioned something before I went to Miami. Uh, he did kind of assume he'd go with me to Miami to meet with Sahara. But when I told him you were going, he seemed fine with it. I don't know. I guess."

Cata squeezes my arm and addresses the cop. "Sometimes my boyfriend doesn't read social cues that well. Jake definitely needs to be investigated."

"Now that I think about it, he did have a lot of questions about the deal." I frown. It never occurred to me not to trust Jake. I thought he was a buddy, one of the inner circle.

"Okay, give me his details, and we'll check it out. We might be able to get him for threatening you, and definitely for filing a false police report for today's little stunt if he's responsible. That could have gotten you all killed," the cop says.

I can see tears well in Cata's eyes. She blinks and looks down.

"You guys were totally professional," I say, trying to be calm and soothe Cata by rubbing her back. "You were doing your job."

The cop nods. "Thanks. We'll be leaving soon, I want to talk to those other guys that were here when we busted in."

The cop walks out, and I exhale. All the adrenaline leaves my body, and I just want to lie down next to Cata and sleep for days.

I curl up next to Diego on the sofa in the office upstairs. Now I don't care whether Sawyer and Liam see that we're together.

"It's totally Jake," Sawyer says, pacing. "He asked me a ton of questions about Catalina the other day."

"He did?" Diego's voice is harsh. "Like what?"

"Whether she was gone for good, when she was coming back, if you guys had a fight. I told him I didn't know anything."

"Did he say anything else?"

"He asked me if I wanted to see the photos of you," Sawyer blurts. He looks embarrassed.

"What?" Diego moves to rise from the sofa, but I pull him toward me, trying to calm him. He's clenching his fists.

"I told him to fuck off," Sawyer says. "He said that it was quite the scandal when you guys were younger and that he's kept the photos ever since. He seemed to be offended that you'd take Cata to Miami to meet with Sahara and not him. But since he was always a bit of a prick, I ignored him."

"That dude always thought he knew more than us," Liam interjects. "I always thought he was kind of arrogant."

"That motherfucker," Diego growls. "That motherfucker."

"You need to tell the cops this," I say, swinging my legs over the side of the sofa. I scramble to my feet and walk to my desk so I can find the card with the detective's number.

"Here," I hand the card to Liam. He nods and grins.

"Actually, I have the number. That Sgt. Lawrence gave it to me."

"Thank God she didn't find any of your stash, bro," Sawyer says. Liam grins. "Did you guys think that sergeant was kind of cute?"

I sink next to Diego again, relieved to be talking about something other than the photos of me and the swatting. "Now I know things are back to normal. Liam, tell us about flirting with that Palmira Police sergeant. How are you going to work that into your show?"

Diego squeezes my leg as the guys talk about the feasibility of Liam, of all people, dating a cop. Then Diego leans in and whispers in my ear.

"I missed you," he says, making me melt once again.

* * *

Diego and I are sleeping hard, limbs tangled together, when the phone shatters the morning silence.

I sit up, rubbing my eyes and letting out a groan as I grope for the phone.

"Hello," I mumble.

"We arrested Jake," the cop says. "It was him. We traced his cell phone records to the 911 call that came into dispatch about the alleged hostage situation. And we found photos of you, similar to the ones sent to you and Diego, printed out in his room. Once we started to question him, he confessed."

I sink into the bed, relieved. Thanking the detective, I hang up then shake Diego awake.

"They arrested Jake," I say.

Diego opens his eyes and stares at me.

"He's in jail."

"Thank Christ."

I lean down and kiss Diego, not caring that we haven't brushed our teeth.

"I love you, Diego Rodriguez."

"And I love you, Kitty-with-the-beautiful-eyes."

____