[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
risk.
She d decided on an upscale bar in Manhattan. It was busy enough that they wouldn t draw too
much attention, but not so in demand that they d run into anyone too important.
Her email had instructed the senator to meet her in the darkest and most secluded table possible.
She d half expected him to refuse her, making her have to sneak into his office without being seen by
anyone from the paper.
So cut to the chase. Why are we talking?
She took a calming breath. We re here because I know your secret.
Robert didn t even bat an eyelash. Secret? I have no idea what you re talking about.
His denial didn t surprise her. Hell, denial was what politicians did best. You went on a media
tour to say you were having an affair with me. You wouldn t do that unless you were hiding something
much worse, she pointed out.
Ms. Bell. I can see how you d think that, but I doubt you can prove anything. He calmly took a
sip of his water as he stared her down.
She met his stare with a steady gaze. Pregnant women can be very unpredictable. Especially a
young woman. Are you really so sure that she d keep your secret?
Robert went stock still and she knew she had him. You don t have anything, he said
confidently, even as he fidgeted with the napkin in front of him.
She sighed in relief. After hours and hours of going through the possible scenarios, she d settled
on the most likely option. The only reason a senator with a sterling reputation would tell the world
that he was having an affair with Grace was if his actual transgression was much worse.
But there were plenty of things a senator would consider worse than having an affair with her.
But if there was one thing Grace knew, it was people. She d gone online and looked up every video
and campaign footage she could find. After studying hours and hours of footage, she d finally seen it.
The wink.
It was his tell. Every time a cute high schooler came up to him or asked a question, he d give that
little wink. So fast, it was easy to miss.
No. The man had a serious fetish for young women. Chances were his wife suspected him of
something, so he d pinned it on the perfectly age-appropriate Grace. The pregnancy was also a guess,
but it was likely he d only be truly afraid if there was undeniable proof of what he d done.
But he was right about one thing. At the moment I don t have proof, she agreed. But I have
connections all over the city. And you know better than me how clever reporters can be. All I have to
do is find a few crumbs and send them in the right direction.
He took a deep gulp of water. If all you have is empty threats, what exactly do you want me to
do?
Simon was arrested yesterday. Unfortunately, he upset a rather unpleasant man who is setting
him up. I want him out of jail today.
Robert rubbed the bridge of his nose. It s Saturday. I can t do anything today. And dropping
charges is hard. It s not a simple phone call. There s a chain of command that controls these things.
Even if I know one or two guys on the force, I can t get something like that wiped clean.
Grace leaned forward. You d better think of something, Senator. If Simon goes to prison for
something he didn t do, you re going to be number one on my shit list.
Robert held out a hand. Hold on there. I never said there was nothing I can do. If he was
arrested Friday, he s probably going in front of a judge on Monday. The charges will be read to him
and bail will be set. I ll do my best to make sure the bail is low, okay?
She narrowed her eyes. Your best?
There s a ninety percent chance I can help. But this is shady and I can t guarantee a thing.
Grace sat back and studied the senator. Simon was still Simon. If she could get him out, it was
very likely that he could get the charges dropped. If you set a low bail, I ll leave you alone from
now on, she agreed. But all bets are off if you pull me back into your scandals again.
Robert s eyes fell to the table. I didn t do it for me, he said softly.
Excuse me?
She doesn t deserve that kind of scrutiny. I m taking care of her. She and the baby will never
want for anything.
Grace rolled her eyes and pushed away from the table. It s illegal for a reason, Senator. Now
help out Simon and keep it in your pants from now on. She pulled a card from her purse and set it in
front of him. If anything goes wrong, I expect you to call me. Besides that, I hope to never see you
again.
He took the card; she turned away and fished out her phone to look for any sign of Simon trying to
contact her.
Nothing.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The moment Simon emerged from the booking area, Grace ran into his arms. He huffed at the
impact of her slamming into him, but nonetheless wrapped his arms around her. For a moment, he
stood still and appreciated the feel of her in his arms.
You idiot! she breathed as she pulled away. I told you he d be pissed.
He miscalculated. Simon tucked his suit jacket from Friday night underneath his arm.
How s that? Grace followed him as he made his way out of the station and onto the sunny
sidewalk.
Now I m pissed.
Grace pinched the bridge of her nose. I m so happy your motivation is renewed, but that doesn t
help us. You have a court date! Doesn t that worry you?
No, he said. DuFord has friends in high places. That s how he got the charges to be pressed
so fast. They can t really have enough evidence against me to expect to win a court case.
You sound pretty confident for a man who just got out of jail.
He shrugged. It was three days. It takes more than that to scare me. He d had more time than
normal to think over the weekend. It wasn t his normal crowd, but he was in the minimum security
section of the jail, so it hadn t been all that intimidating. He was still a big guy and commanded a bit
of respect.
She raised a brow. I shudder to think what would be enough to shake the mighty Simon West.
He smiled over at her. I m looking right at one of the scariest things I ve ever seen. She scoffed
and his smile widened. She did scare the hell out of him, but in a good way. But thinking about the
DuFord and Grace situation had taken up most of his thoughts. How protective she d been of him as
he d been pushed into the police car. How pissed he was at DuFord for putting any of them at risk.
How did you know when I was getting out? He leaned against the rail. He could hail a cab, but
he was too excited to be outside and breathing in the fresh air.
Robert Bar told me when your court appearance was scheduled for. I ve been here for three
hours.
He frowned. When the hell did you talk to Robert Bar?
She sighed and crossed her arms. A lot s happened while you were in there, you know. Mark
came up to me after you were arrested.
Simon straightened, fists clenched. What did he say to you? Are you okay?
She raised a brow. I m fine. But he s got it out for you. For us, I suppose. He was just gloating
over his victory. But enough about him winning. Let s talk about the plan.
The plan?
She grinned up at him. Please. You ve been locked away for the entire weekend. I know you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
risk.
She d decided on an upscale bar in Manhattan. It was busy enough that they wouldn t draw too
much attention, but not so in demand that they d run into anyone too important.
Her email had instructed the senator to meet her in the darkest and most secluded table possible.
She d half expected him to refuse her, making her have to sneak into his office without being seen by
anyone from the paper.
So cut to the chase. Why are we talking?
She took a calming breath. We re here because I know your secret.
Robert didn t even bat an eyelash. Secret? I have no idea what you re talking about.
His denial didn t surprise her. Hell, denial was what politicians did best. You went on a media
tour to say you were having an affair with me. You wouldn t do that unless you were hiding something
much worse, she pointed out.
Ms. Bell. I can see how you d think that, but I doubt you can prove anything. He calmly took a
sip of his water as he stared her down.
She met his stare with a steady gaze. Pregnant women can be very unpredictable. Especially a
young woman. Are you really so sure that she d keep your secret?
Robert went stock still and she knew she had him. You don t have anything, he said
confidently, even as he fidgeted with the napkin in front of him.
She sighed in relief. After hours and hours of going through the possible scenarios, she d settled
on the most likely option. The only reason a senator with a sterling reputation would tell the world
that he was having an affair with Grace was if his actual transgression was much worse.
But there were plenty of things a senator would consider worse than having an affair with her.
But if there was one thing Grace knew, it was people. She d gone online and looked up every video
and campaign footage she could find. After studying hours and hours of footage, she d finally seen it.
The wink.
It was his tell. Every time a cute high schooler came up to him or asked a question, he d give that
little wink. So fast, it was easy to miss.
No. The man had a serious fetish for young women. Chances were his wife suspected him of
something, so he d pinned it on the perfectly age-appropriate Grace. The pregnancy was also a guess,
but it was likely he d only be truly afraid if there was undeniable proof of what he d done.
But he was right about one thing. At the moment I don t have proof, she agreed. But I have
connections all over the city. And you know better than me how clever reporters can be. All I have to
do is find a few crumbs and send them in the right direction.
He took a deep gulp of water. If all you have is empty threats, what exactly do you want me to
do?
Simon was arrested yesterday. Unfortunately, he upset a rather unpleasant man who is setting
him up. I want him out of jail today.
Robert rubbed the bridge of his nose. It s Saturday. I can t do anything today. And dropping
charges is hard. It s not a simple phone call. There s a chain of command that controls these things.
Even if I know one or two guys on the force, I can t get something like that wiped clean.
Grace leaned forward. You d better think of something, Senator. If Simon goes to prison for
something he didn t do, you re going to be number one on my shit list.
Robert held out a hand. Hold on there. I never said there was nothing I can do. If he was
arrested Friday, he s probably going in front of a judge on Monday. The charges will be read to him
and bail will be set. I ll do my best to make sure the bail is low, okay?
She narrowed her eyes. Your best?
There s a ninety percent chance I can help. But this is shady and I can t guarantee a thing.
Grace sat back and studied the senator. Simon was still Simon. If she could get him out, it was
very likely that he could get the charges dropped. If you set a low bail, I ll leave you alone from
now on, she agreed. But all bets are off if you pull me back into your scandals again.
Robert s eyes fell to the table. I didn t do it for me, he said softly.
Excuse me?
She doesn t deserve that kind of scrutiny. I m taking care of her. She and the baby will never
want for anything.
Grace rolled her eyes and pushed away from the table. It s illegal for a reason, Senator. Now
help out Simon and keep it in your pants from now on. She pulled a card from her purse and set it in
front of him. If anything goes wrong, I expect you to call me. Besides that, I hope to never see you
again.
He took the card; she turned away and fished out her phone to look for any sign of Simon trying to
contact her.
Nothing.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The moment Simon emerged from the booking area, Grace ran into his arms. He huffed at the
impact of her slamming into him, but nonetheless wrapped his arms around her. For a moment, he
stood still and appreciated the feel of her in his arms.
You idiot! she breathed as she pulled away. I told you he d be pissed.
He miscalculated. Simon tucked his suit jacket from Friday night underneath his arm.
How s that? Grace followed him as he made his way out of the station and onto the sunny
sidewalk.
Now I m pissed.
Grace pinched the bridge of her nose. I m so happy your motivation is renewed, but that doesn t
help us. You have a court date! Doesn t that worry you?
No, he said. DuFord has friends in high places. That s how he got the charges to be pressed
so fast. They can t really have enough evidence against me to expect to win a court case.
You sound pretty confident for a man who just got out of jail.
He shrugged. It was three days. It takes more than that to scare me. He d had more time than
normal to think over the weekend. It wasn t his normal crowd, but he was in the minimum security
section of the jail, so it hadn t been all that intimidating. He was still a big guy and commanded a bit
of respect.
She raised a brow. I shudder to think what would be enough to shake the mighty Simon West.
He smiled over at her. I m looking right at one of the scariest things I ve ever seen. She scoffed
and his smile widened. She did scare the hell out of him, but in a good way. But thinking about the
DuFord and Grace situation had taken up most of his thoughts. How protective she d been of him as
he d been pushed into the police car. How pissed he was at DuFord for putting any of them at risk.
How did you know when I was getting out? He leaned against the rail. He could hail a cab, but
he was too excited to be outside and breathing in the fresh air.
Robert Bar told me when your court appearance was scheduled for. I ve been here for three
hours.
He frowned. When the hell did you talk to Robert Bar?
She sighed and crossed her arms. A lot s happened while you were in there, you know. Mark
came up to me after you were arrested.
Simon straightened, fists clenched. What did he say to you? Are you okay?
She raised a brow. I m fine. But he s got it out for you. For us, I suppose. He was just gloating
over his victory. But enough about him winning. Let s talk about the plan.
The plan?
She grinned up at him. Please. You ve been locked away for the entire weekend. I know you [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]