Betrayal of Trust

by Tracey V. Bateman

  “That’s too bad. It would have been nice for you to have had a mother.”

  “I have a mother,” he shot back. His tone once again too hard, the way she’d noted a couple of times before.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you stayed in contact with her.”

  He scowled. “I didn’t. I’m sorry. I guess I do need therapy.” He gave a self-deprecating smile. “A little boy abandoned by his mother and the forty-one-year-old man is still paying for it emotionally.”

  Instinctively, Raven reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. He snatched his back as though he’d been pricked.

  Heat flamed her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cross any boundaries.” But sheesh, he’d kissed her on the cheek. What was a little hand-on-hand comfort between long-lost siblings?

  “No boundaries crossed.” He covered his hand where hers had been. “I’m just not accustomed to being touched. It startled me.”

  Note to self, don’t touch new brother.

  “Anyway,” Sonny said, nodding toward the photo Raven still held. “Feel free to keep that. I have another one.”

  “Thanks.”

  The waitress brought their meal. Raven breathed a sigh of relief and launched into small talk between bites.

  “What’s your favorite color?”

  “Black.”

  Okay, that suits him.

  “Where’d you go to high school?”

  “Right here in Kansas City.”

  “What do you like to do on a cold, rainy night?”

  “Read.”

  Now, there’s common ground.

  “Who is your favorite author?”

  “Stephen King.”

  Hmm. Maybe not.

  When they stood to leave, Sonny insisted on paying the bill. Raven was pleased to note he left a generous tip. They walked out of the restaurant together.

  “So, Sonny,” Raven said when they reached her SUV. “Now that you’ve met me, when do you think I can meet your dad?”

  “Let me see what I can do to set that up. I’ll call you, okay?”

  “Sure. It’s nice that you want to surprise him. I just hope he wants to meet me.”

  “Don’t worry about that. He will.”

  She glanced in the rearview mirror as she drove away. He stood watching her for as long as she was able to make out his form in the dark parking lot.

  A sudden shiver crawled up her spine. She had the sense that she was treading into territory rife with complications she probably wasn’t ready to deal with.

  Guilt plagued her at the thought of how Mac might feel if he knew she had a desire to meet her biological father. Especially since he had no idea that she’d found her original birth certificate.

  Watching traffic closely, she felt around on the seat for her cell phone. She speed-dialed Mac. He answered in three rings.

  “Hey Dad, how’s it going?”

  “What’s wrong, honey? You sound upset.”

  How could he tell in only five words?

  “Hey, can’t a girl call her dad without something being wrong?”

  “You never call on workdays.” His matter-of-fact answer sent a wave of guilt over her. “How about not pretending with your old dad, and let me help?”

  Tears sprang to her eyes.

  “It’s nothing, really. I just wanted to say hi.”

  “Is it about work? I saw the report you did at your sister’s mission. If that doesn’t get you the anchor job, those ninnies don’t know real talent when they see it. I’m a little tired of watching that Kellie girl murdering the prompter. Did you hear her say the head of the school board ‘re-singed’ instead of resigned? She’s not quite the sharpest knife in the drawer is she?”

  “Dad!” Laughter bubbled to her lips, and contentment lifted the gray from her mind at his loyalty. “Seriously, they haven’t made a decision that I know of. Kellie is doing much of the anchoring since Bruce’s heart attack, but they’ve made it clear she’s only pinch-hitting for now. So I guess we’ll see.”

  “You’ll get it. They’d be crazy not to give it to you.”

  “Thanks, Mac.”

  “So, let’s talk about you coming home for the fall barbecue, right?”

  A sudden longing washed over Raven. The picnic was two and a half full months away. That seemed too long.

  “Actually, Dad, I thought I might come up for the Fourth of July. Do you have plans? I know it’s only a week away, so if that’s too short notice, I understand.”

  “Well, to tell you the truth, honey, Keri and Justin invited us—Ruthie and me—for the Fourth. So we’ll be in Kansas City.”

  “Oh, I see.” Rejection stung Raven. How could Keri plan a celebration and not invite Raven to join them? “That’s great. Maybe you could stop by.”

  “Or you could join us. That brother-in-law of yours has gone and rounded up fifty barbecue grills and volunteers willing to barbecue. He’s gotten permission from the store owners all around the mission to line up the grills on the sidewalk. They’re going to be feeding the homeless hamburgers and hotdogs and chicken. They can’t do fireworks in the city, but I’d wager those people haven’t had a good barbecue in some time, if ever.”

  “That’s great.” Ambitious, perhaps.

  “Ruthie is going to make her famous baked beans and coleslaw.”

  Guaranteed to give them all heartburn, no doubt, she thought uncharitably. But sheesh, how come Ruth got to be invited to this family thing and not Raven?

  “You should come. Your sister could probably use the help.”

  Her sister could just lump it. How could she invite Dad for a holiday and completely leave her out? Once again she felt like a fifth wheel.

  “I’ll see what I can do, Dad. I’d better go. I’m about to get on the expressway. I’ll need to pay attention to traffic.”

  “Okay, honey. I’ll see you one way or another next weekend. If you don’t show up at the mission, we’ll drop by before we head home. Maybe we can have dinner.”

  “Sure.”

  Raven fought back tears and anger, disappointment and loneliness, as she entered the fray of cars weaving in and out of lanes of traffic.

  Maybe Sonny was going to be the only real family she had after all.

  Matthew sat across the desk from Stuart McBride at Healy and McBride’s law offices.

  “Do you honestly think you can go back to practicing law in this city, Matt?”

  “Why not?”

  “Why not indeed.” Stuart chuckled. “What about our clients who disagree with your policies? You haven’t made a secret of your stance on many controversial issues.”

  “Then I’d be great to represent those clients who do agree with me. Right?”

  “Tell you what,” Stuart said, leaning back in his brown leather chair. “How about giving me a few days to think about it and discuss it with my partners? Then I’ll give you a call.”

  Disappointment clawed at Matthew’s heart. Stuart didn’t look very encouraging.

  Matthew clenched his jaw as he walked toward the elevator. Wasn’t there anything left for him? His law education. His political ambitions. There was nothing left. How did a thirty-seven-year-old man start all over?

  He maneuvered in and out of traffic, instinct driving the car as much as Matthew. All he’d ever wanted to do was make a difference in his corner of the world.

  What happened to a man once his dreams were crushed? When everything he’d ever thought he was meant to be suddenly seemed impossible?

  Somehow, thirty minutes later, he found himself in Pastor Jim Hickman’s office voicing the same questions.

  The pastor steepled his fingers on his sleek mahogany desk. “So what you’re saying is that suddenly your purpose in life has switched gears?”

  Matthew nodded. “I always knew I’d follow in my father’s footsteps and enter the political arena. There wasn’t any question. As a kid, I was groomed that way, but I made the choice consciously as an adult. My paren
ts’ dreams became my own. I honestly believed God had directed me toward politics.”

  “And do you think God changed his mind?”

  Matthew stared at the pastor, trying to wrap his mind around the question.

  “Matt, the path before us isn’t always without struggle. What if you’d run for senate and lost? Would you have tried again?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then perhaps you need to look at this as a setback designed to strengthen you for the next phase of the battle.” He slid his black, leather-bound Bible across the desk until it sat on the desk in front of him. He flipped through the pages. “David had God’s promise that he’d be king from the time he was only a boy. But it didn’t happen immediately, did it?”

  “I guess not.”

  “After Samuel anointed David, David went right back to the fields to tend his sheep until the appointed time.

  “His purpose was to be king. But his situation in life dictated that he tend sheep.

  “Even when he finally made it to the palace, it was only to play his harp for the reigning king.

  “David must have been excited to get that invitation, thinking, this is it. I’m going to play for the king and he’ll make me his heir.

  “Instead, Saul eventually hated him and David had to run for his life.”

  Matthew’s heart began to lift with hope as Pastor Jim put the story into perspective for him and paralleled it to his own life.

  The preacher rested his clasped hands on the white pages in front of him. “Sometimes God reveals what He’s eventually planned for us to be, but we have to walk out the steps to get there. For David it was walking out the steps to the palace. He had to decide whether or not to believe the word that God had given him through Samuel even when it seemed as though he would never be king. If you truly believe that God has designed for you to be an elected official, then you can’t let a little thing like being forced to pull out of your first primary discourage you.”

  “That little thing, huh?” Matthew drawled.

  Pastor Jim’s eyes lit with amusement. “It may not seem small now, but looking back on it someday, you’ll be able to appreciate the lesson this step brings.”

  Matthew stood and offered his hand. Pastor Jim took it, but instead of releasing it immediately, he bowed his head and prayed for Matthew. A sense of peace enveloped Matthew’s heart as the man sent up a petition filled with thanksgiving to God.

  Matt drove home, renewed with confidence that whatever happened over the next few days or weeks or months—however long it took to find out who was harassing him, and to defuse Ray, if they were not the same man—that God did truly have a plan for him. His purpose, for now, was to take care of his daughter. To keep her safe and secure.

  Why would Strong visit a church in the middle of a weekday? Did this have anything to do with Raven Mahoney? Did Strong think he was going to marry her and be one big happy family with the little girl?

  He tasted the bitterness in his mouth as the image whirled around his mind. He pictured a little dark-headed girl, full of life and innocence. He’d been robbed of watching her grow up. But now that he’d seen her, touched her, he couldn’t let anyone steal her away from him.

  But Strong didn’t seem to understand that.

  He puffed reflectively on his cigarette.

  How much more was he really expected to take? Apparently his dealings with Strong hadn’t been forceful enough. E-mails, letters, even the threat of kidnapping—those hadn’t been enough to convince him how serious this situation truly was. Time to step up the action and let him know this wasn’t a game.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Raven, Mr. Cruise wants to see you in his office.”

  Raven rolled her eyes and saved the copy she was working on for her new piece on school lunches. Were the choices on the menu healthy enough? Why were there so many fat kids in America? Was it really the school lunches or did parents need to turn off the TVs, computer and video games, and maybe make them play outside for a change?

  She had to be careful not to voice her opinion on this one. Especially since her viewers knew she didn’t have any kids. Statistics showed that sixty-five percent of their audience comprised households with two or more children. She couldn’t appear to blame parents for the upward trend of childhood obesity. Even if the fault lay solely at their feet.

  Irritation bit through her as she made her way to her boss’s office. She tapped on his door then poked her head in. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yes.” The pudgy, balding man looked every inch the newsman. He wore a button-down dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up mid forearm—very Lou Grant. “Come in, Raven. Close the door, will you?”

  She did as requested and slipped into the chair he indicated. “What’s up?”

  “I need to talk to you about Bruce’s job.”

  Raven’s heart did a double take. She fought to maintain composure. “What about it?”

  “As you know, he planned to retire at the end of the year, but his heart problems forced him to step down from his position earlier. He won’t be coming back.”

  “I didn’t expect that he would. That’s too bad.”

  Get on with it. Just tell me your little Kellie—the apple of Daddy’s eye—is getting the anchor so I can turn in my resignation and be done with it.

  “I know everyone is upset about Kellie filling in.” He caught her eye, daring her to deny it.

  She nodded. “Kellie hasn’t paid her dues the way the rest of us have. And to be honest, Mr. Cruise, even if I don’t get Bruce’s job, there are at least three others in line who are more qualified than your daughter.”

  There, let him get mad and fire her. She’d collect unemployment while she lined up another news job.

  He gathered in a long breath and blew it out in what could only be described as frustration. “I know she isn’t qualified or ready. The kid is only twenty-four. She hasn’t had a number-one news story, even. To tell you the truth, the only reason I let her fill in was because she begged me to let her give it a shot and her mother went to bat for her.”

  “Ah, so they ganged up on you.” Raven’s lips twitched with amusement at this newly exposed human side of Mr. Cruise. It almost made her like him. At any rate, she could sympathize—a little.

  “Ganged up is precisely what they did. I knew I couldn’t give Kellie the position permanently, but I figured it might not hurt anything to let her get her feet wet. Just for a little while until I made my decision as to who actually gets the job permanently.”

  Raven stared at him, suddenly sorry she’d ever called him a weasel. This was a dad, loving his daughter, and not wanting to hurt her.

  “So, we’ve made our decision and would like to offer you the job. With your potential, I don’t know why you’ve stayed at Channel 23 as long as you have, but ratings polls show you are a consistent favorite with our viewers. The terms are laid out in the contract. Go over it and see what you think. Let us know. We’d like to introduce you as the permanent anchor next Monday on the evening news.”

  “I—I don’t know what to say. Honestly. I can’t believe it.”

  He nodded. “It probably wasn’t fair to you not to ask you immediately.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “Chalk it up to fatherly weakness.”

  Raven smiled indulgently as she stood, taking the contract with her. “I’ll read this over and get back to you soon.”

  “I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.” He walked her to the door. “What I don’t look forward to is living with my wife and daughter for the next few days. By the way, we’re rerunning the piece you did on the little girl. Ratings shot up on that one. I’d like you to go over there and do a follow-up for tomorrow’s six o’clock news.”

  Hesitating only a moment at the resentment still hanging on over Keri’s failure to invite her for the Fourth of July barbecue at the mission, Raven the professional emerged strong and nodded. “I’ll grab Ken and get right on it.”

&
nbsp; Raven left the office, clutching the contract to her chest. She couldn’t resist the smile forming on her lips.

  The job was hers! Without Matt’s story, without a fight. Something had finally gone her way. She walked back to her office, conscious that her shoulders were a little straighter, her chin lifted with new confidence.

  She caught movement in her periphery and turned, connecting eye to eye with Kellie across the room. The girl’s thin, perfectly arched brows narrowed. Then her blue eyes widened as apparent understanding dawned. Her face reddened. She looked toward her father’s office, then started toward it, determination increasing visibly with every jerky stride.

  Poor Mr. Cruise. Raven wouldn’t be in his shoes for anything in the world.

  She closed her office door and glanced about. Now what? Good news was meant to be shared with loved ones. But she hadn’t spoken to anyone in her family for three days, not since the evening of her dinner with Sonny.

  She studied the phone on her desk, tapping her nails on the numbers, debating whether or not to call Matt. He hadn’t called her since that wonderful kiss in this very office three days ago. What if he didn’t want to talk to her?

  Making a snap decision, she grabbed up the phone and punched in Matt’s home phone number. After four rings, she was about to hang up when Mrs. Strong answered, sounding out of breath.

  “Hello, is Matthew there, please?”

  “Raven, is that you?” Her voice didn’t exactly exude warmth, but neither was she cool. Detached, wary. And Raven didn’t blame her.

  Raven swallowed hard. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Matthew took Jamie and went on a little vacation. I’m surprised he didn’t call you. You two seem to be…close these days.”

  “Do we?” Reeling from the knowledge that Matthew had left town without bothering to let her know, Raven fought to keep her tone even.

  “Aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know if close is exactly the right word. We’ve only been back in contact for a couple of weeks, so it isn’t surprising that he wouldn’t consult me about his plans.”