Courting Gossip

by Kimberly Dean

  With a smile, she picked up the marshmallows and waved them. For someone with such a hard body, she had a sweet tooth. Brody grinned. That only meant more Zumba for him.

  They made s’mores and eventually retired to the Adirondack chairs on the other side of the deck for drinks. The evening was still warm and crystal clear, but out over the ocean a storm was brewing. The dark clouds bunched together, and rain slanted down in a sheet.

  ‘It looks like a movie from here,’ Genieve said.

  ‘But we’ll probably have rain tonight.’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind that…lying in bed with you as the rain beats on the roof…’ Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone started ringing.

  After the quiet day with no interruptions, they were both startled by the ringtone. Genieve sat up quickly and almost spilled her wine as she dug out her phone. Seeing the purple case, Brody realised she’d gone back to her old one. She looked at the caller ID before accepting.

  ‘Hi, Nina.’

  He watched the storm and tried not to listen in. She’d cancelled her contract yesterday; he couldn’t imagine her boss would be happy with him. For such a tiny thing, the blonde could be scary. Behind all that polish and poise, Nina was a tough customer. If there was something going on between her and the detective, the guy had his hands full.

  ‘Oh, my gosh. Are you sure?’

  His attention swung back to Genieve when she dropped her feet from the stool they shared onto the deck floor.

  ‘But it’s all been handled?’

  Her gaze jumped to his, and Brody frowned when he saw the creases on her forehead. Something was up. He wrapped his fingers around the wide arms of the chair and sat up straighter. Something not good, from the sound of it. His brain immediately began ticking off possibilities. Was it something new? Something he’d left unguarded?

  ‘Do Brody and I need to do anything?’ she asked. Her gaze broke from his, and her voice dropped. ‘No, it’s good. You were right. We’re giving it a go without it.’

  She bit her lip and nodded. ‘Thanks, Nina, and thanks for letting me know.’

  ‘What happened?’ Brody asked the moment she disconnected.

  She pushed back her bright hair. ‘It turns out that Maggie Harris didn’t provide the anonymous tip that brought the TMI News crew to the Emissary. Kevin Murphy did.’

  Brody’s feet clunked against the decking, too. ‘Murphy was responsible? The same Kevin Murphy who’s running against Gunderson?’

  She looked out to sea where the storm churned fiercely. The clouds were moving in faster than they’d predicted. ‘We were right all along. It was dirty politics.’

  Brody tried to rearrange the thoughts in his head. It made more sense. The senator’s aide was gaga over him. She wouldn’t have sent a camera crew to film him doing the deed with another woman. ‘So it was two separate break-ins? No connection?’

  ‘No, no, there was. Apparently Murphy was somehow siphoning information off of Maggie. He was responsible for the Emissary, but she was the one who broke into my house. At least that’s the way Detective Morgan has it figured.’

  The detective would know. The guy was a bulldog when it came to investigating a case. They’d learned that first-hand. Thank God he hadn’t let the Emissary case go, even though they’d been doing everything they could to make the bulldog turn it loose.

  Murphy. That dirty bastard.

  Brody jumped out of the chair to pace around the deck. He stopped next to a post and slapped his palm against it. He’d suspected the senator’s opponent from the start, but he’d been in damage-control mode. Everything in his arsenal had been aimed at protecting Genieve. In doing so, he’d missed something. If not for the detective, would he have ever made the connection?

  He’d slipped, majorly, but he knew the whole truth now. The quiet calm of the day sifted away as Brody felt the fight rise inside him. The brain that he’d turned off clicked back on. It was time to go on offence. ‘Murphy’s going down.’

  Genieve rubbed her forehead. ‘Nina neutralised him. I’m safe and so is Luxxor.’

  ‘Are you sure of that?’

  When she lifted her chin, her green gaze was steady. ‘Nina was in boss mode. I’d be surprised if the guy can walk right now.’

  Brody leaned his shoulders against the sturdy white post. He wasn’t used to working with partners. ‘OK, but I still have Gunderson to be concerned about. If Murphy tried this, he won’t be above making another underhand move.’

  Behind him on the ocean, lightning flashed. It lit up the sky, and he saw Genieve flinch. She was thinking about that hotel room and the bright camera. He could see it all over her face, and his blood pounded in his ears. ‘He’s mine.’

  He pushed away from the post, but she stopped him by springing from her chair. She wrapped her hand around the phone he’d already whipped out, and he looked into her face. He wasn’t going to turn a cheek and walk away. He didn’t forgive, and he never forgot. His shoulders tightened, but then he saw the need for vengeance in her eyes. He’d denied her that with Maggie Harris, and he’d made a promise.

  ‘Want to help me take him down?’ he asked.

  ‘He’s ours,’ she hissed.

  They moved into the house. The rain was still far out at sea, but dusk was closing in. Voices carried further than people expected, and Brody didn’t want anyone picking up on this. They’d attracted enough attention in town, although most of it had been because of his striking redhead. Some may have recognised her, but that wasn’t a concern any more.

  Kevin Murphy had just risen to the top of the list.

  Brody closed the sliding glass door and locked it as Genieve went around shutting windows. They ended up in the living area, with him on a chair with a bright coral print and her sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the coffee table. Seashells were embedded in the glass top, but what they needed to talk about wasn’t so delicate and pretty. The relaxing beach house had just turned into a war room.

  ‘It’s making sense to me now,’ he said. ‘Murphy used to be an investigative reporter. He knows how to get a scoop, especially in DC. If he was using Maggie Harris, he could have gotten lots of information about you and Gunderson, including that you’d be together at the party dinner that night. As for the connection with Luxxor, Nina’s going to have to figure out how that leaked out.’

  ‘Was he associated with TMI News?’

  ‘I doubt it.’

  Brody watched Genieve trace the pattern of the area rug in front of her. He’d been watching those bastards at TMI too, but she didn’t need to know that. Both were getting ready for their day in court, and their website had closed down. Whatever the future had in store for them, he doubted either would stay in the news game. If they tried, they’d have to get around him first.

  ‘They’re way below his level, but he knew their type. He knew they’d jump all over a scandalous story and they wouldn’t spend much time trying to figure out who their informant was. His mistake was in underestimating how far they’d go over the line.’

  Lightning flashed again, close enough to brighten the room. Jenny jumped, although the thunder didn’t follow until long afterwards.

  ‘You said Murphy wasn’t clean before we found out about this. What do you have on him?’

  Brody clasped his hands together. He was leaning forward in the chair with his elbows on his knees. Anger burned inside him, but he’d pushed it down to a hard, fiery ball deep in his gut. He usually worked alone on these things. He didn’t want her to see his dark side too closely, but he couldn’t push her away. Not this time.

  ‘We can’t use the Emissary break-in.’ It was off the table, and all the people important to him had gotten away with only minor scrapes. ‘But I’ve heard rumours.’

  ‘What rumours?’

  He didn’t run campaigns. He stayed away from the actual politics and concentrated on his clients, but many times that meant collecting information on their enemies and even friends. ‘When Murphy was in
the news game, he liked to push the envelope.’

  ‘Isn’t that good? Aren’t reporters supposed to be aggressive?’

  ‘Not like this.’

  ‘What did he do? Did he make things up? Did he steal others’ work?’

  ‘I haven’t been able to find anything like that, but he was known to be dangerous. Cameramen and producers didn’t like to work with him. He was all about promoting his name and rising up the ranks.’

  ‘Did he step on somebody?’ She nibbled at her lower lip. ‘I don’t understand how we can use that.’

  Brody’s forearms loosened, and he unclenched his fingers. She wasn’t shying away from the dirty task. ‘Do you remember his big story? The one that brought him fame and notoriety?’

  She let out a laugh. ‘You mean when he filmed the Marines rescuing an intelligence agent during the war? How could I forget? It’s what he’s basing most of his campaign upon – his knowledge of foreign affairs.’

  Brody nodded. Gunderson might have thought he’d had a pretty bauble on his arm, but she’d been paying attention.

  ‘Murphy was an embedded reporter with those troops, but, from what I’ve heard, he wasn’t supposed to go out with them on that mission. When they found him with them, it was too late to take him back. If they had, they would have lost the opportunity to rescue our man.’

  Genieve frowned. ‘What did he do? Stow away?’

  Brody touched the tip of his nose and pointed at her. ‘Those missions are planned down to the very detail, and he was an unaccounted-for complication.’

  ‘He got in the way,’ she whispered.

  Brody nodded. ‘It’s all been hinted at, but I haven’t been able to verify anything. From what I’ve been able to gather, the unit had to split their resources to cover him. It made them vulnerable, and two were hurt during the extraction.’

  She gasped. ‘Why didn’t any of this come out?’

  ‘Because it was deemed a successful mission. They safely retrieved our agent, and the whole rescue mission was filmed.’

  ‘With a GoPro camera?’ she said sarcastically.

  She wasn’t going to let that go. Somehow, some way, Brody had to get that footage of her back. It wasn’t safe outside their possession, not even in the bowels of the Metro PD Evidence Room.

  He sat back heavily in the chair. ‘The mission was presented to the public. Awards were given. Murphy wanted that story and he went after it, not caring who got hurt in the process.’

  ‘I care,’ she said. ‘And I think the public would, too, if they knew.’

  ‘Nobody’s talking,’ Brody said. He scrubbed his hands over his face. He hadn’t pulled too hard when he’d found the thread, but there had been no give. ‘Not the military or the crew he was with. If we’re going to use his greatest achievement against him, we need proof.’

  Genieve’s mouth scrunched as she thought, but then her consternation cleared. Colour lit her cheeks as she whipped out her phone.

  Brody frowned. ‘Who are you calling?’

  ‘You’ve tried your resources, but I haven’t tried mine.’

  His scowl deepened, and she narrowed her eyes on him. Stubbornly, she continued to dial. ‘I haven’t slept with every man I know,’ she hissed.

  Her mood switched on a dime when whoever she was calling answered.

  ‘Hey, Darien,’ she said, her voice silky smooth. ‘I need your help.’

  The big bruiser. Brody’s fingers drummed. It was good to know they’d never been an item, but what exactly was that guy’s job?

  ‘Do you know who Kevin Murphy is?’ she asked. ‘Right, the candidate for senator. I’ve heard that when he was a reporter in the war, he botched a mission and Marines were hurt. Can you get me their names? Pretty please?’

  She rolled her eyes and wobbled her head as the guy obviously turned her down flat, yet Brody’s eyebrows lifted when her voice turned throaty and vulnerable.

  ‘It’s not for Gunderson. It’s for me.’ She took a shaky breath. ‘Rielle probably doesn’t know this, but Nina found out Murphy is the one who sent those reporters to the Emissary. He’s the man behind what happened to me.’

  From where he sat Brody heard the cursing on the other end of the line. Genieve threw him a wink, and he shook his head in disbelief. She knew her power over men. They were all doomed.

  ‘Brody’s trying to protect me, but he needs the names of the soldiers injured so he can take Murphy down.’ She cleared her throat, and her voice took on a teasing tone. ‘I’d appreciate it, Darien, and you do owe me.’

  She giggled at whatever he said. ‘Get me the names, and we’ll call it even on the darts games.’

  She was smiling when she hung up and looked at him. ‘He’ll see what he can do.’

  Brody could only stare. ‘You’re better at this than I am.’

  She got up onto her knees and put the phone on the table. ‘I’m better at getting information from people, but I suspect you’re better at using it against them than I am.’

  He hoped so. He leaned forward to give her a swift kiss. They made a good team.

  ‘So Darien’s military?’ he asked.

  She shrugged. ‘I don’t know what he does. Nobody does. It just seemed like something he could help with.’

  She got to her feet. ‘Want another beer?’

  The storm outside moved in as they waited for the phone to ring. Rain began to splatter against the roof and the windows. Lightning flashed, but the thunder was still a ways off. Maybe it would just trail along the coastline. Genieve started the gas fireplace in the corner and laid down on the sofa. Brody watched her for a moment before joining her. He slid in behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

  ‘Not the escape you hoped for?’ he asked.

  She wove her fingers through his at her waist. ‘Better. Once this is over.’

  Brody didn’t know how long they waited, but it seemed like an eternity. When the phone finally began playing ‘Little Red Corvette’, Genieve answered. She immediately passed the phone to him.

  ‘Haynes,’ he said.

  The man on the other end of the line didn’t bother with idle chitchat. He got right down to brass tacks and rattled off two names. ‘One was shot in the leg, and the other suffered a major concussion.’

  Brody signalled for a pen and paper, and Genieve scampered away to get them. He quickly wrote the information down, because he was sure it wasn’t going to be repeated…Not unless he handed the phone back to Jenny, and she turned on her charm.

  ‘Were you able to get anything else?’ he asked.

  ‘From what I hear, that should be enough for you. Do me a favour. Cut the son of a bitch off at the knees – for Genieve and those Marines.’

  Brody remembered Darien rubbing his side. He’d taken a knife for his woman.

  Screw the knees. ‘I plan to cut off the head of the monster.’

  ‘Good to hear,’ the tough guy responded, ‘but I can’t help you any more.’

  ‘I don’t need it,’ Brody said. ‘I’ve got it from here.’

  Genieve sat down next to him on the sofa when he ended the call. ‘Do we need to go back to DC?’ she asked.

  ‘I can make the same calls from here.’

  ‘Who will you tell?’

  Brody tapped the pen against the pad of paper. Over in the corner, the fireplace crackled. He’d been thinking about that. ‘I know a reporter with the Washington Post who would do the story justice. Once I give him the names, it won’t be like what happened to you. It will take more than a few days. If he can get the soldiers to talk, maybe Murphy’s cameraman and producer will follow.’

  ‘If he got awards while I got shot in the leg, I wouldn’t be happy about it,’ she said.

  ‘Exactly.’ Brody patted her leg. ‘He’ll do the story right, no guerrilla reporting. He’ll write an exposé, and the other media outlets will follow. They’ll dig for more dirt. Who knows what else they’ll find on Murphy?’

  She caught his hand and squeeze
d. ‘You’ve found your new story to feed them.’

  ‘Anything to get them off you, but if it makes him pay for what he’s done, all the better.’

  ‘Apparently I’m not the only person he’s hurt.’

  ‘Everything hinges on those soldiers breaking ranks and telling the truth.’

  ‘They’ll do it,’ she said with certainty. ‘Especially if he’s trying to get into Congress now.’

  Brody mulled that over. If everything worked out the way it should, the former reporter would find the press turning on him. He wanted into Congress, but he might face a Congressional inquisition instead. The military would have to take another look at how it embedded reporters. It was poetic from every angle he looked at it.

  ‘You are sneaky,’ she said, ‘but in a good way.’

  ‘This time.’ Things weren’t always so black and white in his world. If she wanted full disclosure, she needed to be prepared for that.

  She sighed and nestled into the sofa’s cushions. ‘This means that Samuel will get another term in office.’

  ‘He’s already up by twenty-six points. He wasn’t going to lose anyway.’

  ‘He represents your state. Are you going to vote for him?’

  ‘No,’ Brody scoffed. But he would steal the guy’s girl.

  She stirred and sat up. ‘I suppose you need to make calls and do your internet thing now.’

  ‘It can wait.’ The morning would be soon enough. Brody tossed the pad of paper and pen onto the coffee table and swept her up in his arms. She let out a gasp, but circled her arms around his neck. ‘Let’s get naked and watch the rain.’

  If anyone was going to be carrying her to bed, from now on it would be him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  They stayed in Rehoboth Beach for a few more days, but eventually real life poked its head back in. The reporter that Brody had contacted had bitten, and so had the Marines who’d been injured. They wanted their story to be told, and neither Genieve nor Brody could stand being away from the action. They wanted to be in DC when the story broke, but another crisis brought them back sooner than they planned.

  The teenage daughter of a US Congresswoman had run away, and the woman had contacted Brody for help. The girl had been found within hours at a friend’s house, but, with her mother’s high-profile job, the story was going viral. Usually the children of politicians were off-limits, but the press was eating up the teenage angst. Family strife at such a level was new fodder, and Genieve practically threw Brody at the family to help them. Family matters should be private, no matter what the parents did for a living.