Josh stared, seeing her excitement, yet taking a beat to reconcile the words with what they meant. “You’re in charge?”
She nodded. “As of two hours ago. I’m so glad we booked late afternoon flights because I have a press conference at one.”
“Congratulations.” Josh grinned because her dream stood that much closer, although worry slid through him. As the leader of the opposition, she’d have a higher profile. She’d present a bigger target, and with the increased public appearances, his job to watch her had become more difficult.
Ashley threw her arms around Josh. “I’m so excited. This is such a big deal. I hope I can turn around the poll numbers.”
Josh hugged her back, still concerned, but not willing to share his disquiet where others might note her reaction. “You’ll be great. I know it. What does this mean for your workload?”
“It means I’ll be traveling more and campaigning countrywide instead of around Auckland. I have a proposed schedule, and I’ll get Robert to book the travel, hire a car, and organize accommodation where necessary.”
Josh nodded. “Are you ready to go now? Where is your press conference?”
“In front of the parliament buildings. The Beehive.” Ashley speed-talked and grabbed his forearm. “I’m starving. Can we have a sandwich and coffee?”
Josh slung his arm around her shoulders. “We can’t have your stomach grumbling loud enough for the reporters to hear.”
She grinned. “No, we can’t.”
The press conference took place with quick efficiency. Josh stood away to the side, close enough to get to Ashley, but most of those present were Labor Party supporters, curious tourists, and several bored reporters.
It didn’t take long before the reporters perked up. Geoffrey Turbott, the former party leader, announced his intention to step aside for the younger guard and announced Ashley Townsend was the new party leader.
“Did he say Legs?” a man standing near to Josh asked.
“Yeah.”
“That should make this campaign more exciting. It’s not a hardship to look at Ashley Townsend.”
Josh’s hands curled into tight fists even though he agreed with the man’s assessment. While her rise in the ranks thrilled Ashley, Josh saw problems keeping her safe. He needed to make a request for the Diplomatic Protection Squad to protect her now, given the threatening notes arriving so regularly. The members of the Protection Squad carried weapons while he couldn’t because of New Zealand’s current laws.
“Is it true you’re engaged?” a reporter asked.
“It is.” Ashley flashed her engagement ring.
“When will we meet your fiancé?” a female reporter asked.
“Just this once, since this is a day of new beginnings. Josh.” She turned to where he stood off to her right. “Josh, the reporters want to meet you.”
Josh snorted under his breath. For a woman who stressed minimizing lies to the press, she didn’t have a problem drawing attention to their engagement.
“How did you meet?” the female reporter asked.
“We met through my brother,” Ashley said.
“Have you set a date for the wedding?”
“Not yet.” Ashley gave a throaty chortle. “I’m busy for the next few weeks.”
Most people surrounding Ashley laughed, apart from one man in a gray suit. Josh scrutinized him, taking in the man’s tension. Although he’d fastened an impassive expression to his features, his sharp brown eyes gave away his turmoil. He was pissed.
Josh snapped a photo of Ashley with his phone before taking a clandestine one of the grim man.
Ashley continued answering the questions the press fired at her. The woman was in her element and offered smart, concise replies while sending a few zingers that made the reporters and cameramen laugh.
Finally, she wrapped up the session, and the crowd dispersed.
“You’re really doing this,” Josh murmured. “Frog will be so proud of you. Who is the guy in the gray suit? Do you know him?”
Ashley followed Josh’s line of sight and grimaced. “That’s Charles.”
“He wasn’t on your list.”
“Charles is a colleague. I meant to tell you about him.”
“He doesn’t like you.”
“He resents me,” Ashley corrected. “The man covets what I have—my seat and now my position as leader.”
“I’ll check into his background. Anyone else you missed from your list? Pissed off colleagues?”
Ashley released a snort. “Right now, several of the Labor politicians have their noses out of joint. What they don’t realize is that if I don’t perform well, I’ll be out on my butt too.”
7 – Recalling The Past
The news began as he was driving past Awful Ashley’s house. His hands tightened on the steering wheel when the lead story mentioned her.
Huh.
She’d be in the public arena more. Harder to get at without one of her adoring fans seeing him, perhaps witnessing something they shouldn’t.
He replayed his plan, glanced at Awful Ashley’s driveway. She had a visitor. Bugger. No spray-painting this afternoon.
He considered his plan for Robert, his schedule, and his frown cleared.
Even better.
Given her position as the new opposition party leader, this brainwave would injure her chances of election, cast doubt on her suitability to run the country.
All he needed was to cause a diversion, get people talking, wondering.
The old story to surface to injure her reputation.
The truth.
And if that failed, he’d resort to Plan B.
Didn’t matter what happened to him afterward.
He’d died a long time ago.
* * * * *
The flight back to Auckland was half-full, which gave Josh the opportunity to speak with Ashley and question her regarding his discoveries.
This morning she’d slicked her hair into another ponytail. He cast his mind back to Summer’s instruction on hairstyles. Yeah, she’d called it a high ponytail. It gave Ashley the cute factor, but he preferred her hair loose. The tousled and just out-of-bed look did it for him.
“Tell me more of this envy thing with Charles.”
“My best guess is Charles Jamieson is pissed because the party chose me to be their new leader. He hasn’t forgiven me for winning the nomination to stand for the Manurewa electorate. He hated that. Charles coveted the seat. What you’re seeing is plain jealousy.”
“Enough to spiral into stalking you?”
“No, I…” She shook her head. “He might dislike me, but that doesn’t mean he’s the person sending me weird notes.”
“Did you date him?”
“Once. He didn’t ask me out again after I won the right to stand for the Manurewa seat.”
“Nothing surfaced on my research dives. I’ll see if Summer can learn anything new.”
“But I earned my position. I’ve worked hard,” Ashley said. “Charles wouldn’t be that petty.”
“Look at this photo. He’s puffed up with his righteous fury. If a man is pushed hard enough, he’ll revert to caveman behavior.”
“But he’s standing for a seat now. He’s polling well, and I’m confident he’ll win his seat for Labor.”
“But he’s not the leader of the opposition,” Josh pointed out then hesitated. He should question her about the accident details Summer had unearthed, yet he hated to pierce her excitement with his nosy questions. No, better a pissed alive fiancée than one attacked by a stalker. “Summer found something else. The accident where the girl died.”
Every bit of color fled her cheeks, and she wrapped her arms around her torso before slumping. She sucked in a hoarse breath and struggled for composure, leaving Josh feeling like a bastard for putting her through this pain.
“Ashley?”
“No, you’re right to ask. Matt suggested I should tell you, make sure you had the facts, but it was a dark time in my life. Occasionally,
I still have nightmares of that night, wondering if I’d done something differently, it might have changed the outcome.”
A flight attendant approached, offering them a hot drink and a cookie. They both declined and waited for the attendant to move out of hearing.
“W-when I was eighteen, I attended a party with my friend. It was when we lived in Onewhero on the farm. Jess Harrison, my friend, was older and had a full driving license. I could drive but held a restricted license, which meant I couldn’t drive after ten at night without a licensed driver in the car with me. My friend had broken up with her boyfriend, and he was there with his new girl. Jess drank and drank and created a drunken scene. She punched Allen’s new girlfriend in the face. With the help of two other friends, I got Jess into the car. I’d had two glasses of wine, but my friends told me I was fine to drive safely.”
Josh nodded in encouragement. He recalled the rules for holding a restricted license because they’d chafed him and his friends. Zero alcohol and no driving after ten at a time when they were testing the freedom of being eighteen and legally allowed to drink under New Zealand law.
“The friends who helped me with Jess told me we were in the country, and they doubted cops would pull me over on the short drive home to Jess’s house.” She paused and swiped at her eyes before scrambling for her handbag. She pulled out a travel-size pack of tissues and used one to blot away her tears. “I knew the roads well and wasn’t speeding. I drove at the legal speed because it was a clear night with a full moon.
“Jess started ripping off her seatbelt and insisting on returning to the party. She wanted to confront Allen again, demand he gave her another chance. I took my eyes off the road for a few seconds. When I looked back at the road, there was an animal on the road. A d-dog. I swerved. I know you’re not meant to. It was instinct. I hit the dog and ran off the road into a tree. Jess ended up tossed from the car. I was okay because of the seatbelt and the airbag. Jess died.”
Josh wrapped his hand around Ashley’s, and she burrowed against his chest.
“Is everything okay, sir?” the flight attendant asked.
“Thanks, we’re fine.” Josh waited until they were alone again. “What happened after the accident?”
“They charged me with manslaughter and I lost my license for two years. Because of the circumstances, I received community service. I was lucky. I know that. Jess died because of me. She was pregnant. I didn’t know. She never told me.”
Josh didn’t agree with Ashley taking the full blame, but he let the murky circumstances and what-ifs slide. “What about Jess’s family? How did they cope with her death? Did they blame you?”
“They knew she’d been drinking. Allen told the cops Jess had attacked his girlfriend, and the friends who helped me confirmed she’d been wearing a seatbelt when we left. One of them had clicked it into place. Her parents acted cool toward me, but they never blamed me outright. At least, they never spread rumors or chided me to my face.”
“Did she have brothers or sisters?”
“Two younger siblings. One brother and one sister. After Jess died, things fell apart for the family. Jess’s parents separated. I haven’t seen any of the family for years. I doubt I’d recognize them if I saw them.”
“Does the father still own the same farm?”
“I’m not sure. I moved in with my grandmother because I was at university in Auckland, and it was easier living with her since it was closer and I could catch the train. My sister married and moved up North while Matt joined the army. None of us were interested in the farm, so my parents sold up and moved to Tuakau. They love their new place. They have a few acres, yet they’re closer to the city if they want to go to a show or a special event.”
“Okay,” Josh said. “I’ll check out this Charles and look into Jess’s family.”
“Jess’s death upset them. I know that, but I don’t think they’d do this all these years later. That makes no sense.”
“Don’t worry. Concentrate on your campaign.”
A shudder ran through Ashley. “I hope this doesn’t get dredged up in the press again. I mourn Jess’s loss every single day. If I had my time over, I’d do things differently. I haven’t touched alcohol since that night, and I’m a conscientious driver. When I first started in politics, I told my advisor about this part of my life, and he suggested—if the press ever asked questions—I should tell the truth. The subject hasn’t come up once.”
“It might now that you’re the opposition leader,” Josh said.
“Yes, I guess I should prepare my answer if anyone asks.”
“Sweetheart, tell them what you’ve told me. That you regret the accident and it caused you to change your life. Say you took the punishment the courts set, and ever since, you’ve tried to live a good life. Most of us have mistakes in our background. It’s how we deal with consequences that help us to grow as an adult.”
“The captain has turned on the seatbelt sign,” a voice came over the speakers. “Please return to your seat and prepare for landing. Place your seats in the upright position and secure your trays.”
Josh fastened his seatbelt and saw that Ashley’s had remained in place from the onset of their journey. When he considered it, he could see how she followed rules. His heart ached for her. While she’d come through the accident and lived, she still suffered from the fallout. Hopefully, the person terrorizing Ashley had nothing to do with her past, but he’d check to make sure. His list of suspects was getting longer, and it made him feel as if he was doing something productive to keep Ashley safe.
He huffed out a burst of air when another thought occurred. Wait until he informed Dillon and Summer he was now engaged to the leader of the opposition. They’d bust a gut laughing.
They’d left Frog’s car at the airport, and after collecting their luggage, exited the terminal.
“Do you think it’s someone I know? Someone close to me?” she asked once they were inside the car.
“I’m not sure, but we’ll find out,” he promised. “Louie gave me the code for the alarm. We can change it to something easier for you to remember.”
“No, whatever he’s done is fine. My district has always been safe. I hate being forced to install an alarm.”
“What do you have in store for tomorrow?”
“The party have given me details of the meetings they’d organized for Geoffrey. I’ll fulfill the promises we made for this week while they’re revamping the plan. I’ll be in Auckland tomorrow and in Waikato the next day. The one after that it’s Northland.”
Josh nodded. “Are you driving or flying?”
“Both. I can fly up to Whangarei, but I thought I’d drive to Matamata to meet local farmers. I’m not looking forward to that one. There’s bound to be questions regarding climate change and our current farming methods. It will be a difficult line to straddle.”
“I bet you’ve done your research,” Josh said. “You know your party’s position on climate change, so tell it like it is. No matter what you say or do, you’ll never please everyone.”
“Tonight, before I go to bed, I’ll shuffle responsibilities for the senior spokesmen roles. That will be fun.” Her grimace told him she hated to ruffle politician feathers.
“Frog told me you decided to be the prime minister when you were five-years-old. You’re not going to let a few politicians scare you, are you?”
“You haven’t seen their teeth,” she retorted.
Josh grinned and guided their vehicle to the on-ramp and onto the southern motorway. The more he came to know this woman, the more he enjoyed her company. The constant kissing was getting to him too. He had to keep reminding himself this wasn’t a real engagement. Ashley didn’t belong to him or think of him as anything but a protector sent by her brother.
Josh forced his mind to more practical matters. “Anything else I should know about the upcoming days?”
“We’ll be busy. Luckily, I won’t need to do the scheduling. Robert will do that.”
/> “He adores you.” Josh might as well use the time to prod. It sure beat pining after something he couldn’t have. His thoughts slid to his siblings. Yep, they’d bust a gut for sure.
“I like him too.”
“No, he is in love with you. Every time he looks my way, he bristles. Reminds me of a dog defending its territory.”
“You’re misreading the signs. We’re good friends. Nothing more. Robert is gay.”
Josh frowned. How had he missed that? “How long has he worked for you? What do you know about his home situation?”
In the dim light of the car interior, Josh caught Ashley’s scowl. She didn’t see what he saw in Robert. The man was in love with her.
“He’s in his early thirties and has worked with me for the last five years. We met at a Labor party meeting when we were both in our teens and got on well. We’re very similar. Robert was married briefly, then divorced. He told me last time I saw him, he’s met someone. I’d say he’s more concerned my sudden engagement might derail my political career.”
“Why did the marriage fail?”
“That’s kind of personal. We don’t have those kinds of conversations. We work together. I… We’re colleagues. Nothing more.”
“Did you meet his wife?”
“She was…is a nice lady. I didn’t know her well, but whenever we spoke, she was pleasant. Intelligent and stylish. The kind of woman who was perfect for Robert.”
“They’re not together anymore.”
“Stop. No more. You’ll make our working relationship uncomfortable if you continue in this vein. Robert and I are colleagues, and that is all we’ll ever be.” She cast him a quick glance, her gaze bouncing away when it connected to his. “Blame it on my brother and his rugby-playing mates, but I favor more intellectual men. I dated men of my brother’s ilk, but they grunted, and that does not a conversation make.”
“Interesting,” Josh teased. “Who knows of your preference for intellectuals?”
“My family. My close friends.”
“Why haven’t I met your friends or heard you discuss them? I need names so I can check them out.”
“Josh! No, I won’t have you investigating my friends.”
Josh's Fake Fiancee (Military Men Book 5) Page 7