“Really? I didn't know people round here cared for boxing.”
“Gem, everyone cares about it now. I had no idea you were seeing Cade 'The Crusher' Logan! Why didn't you tell me?!”
“Huh! How do you know?! Is that what all the girls are whispering about?” I darted my eyes around the room to see people still staring in my direction. Oh God, this was the last thing I wanted.
“Um, yeah! I mean, it's Cade Logan for Christ's sake. You know how his profile's been growing in town this year! So what's going on, are you really sleeping with him?”
I shook my head out of confusion. How did everyone know?
“So you're not?” Annie asked, seeing me shaking my head and my face contorting into this deep frown. “Well what was that about at the fight then?”
“Annie, you're gonna have to be straight with me here. I literally have no idea what you're talking about.”
She rolled her eyes and rushed around the side of the cubicle towards me, sliding into a chair and lowering her voice.
“You know the fight was televised, right?”
“No, I didn't actually. So what.”
“Well, everyone saw, Gem. We all saw Cade pointing straight at you after the fight and say 'for you'! The commentators were speculating over who you were. You were next to two of his brothers, right? God they're all so hot, I'm so jealous! Seriously, what's been going on with you two?”
“Nothing much,” I lied, “we're just seeing each other casually. It's not that big a deal, I don't know why everyone's so excited by it.”
Annie scoffed and glanced around at the many sets of eyes still lingering on us. “Excited might not be the word I'd use. I think they're all pretty envious Gem. Have you seen the tweets?”
I shook my head.
“Check this out. But be warned, you won't like it.”
I took a deep breath as Annie took control of my computer and brought up this twitter feed about Cade. It was populated with tweets from jealous girls asking who I was and saying he could do a lot better. I read down the list: the things these girls were saying were appalling, so insulting and abusive.
“What the hell is all this?” I asked, slightly shocked.
“It's just stupid jealous girls. Take no notice of them. I just thought, you know, you'd better know what's going on.”
I'd rather not if this was what people were saying about me. Ignorance is bliss and all that.
I couldn't quite believe how bitchy these girls could be. They didn't know Cade, they didn't know me. I mean, he'd only recently become well known around here. It wasn't like he was a national icon or anything, just a young boxer making his way. One day, maybe, but not now.
I guess, though, even small fish seemed big when in a small pond, and Branton wasn't exactly New York.
“Soooo, tell me,” Annie said, dragging my eyes away from the abusive insults littering the computer screen, “what exactly is going on then with sexy Cade Logan? How did you meet him? You haven't been moonlighting as a boxing journalist have you?!”
“Not exactly,” I said, shutting down the browser, “it's kind of a long story, and I've got a lot of work to do.”
Work, sure. I meant plagiarizing off of Google.
Annie stood up and took a step back.
“Say no more. You can tell me at lunch,” she said with a wink and a nod.
She stood and sped round the side of the cubicle towards her own computer screen, sitting down and disappearing from sight.
In reality I didn't want to talk, or think, about Cade right now. We'd been seeing each other for about 8 months but things weren't quite as smooth as they had been. I hadn't seen him since storming off after his fight on Friday night and he hadn't called. He'd been such a douche it was almost unbearable. I think he actually liked the attention he was getting from all of those sluts in the audience.
God knows what he'd been feeling about all of this new Internet attention he was getting. I guess it was something he'd have to get used to. I just wasn't sure I wanted to be around to see it.
My phone rang and snapped me from my thoughts.
“Good morning, Gemma Watson speaking.”
“Hi Gemma, would you come to Mrs Banks' office please. She'd like to have a word.”
Martha Banks was my editor-in-chief, the woman who ran the magazine. She was pretty unforgiving and was never shy in telling me what she thought of my work if she didn't like it. Whenever I was called in to see her, it was rarely good news.
I stood and walked through the office, purposefully avoiding the glances of the girls still talking in their little office cliques, and down the corridor away from the main floor. At the end was a glass fronted office with the words EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, MARTHA BANKS emblazoned across it. As if people wouldn't realize that this office belonged to the boss.
In a cosy little nook outside of the door sat Mrs Banks' secretary, Brenda, a middle aged woman who'd worked for her for over a decade.
“Hi Gemma,” she said, “Mrs Banks should be waiting for you. You can go in.”
I nodded and clasped my hand to the door handle before twisting slowly and creeping in, shutting the door behind me.
“Ah, just the girl I wanted to see. Gemma, how are you?”
She sat upright behind a bare white desk, a single Mac in front of her. She wore a smile on her thin red lips, her skin pale and hair jet black. She was over 50 years old but looked more like 40, her many facelifts and botox injections helping her stay young.
I stayed lingering by the door, still a little uncomfortable at being summoned so early on a Monday morning.
“I'm OK Mrs Banks, and you?”
She stood up and paced around the desk. “Fine dear, yes fine. Now come here, there's something I want to talk to you about.”
Her voice was more bouncy than normal as she sat down on a black leather sofa next to a large open window looking down onto the city. She held out her hand and gestured for me to sit on the chair opposite, a coffee table full of old editions of the magazine between us.
I sat and waited for her to speak as she slipped an electronic cigarette out of her handbag and took a drag.
“Right Gemma, I've heard something rather interesting about you this morning and I wanted to ask you first-hand.”
Oh God, I knew where this was going. Her too!
“Now apparently you are currently in a relationship with a certain Cade Logan. I know the family but have only recently heard of the young man's newly found status as a local hero and, for want of a better word, heart-throb.”
She took another puff of her fake cigarette.
“So, tell me, what's going on between the two of you?”
“Well Mrs Banks, I suppose we're dating.”
“You mean you two are fucking?”
I was slightly taken aback by her forward approach. She never did mince words.
“Um, yeah. Well, I hope it's slightly more than that, we've been seeing each other a while now.”
“How long?” she asked quickly.
“About 8 or so months.”
She nodded her head. “So rather in line with his upward trajectory in our lovely city of Branton here?”
It was true. Cade's profile had been rising steadily with each fight and he'd been beating opponents for fun since we met. That's why he always called me his lucky charm.
“I suppose so.”
Mrs Banks pulled the cigarette from her mouth and thrust it back into her handbag, still keeping her eyes on me. I could see her mind ticking over. I knew what she was after.
“Gemma, as you know there's a promotion coming up that we're looking to fill in the next month or so.”
My ears pricked up.
“Of course," she continued, "I always prefer to recruit from within the magazine, rather than search for talent outside. I think that you have the sort of talent we're looking for.”
My breathing was increasing with excitement. Was she about to promote me right now?!
“You
understand, of course, that I'm looking at several options and the selection process is fairly comprehensive.”
Great, I knew it wasn't going to be that easy.
“In particular, I like potential candidates to write a great story on something the magazine, and it's readers, are really going to take to. I'd expect a double page spread, something edgy, something that will get people talking. You know, something exclusive.” She put some extra emphasis on the final word.
“It appears to me that with your proximity to Cade Logan, you might be ideally suited to find that exclusive we're looking for. If his profile continues to rise, it could work very nicely for your future career.”
“But he's my boyfriend....isn't that a bit, I don't know, unethical?”
Mrs Banks leaned back in the chair and smiled. “Well that's just a point of view, isn't it? I'm sure our readers would love an exclusive scoop on young Mr Logan.”
“What sort of scoop?”
“Well darling, I can't be figuring out every little detail for you. This is your test to see whether you'll make a good journalist or not. Get me something good, something that will sell, and the job is yours.”
“And the other candidates?”
She scoffed. “Unless they have the inside track on the town's new golden boy as well, I think you'll be safe. Do this for me Gemma, and your journalistic world will open up ahead of you.”
She stood suddenly and paced back around towards her desk. “Now back to work,” she said, her voice businesslike once more. “I want your proposal on my desk by the end of the week. We can then discuss this further.”
I stood up and walked towards the door, her final words stopping me in my tracks.
“This is a great opportunity for you Gemma, don't waste it. You never know when another might come along.”
She sent her eyes back to her computer as I walked through the door and drifted back over towards my own little space in the corner of the main floor. I could see Annie's eyes tracing my journey as I walked towards her, a look of concern on her face at my deep frown.
I mean, the idea of getting that promotion was all I could ever want. Mrs Banks was right, it really would open up my world, set my career on the sort of trajectory that I'd always craved. It was what I'd wanted since I was a girl, ever since I saw Lois Lane rush around looking for a great story. She'd stumbled onto Superman, and that was the making of her. Maybe Cade could do the same for me?.
But I knew him well enough now, and I knew the family. He wasn't one for the spotlight. You could tell that by the way he acted in his fights. He was no-nonsense, utterly committed to battle, not wanting any other distractions around him at all. If I did a piece on him it would be seen by millions, all over the country and not just in Branton.
I knew he wouldn't want that sort of attention on him, that he would never want to give an exclusive to a reporter, to spill the details of his life. His life beyond the ring, of course, was rather complicated.
And so was mine.
Chapter 4 - Zack
6 Months Ago
Zack
My father's death had come so suddenly. He'd been murdered in cold blood in an hotel room, shot twice through the chest. The cops said it was a professional hit but had no suspects. The life my father had led, that list could have been fairly long.
I didn't have the closest relationship with him before he died. No, that position belonged to Crash, my oldest brother. He was in charge of the family's prized asset, Logan's Casino, and was being groomed to take over the running of the family when dad decided he'd had enough and wanted to step back. I guess Crash would be taking the reigns earlier than he'd have thought.
It hit him hardest. And Kyle, he seemed to be stricken by the whole thing as well. Me though, I felt strangely detached from it all, less emotional than I'd have thought. I guess today would be the hardest test.
I stood now, in front of the grave, my four brothers to my side. We all had our heads bowed, looking down as the coffin was lowered into the grave. The rain came cascading lightly down upon our shoulders, jumping on the many black umbrellas around us. But none of us were covered; we were all getting slowly soaked. It seemed so inconsequential.
The priest spoke and Crash took a step forward, dropping a single rose down onto the coffin as it descended deeper into the earth. His words began to crack as he talked of our father, of his life, his successes, his love for his family.
I could see my brothers' heads drop further at his words, but couldn't tell if any were shedding tears, not in the rain. If we were, it wasn't something any of us would want people to see, even on a day like this.
Crash finished speaking and stepped back, and I stepped forward with my other brothers and dropped my own rose onto the coffin. We each whispered a few words to him. All I could muster was "I'll miss you father."
We stepped back and others moved forward, dropping more flowers into the grave, filling it with color and life. It contrasted so heavily with the grey and sombre setting.
There were many people there, all gathered to pay their respects. My father had touched many lives during his own, for good, and for bad.
Gradually people began to disperse and move off towards the wake. Soon there was no one left, just the five of us, standing in a line, looking down into the grave as the rain continued to soak through our black suits.
I felt a growing feeling of grief as I stood there. My father had always been there for me, always putting his family first. He'd set me up for life, put me in charge of one of his businesses, gave me the chance to lead a life full of success and happiness. He'd had so many demands on his time and so many responsibilities that my personal time with him had been short. But I loved him, and he'd been taken away from me, from all of us. Just like my mother.
And now it was just us, just the five of us, a ship without a rudder. It would be down to Crash to try to steer us as best he could.
Without a word Crash was the first to move, turning around and slowly moving off through the graveyard. We all followed, stepping after him towards the cars waiting on the road. Others were still around us, climbing into black cars lined along the path.
I glanced over the faces, many of which I knew. Friends of the family, business associates of my father I'd been introduced to in the past, extended family members who'd come from far and wide to pay their final respects.
Then there was a face I thought I knew, a face from the past. The face of a girl I'd known long ago, a girl I'd never forgotten. It couldn't be her. Why would she be here? And before I knew it, she was inside a car and gone.
….
I sat alone in a bathroom during the wake, the loud chattering of conversation filling the air next door and through the house. I sat on the edge of the bathtub, happy for the moment of quiet. We'd only just arrived from the funeral service and I wanted a few moments of peace before talking to everyone.
The door handle turned suddenly and I heard somebody push against it. I looked up quickly.
“Someone's in here, sorry. Give me five minutes,” I said.
“Is that you in there Zack?” I thought I recognized the voice through the door but it was too muffled to be sure.
I stood and walked towards it, turning the lock. The door opened and my breath dropped.
“Gemma, is that you?!”
My wide smile betrayed the fact that it was my dad's funeral. I couldn't help it.
She smiled big herself, rushing in and giving me a hug, her arms squeezing tight around me.
“What the hell are you doing here?!” I asked, completely and utterly shocked to see her. Shocked, but delighted.
Her smile dampened slightly on her face. “Well, it's kinda weird, I'm here with Cade.”
My heart dropped. “Cade?”
“Um, yeah, we're kind of seeing each other now.”
I took a slight step back, unable to hide my disappointment. Cade? What the hell was she doing here with him?
“Oh, OK.”
“It's so good to see you though Zack, it's been so long.” She dragged me in and hugged me again. I felt a longing I hadn't felt in years.
“So, how exactly did you and Cade meet? Did you think it was me or something?” I laughed. It probably sounded like an awkward laugh.
“Um, well it was only a couple of months ago. It did flash through my head that it was you, yeah, but then he told me his name. I had no idea you had a twin! I've been dying to see you again ever since I met Cade, but haven't had the chance with everything that's been going on.”
I guess she must have been referring to the horrific murder of my father by the drop in tone of her voice.
“So why didn't you ever tell me?! How come you never mentioned you had a twin brother!”
“I dunno, I guess it never came up.”
“Never came up! How could you leave something like that out. You told me about your other brothers as I recall.”
“Did I? I can't remember, it was so long ago now.”
Actually, I could remember, and I knew exactly why I didn't mention Cade. He was my twin brother and I loved him, more than anyone else in the world, but I always felt I trailed in his shadow. He was always the more sporty one, the more intelligent one, the twin that dad favored. When we were sent to different high schools, I put on a front of being upset like he was: upset to be parted, upset to not see each other at school every day. In reality, I was delighted to step away from his shadow and out into the light where I could be just me, not Cade Logan's twin brother.
Gemma shook her head and smiled at me in confusion. I hadn't seen her for years and yet it felt like I'd seen her just yesterday. We'd only been kids when we knew each other, now we were adults, and she was gorgeous.
Even dressed in black, with a large hat covering her gorgeous brown hair, she looked stunning, her face pale and lightly made-up. I remembered how naturally beautiful she was at school, how the other girls started wearing make-up but she never did. Still, she always looked prettier than the rest.
I'd met her on a summer trip before starting high school. I remembered the first time I'd really seen her, up on that stage, a bag of nerves, forced to introduce herself to everyone. She'd disappeared a little while after, and I'd found her down at the lake. We clicked immediately, and even shared our first kiss that night in the water under the stars.
TWIN PASSIONS: (A Logan Brothers Novel) Page 3