The Successor

by Alina Jacobs

  “So you figured out how that works!” his father said, coming toward him. “My brother and I used to sneak out of the house that way.” His father wrapped him in a hug. “I’m glad you’re alive. I saw the video.”

  “What video?”

  “The assailants live-streamed the whole situation on Facebook. They wanted it to be the start of a revolution. But we all see how that worked out.” His father shook his head incredulously. “You really are something else. I’ve had calls from the governors of multiple states, several congressmen, and various business leaders, not to mention the press.”

  “Oh,” Grant said with a grimace. “Sorry about that.”

  His father laughed. “It’s fine. It’s good. People want to know what happened and what your plans are now. Have you thought about it?”

  “Not really.”

  His father patted him on the shoulder.

  “Not a problem. You still have time. How’s Kate, by the way? And her grandmother?”

  “I don’t know. I was wondering if it was too early to go over there.”

  “Her grandmother’s an early riser. I think it’s probably fine. The paper’s already here, and she’s up by then.”

  Grant picked up the copy of that morning’s paper.

  “Looks like you made the cover,” his father remarked as Grant unfolded the newspaper. There on the front was a huge picture of Grant and Kate, the two of them looking into each other’s eyes, Grant wiping away Kate’s tears.

  When Grant and Walter arrived at Kate and her grandmother’s house, they walked around to the back patio. Grant saw Kate through the glass. She was eating granola and yogurt with fresh berries and started when Walter and Grant knocked on the glass doors and let themselves in.

  “Well, I declare, is that Walter Holbrook sneaking into my house?” Margaret exclaimed. “You are a sight for sore eyes.” She pulled the much larger man down into a hug. “And our savior right here in my kitchen!” She gave Grant a hug as well.

  “Good morning, Ms. Margaret,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Look,” Kate’s grandmother said giddily, holding up the newspaper. “You two make an attractive pairing.”

  Kate groaned.

  “There’s going to be a serious investigation,” Walter said, skimming the article. “I can’t believe they didn’t have better security at that place.”

  “And I cannot believe you took time out of your busy schedule to come see little old me. Or did you just come to bother my granddaughter?” she said, putting her hands on her hips.

  Walter raised his hands, placating. “I came to see you both.”

  “Don’t you have a business to be running?”

  “At my business’s level, you have to delegate, or you end up micromanaging it to death. And that’s not what we want.”

  “Have something to eat,” Margaret said, gesturing to the spread Maria had laid out on the table.

  “We don’t want to trouble you,” Walter told her but reached for a plate, anyway.

  “That boy looks hungry,” Margaret said, eyeing Grant. “Now that I have a real-life hero at my table, I wish I’d had something nicer prepared. My, this place is filthy. I do apologize,” she said, gesturing to the spotless and tastefully decorated breakfast room.

  “It’s fine,” Grant said, taking a seat and reaching for a spoon. He bumped his leg against Kate’s, and she gave him a wide-eyed look. “Anything is nicer than what we had in the Marines. I actually found a real live worm in my food once.”

  “Good god,” Walter said. “Don’t tell that story when we go make the rounds!”

  Grant looked at him, confused.

  “There are a number of powerful people whose beloved parents, grandparents, and wives were at the clubhouse yesterday, and you saved them. Naturally, they want to meet you.”

  “Yes, Grant,” Margaret said, loading more eggs onto his plate. “Do you have any idea what could have happened if you weren’t there? We would have been slaughtered!”

  Walter nodded. “That’s not an exaggeration. I had a chat with the deputy director of the FBI. He said the men were known extremists and were linked to that museum bombing attempt in DC. He said it could have been a double-digit body count.”

  “I’ve got you scheduled for the talk-show circuit tomorrow,” Kate told Grant. “I need to find him something to wear.”

  “No need. I’ll be wearing my uniform,” Grant interjected. The Marines communication department wanted him to wear his dress uniform for some good publicity. The uniform was uncomfortable and itchy, but the master gunnery sergeant had personally called him and asked him to do it.

  “I wish you two would take a day off. You especially, Kate,” Margaret said with a frown.

  “I’m fine,” Kate countered.

  “You’ve had a shock.”

  “I’m fine.” She took out her tablet. “We need to go over your talking points for your interviews,” Kate said to Grant as her grandmother loaded up more food for the two men. “They’re going to ask him about what happened, of course, but they will also want to know what’s in store for the future. It’s a feel-good question and a chance to plug the Holbrook Foundation as he has his story straight,” Kate said.

  “Maybe Grant can tell them something generic about his charity plans,” Walter offered.

  Grant tried to stifle a scowl. He already had a plan, and his plan was to win Kate.

  “I want to work at the corporation.”

  “Excuse me?” his father said, his fork frozen in the air. “I thought… well, that’s great, I guess.”

  “You wanted me to work in the company. Now you don’t think I can do it?”

  “No, I do, but after talking with Jack—”

  “Kate said you wanted me to do sales,” Grant pushed doggedly.

  “Yes, but after some college and some training, perhaps. You don’t really have the Ivy League degree for sales. It’s usually people in fraternities and such.”

  Grant smirked. “I’m in the biggest fraternity of all.”

  “I think he can handle it,” Kate said.

  If Grant didn’t know any better, he would say she was impressed. Her grandmother certainly looked impressed.

  “At Holbrook Enterprises, we expect a junior sales associate to bring in fifty million a year in sales.”

  Grant almost choked.

  “Fifty million?” Grant couldn’t even comprehend how much that was.

  “So you understand I can’t just hand out a sales job.”

  “I’ll land it on my own merit.”

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” Walter asked, a hint of concern on his face.

  “I think so. Maybe,” Grant replied.

  “I’ll help prep him,” Kate said.

  Grant and Walter stayed at Kate’s grandmother’s house the rest of the day. They had the TV on, and Kate fielded calls from various news stations and talk shows, ironing out the details for the next days’ lineups. Grant was a little put out that he had to go on TV. He didn’t really want to relive the previous day, and he hated that people would think he was some sort of sociopathic killer like his mother. He thought about looking online for the video of the clubhouse attack but then decided he didn’t really want to see it.

  As he walked into the den from grabbing a drink of water, CNN was on. An anchor was talking about the clubhouse events, and then, without warning, they cut to the video.

  Grant froze. He felt sick, watching himself calmly shoot the assailants then walk over and shoot the one wearing the body cam in the head.

  “You sure showed him!” Margaret crowed.

  Grant felt nauseous. The glass dropped out of his hand and shattered on the floor. CNN looped the video.

  “Gram, stop it!” Kate hissed and turned off the TV.

  “Hey! I was watching that!”

  Kate led him into a sitting room. “Are you all right? I’m sorry I didn’t even check up on you. Do you even want to do any of these interviews?”

/>   Grant shook his head. Kate pulled him to her, and he breathed in her scent, trying to relax.

  “I’ll cancel them,” she said.

  “No,” Grant said, snuggling his head into her chest. “Better to get it over with. The military called me, too. They want the good publicity, so I have to go on.”

  Kate stroked his hair for a few moments then said, “I’ll have you on TV tomorrow only. There will be some parties in your honor in the next few weeks, but I’ll make sure you just have to show up and don’t have to speak.”

  “Thanks,” he mumbled into her shirt.

  Chapter 35

  Kate

  Walter confronted Kate before they left.

  “Do you really think Grant has what it takes?”

  Kate thought for a moment.

  “Honestly, yes, I do. He had the wherewithal to make good connections in the military. It was enough to learn different languages and different people. Sales is networking and problem solving. At the very least, he can win some defense-contract money.”

  “Maybe we should start him lower in the company.”

  “Like what? The print room?” She snorted. “I’m honestly not worried.” Her phone buzzed. She wanted Walter to leave so she could deal with this massive problem that she had thought was dead and buried. What could Alan want from her?

  Kate waved at Walter and Grant as they climbed into the waiting car.

  “Be ready bright and early, Grant,” she called after him. “I already told Stefan to wake you up at three in the morning.”

  Once she was sure the two men were well on their way back to the Holbrook estate, Kate pulled out her phone and opened up the message thread from Alan.

  I need to see you.

  Come see me tonight, or I will tell your precious Holbrook what happened between us.

  I’m sure everyone would be very interested, now that you’re all over the news.

  She looked around in a panic, feeling as if she were backed into a corner. Walter would kill her if she let her personal life ruin his son’s career. She texted Alan back, hands shaking.

  Where?

  She could almost see his mocking smile.

  I’m glad you came to your senses.

  Meet me at the pavilion on the canal.

  Her stomach churning, Kate pulled her old bike out of the shed. As quietly as she could, she wheeled it down the drive then set off.

  After a quick ride, she saw a dark figure on a bench overlooking the canal.

  “Kate.”

  His voice was the same. She didn’t let it pull and control her as she had a year and a half ago.

  “Professor Von Breuer,” she said.

  “Come now, Kate. We know each other better than that.”

  He was decent looking but at least fifteen years older than her.

  She crossed her arms. “What do you want?”

  “I miss you.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  “We have unfinished business.” He stepped up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders then forced her to him, kissing her.

  “Stop it!” Kate yelled, trying to push him off.

  He shook her. “This is what I want. This and money.”

  “I don’t have any money!” she said, pushing away from her old professor.

  “You know who does. All the guilt presents I’ve had to buy my wife and kids because you tried to break up our marriage—I’m going broke, and it’s all your fault.”

  Kate was silent. She still felt guilty even though his daughter had said that he always had a student as a side piece. Maybe she could pay him and he would leave her alone.

  “The money is for your penance, and if you don’t want me to sweep the Holbrooks into our little scandal, then I suggest you also set a date on our calendar for the two of us to have one last night together.”

  Kate blinked back tears. She did not want to do this. She had to buy herself some time to figure out a solution.

  “I can’t do it now, obviously,” she said after a moment. “It will take me a little bit to skim the money off.”

  “I don’t need a lot,” Alan said with a mean smile. “Three thousand dollars a month should do it.”

  “It will take time,” she repeated, trying not to seem panicked.

  “I expect the first payment next month.”

  “Fine. I have to go,” she said.

  Alan grabbed her again and kissed her. She felt the inside of her mouth bleed where his teeth banged into her lip.

  She was shaking as she grabbed her bike and pedaled back to her grandmother’s house in the misting rain. When she got back to her room, she threw off her wet clothes. She felt nauseous and tried not to throw up. She huddled on the floor of her shower, letting the spray run down her skin, washing away her tears.

  “What am I doing?” she asked herself.

  Three thousand dollars? That was practically her whole monthly paycheck. She would have to give it to Alan. She couldn’t steal from the Holbrooks. Jack kept a tight hold on finances, and they would miss that money. Also, morally, she couldn’t steal from them. If Alan decided to blow up this scandal, she didn’t want them to be involved. Grant would lose it if he found out. She wondered if he would kill Alan as he did the Afghan soldiers. She didn’t want him to go to jail for her; she had to handle this situation with Alan herself.

  Kate wasn’t even going to think about how Alan wanted one last night with her. She was going to push that out of her mind. She did not have the mental fortitude to deal with it.

  She had to confirm Grant’s appearances and events in his honor in the next few days. Her to-do list running in her head, she settled down for a few fitful hours of sleep.

  Chapter 36

  Grant

  It was very early when they set off for New York City. Kate had Grant’s military uniform in a hanging bag to keep it from wrinkling in the car. Gus was in his carrier, asleep. At the first morning-show stop after Grant spent way too long getting into his uniform, he received a standing ovation when he walked into the studio. Grant shook hands with the hosts, and they gushed over him. He felt empty without his lucky watch, but he had the new one on.

  “Our hometown hero,” the hosts announced, “Sergeant Grant Jones!” He settled down in the uncomfortable chair and fielded questions. They were, as Kate had said, softball questions.

  “Any special women in your life?” one host asked.

  “We’ll see” was all he said.

  The hosts giggled. “Whoever the lucky lady is will win the golden ticket. Heir to a fortune, decorated war veteran, and as handsome as all get out!”

  “If I wasn’t married, honey!” the other host said, fanning herself.

  Grant gave as small of a smile as he could. He did not want to get cussed out by Master Guns.

  “So what are your plans after you get out of the Marines and return to the civilian world?”

  “I hope to be working at Holbrook Enterprises. I have to pass through the application process. No handouts in my family.”

  “As it should be!”

  The audience applauded lightly at the host’s comment.

  “Your father has a large charity endeavor,” one of the hosts said. “Will you be involved with that?”

  “Yes, I will be working at the Holbrook Foundation. There are hundreds of stray dogs that are abandoned around military bases every year. People move there, purchase a dog, then leave it when they are posted elsewhere. As a former marine, I’ve found my stray dog to be instrumental in helping me reintegrate back into civilization, as it were. I would like to use logistics and data management solutions already implemented in other Holbrook Foundation projects to connect stray dogs and veterans together on a large scale. We helped create some of the problem, and we as a community need to help resolve it.”

  There was a round of applause.

  “Fantastic,” the host said, clapping.

  All the noise was starting to give Grant a headache.

  “And t
his is something personal to you, because you also adopted a stray that was dumped on the side of the road, correct?”

  “Yes,” Grant said.

  The camera cut to a shot of Gus in the green room. He looked up from his snack and wagged his tail at the camera.

  There was a chorus of awws from the audience.

  “Just when you thought he couldn’t be any better, ladies!” the host said. “America’s most eligible bachelor!”

  “Nicely done,” Kate told him when he left the stage.

  She was still in her professional mode. She whipped out her tablet and showed him the rest of the schedule. Five more appearances including another morning show, several daytime shows, and filming for the evening comedy shows and late-night shows.

  His next appearance was across the street, and afterward, he and Kate trekked several blocks over to yet another studio for a daytime-talk-show appearance. There was more fawning, Grant plugged his father’s foundation, and Gus mugged for the camera.

  In a lull between appearances, Kate made him take off his pants so she could starch them. As he stood around in his shirt stays, his phone rang, and he stepped out of the room to take the call. It was his father.

  “Excellent job,” he said. “So you actually are seriously considering coming to work for me?”

  “That’s what Kate said you wanted.”

  “What do you want?”

  Grant knew what he wanted. He wanted Kate, and if working for his father was the way to win her, then that was what he would do. She probably wanted a respectable businessman who could be a good provider. He was going to properly court her—take her out for nice dinners, expensive drinks. He was going to impress her, not just fuck her in secret in her father’s house. He grimaced. He had moved too fast, and he hoped he hadn’t ruined his chance with her.

  “Are you still there?”

  “Yes,” Grant replied.

  “I would love to have you work with me. To avoid claims of nepotism, you will need to submit a resume and cover letter and come in for interviews. Kate can help you. We have a junior sales associate position open, and Kate knows what the VP of sales is going to be looking for.”