Climax: The Publicist, Book Three

by Christina George

  “You can’t go in there. Let us handle it. Where is her office?”

  “She’s all the way in the back. You can’t see her door from here, but when you pass the center section of the office you’ll see it off to the left.” Then Mac added, “Please don’t let anything happen to her.” His voice shook. The men nodded and all three officers walked past them and silently into the offices.

  Kate spotted the men walking towards her. Gratitude flooded her knees. She wasn’t alone. There was help. She did her best to conceal her relief and tried to keep the author talking. Charles had now put away his gun and seemed eager to hear what Kate had to say about his book.

  Suddenly three officers were in her office, grabbing the man and dragging him out of the chair. They dropped him to the ground, pulled the gun out of his pocket, and handcuffed him. It was over. Something washed over Kate, and she started to cry. She sat in her chair and wiped her face. In an instant Mac was there, standing in the doorway.

  “God, Katie,” she heard him say. Then he was beside her, lifting her out of her chair, and his arms were around her. “God, I was so worried, Baby.”

  Kate looked up. “What are you even doing here? I thought you weren’t coming back today?”

  “Plans changed,” he said softly and kissed her hair. “I came up here and saw a girl who was waiting on a meeting with you. She called the police.”

  She leaned back. “A girl?”

  Vivienne stood in the doorway. “Yes, me,” she smiled.

  For a moment Kate almost didn’t recognize her. Seeing the girl here was surreal.

  “Thank you,” Kate said in a grateful whisper, and Vivienne nodded.

  . . . .

  It took an hour for the police to collect everyone’s statements, including, of course, Kate’s and Vivienne’s. Everyone was ushered into the conference room separately to get as many details as they could about this guy. A quick background check showed a history of mental illness and several arrests for prior aggressive assaults.

  Kate was sitting in Mac’s office on his couch with a cup of tea he had made for her while Vivienne was being interviewed. Mac was sitting beside her, with his arm protectively around her shoulders.

  “I swear to God, if anything had happened to you, Kate,” Mac said. There was a cold trickle of dread that sliced through is words.

  “The police said the gun wasn’t loaded,” Kate offered, but she felt it, too. It was that moment when you realize that life can change with every breath we take.

  “I know, but still. He could have done something to you…” Mac trailed off and Kate took a finger and pressed it to his lips.

  “It’s okay, nothing happened and I’m fine.”

  A police officer tapped on Mac’s door. “Miss Mitchell, we’re ready for you now.”

  Kate put the cup on the coffee table and stood up.

  “Kate, while you’re in there I’m going to go downstairs and have a talk with the doorman about our visitor policy so this doesn’t happen again.”

  Mac left and Kate was ushered into the conference room and mentally prepared herself to rehash the whole thing.

  . . . .

  Kate emerged from the conference room a little while later and found Vivienne waiting in the hallway.

  “I really don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come up when you did.” Kate almost put a hand on the girl’s arm and then pulled back. Too familiar.

  “I’m sorry, Kate,” Vivienne said. “I’m sorry this happened. I, just, I’m glad I was here.”

  Kate nodded. “I’m sorry you had to witness that,” she added softly.

  “Does this happen often?” Vivienne hesitated.

  “Authors showing up with guns? No, thank God, or I think I would have left publishing a long time ago.” Kate looked past Vivienne for a moment, remembering some of the crazy things that had happened to her over the years. This definitely took the grand prize of crazy.

  “Sometimes,” Kate shrugged, “people can’t get past the fact that their work isn’t good enough.”

  “You handled him well,” Vivienne offered, and the compliment surprised Kate—first that the girl had heard that much, and second, that she even said it.

  “All I could think of was to keep him talking until someone showed up. And speaking of which,” Kate needed a change of subject, “what brings you here?”

  Vivienne straightened in her chair and smiled. “This probably isn’t the best time to tell you this, but I’ve come here to tell you that I’d be honored if you would publish my book.”

  CHAPTER 22

  When Mac returned, he was still fuming. The doorman deserved to be fired after letting this guy up.

  Mac headed back upstairs, and Lulu was just saying goodbye to the police when Mac walked into the office.

  “Did you get everything you need?” Mac asked one of the uniformed men.

  “We did, Mr. Ellis, and we’ll be in touch to let you know how this progresses.”

  “Can you hold him?” he asked.

  “We can, based on this incident and priors he’s had, but I don’t know how long. For now, we’ll make sure there’s a restraining order in place and someone will notify you the minute we find out how this will unfold.”

  Mac nodded, “Thanks guys. I appreciate your help.” The men left and Mac turned to Lulu, “A restraining order, for the love of God. Screw that. I’m getting private security. It’s not just for Kate, but also for you and Rebecca and Annabelle.”

  Lulu offered a shaky smile. “I think that’s a good idea, Mac. I mean, you just can’t be too careful. Thanks, Mac,” Lu smiled, “I think that’s smart.”

  “And you know our Kate. Very little fazes her, but I’m sure this did.”

  “Well she’s in with someone now. They’re in the conference room.” Kate’s office was in a disarray from the scuffle that had happened between the author and the cops, and, for obvious reasons, it was probably better for her not to be in there right now.

  Mac raised an eyebrow. “Right, the girl was here when I arrived. Do you know who she is? In all the confusion I forgot to ask.”

  “It’s Riley O’Connor, that author we’ve been trying to get. I think she’s going to sign with us. And she’s the one who called the cops. She really saved the day.”

  Mac put hand on Lulu’s arm. “She did, and thank God the police got here when they did. But Kate needs to go home—it’s crazy to keep working after that.”

  Lu shrugged, “I agree, but you know our Kate.”

  Mac walked to the conference room, and he could clearly see the tone was lighter, or as light as it could be given the circumstances. No doubt the author was signing.

  “Good girl, Katie,” he said to no one and then immediately thought, She really needs to go home. He popped his head in the conference room. Kate looked up.

  “Kate, hi. I don’t mean to intrude but I wanted to say hi to Riley and thank her for saving the day.” Mac turned his attention to Vivienne, who shifted nervously in her seat.

  “You are our hero, Riley,” Mac walked over and extended a hand. For a moment Vivienne just looked at him. As much as she hated to admit it, he was magnificent, tall (very tall), light blue eyes, and dark hair. She didn’t want to shake his hand, but Vivienne knew that, even to a smaller degree, Mac was still part of the package with Lavigne House. Finally, Vivienne stood up.

  “I’m sorry I missed seeing you when you were in last week, but I had some family business.”

  “It’s a pleasure,” Vivienne said softly and sat back down.

  Mac’s smiled widened. “I apologize for the intrusion.” He turned to Kate, “When you have a minute, I’d love to see you about something.”

  Kate threw him her best “office” smile, trying to remain cool under the awkwardness of the moment. She could feel it, too, Vivienne’s unease around him. “Sure, Mac. Good to have you back.”

  Mac smiled and closed the door behind him, leaving in his wake a swirl of issues that Kate
wanted to address.

  “So where were we?” Kate smiled, “Yes, your contract. So, listen Vivienne, I will keep my promise. But once you sign the contract, everyone here will need to know who you are.”

  Vivienne nodded, “I would like to keep my identity out of the press.”

  “We’ll do our best, but I can’t promise anything. Your uncle’s work was iconic, and the worst way to keep a secret is to tell one person.”

  Whether Vivienne realized it or not, she was a lot like Allan, determined to succeed on her own talent—not on someone else’s coattails.

  “I understand your motives, but I will caution you that once the book is out, I suspect that everyone will know the truth.”

  Vivienne hesitated for a moment. There was no getting around her uncle’s legacy, no matter how hard she tried.

  “I get it.”

  Kate pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she thought about what she wanted to say next.

  “Vivienne, listen. The book is fantastic. Instead of worrying about whether your uncle’s legacy will affect the book, why don’t you just enjoy the ride? Most authors never get to where you are, certainly not on their first novels. You have an amazing career ahead of you, and I hope you’ll stay with us throughout all of it. I’ll make sure that everyone in the press knows that we did not know who you were when we offered you a contract. They’ll find that charming,” Kate smiled, thinking of how she would spin that.

  Always the publicist.

  “You’re right. I’m just nervous.”

  “I get that. I really do. But I promise we will take good care of you here.”

  “We?”

  There it was, the girl’s problem with Mac. “Vivienne listen, you should know that Mac is one of the best editors in this industry. While you will not work directly with him, you really want him on this project. We cannot cut him out of the loop entirely.” Kate paused for a moment before she continued. “Vivienne, I respect your issues with Mac, but we can’t do this book without him. That’s a deal-breaker for us.”

  Vivienne didn’t respond, but Kate could see the wheels turning in her head.

  Kate continued, “I want this book. I know that we are the only publisher who can do your work justice and give it the kind of attention it deserves. Mac is part of that. I’m not going to defend him to you. Just know that he’s got an incredible eye for story detail.”

  Vivienne looked over Kate’s shoulder to a framed letter on the wall. She recognized her uncle’s signature. Pointing a finger, she asked, “What’s that?”

  “It’s the letter your uncle left to me, the one Nick and I found in his apartment after he’d died.”

  “May I?” she nodded in the direction of the note.

  “Of course,” Kate pushed her chair back and let Vivienne see Allan’s note up close. She could tell how drawn the girl was to it. Vivienne read it, silently.

  My Dearest Katie,

  If you’re reading this, then I’ve died, and I want to say I miss you very much. You were a dear friend to me; I don’t know how I would have gotten through the lonely times without your love and caring.

  I wanted to give you one last gift, a piece of me that no one else has: My final book. I wrote it, although I said I wouldn’t. I think it’s good. I think it will leave a solid legacy and perhaps give you that career boost you so deserve. I would ask one thing: Don’t let my publisher get their hands on this book. They’ll ruin it. I know you’ll take good care of it. It is my gift to you, for all the times you cared for me, bought me food, and made sure I was never lonely.

  I love you, Katie. Be happy.

  Always, Allan

  “He really loved you.” Vivienne said, almost in a whisper.

  Kate felt the emotion well up in her throat. “And I him.” She blinked away a tear. She still missed Allan.

  Vivienne sat back down, clearly moved. “I am grateful to you for what you did for his book.” She hesitated for a moment before she added, “And I’m sure Mac will be a help.”

  Kate smiled, “I’m going to have Lulu send the contract to you this afternoon. You should have your agent look it over before you sign it.”

  Vivienne shook her head, send her curls bouncing. “Nick said you were honest and would give me the best deal. I trust his word. I’ll sign it as soon as I get it and send it back so we can get started.”

  Kate hesitated for a moment. Nick. His name tiptoed through her mind as if it no longer belonged there. “How is your brother?”

  Vivienne folded her hands on her lap and looked Kate straight in the eye.

  “Kate, I need to be clear on something. Just like Mac is a non-negotiable for you, my brother is off limits in conversation. I don’t want to discuss him with you, ever.”

  Kate nodded. Vivienne the protective sister. Endearing and at the same time, odd. It bothered her that Vivienne would say that. Sure, okay, she was young and her perspective maybe lacked a bit of maturity. It wasn’t like Kate needed daily updates on how Nick was doing, but she’d like to know he’s okay. That was pretty innocent, right? Still, Vivienne’s words reminded her that she would forever be known as the girl who dumped the nicest guy on the planet. Until, of course, Nick met someone he could love and marry. Then all would be forgiven, and the breakup would be viewed as something that he had to go through in order to meet “the one.” A tiny twist tugged at her heart.

  Kate ignored it and smiled. “Agreed.”

  Vivienne got up to leave. “How soon do you want to start, Kate?”

  “As soon as possible. We’ll get the contract out to you immediately.”

  Vivienne gripped the doorknob. “I’m really excited.” She seemed almost giddy, “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  Kate smiled, “It’s happening, Vivienne. Riley is about to become a household name.”

  CHAPTER 23

  After Vivienne left, Kate went to Mac’s office. He stood up the minute he saw her and walked around his desk.

  “Mac, I’m so glad you’re back.” She walked right into his arms.

  “I know how terrified you must have been. A guy with a gun. I can’t even imagine,” he said softly.

  Of course, Mac knew exactly what she needed. In that moment, safe in Mac’s arms, Kate could let go. She held onto him tighter and started crying.

  “I was so scared.” Her voice was muffled in his shirt.

  Mac stroked her hair. “I know you were, Baby. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to prevent that.”

  Mac shook his head, “Maybe we need to get our own security.”

  Kate stepped back slightly and shook her head. “No. I mean this isn’t international espionage. It’s publishing.”

  “I know,” he smiled, “but some authors are dicier than others. Clearly.”

  “It’ll be fine. I’ll be more careful.” She nuzzled his shirt again.

  Mac smiled down at her. His smile was warm and sexy. “I’ve missed you something awful.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  Mac bent his head and kissed her so deeply, her knees nearly gave way.

  When Kate emerged from the euphoria of Mac’s kiss, she blinked for a moment then asked, “How’s Carolyn?” She could see Mac’s face change. A shadow of pain washed over him. The lines in his face hardened with the grief that Kate knew he must be feeling.

  “It’s hard, Katie. It’s hard to watch her, and it’s even harder to watch my boys suffering, watching their mom die.”

  Kate hugged him. “I can imagine.” She wanted to mention the wedding to him—postponing it—but she decided to wait. He had enough going on right now.

  Mac smiled down at her. “I can’t wait to get you home tonight.”

  She kissed him, then said, “We got Riley.” Something buzzed in her stomach. Kate hadn’t told him about Riley’s true identity and she probably should have.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Excellent. Not that I’m surprised. Has she signed?”

  Kate moved away from him slightly. Unlik
e the wedding conversation, this was one that couldn’t wait.

  “Let’s sit down for a minute.” She pulled Mac onto the couch in his office and sat him down.

  Mac frowned, “What’s going on, Katie?”

  “Nothing bad. It’s just that I need to tell you who Riley is.”

  “Well, who is she? She certainly wasn’t anyone I recognized.”

  “Her name is Vivienne Lavigne.”

  Mac blinked for a moment. Kate could see confusion thread across his face. “Is she any relation to Allan, or is this just some odd coincidence?”

  Kate took a deep breath. Although Mac was confident, there was still no love lost between he and Nick. “She’s Nick’s sister.”

  Mac let out a small ironic laugh. “Wait, are you kidding me?”

  Kate shook her head. “No, I’m serious. She’s Nick’s sister. I never met her when he and I were, eh…” The room suddenly heated up. They never talked about her engagement to Nick, even though Mac was well aware they were engaged. They’d also never spoken about, for that matter, how she’d broken it off.

  “So, she’s the author, and we can’t tell the world that we’re publishing another Lavigne?”

  “No, but I told her that it would come out, sooner rather than later.”

  Mac stood up, walked over to his window, and jammed his fingers through his hair. “And is Nick part of the package?”

  Kate could feel her heart beat in her chest. “No, in fact she won’t even talk about him with me…Not that I asked. She just said…” This conversation wasn’t going well at all, and the truth was, she had asked.

  Mac turned around, clearly annoyed. “I gotta tell you, this does not sit well with me.”

  Kate took a deep breath; she hadn’t even told him the worst part. She licked her lips, and then decided just to launch into it. “Look, there’s something else.”

  “There’s more?”

  Kate nodded, stood up and walked over to him. “She doesn’t want you involved.”

  Mac’s hands flew to his waist. “What? I’m the editor here, for Christ’s sake. You’re not going to tell me you agreed to this?”