Rachel immediately recoiled, and I knew she was about to launch into a passionate speech about how I needed to keep my former supporter at arm’s length. Quickly, I held my hand up. “Stop. I need to do this. He approached me a couple of days ago and showed real contrition about what was happening. He made it sound like he had no choice in the matter. I want to remind him that he does have a choice. He always has a choice, and he should do the right thing.”
“If the press sees you meeting him…”
I shook my head. “Oh, no. I’m definitely not going anywhere with him. That would be a major disaster. Just a phone call for right now.” I pressed my fingertips to my temples. “Things were going so well, and now I have to untangle this mess instead of moving forward with the arts center. I hate this.”
Thankfully, it looked like my two newest supporters, Susan Cold and Elizabeth Conner, representatives of Mental Health Services and the National Center of Education, weren’t swayed by the public. Between the three of us, I really did think that we could do great things together. I just needed to make sure that nothing stopped us.
“None of this is your fault,” Rachel said, her face rigid with anger. She wagged her finger at me as she glared. “Don’t you dare think that.”
“I don’t,” I said softly. It had taken me a long time to remind myself of that after that horrible night with Al-Latif. I watched my dreams of helping kids die after that, and I feared that I was to blame, but it wasn’t my fault. Al-Latif was a pig. Hirsh was an asshole.
And now Jack’s ex was using that to get to him.
Quickly, I filled Rachel in. As I spoke, I saw Carl stiffen out of the corner of my eye and whipped my head around. “You know Sherry, don’t you? Did you see her in Jacksonville?”
“I can’t talk about anything that happens when I’m with Mr. Drayson,” he said, but I thought I detected some regret in the words. It was a moment of triumph for me. Was I winning Carl over?
Rachel was still gaping at me. “Seriously? Jack’s ex-girlfriend is out to get you? That’s…insane, but I guess it’s not surprising. He’s gorgeous and wealthy and powerful. That’s a dangerous combination.”
“Yeah.” I blew out a breath. “I won’t let her use me to get to him. Jack is mine, and I’m not giving him up so easily.”
“Fierce, girl. I love it. So the two of you are done dancing around the whole thing? You’re finally willing to admit that you’re head-over-heels in love with him?”
“Yeah.” Happiness bloomed inside of me. “We’re good. Really good. And once we clear up the mess with the media and make things very clear to Sherry, then we’ll be more than really good.”
I couldn’t wait for that day. I wanted to be able to go out on a date with him and hold his hand. I had my parent’s support. I had his father’s support, and neither of those was any small feat. I might not be from a wealthy and political family, but I’d win over the rest of Miami as well. Once we put this mess behind us, I could breathe easy in my relationship with him.
“What’s he going to do about it?”
I narrowed my eyes. “He is not going to do anything about it, at least not alone. We are going to talk to Sherry together. I want her to know that I’m not the kind of woman who runs when things get tough. I love Jack, and I’m going to stick by him, so she might as well just give it up. Besides, Humane Miami is bigger than me. If I become a threat to it, then I can stand aside and let someone else take over.”
“No,” Rachel hissed, her eyes huge in her pretty face. Her dark curls bounced as she shook her head. “Not a chance. You are Humane Miami. It’s your passion. Your baby. Besides, Jack would never let that happen. He knows how important it is to you, and he wants you to be happy. We’ll kick Sherry’s ass to the curb, and that will be that.”
Impulsively, I got up and hugged her. I could never have gotten through this without this special woman.
Once I finished the newsletter and printed it out for her to look over, I got up the nerve to call Hirsh. It didn’t surprise me when he wasn’t available to take my call, but I left a very calm message asking him to get in contact with me so we could discuss things in a reasonable fashion.
Deciding that it was enough unpleasantness for one day, I put off setting up an interview for later. Maybe even tomorrow.
Taking Rachel’s advice, I made a few changes to the newsletter and fired it off to the parents. “All right, I’m off to the sports complex. You want to stay here or work from there?”
“I’ll come with you,” Rachel said as she gathered her things. “This place gets too quiet when I’m in here alone.”
Carl escorted us down the steps and opened the door before us. He immediately stiffened and growled. “Press is here,” he said in a low voice.
Damn it. Giving myself a mental shake, I pulled my shoulders back, focusing on what I needed to do. “That’s all right. I’ll answer a few questions. I don’t want it to seem like I’m hiding.”
We pushed out the door, and Carl kept himself between the small crowd that had gathered and me. Rachel gasped softly behind me as they began firing off questions all at once. Immediately, my vision began to dim. Panicked, I tried to back away, but Carl had a firm hold on my arm as he pulled me through the crowd.
Mentally, I berated myself. This was what I needed to get used to. Being with Jack meant facing the press. Taking a deep breath, I tried to find my center. I was a little overwhelmed, and when I opened my mouth to respond, I realized that they weren’t asking me about the scandal.
“Wait, what?” I asked, bewildered as I blinked. Their questions didn’t make any sense. “What did you just say?”
The small group fell quiet as one reporter stepped forward. “Do you have any comments on the murder of Sherry Carin? Congressman Drayson is being questioned on suspicion of her murder.”
Sherry was dead? My breakfast rose in my throat.
Dimly, I wondered if any of Jack’s girlfriends had ever hurled on camera.
“Why are you asking me that?” I whispered.
The reporter smirked. “You aren’t really going to deny that you and Jack are dating? She was the one who originally leaked your story to the press. It’s obvious. He killed her to cover for you.”
The tangled mess quickly became a noose.
Three
Jack
After the interrogation, I was released. I wanted to go straight to Blythe, but Klaus warned me against it. She was my alibi, and if I went to her immediately, the police would see it as us getting our stories straight. He didn’t want me calling her either.
My chest clenched at the thought of the police blindsiding her. Christ. This was a fucking mess.
Instead, I called David to fill him in. As my best friend and chief-of-staff, he was furious that I kept Sherry’s manipulations from him. He immediately went into PR mode, and I was banished from the office for the time being while he figured out how to go from there. It was probably the smartest choice. The front of my office building would become a mob scene soon. I needed a plan of attack.
There would be another press conference, and reporters following my every move. Knowing that they were probably already camped out by my place, I went to the only other place where I knew I’d find some peace.
The estate where I’d grown up.
The multi-million-dollar home boasted top-notch security. No one would get through the gates. Cameras and my father’s private security team were posted all along the perimeter. Klaus wanted to talk further, and I had a feeling he wanted to talk to my father as well, although I was determined that Hale Drayson would not be involved. My father and I had an uneasy relationship. I always suspected that he supported my political career only so he could use me, but he’d surprised me recently by throwing his support behind my relationship with Blythe.
Frankly, I never knew what my father was thinking.
We walked into the massive foyer, and the usual feelings stirred inside of me. Not nostalgia but the ghostly sensations
that I would always feel like a stranger here. Not much had changed since I’d moved out over a decade ago. The black stone floor was as polished as the expensive marble statues against the wall. A gold-framed ornate mirror hung above an old roll-top desk, and a large portrait of my father hung on the opposite wall.
Wealth. Everything about this house was dripped in wealth and self-importance.
Klaus excused himself to make some phone calls. My father was at his office in the city, so I drifted aimlessly and found myself on the balcony with an impressive view of the grounds and the ocean. This was the place where I’d asked Blythe to come home with me for the first time.
She’d agreed.
My memories of growing up here were always in conflict. When we were a family of three, my memories were happy and good. But then, when I was a teenager, my mother left, and my father grew cold and angry. Our family fractured, and we’d never quite repaired it.
The buzzing of my phone jerked me out of my reverie, and I pulled it from my pocket. “Blythe,” I murmured as I answered. “Baby, I’m so sorry.” There was noise on the other line…she was crying. I winced. “Blythe?”
“The police came to the sports center,” she said in a trembling voice. “They said that they’d already spoken to you. I thought maybe you would have called me first.”
My gut wrenched. She was hurt, and I didn’t even begin to know how to make this better. I couldn’t believe the detectives had made a personal visit to the youth center. She must have hated that. I hated that. When I’d asked the kids to help her out, I’d promised to protect her. I was doing a piss-poor job of things.
“I couldn’t,” I tried to explain. “My lawyer said that it was more favorable for me if I didn’t contact you before the police. You’re my alibi. If I called you right away, the police would think that we were getting our stories straight. What did you tell them?”
“I told them the truth,” she snapped. “What did you think I’d tell them?”
Christ, I was making things worse.
“That’s not what I meant. I would never think that you would try to hurt me like that. I meant what kind of questions did they ask you.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. They asked when you got here and how long you stayed. If you left at any time or made any phone calls.” She cleared her throat. “They wanted to know if I thought you could have hired someone to do this.”
“I didn’t,” I said instantly. “I made no phone calls after getting Sherry’s text. The records will prove that.”
“They already knew that. They said you could have had another phone. A burner, they called it. I…I told them that I didn’t remember you making any phone calls.”
Was that hesitation I heard in her voice? “Blythe, do you really think I’m the type of man to hire a killer?”
“No.” The word came out on a sob, and I gripped the railing. All I wanted to do was hold her. I never wanted to see or hear her cry. “God, no. I would never think that, but they kept asking me what lengths I thought you would go through to protect me. They asked me if you loved me. They tried to make it seem like if you loved me, then you’d protect me.”
Goddammit. I wanted their badges for the pressure they’d put on this innocent woman. “I would do whatever it took to protect you,” I assured her. “But my first step wouldn’t be murder.”
I gave her a few seconds to pull herself together, but it was agonizing to listen to the silence between us. Gritting my teeth, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the receipt. Just this morning, I’d bought her an engagement ring. Now she was questioning whether I was the kind of man to order a hit.
“Where are you? Can I see you?” she asked after the silence stretched too long between us.
I opened my mouth to tell her that I’d try to see her tonight when my father stormed into the room, his face more angry than I’d ever seen it. “Blythe, I’ve got to go. I’m at my father’s estate. I’m in a meeting with my lawyer. I’ll call you tonight.”
“Okay.”
I waited for her to tell me that she loved me. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but after how the police had just pressured her, I wasn’t sure how she’d take the sentiment. Instead, I whispered my goodbye and hung up.
My father opened his mouth to speak, and I put my hand up to stop him. “I didn’t kill her. Don’t even think of asking me.”
He glared at me. “Did you really think that was the first thing I was going to ask you? Of course you didn’t kill her. You don’t have it in you. Klaus says that Blythe is your alibi? Is there anyone else?”
I scrubbed my hands down my face. “I don’t know the exact time of death. We got a pizza delivered. I can’t do any better than that, but if I was going to kill Sherry, then I would have made sure I had a better alibi prepared,” I pointed out dryly. I had a feeling that all the goodwill we’d accrued between us was already slipping away.
“We need to work two different fronts.” Jerking his head, he indicated that he wanted me to follow him. We walked back downstairs to his office where Klaus was waiting. There were already three glasses out with a bottle of whiskey. I wasn’t one to drink in the middle of the day, but fuck it, I needed it. “The first to clear your name and the second to make sure that your reputation takes as little damage as possible. I’ve already spoken to David, and—”
“Excuse me?” I froze with the glass halfway to my lips. “You spoke to my chief-of-staff on my behalf?”
“Son…”
“You had no right.” Furious, I sat the glass down. Why did it not surprise me that he insinuated himself in the middle of my political career? “I realize what’s at stake here, and I’m open to ideas, but no one makes a move without my consent. You don’t talk to David. You talk to me.”
Hale’s eyes widened. I knew he wasn’t used to people talking to him like that. Everyone bowed to my father and kissed his shoes. To them, he could do no wrong, but they didn’t know him like I did. They didn’t know his vindictive streak. They didn’t see how he’d unraveled after my mother left. Those moments stuck with me. I knew what he was capable of when he took something personally.
“I apologize,” he said gruffly. “I only called him because I wasn’t sure how long you’d be with the police. We need to move fast and get ahead of this.”
Klaus cleared his throat and tapped his pen on his notepad. “The medical examiner’s office is backed up, but they’ll make this a priority. I’m sure they’ll examine the woman’s body today and tomorrow. We’ll know more then. So long as they don’t find any concrete evidence on her body that leads to Jack, we should be fine. A motive is not strong enough without evidence.”
“By the time my name is cleared, the damage to my reputation will already be done. I’m sure there are already people pushing for me to resign.” I closed my eyes. “They all but interrogated Blythe. They have her believing that I could hire somebody to kill Sherry to protect her.”
“Do you know what she said?” Klaus asked.
I shook my head. “Blythe wouldn’t say anything to hurt me.”
“Still, you’ve just done her a huge favor,” the lawyer mused. “They’ll continue to press her.”
“Distance yourself from her,” Hale cut in. “Don’t see her for a couple of days. If the police realize that this isn’t a long-term thing, they’ll lose some heat to their motive.”
The idea of distancing myself from Blythe was absurd. Chuckling dryly, I pulled out the receipt. “I bought her a ring. If the detective follows my footsteps this morning, they’ll easily learn that.”
“Shit.” My father squeezed his glass so hard I thought it might break. “That’s not a problem. We can pay off the jewelry store salesperson. Make it seem like you’re getting some cufflinks engraved. My birthday is coming up, so that will be believable.”
“No.” A cold fury whipped inside of me. “This isn’t how I want to do things. I won’t be lying or paying off people. I refuse to deny my rela
tionship with Blythe, and I won’t distance myself from her.”
“Son…”
“Are you kidding me?” I glared at him. “You were the one who encouraged her to accept me!”
Hale threw back his head and laughed. It was a chilling effect, and even Klaus flinched. “Of course I did. You were distracted. You’d just won your reelection, and you couldn’t be seen as weak, but you were parading around with her and mooning after her like some schoolboy. She was a nobody with a shady history. Short of convincing you to leave her, the only thing I could do was encourage this ridiculous notion of love between the two of you. Your voters would eat it up, but things are different now. Your relationship with her could be your undoing.”
“I’m leaving,” I said coldly. “Klaus, you’re welcome to continue working for me only if you can no longer involve my father.”
“Jack, listen to me!” My father’s face had become a mottled red. “I know that you think you’re in love with this woman. I was there. I know how you feel, but if you won’t think of yourself, then I ask you to think of her. That little charity of hers is doing good things. It can continue to do good things. How do you think a continued association with a suspected killer will affect her? How do you think the press will treat her?”
I stared at him, unsure how to respond.
He leveled me an icy look. “Son, I know you don’t care about her being your undoing, but you sure as hell will be hers.”
Four
Blythe
I’m sorry, but I’m still working with my lawyer. I’ll try and see you tomorrow.
I stared at the text and tried not to cry. He couldn’t even call me and tell me himself? He had to send a text? What the hell was happening here?
“Blythe?” Rachel asked softly. “I’m getting ready to head home. Are you going to do the same?”
His Fall From Power Page 2