His Fall From Power

by Fawkes, Tasha

  “What made you two break up?”

  “It was something that just happened over time.” It felt strange to talk about a sexual relationship with another woman when I had something so explosive and passionate with Blythe. “Even in bed, we were just going through the motions. I suspected that she was seeing someone else. I never really asked because I didn’t care, but we weren’t getting anything out of being together anymore. We went almost two weeks without seeing each other. We had a party that night. Afterward, she didn’t seem to want to stay, and I didn’t want her there. I told her that I thought it was time we separated. She agreed. Because our relationship was so public, she thought it would be best if she went home to let the rumors die down. That was it. I didn’t hear from her until she texted me after my reelection.”

  Klaus sipped at his coffee and rubbed his temples. “Did you give her any expensive gifts?”

  I wracked my brain. “Nothing extravagant. I think I got her a set of diamonds for Christmas and another for her birthday. I don’t remember which, but it was a necklace and a pair of earrings. Nothing overly expensive or sentimental.”

  “Did you give her cash?”

  “Cash?” I snorted. “The Carins are a wealthy family. Why would she need cash from me?”

  “She never tried to win you back before now?”

  “Klaus,” I grumbled. “What are you getting at?”

  “The Carin men were cold and quiet when I spoke to them, but her mother was another story. She was in the middle of a breakdown, and she was blaming her husband. From what I gathered, the Carin family had plans to unite with you Draysons. Sherry was babied, and she wasn’t expected to amount to the esteem as her brother, but she was meant to marry well. When she failed to do that, her father cut her off.”

  What the fuck? Klaus couldn’t be serious. I’d met the Carin family a number of times during my time with Sherry, but they’d never treated me like part of the family. I got the sense that they knew I was nothing more than Sherry’s fuck friend.

  “There was no indication of that at all, or I would have spoken to the Carins and tried to explain. Sherry didn’t have a job. How has she been living the past two years?”

  “That’s the question. The detectives have looked into her financials. She had a huge influx of cash coming in at regular intervals. Enough to keep her in the most expensive suites all around Florida. They think it’s blackmail, and they want to connect that to you. When they look at your financials…” He lifted his eyebrow.

  “They won’t find anything shady,” I promised him. Although I had a trust fund, the only time I’d used it was to buy the penthouse. Otherwise, I lived off my salary and personal investments.

  “So, Sherry had been lying to everyone. Hopefully, it will lead to other suspects with motives. In the meantime, we have another problem.” Klaus pulled out his laptop and opened it. After a few clicks, he pulled up a news report.

  Blythe’s face filled the screen. Reporters charged at her and shouted questions at the same time.

  “Do you have any comments about the death of Congressman Drayson’s ex-girlfriend?”

  “Are you lying to cover for him?”

  “He says he spent the night with you. Are you two dating or just sleeping together?”

  “Is it true that the deceased was blackmailing him?”

  Blythe’s face filled with shock, and her jaw dropped open. “Wait, what? What did you just say?”

  One of the reporters smiled wickedly. “Do you have any comments on the murder of Sherry Carin? Congressman Drayson is being questioned on suspicion of her murder.”

  I could see the moment Blythe began to panic. “Why are you asking me?”

  “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.”

  Carl finally started to pull Blythe through the crowd, using his body to block them, but the questions kept coming, and the camera never left her face. It was filled with fear. “I don’t…I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t know Sherry was dead. I don’t…please leave me alone.”

  “Are you and the congressman in a relationship? Is that why he came to your aid?”

  “Oh, god. Please go away.”

  Klaus paused the video. “This was on every news station last night. I didn’t think that they’d get to her that fast. Obviously, there’s a leak in the police department somewhere, and I plan on having a word with them about that.”

  Snarling, Hale stood and started pacing. “She looks like a goddamn deer in headlights. She’s a fucking disaster.”

  “He’s not wrong,” Klaus said quietly. “They’re going to focus on her after this. Even though she doesn’t have anything to hide, if she keeps acting like this, she will raise suspicions. We need to sever ties with her quickly.”

  I wanted to shout that it was never going to happen, but I just stared at her face. I’d spoken to her after that happened. She’d never said a word about the press.

  Not one word.

  Six

  Blythe

  Rachel’s couch was lumpy and uncomfortable, but it didn’t matter. I didn’t think the plushiest bed with a luxurious pillow topping and a million thread count sheets would have helped me sleep last night.

  My heart ached for Jack. After last weekend, I hadn’t thought my nights would be cold for a long time. I wasn’t taking things well.

  Rachel all but shoved me in the shower this morning and dressed me in orange. I’d looked at her skeptically when she pushed it on me, but she told me that the press were taking pictures, and I needed to look my best.

  I didn’t think I’d look my best in orange, but it wasn’t a horrible color on me. At least it took attention away from my face. I was paler than usual, and my complexion looked almost sallow against my dark hair. My grayish eyes were flat and tinged in red. At this rate, I looked no better than Hirsh had looked last night.

  But, according to Rachel, in this dress, no one would be looking at my face. I wasn’t even sure how to take that.

  I accepted the coffee gratefully and barely swallowed the muffin that she insisted I eat. It didn’t surprise me when we opened the door and found Carl waiting for us.

  “What?” Rachel squeaked. “Have you been out there all night? That’s weird. And creepy. I mean, I know it’s your job, but still…creepy. You could have stayed inside. My bed is plenty roomy.” Her eyes grew wide. “I mean my apartment.”

  They both blushed, and I groaned. And Rachel thought I was rusty at flirting.

  “I’m just here to make sure that you get to the office safely. I just got here,” he explained in a strange voice.

  With a gasp, Rachel turned and raced back into the apartment. I wasn’t sure if she was planning on returning, but she did and immediately shoved a plastic bag in his hands. “Muffins. You should eat if you’re going to be driving us around. I love to bake.”

  I smiled. I might not be able to keep my love together, but here was one blossoming right before me.

  Trying hard not to sink into a well of depression, I herded them out and reminded Rachel to lock the door. Thankfully, the press hadn’t caught on to her address, so we weren’t harassed until we got to the office. The group had somehow expanded.

  Steeling myself, I clamped my mouth shut as Carl made a pathway through the group until I could get to the door. I couldn’t get it unlocked fast enough. After closing the door behind me, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to cry.

  “Take a deep breath,” a male voice said. “It’ll be over soon.”

  With a squeak, I opened my eyes, but Carl wasn’t going for his gun. I sighed when I saw David, Jack’s chief-of-staff. I’d only met him a couple of times, but he always came across as too flirty and a little chauvinistic for my taste. Standing casually against the door frame, he was smiling, but his eyes were all business.

  “How did you even get in here?” I asked.
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  “I bribed the owners of the sunglass shop to let me in through their entrance. I’ve been waiting for a while.”

  “I had to wear orange,” I said as if that would explain anything. “All right. Come upstairs. If you’re here to tell me something on Jack’s behalf, I’m going to be pissed. If he wants to talk to me, he can call me himself.”

  We all filed up the narrow steps, and I flipped the lights on in the office. It felt a little bit crowded with four people inside, but Carl positioned himself at the entrance, and David took the chair. Needing another cup of coffee, I woke up the coffee machine and got it started.

  “I’m not here on Jack’s behalf,” David said as the machine began to gurgle and whine. “At least, I’m not here to play messenger. They aired your so-called interview.”

  I winced. I’d seen it too and had been so appalled that I’d buried myself under the covers with a desperate need for a bottle of wine. “If you’re here to lecture me, you can stow it. I already know. It was horrible.”

  “They were horrible,” David said kindly. “You did the best you could. You don’t have the kind of training to endure a press mob. I’m here to help with that.”

  He’d just insinuated that there would be more press mobs. I wasn’t naive enough to think that it would just go away, but I didn’t really want to think about it. “If Jack keeps ignoring me, the press won’t have any reason to follow me around.”

  “He sometimes needs time to think things through,” he told me softly. Carl shot me a knowing look, and I blew out my breath. Patience was not my strong suit, and couldn’t they see that we were a couple? We’d decided to handle things together, and now he was freezing me out. I was allowed to be upset with him. “In any case, we need to go over some ways for you to deal with the horde outside.”

  Walking over to the window, I glared at them. “They shouldn’t even be here. Last week, they were slinging lies at me, and now they’re right at my door ready to eat me alive.”

  “Exactly, and we’re going to capitalize on that,” David said with a broad smile. “As long as you keep bringing that up, they’re not going to air the footage. It just reminds the public of their mistake, and it makes them look unsympathetic. Our office is already issuing a statement asking them to leave you alone during this difficult time while you assure the parents of the kids you help that their own reporting was incorrect.”

  There was such a mischievous gleam in his eye that I couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s actually kind of slick. You enjoy this kind of thing, don’t you?”

  “I don’t enjoy the circumstances, and I’m sorry that you’re caught up in the middle of it, but I do enjoy besting the press at their own game. Can you carve out some time for me this morning?”

  “A little.” I grabbed my phone and pulled up my schedule. “It’s my turn to arrange for food after the kids get out of school, and I’ll be at the sports complex all afternoon. Then I’m supposed to meet with a construction company about the renovations to the warehouse.”

  Busy, busy, busy. That was good.

  “Give me a few minutes now, and then we’ll work primarily over the phone.” He glanced at his watch. “Okay. Let’s get started.”

  * * *

  David’s press release must have worked because the hoard cleared out from both my office and apartment. There were no surprising ambushes as I dragged my tired ass home that night. I’d pushed myself a little harder than usual just to make sure that my mind didn’t wander. Combined with my lack of sleep last night, I was exhausted.

  Inside my apartment, I shut the door, leaned against it, and closed my eyes. My mind started to wander.

  I hadn’t gotten a single text or phone call from Jack.

  Damn him. Was he shutting me out? Ghosting me? I wanted to scream with frustration. Not knowing was making this whole situation worse.

  Sighing, I dragged myself to the kitchen and opened my refrigerator. Going to the grocery store hadn’t been high on my priority list during the last week. I hadn’t eaten since the muffin this morning, and I was starving. With very few options, I made myself a cheese sandwich. It could have been a grilled cheese sandwich, but tired and cranky and worried Blythe wasn’t about to risk turning on the oven. The press would really enjoy it if I burned down my apartment building. David would be upset. He was working hard to help me, and I didn’t want to let him down by getting in trouble for arson.

  It was late by the time I dropped down on my bed, but sleep didn’t come. Pulling out my phone, I stared at it. Maybe I was in some sort of coma, and I’d just made up this whole thing. My rich political prince wasn’t real. There wasn’t a dead ex-girlfriend. The world didn’t think I was some kind of hooker.

  The screen lit up, and my heart stopped.

  Jack.

  Without any hesitation, I answered as I bolted up in bed. I wanted to cry. “Jack,” I said hoarsely.

  “Hey, baby.” He sounded just as tired as I felt. “I wanted to call earlier, but Carl said that you were busy. “

  “You should have called anyway. I would have answered it.”

  “I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  He wasn’t sure if I would pick up. That should have been a clear indication that he was doing something wrong.

  A silence fell between us, and I closed my eyes and leaned back on the pillows. “Are you still at your father’s?”

  “It’s easier. I’ve had some meetings all day about the office, and I didn’t want the press to be anywhere near it. Some of my party are asking me to resign, but I still have some support, so we’re holding tight for right now as the detectives investigate.”

  It wasn’t great news, but it wasn’t terrible news either. “Can I do anything?”

  “No.” He paused. “Why didn’t you tell me about the press attacking you?”

  That was what he wanted to ask me about? “Jack, I’d just been contacted by the police while at the youth sports center. I was freaking out about my reputation, and then I was worried if my boyfriend was going to be arrested for a crime he didn’t commit. The press wasn’t at the front of my mind. Besides, I didn’t say anything worth mentioning. I didn’t think they’d air it.”

  “They did.”

  My temper spiked. “Are you calling me to tell me that I fucked up, because you can just shove it. I told you before that I’m not great with this. Now, you have proof. I’m sorry. I’m not capable of compartmentalizing my feelings when I learn from the press that my boyfriend was arrested for murder. I was off balance. I was dealing. I didn’t punch anyone. Don’t I get points for that?”

  “I wasn’t arrested, Blythe.”

  “Damn it, Jack!” He was latching on to all the wrong things.

  “I’m not upset by how you handled the press. I’m pissed that you didn’t tell me. It had to be nerve-wracking. Those are the things I need to know about so I can help.”

  I pounded my fist into the mattress. “Are you serious? You’re going to lecture me on keeping quiet? You texted me yesterday, Jack. I’m freaking out over here, and you texted me!”

  Falling back into an angry silence, I let the tears fall, but I swallowed the sobs. I didn’t want Jack to know that I was falling apart.

  “I’m sorry,” he said finally. “I’m just trying to figure out the best way to handle this.”

  “That’s fine, Jack. You should handle the problem. We should handle the problem. Just don’t handle me, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “When can I see you?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. “Never mind. Pretend that I didn’t say that. You’re busy. I get it. Just…call me when you can.”

  “Blythe.”

  I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sit here on the phone and fight with him or sit here knowing that we were both in pain but couldn’t fix it. Instead, I wiped the tears from my cheeks and faked a smile. I hoped that it would reach my voice. “I’m tired, Jack. I’m going to go. Call me tomorrow. Or…text
me. Whatever you can handle. Good night.”

  “Good night, Blythe. I miss you.”

  My heart squeezed in my chest, and I wiped at my cheek as yet another tear fell. “I miss you too.”

  I wanted him to tell me that he loved me. I wanted to stay on the line for just a minute longer to hear it, but I was more worried that I’d never hear it again. I hung up and slipped under the sheets. Finally, I let myself cry.

  Seven

  Jack

  Despite my father’s protests, I returned to my life the next morning. It was time to return to the office and get back to my job. I was going to do whatever it took to make sure that this didn’t ruin me. I had campaign promises to fulfill and a duty to my voters. I refused to give anyone the satisfaction of hiding.

  Carl seemed happy enough to keep an eye on Blythe, and I didn’t want to have to endure his glower all day, so I used someone else in his team to get me from my father’s estate to the office. There was, of course, an audience of hungry reporters waiting to sink their claws in me.

  I was prepared.

  “My office has already released a statement, and I will be preparing a press conference once we get more details from the investigation. I will say this…”

  I paused, forcing everyone’s attention on me. The group fell silent as they waited.

  “I’m sorry for Sherry’s death. For a time, she and I were quite close, and I mourn her passing. I am sorry that her family and her friends have to go through this, and I hope that everyone can respect their privacy during this difficult time. The investigators and I have spoken because she and I did communicate and exchange texts the night she died. I have been forthcoming and transparent with the detectives. I will not disclose the details of that conversation at this time, but I can assure everyone that I did not lure her out to her death. At the time of her passing, I was with someone. I will not be disclosing the details of that information at this time either. As of right now, I do not want to do anything to hinder the investigation. You will be kept informed as we learn more, and we will continue to cooperate with the detectives. Thank you.”