Leisurely, I ran my finger over her naked back. I loved how well she fit against me. “It didn’t even occur to me that we hadn’t talked about it. It’s not that I want to hide my relationship with her, but it’s more that I didn’t really have one. We definitely didn’t have this. Sherry was a public girlfriend and a private lover. Maybe I would have called her a friend.”
“I don’t get it,” Blythe asked as she propped her chin on my chest. “What would you call me?”
Touching a tendril of her hair, I smiled. “You’re everything to me, Blythe. Public and private. My lover. My girlfriend. My heart.”
“Wow.” Her eyes widened. “Well, that effectively shuts me up about Sherry.”
I kissed her forehead. “That’s not what I meant to do. You two are like night and day. The truth is that I’ve never had a relationship quite like this before. I realize that I’ve made mistakes. I’ll probably make more. It’s because I’m still trying to figure things out.”
“Never?” Shifting again, she slid up my body and rested her head on my shoulder. “Like, not even in college?”
“No. I guess that’s why Sherry worked out so well. I had friends. I had lovers. I had friends who were lovers, but I never had a girlfriend. I was thinking of running for office. The media was obsessed with my bachelorhood. I didn’t intend to get someone to act as my girlfriend, but Sherry and I were sleeping together. She was from a good family. It just sort of happened.”
Blythe was quiet as she traced her fingers over my chest. She didn’t ask me why I hadn’t given my heart to anyone before. She knew about my mother, but we’d never really gone into it. I’d never told her that my mother cheated or the hole that she’d ripped in my family when she chose her string of lovers over us. Blythe would never do that to me, and I liked to think that my history with my mother didn’t matter.
But looking back on my relationships, it was obvious that it had affected me. It had mattered.
“Hey.” She kissed me slowly and sweetly. “Where did you go?”
“Just thinking of how blessed I am to be with you now.” Turning quickly, I rolled on top of her. “I think I should show you.”
“I think you just did.” She bit her lower lip as I slid down her body. “But I guess one more time wouldn’t hurt…” Her breath caught, and she sighed. “Oh, Jack.”
Twelve
Blythe
Grass flew up in the air, and I blew my whistle shrilly. Immediately, the guys on the field separated and helped their fallen teammate up. “C’mon, guys. Don’t make me break up the game. This is flag football. There is no tackling in flag football!”
A collective groan went up. “C’mon, Miss B.”
“Nope. I don’t have the kind of insurance that would cover concussions and broken limbs, so unless you guys are hiding some vast wealth from me, you’ll stick to the rules.”
“The older guys get the play real football,” one of the boys complained.
“The older guys have headgear and pads that fit them. Now, it’s either flag football or no football.”
They continued to grumble but reassembled. I blew my whistle again, and they renewed their game with vigor. Next to me, Susan chuckled. The older woman was elegantly dressed in a pantsuit and heels, but she agreed to meet me on the bleachers since I was overseeing the game. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and I wanted the kids to take advantage.
Susan could use a little sun herself. She looked a little too pale to be a Florida native.
“They respect you,” she observed. “That’s good. Especially with everything going on.”
“Yeah. I know the older kids understand, but they’re not gossiping like I thought they would. I don’t think this crowd really understands it all.” I smiled gratefully at her as I perched on the dirty bench. “The fact that you and Elizabeth are still vouching for me means everything.”
“It’s not us. You were a victim of defamation, and frankly, I still think that you should sue.”
What was the point of suing? They’d probably just try and dig something else up to use against me.
“Still, with Sherry Carin’s death—”
“Which has nothing to do with you.” Susan’s eyes sharpened. “This is the last time I want to hear you apologize for this to me or anyone else. This has nothing to do with you, and you need to stick with that. You’re an alibi. You’re telling the truth. You had nothing to do with her death.”
Maybe it was the way she said it, but I could tell that she’d been having to go to bat for me. She still supported me, but not everyone in her organization did. It was troubling, but I tried to look on the bright side. Everything was going to work out well.
With one eye on the game, I got down to business. “I looked over the packet of information you gave me. Weaving in the school curriculum with after-school activities is a great idea, but it means relying on more than just volunteers. I have one assistant on the payroll, and I need to hire a manager for both centers. I know that we’ve got music teacher volunteers, but anything more rigid might require paid teachers and tutors. I’m afraid I won’t have that kind of money.”
“Elizabeth and I have been talking about that,” Susan admitted. “We haven’t come up with a solution yet, but I have to be honest. You have a noble dream, but you can’t rely on volunteers alone. Unfortunately, not everyone is as charitable as you.”
I knew that she was right. The arts center was a big step for me. Unlike the youth center, the kids couldn’t just entertain themselves. They would need access for professionals to work with them. I had thought that volunteers would be enough, but what if Susan was right?
“I guess I’ll think on it. I just don’t want to run a charity where the bulk of the donations doesn’t go straight to the students.” I knew I sounded a little distressed, but the whole point of starting Humane Miami was because so many other charities did little else but line the pockets of the people working the system. I didn’t want too many people on salary.
Leaning over, Susan grabbed my hand. “It won’t be like that. Maybe I’m being cynical, and this can be mostly volunteers. I just want you to figure in some salaries when you do your budget. Just so we can see what we have to work with. Oh dear.”
Following her gaze, I saw two of the kids taking swings at each other. Annoyed, I quickly hopped up and ran over to break it up. “Hey. Hey! What’s going on here?”
“Billy called my mother a whore,” Graham cried.
Well, damn.
“Hey,” I said sharply as I held them apart from each other. “First of all, we don’t name call here. Not each other, and not about anyone else. Do you understand?”
The young boys nodded, and I turned to Billy. “Is he right? Did you say that?” When Billy nodded, I waited until he met my gaze. “Why?”
Billy shrugged like it was no big deal, even though tears were glittering in his eyes. “He tripped me.”
“Where did you hear that word from?” I asked gently.
Please tell me it wasn’t a news report about me.
Billy sniffed. “I heard my daddy call my momma that.”
Instantly, my heart broke, and I turned to the other boy. “Graham, did you trip Billy?”
For a moment, it looked like the boy was going to deny it, but he finally nodded. “All right, both of you have done something wrong, so you both need to apologize for it.”
Sullenly, they apologized.
“Good. This is also your second strike. One more strike and the game’s over. I mean it. Play nice, or you don’t play at all.”
“Sorry, Miss B,” they all said together.
“Hey, who’s the suit?”
Following the pointed finger of one of the kids, I turned, hoping to see Jack, but it was Hirsh marching across the field. A cold flush broke out over my skin. “Change of plans, guys. The game’s over.”
“Aw.”
“No fair.”
“Why?”
“See what you did, Billy?”
> “It’s no one’s fault. I just need to speak to this man.” Glancing at Susan, I waved her over. “Why doesn’t everyone follow Susan back inside. She’ll call in a pizza for everyone once you get cleaned up.”
Susan looked momentarily panicked, but she led the cheering kids inside. Hirsh reached me, and I glared at him. “How dare you approach me while I’m with the kids.”
“Relax, Blythe. I helped you build this, remember? You should be welcoming me on the grounds.” He’d obviously pulled himself together after binge drinking. He’d shaved and pressed his clothes, and his eyes seemed clear.
“What do you want?”
“Believe it or not, I want to help you.” He glanced a little uneasily around the field. “Can we meet inside? I don’t want to do this out here.”
“There are children inside.”
“For god’s sakes, Blythe, this is serious.” he snapped. “I’m not going to accost you.”
Sighing, I headed back to the bleachers and gathered my things. Leading him back into the building, I strode ahead of him to my office. I couldn’t help but feel nervous. I wanted to believe that Hirsh wanted to help me, but at the same time, I couldn’t trust him. Not when I knew that he let other people manipulate him so easily.
Susan was leading the kids in a dated game of duck-duck-goose in the gym, and I grimaced. They’d be calling her out on it soon, and no doubt teach her a new game.
“Come on.” I shut the door behind him. “I hope I don’t regret this.”
“You won’t. First thing first.” Hirsh reached into his pocket and pulled out a check. “Christ, don’t recoil from it. I just don’t want anyone to know the real reason that I came today, so I’m making a donation. Now relax, would you?”
Ten thousand dollars. It felt like taking money from the devil or at least a devil’s advocate, but I took it, nonetheless. Hirsh sat his briefcase on the desk and opened it. “I’ve been pulled into this mess because of you, and you’ve been pulled into this because of Jack. I’d hoped you take my words to heart the other night, but if the media is to be believed, your relationship with him is stronger than ever.”
The man never ceased to amaze me. “You didn’t actually think that I would break up with him just because you showed up pissed drunk and told me to, did you?”
He looked at me as if I were the biggest idiot he’d ever encountered. “You’re joking. You have no idea how serious this is.” He wrapped his knuckles on my desk as if to punctuate the sentence. “You don’t honestly think that Sherry was just a victim of a random shooter in the park?”
There was real hatred behind those words, and I recoiled. “I don’t know what to think. I don’t know the evidence.”
“Here’s the evidence,” he ground out. “Your boyfriend’s ex was doing her damnedest to insinuate herself back into his life. When that failed to happen, she’s dead, and he’s on the hook for her murder. You don’t think that’s connected?”
I stared at him, trying to read between the lines before giving up and asking him directly, “Instead of asking me questions, why don’t you tell me what the hell is going on?” I was losing my patience with him. He’d never been one to talk circles around me before.
“The night the news stations aired the story of your whoredom, I—”
Fury rose inside me. “What is wrong with you, you—?”
He put up his hand. “I got a phone call from someone. This person knows details about my life. Details that no one should have known and that I would rather not get out. It’s not just me. He gave specific details about Al-Latif as well, so I’d know my friends wouldn’t be there to bail me out.”
I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion. “Bail you out of what?”
“The caller had questions for me. Questions about you and Jack. He wanted to know what kind of dirt I had on you. When I admitted that I didn’t, he wanted to know how solid your relationship with Jack was.”
A shiver ran up my spine. This conversation was getting a little creepy. Who would want so much information about me? “Okay. And then?”
“And then Jack’s ex turns up dead.” Goosebumps raised on my arms from the way he stared at me so intently. “I don’t know what the hell this is about, but I do know that Sherry wasn’t a random victim. Someone targeted her. They either want to get to you or get to Jack. Frankly, I don’t care, but when I sobered up…” He hesitated and seemed to consider his next words.
“When you sobered up, then what?”
“When I sobered up, I called Al-Latif, and I told him that we were done. I’ve spent my life covering up his shit. That’s what my life has been reduced to. I liked you, Blythe. I can’t make up for what happened to you, but I’m going to do this, and then I’m going to pretend that I’ve never heard of you. Got it?”
Get it? I was still trying to absorb the fact that he thought someone was targeting me and Jack. Who the hell would be interested? “What are you giving me?”
“I did some light digging into Sherry Carin’s life. Not enough for someone to know that I was digging, but enough to turn up an ex-boyfriend.” He pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. “Unlike Jack, Sherry’s ex actually wanted a future with her and took it personally when he thought she was cheating on him. He hired a private investigator to follow her. That is what he uncovered.”
I opened the envelope and pulled out the photos. They were each with Sherry and men. Different men. In all kinds of positions. “Okay. What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Sherry’s ex is a man named Quincy Reed. He’s a wealthy artist but a bit of a recluse. He didn’t see the connections of the pictures, but I’m sure Jack will. Show him this, then for god’s sake, extricate yourself from the situation. That’s exactly what I’m going to try to do.” He shut his briefcase with a sharp click. “Don’t call me again, Blythe. In fact, if you could move to California, I’d be grateful.”
Stunned, I watched him storm out of the office.
Thirteen
Jack
“I think this is a mistake.” Carl glared at me, his expression a mask of pure anger.
We were in the back seat of my car, and his annoyance radiated off him. Per Blythe’s request, I’d pulled him off her detail. The truth was that the media had backed off from her, and with Sherry gone, there was no threat against her. She told me that the bodyguard was making some of the kids and their parents uneasy, but it was Carl’s reaction that surprised me.
We’d just returned from a lunch meeting, and I wanted to put in a few more hours of work before heading home to Blythe. I was in a wonderful mood, and Carl was spoiling it.
“So you’ve said. A million times. What you haven’t said is why you think you need to continue protecting Blythe. I know you don’t want to give me any details about who she talks to when you’re watching her, but if you can’t name any specific threat against her, it doesn’t make sense to continue that detail. She likes you, but she says that you’re distracting the kids.” The guard just turned his head to look out the window, and I smirked. “Maybe it has something to do with Rachel.”
Carl growled, and I knew I’d hit the nail right on the head. Blythe had let it slip that she thought there was a romance brewing between the two. I had a hard time putting my mostly-silent giant of a bodyguard with the small and bubbly woman, but who was I to stand in the way of true love?
“Maybe instead of hoping that your love will blossom while you hover silently around my girlfriend, you should try asking Rachel out. Take her to dinner. Bring her flowers.”
“This is not about Rachel,” Carl snapped gruffly, but the tips of his ears were red. “She…she’s too trusting.”
“Rachel is too trusting?”
“Blythe.” He finally turned his head to meet my gaze. “Blythe is too trusting.”
He was embarrassed about Rachel, that much was obvious, but there was something else. Something that gave me pause. He seriously thought his services were needed.
“Do y
ou want to expound on that?” When he didn’t say anything, I turned in the seat to give him my full attention. “Let me make something clear. I like that you’re loyal to Blythe, but at the end of the day, you answer to me. If she is in danger, then you need to tell me right now, or I’ll replace you with someone who will be loyal to only me. I hate to do that because I like you. Blythe likes you. I want her safe.”
The threat to fire him didn’t budge Carl, but I saw the flicker in his eyes when I questioned her safety. “Hirsh approached her.”
I stared at him, sure I must have misheard. “Excuse me? The man who tried to whore her out met with her, and nobody told me? Why am I not firing you right now?”
“She called him. Not to meet with him but just to talk to him. He didn’t try to hurt her. I wouldn’t have allowed that.”
“Details, Carl.”
“He showed up outside the youth center a couple of nights ago. He was drunk. It looked and smelled like he’d been drinking for days. He wasn’t making any sense, but he told her that the safest thing for her to do was to get away from you.”
Damn it. I had half a mind to reroute the car to Hirsh’s company and give him a piece of my mind. “What did you do?”
“She was concerned about him driving home. I took his keys and warned him that if he approached her again, I would shove his tongue all the way down his throat.”
A feat I had no doubt that Carl could handle.
“She didn’t tell me.” I was furious. Why wouldn’t she tell me that Hirsh had approached her? Why, after everything, was she still keeping things from me?
“I want to be able to keep an eye on her. I want her to be free to go about her day without being worried that I’ll snitch on her to you. I can’t do that if you pull my detail or if you confront her.”
Dammit. He was right. I couldn’t disclose that I’d known she’d spoken to Hirsh without explaining how I knew. She’d be furious if she thought Carl was spying on her for me, and that was exactly what I now wanted him to do. I wanted him to make sure that she wasn’t hurt.
His Fall From Power Page 8