by Nicki Night
“I have to somehow prove my innocence and get my story out there to combat what the news is currently saying. But first I need to get in touch with Banks and find out what’s really going on.”
“Call us back as soon as you hear from him.”
“Okay. I will.”
“In the meantime,” Hunter interjected. “We need to get to work on clearing your name. I’m just around the corner from the office. I’ll call you when I get up—oh no!” Hunter suddenly changed his tone.
“What?” Blake asked, feeling his heart beat a little faster.
“What’s going on?” Drew added.
“The media has the front of the building covered.”
“Damn!” Blake yelled, balling his fist tight. “I can’t believe this.”
Blake could hear the frenzy through the phone as Hunter got closer to the entrance of their downtown office building.
“No...excuse me, please...no... I have no comment,” Hunter responded to the barrage of media inquiries.
Blake could picture scores of reporters shoving microphones in Hunter’s face, hungry for a morsel they could feed to their ravenous public. He imagined them tossing skeptical glares as Hunter swatted at their questions with “no” and “no comment.” Picturing how Hunter had to press through the crowd to get to the door made him shake his head. Their office phone would be ringing off the hook for the rest of the day or longer until this whole thing died down.
“Ugh!” Blake grunted. Suddenly the commotion sounded distant. “You made it inside in one piece?”
“Barely.” It sounded as if Hunter was winded. “You’d better stay home today. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to show up here. I’ll take care of everything on this end.”
“You’re probably right. I need to make some calls so I can start getting to the bottom of this situation anyway.”
“You guys keep me posted and let me know if there’s anything you need me to do,” Drew added.
“I’ll check back with you in about an hour,” Hunter said. Each of the brothers agreed, but no one hung up. Hunter finally broke the heavy silence. “It’s going to be fine, Blake.”
“I sure hope so. Talk to you two later,” Blake said and ended the call.
Dropping his head back on the couch once again, he huffed and shook his head. He tried to think of all the scenarios that could have led to such an outcome but kept coming up blank. Blake dialed Bank’s number again. There was still no answer.
Next, he made one of the two calls he dreaded. His father picked up right away, but from the cheerful sound of his voice, Blake could tell that he didn’t know.
“Dad.” Blake’s voice nearly cracked under the weight of his respect for his father. He dreaded having to tell him about the alleged scandal but was thankful that Floyd would get the news straight from him as opposed to hearing it from one of the morning broadcasts.
“What’s wrong, son?”
Blake took a deep breath and shared the bad news with his father, including the fact that the media had already been camped out in front of the office by the time Hunter arrived at work.
Floyd paused for a long time after Blake told him what he knew so far. Blake didn’t know how to take his father’s silence and had practically held his breath the entire time.
“I know you’re innocent, son. Your mother and I raised you right, so you don’t have to convince me. Understand this—politicians and the media can be tricky. I know you have a great relationship with Banks, but until we have all the details, I’d suggest you keep your communications and engagement with him at a minimum. I’m not suggesting that he’s guilty, but my first concern is you and your career. Let me make a few phone calls and see what I can find out.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Blake felt a small sense of relief. So far, his family was in his corner. “What about Ma?”
“I’ll explain things to her.”
“You think she’ll be disappointed in me?”
“Of course not! Now, I can’t say she won’t be worried.”
“I know.”
“Okay, son. I’ll call you back after I’ve made a few calls. I still have a few eyes and ears out there.”
“You’re still sharp, old man.” Blake teased his father, which brought on his first smile since he learned about the scandal.
“Sharp. Yes. Old... I don’t think so.” Floyd and Blake shared a laugh before ending their call.
Blake dialed Cadence’s number again. Again there was no answer. Worried, he tried several more times, hoping that there was a slight possibility that, like his dad, she’d missed the morning news. He wanted to be the first to tell her. Something told him he wasn’t so lucky. Since the first week he’d taken Cadence out, she’d never ignored his calls, but he could tell by the shortened rings that she was directing his calls to voice mail.
Blake decided to leave a message this time, hoping that she would at least listen to it. “Hey, Cadence! It’s me, Blake. I’m sure that by now you’ve seen the news or have somehow heard about what’s going on...” He stopped to take a breath and gather his thoughts. “I want you to know that I’m...” He paused again, wishing he didn’t have to make this call. “I didn’t do the things that the news is saying. I can’t believe this is even happening. Call me when you get a chance.” After another silent moment, Blake added, “Please.”
Blake ended the call and tossed the phone aside on the sofa. Taking the remote, he turned down the sound on the TV and simply sat for some time watching the silent images. He tried to think of how he could have possibly gotten into this predicament. Without speaking to Banks, he didn’t even know how to start to try to clear his name.
Hours passed and he had less than twenty percent battery life on his phone after the constant calls from his brothers, father, Alana and the president of the NYAA. After all this time, he still hadn’t heard from Congressman Banks and he was still in the dark about how he was even named as a part of this debacle. What was equally troubling was the fact that he hadn’t heard back from Cadence, either.
Though it had been less than sixteen hours since he’d seen her, it felt like much longer. He missed Cadence as if she were a thousand miles away. He promised himself that he wouldn’t let it end like this. Blake needed to speak to her, hear her voice and not the one recorded to greet callers on her voice mail. He longed to see her face. Blake wanted to explain to her that he wasn’t capable of doing the things that the news had been reporting all day.
Sighing again and feeling as if he’d done more of that in the past six hours than anything, Blake sat down in his home office and fired up his computer. Instead of going crazy trying to get answers that evaded him, he figured he would get some work done. Maybe if he could get his mind focused, he wouldn’t think about how this situation could ruin his life. Maybe—just maybe—it would help get his mind off the fact that Cadence didn’t want to speak to him.
Blake didn’t blame Cadence for avoiding his calls. He understood that a woman like her valued a man with integrity. He’d just have to find a way to show her he was still that man.
Chapter 19
Cadence hadn’t expected to be this busy at work. Messages were filling up both her cell and office phones. When she had a moment to sift through her phone log, she found Alana’s, her father’s and Blake’s names among the long list of countless missed calls, but had yet to call any of them back. With all the meetings with Adam and her fellow attorneys she attended throughout the day, she barely had time to think about the situation with Blake. Thoughts of him crept up on her, but her plate was too full to entertain them for more than a few minutes at a time. She was happy for the distraction, which gave her little time to focus on the circumstances.
Amy knocked on her door one more time and then peeked in without waiting for an invitation. “I copied those files y
ou asked for.”
“Great,” Cadence said, shuffling folders of previously copied files. She put them aside to make space for the handful of files that Amy was bringing to her desk. “Put those over here,” she said, tapping the space she had just cleared. “I think with this, we are all done. Wait! Where are the McLennan files?”
“I’ve already delivered them to Kerry,” Amy replied.
“Okay, good. What’s she up to?” Cadence asked. Surprisingly, Kerry had kept her distance lately. Cadence wasn’t sure if it was because she was no longer seen as competition or if she was bogged down with work. Either way, Cadence hoped it would remain that way at least for now.
“I don’t know. I haven’t heard a peep from her. I kind of expected her to be prancing around the office, showing off her new title, but she’s been surprisingly distant.”
“The less I see of her, the better, so that’s fine with me.” Cadence and Amy shared a laugh.
“Yeah! Her old assistant said she’s not easy to work with.”
“Ha! You don’t say.” Cadence and Amy shared another quick chuckle.
“It’s been crazy today,” Amy said. “I’d better get back to work.” Just before walking out the door, she turned back and look at Cadence for a moment before adding, “Let me know if you need anything.”
Cadence nodded and answered her cell phone.
“Hey, girl,” she greeted Alana.
“How’s it going?”
Cadence took a deep breath and released a slow loud exhale. “I don’t know. I’ve been so busy with meetings and transferring files. There are a lot of changes going on here.”
“How’s the nemesis?” Alana said, referring to Kerry.
“She’s been uncharacteristically quiet.”
“Really?”
“I’m surprised.”
After a few beats, Alana broached the subject. “Have you spoken to Blake yet?”
“No.” Cadence offered no additional information. The subject was too tender right now. “Alana, it’s a little crazy here. I’m going to have to call you back.”
“Cadence!” Alana admonished. Cadence sighed and dropped her head as Alana continued, “Blake didn’t do this. He’s not that kind of person.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I do!” After another beat, “Just call him back...one time...hear him out.”
Cadence didn’t have to ask how Alana knew that she hadn’t answered any of his many calls. They were friends. Surely she had spoken to him—probably encouraged him, letting him know she was still in his corner, as a real friend should. Cadence huffed. “I’ll call him tonight after work,” Cadence said, though not sure if she actually would, but now wasn’t the time to get into that with Alana. She had too much work to do and couldn’t afford to allow these thoughts and feelings to have free rein right now. That potential avalanche of emotions would have to be held back until she was in the comfort of her own home.
“You need to. The last thing he needs right now is for those who should be in his corner to abandon him. I know this may not be easy for you, but don’t convict him before you hear him out. Okay, sweetie?”
“Okay.” Cadence fell silent once again. “Hey, look. I have to go. I’ll call you later.” Cadence wasn’t sure if she would follow up on that comment, either. It was obvious that Alana was still on Blake’s side and that made her feel guilty and even more conflicted.
Cadence ended the call and buried herself in work for another hour. Just as she was about to get up and head to the conference room to meet with a fellow attorney to review more case files, her phone rang. This time it was her father.
“Hey, old man,” she said, trying to force a smile into her voice.
“Sweetheart!” His endearing tone let her on to the fact that he knew something was wrong. Lewis was a senator; of course he had his finger on the pulse of politics, but after recently meeting Blake, she wasn’t sure what he had to say about what was going on. “That fellow that you introduced to me last week, he’s the same guy on the news, isn’t he?”
“Yes, Dad.” Hearing her admit that Blake was involved made the situation less surreal, causing a slight tightening in her chest. This thing was really happening.
“And where did you meet him again?”
“At an event for the New York Association of Attorneys. He’s on the board and he’s a good friend of Alana’s.” She was surprised at her own need to defend his character.
“How long have you known him?”
“Several weeks.”
“Well, I know that you’re a grown woman these days, but I think you need to keep your distance from this young man. That’s not long enough to know everything you need to know about a person. Maybe we need to start running background checks on these people. I wouldn’t want you to—”
“Dad! Everybody is saying he didn’t do anything.”
“The media seems to think differently.” His tone was firm.
“I understand that, Dad.” Cadence softened her tone to indicate to her father that she wasn’t trying to challenge him.
“Sweetheart.” Cadence could hear his anxiety through the phone. “I just don’t want you to get caught up with someone who can’t be trusted. You’re my only child. You’re all I’ve got.” Cadence nodded her head, familiar with this very sentiment. “This is serious, and I don’t want to see you hurt. These political scandals have a tendency to grow legs, drag other people into situations and bring them down. You’ve got a lot going for you, and now you’re talking about pushing harder to make partner or possibly start your own practice.” Lewis groaned. “Darn it!” Cadence flinched when he raised his voice. “You’re the daughter of a senator, for Christ’s sake! We don’t need this mess landing at our front door.”
“Dad! I know. As you said, I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
Lewis sighed. “I just worry about you, sweetheart.”
“I’ll be fine. I have to go. I’ll call you later, okay? Love you.”
“I love you, too. And stay away from that man,” Lewis added as Cadence pulled the phone away from her ear to end the call.
Dropping the phone on her desk, Cadence’s shoulders slumped as she rested her head in her hands. Alana was right. She should at least speak with Blake to hear him out. On the other hand, her father wanted her to stay away from him, and she completely understood his point of view. She always listened to her father. Cadence was torn. She wanted to cut ties with Blake, but her heart wasn’t ready to let him go so easily.
Chapter 20
Blake found himself pacing yet again on what he felt like was the longest day of his life. The seconds crept into minutes, which crept into hours, stretching his agony out before him. The sun had finally tucked itself into the night and he was still none the wiser about how he had managed to land in this vat of scorching water. According to Hunter, the reporters had camped out in front of his office well into the evening. Another group camped out in front of Banks’s office, as well. No statements had been released from Banks’s camp combatting the accusations.
Even after all the calls his brothers and father made on his behalf, they still acquired no additional information. He had to speak with Banks. Despite his father’s warnings to avoid communication with him, Blake called the congressman’s cell phone.
“I’m at the door.”
“What?” Blake thought he heard him wrong. “Whose door?”
“Yours. Open up.”
Blake trotted to his living room window and peeked through to see if it was really him. Swinging the door open, Blake looked past Congressman Banks and quickly scanned the street. He was alone.
“Come on in.” Blake urged him into the house by grabbing his arm. Sweeping his eyes up and down the street one last time, Blake closed the door and led Banks
to the living room. Without another word, he walked to the kitchen and returned with two snifters of scotch. Nodding his head toward the sofa, he indicated for Banks to sit before passing him the drink.
Banks knocked the contents of the glass back in one gulp. “Ah.” He scrunched his face and tightened his lip before placing the glass down on the teak coffee table.
Blake still held his drink in his hand. Taking a small sip, he placed his glass down, as well. “What the hell is going on?” Blake sat leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
“I’ve been trying to figure out where this came from all day.”
“Is there any truth to what they’re saying about the organization and the campaign funds?”
The congressman’s loud grunt gave Blake the indication that there was some truth to it. After a long pause, Banks finally said, “It’s complicated.”
“What!” Blake stood so fast it took a moment to realize he was on his feet. He began pacing again, his hands on his head. “How much of it is true?”
“Not the part about you, of course. I’m not sure how you were named.”
“You’ve got to tell them I’m not involved. My reputation is at stake here. This is all over the news, every station. Reporters are camped out at my office. I can’t even work. I have major cases going on right now. This could be a blow to my credibility as a lawyer.” Blake stopped himself, finding his voice climbing higher and higher. He sat back down, took another sip of scotch and closed his eyes. He needed to calm down and think.
“I know! You think I wanted this to happen? I’m going to get to the bottom of this ASAP. My team is preparing a statement as we speak. It will go out to the media first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Does that statement say that Blake Barrington had nothing to do with this? Because, if not, then none of this helps.”
“Blake!” Congressman Banks stood. “I understand that you’re upset. You’ve always been like a son to me. I never meant for you to be caught up in any of this. I will do everything in my power to make sure your name is cleared, but I don’t have to tell you that you’ll have to be prepared to fight for your name, as well.”