by Nicki Night
Blake sighed and shook his head. “I know.” He got up again, unable to remain still. Pacing helped him manage the nervous energy that coursed through him. “What about the other guys? Are they innocent, too?”
“I made a few bad choices. Unfortunately, other people were caught up in them. Those men are not bad people.”
“How did they even get our names?”
“I’m not sure yet. But I promise you I’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Blake walked over to the window and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Did my father speak with you?” He spoke to Congressman Banks but kept his focus on the window.
“I see that I received a call from him earlier. I’ll reach out to him tonight.”
Blake turned when he felt Banks’s hand on his shoulder. Turning slowly, he took his time making eye contact with him.
“I promise you, I’ll get to the bottom of this.” Blake saw the sincerity in Banks’s eyes but wasn’t feeling very hopeful.
“I sure hope so. I have too much at stake.” Blake thought about his family’s practice and his reputation, but what he feared most was losing his chance with Cadence. The thought of her made him drop his head.
Blake walked the congressman to the door.
“I’ll keep you posted,” Congressman Banks said. “In the meantime, get your team together and get your statement prepared. Don’t be afraid to tell the truth.”
Blake wasn’t sure how to take that but nodded in agreement anyway.
“Oh!” The Congressman stopped in his tracks as he stepped through the door. “If you need me, call me on this other number. Do you have your phone?”
Blake pulled out his cell phone and tapped in the number the congressman relayed to him and then watched as he trudged down the walk and entered a black SUV on the passenger side. He continued watching as the SUV pulled away from the curb and made its way down the dark quiet street until he could no longer see it. For a moment, Blake felt sorry for him. As solid and intimidating as Banks’s large frame could be, Blake could see the fear in his eyes. They all had plenty to lose if this situation wasn’t cleared up right away.
Blake looked down at the cell phone in his hand and decided to try Cadence’s number one last time. He’d already left several voice messages and a few texts. She hadn’t called him back yet, but he knew she just needed a little time. Going through the entire day without hearing her voice felt foreign to him. Blake began to look forward to their frequent check-ins. He’d always find something to say to make her laugh. Those were proud moments that he wanted to get back to.
Blake dialed Cadence’s number and found himself holding his breath waiting for her to answer. She didn’t. Trying his luck, he dialed one more time. Still no answer. His shoulders drooped and he stuffed the phone into his back pocket.
Knowing sleep wouldn’t come easy, he decided to take a long hot shower hoping it would wash away some of the tension in his muscles. Blake stood under the pulsating stream of the shower letting the water beat against him until his hands shriveled up like raisins. His tired body barely had enough strength to lift the washcloth and soap, but he pushed through anyway. His mind, on the other hand, was wide-awake, with racing thoughts that had no clear destination. He felt as if he’d been blindsided.
Finally, he got out of the shower and dried off. Tossing the towel over the shower door, he carried his weary body to his king-size bed and lay on his back, letting the cool breeze from his ceiling fan lap at the steam rising off his skin. He was so caught up in his scrambled thoughts he barely heard his cell phone ringing.
Blake got up and reached for his phone. When he saw that it was Cadence calling, he snatched the phone, swiping quickly to answer before the call went to voice mail.
“Hello!” he rushed.
“Hi.”
Cadence’s voice was soft, timid sounding. For several moments, the silence spoke volumes.
Blake cleared his throat, being the first to break the silence. “Thanks for calling me back.”
“You’re welcome. What did you want?” Her tone was cordial, borderline cold.
“Cadence...” There was pleading in his voice.
“You don’t owe me any explanations.” Silence settled in again. “I just want to know—”
“I didn’t do this,” Blake interjected. “I don’t know how my name got into the middle of it. Banks came to my house tonight to apologize.”
“I see.”
“Cadence. Can we—”
“Blake,” she interrupted him. “Maybe we should take a break until this thing blows over.”
Blake’s eyes closed as he exhaled. His free hand tightened into a fist. It was as if his muscles instinctively responded to Cadence’s words. This wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Their distance was already killing him slowly. “Is that what you really want?”
Cadence didn’t answer. Blake found hope in her silence.
“It’s been a long day,” she finally said.
Blake knew this was her way of setting up her goodbye. “Yeah.”
“Can we talk later?”
“Sure. Whatever you want,” he said, and he meant that. He agreed that they should talk later because then maybe he could think straight and say all the right things. Right now, too many varied thoughts were jumbled in his mind and he wanted to be able to focus when he spoke to her. Contrary to what she said, she did deserve an explanation and he wanted to give her one. As for now, he was just happy to hear her voice.
“Okay.” That was her goodbye.
Blake wasn’t sure if she heard him say good-night. Plugging his phone into the charger, he lay back down on his bed, eyes following the circular motion of the fan. Sleep still wouldn’t come easy, but at least she’d called. One way or another, he’d work his way back into her good graces. He had to.
Chapter 21
Despite a gross lack of sleep, Blake got up before dawn with vigor. It was time for him to take action. If Congressman Banks was going to make a statement, then so was he.
In spite of the early hour, he dialed his brother Hunter. He had to call him two more times before getting an answer.
“What?” Hunter’s groggy voice rumbled.
“I’m coming in today.”
Hunter cleared his throat. “I don’t think you should do that. I told you yesterday, we have everything at the office covered. The media are going to hound you.”
“I don’t care! I can’t sit back and do nothing while watching everything that I’ve worked for get destroyed. I have a few words for the media anyway.”
“Blake—”
“I’m coming in!” Blake declared, interrupting Hunter’s protest. “See you at nine.”
Before Hunter could say another word, Blake hung up the phone. Tossing the sateen sheets aside, Blake climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. The sun had yet to make its appearance for the day and it was too early for Blake to leave for work, so after brushing his teeth, he opted for a quick run. The coolness of the predawn air was just what he needed to refresh his mind. Once he returned from his run he went to the backyard deck to get in a few push-ups and sit-ups and grunt out the rest of his frustrations with some weights.
By the time the sun rose and sliced its way through his bedroom blinds, Blake was dressed and ready to go. The navy blue pin-striped suit coupled with a light blue dress shirt and stylish tie he chose gave him the camera-ready look he was going for. Hunter had called him several times, but Blake opted to call him back only when he was settled in his seat on the Long Island Rail Road—or the LIRR, as the city’s commuters referred to the rail system. No one was going to talk him out of going to work.
Hunter’s name and number lit Blake’s display once again.
“Top of the morning to you,” he said jokingly.
“You’re on the train, aren’t you?” Hunter asked. Blake could imagine him shaking his head.
Blake was sure Hunter heard the automated voice announce the stop and destination in the background. “You know it.”
Hunter chuckled. “Can’t say I blame you. I’ll meet you at Penn,” he said, referring to Penn Station, Blake’s final stop on the LIRR. “We’ll ride this out together, bro.”
“Let’s do it,” Blake said.
The brothers ended their call and met at Penn Station as they’d agreed. Hunter, coming in from his brownstone in downtown Brooklyn, had a quick ride on the number three train, which stopped at the Thirty-Fourth Street station along with the LIRR. The two met in front of the ticket stations that listed the tracks overhead and jumped back on the train toward their downtown Manhattan office.
As they expected, scores of reporters clamored at the front entrance of their building. From the corner, Hunter and Blake stopped and looked at each other.
“You’re ready for this?” Hunter asked.
“As ready as I will ever be,” Blake said, brushing his hands down the front of his suit.
“I’ll deal with the media,” Hunter said, leading the way. Blake nodded in agreement. They had been here before with clients. Both men knew what to do.
“There he is!” one reporter yelled.
“Mr. Barrington. Can you give us a statement?” A young woman shoved a microphone in his face as they tried to make their way to the building.
Hunter held his hand out as a barrier between Blake and the throng of reporters. With a nod, Blake assured him that he was okay.
“Ladies and gentlemen...” Hunter straightened his tie and confidently addressed their audience. Microphones shot in his direction. Camera lights flashed as all fell silent. You could hear a mouse scratching at the concrete as the reporters waited to catch of crumb from Hunter’s mouth. Looking into the eyes of several of the reporters, he began, “I assure you that Blake Barrington had absolutely nothing to do with these absurd allegations. My firm, Barrington and Associates, will be working around the clock to take care of this and I assure you that we will eventually be pressing charges against the person or persons who started these ugly rumors. This is nothing more than defamation. That’s all I have for now.”
“Mr. Barrington!” someone from the crowd yelled.
“Can you answer a few questions?” the young woman asked, but they turned from the cameras.
Hunter nodded his head politely, and he and Blake tried to meander their way through the remaining crowd and into the building.
Reporters continued to sling questions their way. “How long have you been working with Billy’s Promise? Wouldn’t you consider yourself as the face of the organization? Where did the money go, Mr. Barrington?”
Blake handled himself well in front of the cameras, but in reality his stomach was twisted in nervous coils. When they finally made it into the elevator, Blake let his head slip back against the wall and exhaled slowly.
“Are you okay?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah.”
“We’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.” Despite holding up in front of the media, Blake’s confidence was shaken.
Chapter 22
A few days had passed, but without contact with Blake the time trudged slowly. Cadence had to admit that she’d missed him sorely. The memory of his touch was no longer sufficient and her mind was swirling with the possibility of his innocence. She tussled with the guilt she felt for persecuting him herself, counting her avoidance as the indictment. She thought about calling him numerous times. Every time she pushed aside her reservations, breaking news would announce a new development or she’d pass a newsstand on her way to work and see more damaging headlines about the situation, just like this morning.
More important, her father was adamant about her cutting ties with Blake. Senator Payne continued to insist that she stay away from “that man.” Cadence understood that this was his way of protecting her from hurt and possible embarrassment. Like her, Senator Payne was taking in every salacious morsel the media fed to the public. Every local channel aired both Blake’s and Congressman Banks’s press conferences with each declaring his innocence. Whether Blake was innocent or not, the media was slowly chipping away at his credibility at every turn.
Cadence had had her fill and had begun ignoring the news. The Blake they described was certainly not the Blake who had jazzed up her life in so many ways.
Despite all the reasons that she shouldn’t bother with him, Blake’s absence left a gaping void that refused to be filled. Though she sent his many calls to voice mail, there were times when the scandal wasn’t loitering at the forefront of her thoughts and she would absentmindedly dial his number. When she realized what she had done, she would end the call immediately. He’d always call back. She’d never answer. Why start something that couldn’t possibly serve her well?
Cadence missed his scent and his smile. Secretly she held on to him by reminiscing about the sly way he’d turn a simple statement into a sexy innuendo. Even now, sitting at her desk, she daydreamed about the ways he often made her laugh and the places he had taken her to—physically and mentally. When images of them making love flashed before her, it sent an involuntary shudder down her spine. Cadence shook her head, scattering away the sensations that flooded her along with those images.
Grabbing a stack of files, Cadence shifted her focus. She had work to do and a meeting to prepare for. She checked her watch and jumped up when she realized that the meeting had already started. She was five minutes late. Where had the time gone? As she hurried toward the conference room, she thought about the fact that she’d have to stay late to finish some work that she missed as Blake took hold of her focus. The next day would be spent mostly in court and she needed to be ready.
Fortunately, when Cadence arrived in the conference room, many of her coworkers were still engaged in idle chatter. They hadn’t even noticed that she slipped in late. Cadence could feel Kerry’s eyes on her, and when she looked over in her direction and nodded, Kerry sported a half smirk in response. Recently, Kerry was more than willing to find ways to remind Cadence that she had beaten her out for the position of senior counsel. Kerry made a big deal about getting high-profile cases or taking the lead on existing cases.
Cadence grabbed a cup of coffee and took a seat. Once the meeting got under way, a few cases were transferred to Kerry. One was for a major longtime client. Delight spread across Kerry’s entire face and she smiled at Cadence.
“As the newest addition to the team of senior counsel, I’ll be sure to familiarize myself with these cases. I plan to give our clients my all and represent the practice in the best possible way.” She spoke to the partners, but her eyes somehow seemed to land on Cadence through much of her statement. “Once again, I’m honored to be entrusted with this opportunity.”
Kerry’s discourse had all the makings of an acceptance speech at an awards show. Cadence fought the urge to roll her eyes. For the rest of the meeting, she ignored Kerry while fighting to cast out impending thoughts of Blake. After the meeting, she met briefly with her co-counsel on the case for tomorrow. When she returned to her office, she buried herself in paperwork. By the time she got home, it was well after nine o’clock at night.
Cadence kicked off her shoes and dropped her bag at the front door before dragging herself to the kitchen. Standing with the refrigerator door open, Cadence scanned the shelves in search of something to quell the rumbling in her stomach. She put on water for tea and threw together a turkey-and-cheese sandwich. Back in the living room, she flopped onto the sofa and pointed the remote at the television. When the screen came to life, the picture with Blake, Congressman Banks, the rapper Iconik and the boys from the center stretched across the screen. Cadence remembered Blake showing her the newspaper article on one of their date
s. She sighed before shutting the television off. The last thing she wanted to hear were the latest developments damaging Blake and fueling her conflicted emotions. Then, for just a fleeting moment, she thought of how this must be affecting Blake and she pitied him.
“Enough!” She spoke into the room and continued eating her sandwich in silence. The teakettle shrieked and Cadence headed to the kitchen. Just as she filled her mug, the doorbell rang. Cadence scrunched her face and checked her watch. “Who is ringing my bell at nine forty-five on a weeknight?”
When Cadence got to the door and looked out, she pulled back and took several breaths. The bell rang again, followed by a few quick knocks. Cadence ran her fingers through her hair and stretched her neck toward the mirror before pulling the door open. The dejected look on Blake’s face made her heart skip. Evidence of sleeplessness showed up in deep tired lines. A weak smile lazily stretched across his lips, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Can I come in?” Blake finally asked after moments of them just staring at each other.
“What are you doing here?” Several emotions flooded Cadence. She felt the urge to pull him into her arms but resisted. She was surprised to see him, perturbed about him showing up unannounced, yet happy that he was standing so close. His dejected appearance did nothing to hide his handsome features.
“I was out riding, trying to clear my mind, and I looked up and found myself in your neighborhood, so I decided to take a chance. You hadn’t been answering my calls, but I needed to see you, so I hope you don’t mind me showing up unannounced. I won’t take up too much of your time.” His cordial tone felt foreign to her ears.
Cadence stepped aside, pulling the door open a little more. Blake walked in and Cadence led the way to the living room. The silence that filled the space was deafening. Usually, when she was in Blake’s presence, the atmosphere was charged with laughter and sensual energy. Now the air around them felt dense, causing the room to feel smaller.