me all paranoid and
making things way more complicated than they needed to be. “I’ll give it a
shot, though, okay? In the meantime, I’m going to try the senator again. That’s
a pretty big piece of the puzzle—getting him to support, and hopefully pass,
this bill will make it way harder for guys like Victor to prey on guys like
Kellan.”
“Sounds good,”
Thom said, hopping down off my desk. “We’re in this together, Parker. Remember
that. If you need help, I’m here.”
I nodded. That was
another fact that flew in the face of Melanie’s theories: Thom and I had a
genuine friendship that was personal as well as professional. He wouldn’t
backstab me, and even though he had way more experience and clout than I did,
he was willing to help me with whatever I needed. And he didn’t treat me like I
owed him for it, either. Thom was good people, and living proof that you didn’t
have to be a Grade-A asshole to get ahead in this business.
If
you’d acted more like Thom from the beginning, you wouldn’t be in this mess
with Kellan, I reminded myself. Listening to
Melanie Cartwright has got you in big trouble so far.
My conscience was
right. Melanie may have had to step on more than a few toes to get to the top,
but that didn’t mean everyone had to. And honestly, even though she was very successful, she was also very lonely. She didn’t have anyone in her life like
Thom. No friends. No husband. No real family to speak of at all. The
acquaintances she knew were just as ruthless as she was. For me, that was no
way to live. I should have realized it sooner.
I
don’t want to be so cold that I freeze out everyone around me. I
wanted the warmth I’d felt last night with Kellan. God, I’d felt so safe, so
guarded in his arms. And he’d held me like that all night, so when I woke up,
the first thing I felt was his embrace.
It was the best
night of my life. I’d never slept so soundly. And despite all the anxiety I’d
felt on my way here today, I’d never felt happier, either. Was it too late to
fix this? Had I irrevocably messed everything up?
The only way to
find out was to come clean, and hope that Kellan could forgive me. Things might
go a little smoother, though, if I had some good news on my side. It was a long
shot, but I was going to have to get back up on that horse.
Thom waved as he
walked back to his desk, and I returned the gesture with a smile. Then I picked
up the phone and dialed Senator MacFarlane’s number for the millionth time
since I started work on this story, and just like every other time, I got his
secretary and was promptly transferred to his voicemail.
I sighed just
before the beep. “Senator MacFarlane, this is Parker Jones from The Spill. I’m leaving you another message regarding the upcoming proposed bill that would
ensure job preference for veterans who’ve returned home from overseas tours.
It’s imperative that I speak with you at your earliest convenience—no, forget
that,” I said, taking a risk and going off script, “it’s absolutely crucial
that we talk about this. There are too many good men and women whose
livelihoods depend on you making the right choice here, and dammit, if nobody
else is going to push you in the right direction, I sure as hell am. So call me
back, or the next thing I’ll do is camp out in front of your office door.
You’ve got to come to work sometime, even if you are a senator.”
When I hung up the
phone, I felt better than I had in a long time. Chances were slim to none that
the senator was actually going to call me back after that—and if Melanie had
come to work today, I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing it—but it had to be done.
He’d been ducking me for weeks, anyway, so it wasn’t like my tirade would
change much.
I sat back in my
chair and contemplated my options for the future. Taking Victor Dallas down
would do Kellan a world of good, in the long run, but what about the immediate
effects? He’d be out of a job.
making things way more complicated than they needed to be. “I’ll give it a
shot, though, okay? In the meantime, I’m going to try the senator again. That’s
a pretty big piece of the puzzle—getting him to support, and hopefully pass,
this bill will make it way harder for guys like Victor to prey on guys like
Kellan.”
“Sounds good,”
Thom said, hopping down off my desk. “We’re in this together, Parker. Remember
that. If you need help, I’m here.”
I nodded. That was
another fact that flew in the face of Melanie’s theories: Thom and I had a
genuine friendship that was personal as well as professional. He wouldn’t
backstab me, and even though he had way more experience and clout than I did,
he was willing to help me with whatever I needed. And he didn’t treat me like I
owed him for it, either. Thom was good people, and living proof that you didn’t
have to be a Grade-A asshole to get ahead in this business.
If
you’d acted more like Thom from the beginning, you wouldn’t be in this mess
with Kellan, I reminded myself. Listening to
Melanie Cartwright has got you in big trouble so far.
My conscience was
right. Melanie may have had to step on more than a few toes to get to the top,
but that didn’t mean everyone had to. And honestly, even though she was very successful, she was also very lonely. She didn’t have anyone in her life like
Thom. No friends. No husband. No real family to speak of at all. The
acquaintances she knew were just as ruthless as she was. For me, that was no
way to live. I should have realized it sooner.
I
don’t want to be so cold that I freeze out everyone around me. I
wanted the warmth I’d felt last night with Kellan. God, I’d felt so safe, so
guarded in his arms. And he’d held me like that all night, so when I woke up,
the first thing I felt was his embrace.
It was the best
night of my life. I’d never slept so soundly. And despite all the anxiety I’d
felt on my way here today, I’d never felt happier, either. Was it too late to
fix this? Had I irrevocably messed everything up?
The only way to
find out was to come clean, and hope that Kellan could forgive me. Things might
go a little smoother, though, if I had some good news on my side. It was a long
shot, but I was going to have to get back up on that horse.
Thom waved as he
walked back to his desk, and I returned the gesture with a smile. Then I picked
up the phone and dialed Senator MacFarlane’s number for the millionth time
since I started work on this story, and just like every other time, I got his
secretary and was promptly transferred to his voicemail.
I sighed just
before the beep. “Senator MacFarlane, this is Parker Jones from The Spill. I’m leaving you another message regarding the upcoming proposed bill that would
ensure job preference for veterans who’ve returned home from overseas tours.
It’s imperative that I speak with you at your earliest convenience—no, forget
that,” I said, taking a risk and going off script, “it’s absolutely crucial
that we talk about this. There are too many good men and women whose
livelihoods depend on you making the right choice here, and dammit, if nobody
else is going to push you in the right direction, I sure as hell am. So call me
back, or the next thing I’ll do is camp out in front of your office door.
You’ve got to come to work sometime, even if you are a senator.”
When I hung up the
phone, I felt better than I had in a long time. Chances were slim to none that
the senator was actually going to call me back after that—and if Melanie had
come to work today, I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing it—but it had to be done.
He’d been ducking me for weeks, anyway, so it wasn’t like my tirade would
change much.
I sat back in my
chair and contemplated my options for the future. Taking Victor Dallas down
would do Kellan a world of good, in the long run, but what about the immediate
effects? He’d be out of a job.
Similar Books
