me every day that she doesn’t return my phone calls that she chose Linc over me,” Shaw said with a resentful sigh, only to then lean over the table conspiratorially. “Understand this, boys. I’m not looking to hurt your family. The media and your own granddaddy have done that well enough already.”
“Then why threaten us?” Linc charged, pausing only when the waitress dropped off their drinks. As she walked away, he took a long pull on the Corona. “I must be missing something really important here.”
Shaw chuckled, his hands toying with his glass of whiskey and his eyes darting between them. “What I told my daughter was not a threat; it was a warning of what is to come.”
“And what is to come?” Linc asked mockingly, despising the round-a-bout way the bastard was taking to get to the goddamn point.
“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but my opponent—”
“Jack Morgan,” Grant supplied, recalling the name Quinn had told him that morning.
“Why, yes. So you do know, then.” Shaw looked at both of them for confirmation, but they only looked confused.
“Know what?” Linc asked, brow furrowing. “Is Morgan planning on using us against you? Does he have some attack ad that shows me and Lynette together or something? Because the public isn’t going to give a shit about that.”
“Oh, no. Well, he might try that, but I doubt it,” Shaw corrected. “No, I suspect he’ll try very hard to avoid discussing your family during campaign season. But I’m going to use every opportunity I have to bring the Vasser name into the conversation.”
“Why?” Grant felt more than a little uneasy as he watched the confident way Shaw dangled this little carrot of information over their heads. It made him remember why he despised politicians.
Shaw continued, “Jack Morgan is the son of Paul Morgan, who was a part of the CID in the Army back in World War II.” He paused, eyeing both men as though waiting for something to click.
Linc was only more frustrated. “That’s great. What does that have to do with my family?”
“Paul Morgan has everything to do with your family, son,” Shaw said slowly, his expression darkly humorous. “You see, he’s the fella your grandma persuaded to cover up the murders of Cyrus’ three brothers in the war. The murders Cyrus has since then admitted to doing. Before his death, of course.”
For a moment, neither Grant nor Linc said anything. They glanced at each other, trying to process the weight of this new information, but it was clear that neither had expected anything like this.
“So…this Morgan guy was the one who buried the file?” Linc questioned.
“And you want to go public with this information,” Grant concluded, staring pointedly at Shaw. “You want to go to the press and out Jack Morgan as the son of a liar and attempt to ruin his reputation. All the while focusing the media attention back on us and on your daughter.”
“Lynette’s dating life is much less damning politically than what I have on Morgan,” Shaw said decidedly, smiling again. “I don’t expect him to be able to recover from this.”
“You really think people are gonna give a shit that his father was involved in a cover-up over sixty years ago?” Linc laughed, more disdain than humor in the sound. “I think your little dirt on your opponent is a bit dull, Senator. You really couldn’t dig up a mistress or a drug problem somewhere?”
“Son, this all may seem a little silly to you. But to the voters back in the great state of South Carolina, we take government cover-ups quite seriously. This won’t go over well for Morgan, I can assure you that.”
“So why wait? Why haven’t you come out with it already?” Linc demanded. “If this is such a big bombshell, why not use it?”
“Timing is everything in politics.” Shaw shrugged off the comment carelessly, taking another sip of his drink. “I’m biding my time. Morgan knows that I know, and he’s
“Then why threaten us?” Linc charged, pausing only when the waitress dropped off their drinks. As she walked away, he took a long pull on the Corona. “I must be missing something really important here.”
Shaw chuckled, his hands toying with his glass of whiskey and his eyes darting between them. “What I told my daughter was not a threat; it was a warning of what is to come.”
“And what is to come?” Linc asked mockingly, despising the round-a-bout way the bastard was taking to get to the goddamn point.
“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but my opponent—”
“Jack Morgan,” Grant supplied, recalling the name Quinn had told him that morning.
“Why, yes. So you do know, then.” Shaw looked at both of them for confirmation, but they only looked confused.
“Know what?” Linc asked, brow furrowing. “Is Morgan planning on using us against you? Does he have some attack ad that shows me and Lynette together or something? Because the public isn’t going to give a shit about that.”
“Oh, no. Well, he might try that, but I doubt it,” Shaw corrected. “No, I suspect he’ll try very hard to avoid discussing your family during campaign season. But I’m going to use every opportunity I have to bring the Vasser name into the conversation.”
“Why?” Grant felt more than a little uneasy as he watched the confident way Shaw dangled this little carrot of information over their heads. It made him remember why he despised politicians.
Shaw continued, “Jack Morgan is the son of Paul Morgan, who was a part of the CID in the Army back in World War II.” He paused, eyeing both men as though waiting for something to click.
Linc was only more frustrated. “That’s great. What does that have to do with my family?”
“Paul Morgan has everything to do with your family, son,” Shaw said slowly, his expression darkly humorous. “You see, he’s the fella your grandma persuaded to cover up the murders of Cyrus’ three brothers in the war. The murders Cyrus has since then admitted to doing. Before his death, of course.”
For a moment, neither Grant nor Linc said anything. They glanced at each other, trying to process the weight of this new information, but it was clear that neither had expected anything like this.
“So…this Morgan guy was the one who buried the file?” Linc questioned.
“And you want to go public with this information,” Grant concluded, staring pointedly at Shaw. “You want to go to the press and out Jack Morgan as the son of a liar and attempt to ruin his reputation. All the while focusing the media attention back on us and on your daughter.”
“Lynette’s dating life is much less damning politically than what I have on Morgan,” Shaw said decidedly, smiling again. “I don’t expect him to be able to recover from this.”
“You really think people are gonna give a shit that his father was involved in a cover-up over sixty years ago?” Linc laughed, more disdain than humor in the sound. “I think your little dirt on your opponent is a bit dull, Senator. You really couldn’t dig up a mistress or a drug problem somewhere?”
“Son, this all may seem a little silly to you. But to the voters back in the great state of South Carolina, we take government cover-ups quite seriously. This won’t go over well for Morgan, I can assure you that.”
“So why wait? Why haven’t you come out with it already?” Linc demanded. “If this is such a big bombshell, why not use it?”
“Timing is everything in politics.” Shaw shrugged off the comment carelessly, taking another sip of his drink. “I’m biding my time. Morgan knows that I know, and he’s
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