into a lead in to ask her out.
Speaking of lies… Speaking of Satan.
… Nothing was working here. And
Speaking of beauty
wasn’t going to fly, since it was obvious that Hayden wasn’t concerned with outward beauty.
Speaking of beauty on the inside…
That sounded like he was getting ready to compliment her kidneys.
But he had to do something. She was standing right here. This was his chance, and he was blowing it, big time.
Hayden was about to walk off, so it was going to have to be a desperate move on his part, but at least it was a move. He was going to look like a fool. Maybe he’d end up being a fool in love. He reached out to take her arm, but suddenly Roarke came rushing by as fast as Roarke could actually rush. With a piece of paper in each hand, huffing and puffing straight for the control room, Roarke mumbled over and over, “Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.”
With ten minutes to go in the newscast, Hugo decided to do something unprecedented. In all his years as a news producer, he had never done anything like this. But in all his years as a news producer, nothing like this had ever happened. Sure, he’d covered big stories, locally and nationally. But he’d never had the edge like he had today.
He’d instructed Willis to open up everyone’s IFBs. He called the control room and all the reporters standing by to attention.
“Good evening, everyone,” Hugo said. “I know you’re all wonderingwhy I’ve called this meeting.” Hugo snickered at his own joke. Everyone in the control room managed at least a small smile. “In all seriousness, I just want to tell you how proud I am of every one of you. We’ve worked hard over the years to try to get to this place, and here we are. Maybe we got here with the help of a little dumb luck, and the fact that Ray’s never taken a self-defense class, but we’re here. We’re prepared for it. Every one of us is prepared. Take in this moment.” He sucked air through his nostrils, causing Willis to give him a strange look. “Really take it in. This doesn’t happen often.” Hugo closed his eyes. He didn’t want to lose this feeling. It had been so long since he felt this good, this satisfied with life, without the help of a pill, which was by far cheaper than the fancy sports cars other men needed.
Suddenly, the door to the control room slammed open, jolting Hugo out of his meditative state. Roarke stood in the doorway, gasping for breath, eyes wide. Trying to catch his breath, he finally managed to say, “I’ve got breaking news.”
Chapter 10
T he stunned silence in the control room was the first indication that what was happening was real. At first Hugo thought it must be a hallucination or some out-of-body experience or maybe he’d fainted and was dreaming. But as he looked around the small room, everyone stared back at him.
“The
what
exploded?” someone asked from behind him. Hugo was moving his mouth, he realized, but nothing was coming out.
Roarke looked down, like it was the hardest thing he’d ever had to say. “The…the, um, the wastewater treatment plant.”
Hugo still couldn’t speak. It was like his mind was playing in slow motion.
Someone else asked, “Do you mean the
sewage plant?”
Roarke said, “Uh, yeah. Except it’s more acceptable to say wastewater treatment plant. Ed’s on his way…can be there in eight minutes with live pictures. Jill’s less than two miles away, but the traffic is tied up with a stalled car. The chatter is that there’s a huge fireball, and everyone nearby is being evacuated.” Roarke’s sad eyes made Hugo realize there was really no choice to be made. This was the story they had to cover.
And before Hugo knew what was happening, he was slapping his hand against the desk and yelling obscenities the likes of which he had never uttered,
ever
, in front of another human being.
“How could this happen?” he cried, his hands out, pleading with the room. “A sewage plant! That’s what’s going to undo
Speaking of lies… Speaking of Satan.
… Nothing was working here. And
Speaking of beauty
wasn’t going to fly, since it was obvious that Hayden wasn’t concerned with outward beauty.
Speaking of beauty on the inside…
That sounded like he was getting ready to compliment her kidneys.
But he had to do something. She was standing right here. This was his chance, and he was blowing it, big time.
Hayden was about to walk off, so it was going to have to be a desperate move on his part, but at least it was a move. He was going to look like a fool. Maybe he’d end up being a fool in love. He reached out to take her arm, but suddenly Roarke came rushing by as fast as Roarke could actually rush. With a piece of paper in each hand, huffing and puffing straight for the control room, Roarke mumbled over and over, “Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.”
With ten minutes to go in the newscast, Hugo decided to do something unprecedented. In all his years as a news producer, he had never done anything like this. But in all his years as a news producer, nothing like this had ever happened. Sure, he’d covered big stories, locally and nationally. But he’d never had the edge like he had today.
He’d instructed Willis to open up everyone’s IFBs. He called the control room and all the reporters standing by to attention.
“Good evening, everyone,” Hugo said. “I know you’re all wonderingwhy I’ve called this meeting.” Hugo snickered at his own joke. Everyone in the control room managed at least a small smile. “In all seriousness, I just want to tell you how proud I am of every one of you. We’ve worked hard over the years to try to get to this place, and here we are. Maybe we got here with the help of a little dumb luck, and the fact that Ray’s never taken a self-defense class, but we’re here. We’re prepared for it. Every one of us is prepared. Take in this moment.” He sucked air through his nostrils, causing Willis to give him a strange look. “Really take it in. This doesn’t happen often.” Hugo closed his eyes. He didn’t want to lose this feeling. It had been so long since he felt this good, this satisfied with life, without the help of a pill, which was by far cheaper than the fancy sports cars other men needed.
Suddenly, the door to the control room slammed open, jolting Hugo out of his meditative state. Roarke stood in the doorway, gasping for breath, eyes wide. Trying to catch his breath, he finally managed to say, “I’ve got breaking news.”
Chapter 10
T he stunned silence in the control room was the first indication that what was happening was real. At first Hugo thought it must be a hallucination or some out-of-body experience or maybe he’d fainted and was dreaming. But as he looked around the small room, everyone stared back at him.
“The
what
exploded?” someone asked from behind him. Hugo was moving his mouth, he realized, but nothing was coming out.
Roarke looked down, like it was the hardest thing he’d ever had to say. “The…the, um, the wastewater treatment plant.”
Hugo still couldn’t speak. It was like his mind was playing in slow motion.
Someone else asked, “Do you mean the
sewage plant?”
Roarke said, “Uh, yeah. Except it’s more acceptable to say wastewater treatment plant. Ed’s on his way…can be there in eight minutes with live pictures. Jill’s less than two miles away, but the traffic is tied up with a stalled car. The chatter is that there’s a huge fireball, and everyone nearby is being evacuated.” Roarke’s sad eyes made Hugo realize there was really no choice to be made. This was the story they had to cover.
And before Hugo knew what was happening, he was slapping his hand against the desk and yelling obscenities the likes of which he had never uttered,
ever
, in front of another human being.
“How could this happen?” he cried, his hands out, pleading with the room. “A sewage plant! That’s what’s going to undo
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