somehow get 13 more votes, he and the Deacon would reach the magic number of 67—the amount of votes needed to gain control of the Senate.
The Deacon had been angling for months, paving the way for his plans. Tremendous influence was being brought to bear in assuring that the plot succeeded.
Ward’s eyes suddenly began darting, here and there, at other people in the dining room.
Are they reading my thoughts?
Or was he just paranoid?
It’s this damn cloak of secrecy. The stress is killing me.
He had reasons for being paranoid and stressed out.
Just last night his close friend, Senator Patricia Dietrich, gave him a commitment to swap her vote for a payday.
Shrewdly, she had held out for $15 million, deciding to avoid the fate of her three departed colleagues.
Henry Ward’s mouth curled into a devious grin.
We only need eight more votes.
CHAPTER 24
T he location for the rendezvous would not be in a public place with a lot of people around as Tiffany preferred. Boris had a general aversion to public spaces, insisting the meeting take place behind closed doors. Against her better instincts, she relented and agreed to meet at her condo. When she heard the buzzer for the lobby door, she walked into the kitchen and pressed a button on the telephone.
The door buzzed and the hunchback entered the building.
Now inside the lobby, Boris stood before the elevator doors, waiting. Moments later an elderly woman entered from the street door and began moving toward the elevators. She caught a glimpse of the huge man as he stared down at her. Turning, she scurried out as quickly as she had come in. In seconds, her feet were moving along the sidewalk.
Meanwhile, on the twelfth floor, Tiffany heard the doorbell ring. Now at the door, she saw her visitor as he filled the peephole. When she opened the door, Boris lumbered by and let himself in. He stepped over to the window and turned to face her.
Not one for small talk, he asked, “What do you have for me?”
“I definitely have him tied around my little finger,” she replied confidently, referring to Senator Ward. She knew nothing of the surveillance equipment Boris had surreptitiously installed throughout her residence.
“I’m here to tell you that the Deacon will not tolerate any slip ups,” he said. “Senator Ward must be kept under control until we have finished with him.”
“Why doesn’t he tell me this himself?” The voice was brisk, exuding a confidence reflecting her role in the scheme. “Instead, he sends an errand boy.”
Boris continued to sneer at her, his expression fierce. “You’ll do what you’re told.”
“I want more money,” she demanded, her weight shifting to one foot. “This plot involving the Senate is monstrous. Given the huge amounts of money being thrown around, I’d have to be a fool to accept what the Deacon offered me.”
Boris felt a rage growing inside him. Slipping a hand in his pocket, he flipped a switch on a device he had brought along precisely for this situation. In a millisecond, electrons fired, switching off the electronic surveillance equipment inside the condo.
“You’re in no position to make demands,” he told her, his voice just above a whisper.
Imperceptibly, he advanced a step closer.
“You can tell the Deacon that I’m not taking any damn sucker’s share,” she declared in a typically brassy demeanor. “And you can tell him that if I don’t see some real money, and soon, I’m going to expose the fact that you’re using Senator Ward and that you’re using me to manipulate him .”
The humpback’s eyes narrowed. His pulse raced. Slowly, he inched forward, closing the distance between them by another step.
She’s asking for it.
His greedy eyes feasted on her flesh; the cleavage, the smooth legs, and her clothes were much too revealing, as usual. A fiery inferno boiled inside him.
“You’ll have to speak to the Deacon,” he whispered, “I have no authority to grant such things.”
Her
The Deacon had been angling for months, paving the way for his plans. Tremendous influence was being brought to bear in assuring that the plot succeeded.
Ward’s eyes suddenly began darting, here and there, at other people in the dining room.
Are they reading my thoughts?
Or was he just paranoid?
It’s this damn cloak of secrecy. The stress is killing me.
He had reasons for being paranoid and stressed out.
Just last night his close friend, Senator Patricia Dietrich, gave him a commitment to swap her vote for a payday.
Shrewdly, she had held out for $15 million, deciding to avoid the fate of her three departed colleagues.
Henry Ward’s mouth curled into a devious grin.
We only need eight more votes.
CHAPTER 24
T he location for the rendezvous would not be in a public place with a lot of people around as Tiffany preferred. Boris had a general aversion to public spaces, insisting the meeting take place behind closed doors. Against her better instincts, she relented and agreed to meet at her condo. When she heard the buzzer for the lobby door, she walked into the kitchen and pressed a button on the telephone.
The door buzzed and the hunchback entered the building.
Now inside the lobby, Boris stood before the elevator doors, waiting. Moments later an elderly woman entered from the street door and began moving toward the elevators. She caught a glimpse of the huge man as he stared down at her. Turning, she scurried out as quickly as she had come in. In seconds, her feet were moving along the sidewalk.
Meanwhile, on the twelfth floor, Tiffany heard the doorbell ring. Now at the door, she saw her visitor as he filled the peephole. When she opened the door, Boris lumbered by and let himself in. He stepped over to the window and turned to face her.
Not one for small talk, he asked, “What do you have for me?”
“I definitely have him tied around my little finger,” she replied confidently, referring to Senator Ward. She knew nothing of the surveillance equipment Boris had surreptitiously installed throughout her residence.
“I’m here to tell you that the Deacon will not tolerate any slip ups,” he said. “Senator Ward must be kept under control until we have finished with him.”
“Why doesn’t he tell me this himself?” The voice was brisk, exuding a confidence reflecting her role in the scheme. “Instead, he sends an errand boy.”
Boris continued to sneer at her, his expression fierce. “You’ll do what you’re told.”
“I want more money,” she demanded, her weight shifting to one foot. “This plot involving the Senate is monstrous. Given the huge amounts of money being thrown around, I’d have to be a fool to accept what the Deacon offered me.”
Boris felt a rage growing inside him. Slipping a hand in his pocket, he flipped a switch on a device he had brought along precisely for this situation. In a millisecond, electrons fired, switching off the electronic surveillance equipment inside the condo.
“You’re in no position to make demands,” he told her, his voice just above a whisper.
Imperceptibly, he advanced a step closer.
“You can tell the Deacon that I’m not taking any damn sucker’s share,” she declared in a typically brassy demeanor. “And you can tell him that if I don’t see some real money, and soon, I’m going to expose the fact that you’re using Senator Ward and that you’re using me to manipulate him .”
The humpback’s eyes narrowed. His pulse raced. Slowly, he inched forward, closing the distance between them by another step.
She’s asking for it.
His greedy eyes feasted on her flesh; the cleavage, the smooth legs, and her clothes were much too revealing, as usual. A fiery inferno boiled inside him.
“You’ll have to speak to the Deacon,” he whispered, “I have no authority to grant such things.”
Her
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