Upon entering the restaurant, Christine called out, “There they are. Hello there, lovebirds.” She sauntered over to us, slim hips swinging, a glass of wine in her hand. “Whatever were you doing that made you so late?” She kissed Brenner first, then me.
Pretending innocence, I shrugged. “You know Saturday night traffic. Such a mess.”
She narrowed her eyes and whispered in my ear, “Really, darling? You’ll have to do better than that.” Her hand waved in front of her face. “You smell like each other. All those hot alpha hormones. Whew.” Her grin was wicked, and I laughed.
“You are a bad girl.”
Brenner rolled his eyes. “Why are you playing along with her? She’s the worst influence.”
“I’m the best. Now come say hi to Archer and Madden.”
The dynamic duo waved to us from the bar, and hand in hand, we greeted them. Recalling our drinks from the times we’d met, Archer ordered me a vodka and Brenner a beer.
“How goes it?” They lifted their glasses. “Cheers.”
We clinked our glasses.
“It’s going.” I took a sip, still buzzing from Brenner’s possession of my body.
“Have you heard anything more about my mother?” Brenner asked, and my heart broke for him.
“The detectives said the files are hard to locate—they’re old and all paper, and there was a warehouse fire about ten years ago that destroyed boxes and boxes of old cases.” He shook his head. “We may never know.”
My phone buzzed with a text. It was from Grady.
I know you’re at a benefit, but your father is making a speech you might want to hear.
“What’s wrong?” Brenner put a hand on my shoulder, and I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat.
“My father’s on television. Grady said I should watch.”
Archer waved at me. “Come into Tony’s office. He has a TV.”
We hurried with him to the rear of the restaurant, and all of us crowded together. Archer turned on the set, and my father’s face filled the screen at a rally. Cheers rang out, and he soaked in the adulation of the masses.
“Why is Grady telling me to watch?” I muttered. “I don’t need this shit.”
My father raised his hands to quiet the crowd.
“My fellow Americans. I’m happy to say that I’ve received the endorsement of Reverend Austen Carlyle of the Conservative Coalition. If I’m elected president, I promise to restore faith in our schools and keep our children safe from outside influences that threaten our traditional way of life.”
I went cold, and Brenner’s hand crept into mine, his fingers squeezing tight. “You shouldn’t have to listen to this shit.”
“I want to. I need to.”
After the clapping subsided, he continued. “You might’ve heard rumors that my son is engaged in a relationship with aman, and I want to assure you all that his choice of that lifestyle will never influence me. I am against it, I repudiate it. And I promise that if you elect me, I will always keep this country on the path to righteousness. God bless you, and God bless this country.”
“Turn it off,” I snapped, and downed my drink in one gulp. Without another word, I wrenched my hand out of Brenner’s and slammed out of the office, heading straight to the bar. “Vodka. Double. Fuck it. Make it a triple.”
The bartender filled the tumbler with ice, then poured the liquid to the top. I gulped it, hissing at the burn. I sensed Brenner behind me.
“Let’s go home. You shouldn’t be out tonight.”
I scrubbed my face and drew in a deep breath, trying to clear the rage and pain from my head. “No. I’m not going to hide. I have no reason to.”
“Of course you don’t, but you might not want to be in the spotlight.” Brenner held my waist. “Let me take you home.”
“I said no.” Lashing out at the person I cared about most in the word wasn’t helpful, and I faced him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. But the worst thing I can do, and what he wants, is for me to live in the shadows.” I lifted my chin. “And I refuse.”
