“What are you doing?”
“Oh, I can only think of one person, and we were just discussing him, who would have done this.”
The elevator doors closed on Ross’s pinched face, and I vibrated with my anger as I rode down to the first floor. I found Harold Lang, the intern wrangler, and asked for Kalinski. He was only too happy to call him. There was a conference room on the first floor, so with a wide smile, I asked Harold if he would send the Kalinski kid in there and left to seethe by myself for a few minutes.
The room had a wide table and a water cooler in one corner, but when I tried to get myself a glass of water, my hand shook so much that I cursed, gave up, and tossed the cardboard cup in the nearby trash can, splashing water everywhere. I went and stood to the right of the door and waited. Soon it opened, and I snagged the little shit by the tie and slammed the door shut. He was a pretty-boy, and a quick scan had me recognizing his Berluti shoes, since I had the same pair at home. The fact that his family probably had enough money to sue me, based on his two-thousand-dollar kicks alone, kept me from strangling the little fucker.
“Let’s talk,” I said and backed him against a wall.
“Help!” he called, and I slapped him upside the head. He cringed.
“Knock that shit off and shut your fucking mouth.” I snatched the newspaper from the table where I’d tossed it when I first came in. He whimpered while I jammed it in his face.
“Thought you wanted a buy-off. Explain this shit. That’s not how extortion works, moron.”
He seemed to come to some decision in his mind and straightened until he wasn’t quite cowering anymore. Halfheartedly, he shoved at me, but a kitten would have done a better job. “You weren’t moving fast enough. With you and Jaxson gone, I’ll be able to find a spot with whoever ends up replacing you.”
“If that happens,” I snapped. “I’m elected. I’ve been playing this game a long time, you infant. Do you really think I don’t have a chance at making this all go away?”
He shook his head and screwed his face up, exactly like the baby I’d accused him of being. “I’ll have the position I should have had all along.”
I shoved him—too hard—and knocked him back against the wall, breathing heavily. I wasn’t sure what to do. Kalinski whimpered. “You self-entitled prick.”
The door opened, and Ross tripped on nothing I could see and nearly fell to his knees before he straightened himself up, with Jaxson right on his heels. Ross pulled me away from Kalinski, but I still had hold of his tie, and I almost killed him before Jaxson jerked it out of my hand.
Kalinski coughed, and Ross dropped his hold on me to go rescue him from his tie. Jaxson barreled into my side and hugged me as I stared murder at the fucker who’d threatened him.
“Vane,” Jaxson whispered. I gripped him back hard and drew him tight against me.
“It’ll be okay,” Ross said, and finally loosened Kalinski’s tie so he could gasp in air. I was fairly sure he was talking to me, though.
Kalinski winced as he stared at Jaxson in my arms. “You two seem like… you like each other.” Was that regret I heard in the little weasel’s voice?
I lunged forward again, and Jaxson and Ross dragged me back from Kalinski. He slunk away like the fucking coward he was and ran out of the room. Jaxson laughed, though not in amusement. I was so fucked.
“What?” I murmured and kissed his forehead.
“Roberts will be pissed off. He was so busy being upset about his phone, he missed the real story.” Jaxson’s mouth twisted, his smile going from simply handsome to self-deprecating.
We all shared pained chuckles.
Ross massaged his temples and collapsed against the table, almost sliding off it instead of sitting. “We spin it? Best we can try, right? Yourboyfriendis qualified for the position he has?” He glared at me; however, it was Jaxson who nodded and scowled right back in Ross’s direction.
“Yes, I am.”
“Had to ask.” Ross deflated a little and his shoulders slumped. “Your boy, there, comes to my office.” He nodded at Jaxson, and I clutched him tight enough that he let out a little squeaky puff of air.
I opened my mouth to argue, but Ross held up a hand. “He has to go. Can’t stay in your office. That Kalinski jerk goes to your office if he wants a paid position.”
I growled and Jaxson shushed me, leaning his forehead against my jaw. He snagged my hand and brought it to his belly, and I almost fell over that he would do that in front of someone else, but it was ridiculously calming to rub my hand in circles over his flat stomach.
Ross bent and snatched the paper off the floor. In no time he read through the gossip column that had the potential to wreck my present career, while I continued to calm myself by holding Jaxson close. He rubbed my back, comforting me exactly the way I had done to him yesterday in the hospital. I leaned a little harder against him.
“He’s too chickenshit to be anything but an anonymous source, apparently.” Ross snapped the paper and then folded it precisely along the creases with a grim smile. “We shut him up, you give JP free rein to torture him with office work, and….” He hung his head and peeked at me from under his eyelashes, giving me the most wounded look. This was going to be bad; I could tell already. “You come out as a happily engaged couple being unjustly harassed by media and coworkers. The real story is discrimination in city hall, something you’ve struggled against for years. People are already pissed about the police and demanding change. They’re bound to come out on your side.”
Jaxson gaped at him, and I was so staggered, I imagined I must look the same way.
“I’m sorry, we what now?”
