Impulsive (20 page)

“Give me the name, Jimmy.”

He shook his head. “Just be careful. I'd hate to see you lose a good thing.”

K
evin walked into Eric's office the afternoon after the press conference with a folder under his arm. This time he had the good sense to knock first. Even called and put his name on Eric's calendar between the morning and afternoon dockets.

The gesture came too late. Eric had made up his mind. He also thought about issuing another lecture spelling out the rules against politicking in state office buildings, but there were so many other violations to discuss.

“Seth is on his way. His morning motion went long,” Eric said as he set down the phone.

“I'm not sure you'll want him here.”

Eric was done with the drama. He'd had his fill over the last few days. “I may need a witness.”

“For what?” Kevin shoved away from the door and took the seat in front of Eric. “You know what, never mind.”

“What was so urgent?”

“You're not going to like this.”

“I haven't been happy about much lately, including you.”

“You're going to get pissed off about this, too, but I had to do it.” Kevin threw the file.

It landed right in front of Eric. “What is this?”

“Katie Long.”

“You're fired.”
Damn, it felt good to say that
.

Kevin didn't take the dismissal seriously. “Before you decide I'm the bad guy here, take a look at those.”

Eric thought about refusing but that would only prolong the conversation. Since he wanted it over and needed to tell Kevin it was time for him to step down, Eric played along. He slipped a finger under the seal and lifted the flap. A set of photos fell on his desk.

He forced his muscles not to move. Seeing Katie with that kid made Eric's back teeth slam together. He wanted to analyze them, then get Katie on the phone. He vowed to do all of that later. Right now, he stayed calm. He didn't want to give Kevin any opening to attack.

Instead of looking closely, he let the photos drop back on the desk. “Katie with Jimmy, so what?”

“You know this guy?”

“I've met him.”

“Then you know he's trouble. He's the guy you go to if you want dirty work done. Katie works for him.”

Some days Eric hated being right. Looked like this was going to be one of them. “How do you know that?”

“I have my sources and I got the reporter to talk. This Jimmy guy is behind the video.”

Seth knocked, then stuck his head through the door opening. “What's going on?”

Eric motioned him inside. “Kevin is presenting his newest piece of evidence against Katie.”

Seth picked up the photos. With each one he flipped, his frown grew deeper. “What do you think she's doing?”

“Getting close to Eric to create dirt for Gunnery,” Kevin said.

Kevin pointed at the stack in Seth's hands. “There are photos that tie it all together. The ones of this Jimmy character, otherwise known as Katie's boss, with Gunnery's brother.”

Eric wanted to climb back into bed with Katie and forget this day. He'd had a lot of those moments lately. “It's not proof.”

“There are ones of Katie accepting money.”

But Eric knew he wasn't going to be doing anything with Katie until they talked about the photos. He had to rule out the possibility she'd played him again. If he let that doubt take hold, it would swallow everything.

“That's enough, Kevin.”

Kevin kept ticking off the photos on his fingers. “Katie holding the Jimmy guy's hand.”

That one sliced through Eric. He kept assuring himself there was a reasonable explanation.

“You're not hearing me, Kevin.” Eric issued the warning, then counted to five. Much more pushing and he'd push back.

“What other evidence do you need? She's scamming you and you're too busy enjoying the sex to see it.”

Fury came out of nowhere and threatened to overtake Eric. “You're out of line.”

Kevin got up and spun around to face Seth. “Talk some sense into him.”

Seth shook his head. “I'm not sure what's even going on.”

“Then you're as blind as he is.” Kevin shrugged his shoulders. “You need more? Fine. I'll get it.”

Eric was up and out of his chair before Kevin got to the door. “Not one more move. I don't want you near Katie.”

“I never thought you'd be blinded by a nice ass.”

Eric's fury exploded like a wild beast. “Get the fuck out of my office.”

When Kevin opened the door, Eric could see attorneys and assistants standing in the hall outside his office. Kevin blew through them, grumbling the entire time.

“Everybody back to work.” Somehow Eric kept his voice within normal range even though it shook with leftover anger. But the slamming of the door felt damn good.

Seth tapped the edge of the photos against the desk. “That didn't go so well.”

“I'm a patient man but I'm running out.”

Seth slid the stack back into the envelope. “I can see that. Can't blame you either. You're getting it from all sides lately.”

Eric didn't have any control left. “Did you hire Jimmy to follow me?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?”

“Someone close to me paid the kid to track me. Someone who has a skewed view of helping me.”

Seth didn't try to hide his anger at having his loyalty questioned. “And you think it's me?”

“No.”

“That's right. Fuck no.”

“I didn't think so.” Eric dropped back into his seat. Suddenly he didn't have the energy to stand.

The betrayals kept kicking him. Kevin and his warped sense of friendship. Katie and her refusal to come clean. He didn't let his mind explore the dark possibility that she'd set this up and kept luring him in. She had to feel something for him.

Seth took a seat. “Clue me in, Eric.”

“It was Kevin.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I went all over that reporter. He's someone I know. He swore he couldn't tell me the source of the video because he didn't know it. He never even saw the tape. He got photos, and the drop-off was arranged through texts.”

“Then how does Kevin know it's this Jimmy who's behind everything?

“There's only one way that I know of.”

Seth dropped his head. “Damn.”

“Exactly.”

“What are you going to do now?”

Eric tipped he head back against his chair. “Fire my campaign manager.”

“And Katie?”

“I have no idea.”

B
y the time Eric got to the kitchen, he was furious. He'd controlled his voice when he called Katie to say he was coming over. But looking at the photos at every stoplight pushed his belief in her to the breaking point.

His emotions whipped back and forth. One minute he trusted her and the next he knew to his soul she'd been working with Jimmy.

Being unsure pissed Eric off. He handled his private life like he handled work. He went into every situation ready to do whatever had to be done. Not looking for surprises.

But everything about Katie had been unexpected. The relationship ran backward. They'd progressed to sex before they ever exchanged names. Even now, she smiled and he turned stupid. He'd jumped from being interested to being so tied to her that he couldn't get free. Didn't even want to.

He stood at the kitchen door, watching the shadow inside buzz around. He knew he should wait to talk with her, let his thoughts settle and go into the room ready to listen, but fear drove him. The idea of losing her tugged and pulled at his insides. Thinking about her and not knowing who she really was or what was going on in her head ripped him apart.

No matter how hard he tried he couldn't relax. He wanted to remain cool but one stray thought about the photos tucked under his arm and his concentration shattered.

“Eric?” The shadow walked to the screen.

Close up he could see her bright smile and that sexy catering skirt. He had fond memories of that skirt. Even better memories about slipping it up to her waist and tunneling his fingers under it.

“Can I come in?”

“Of course.” She opened the door and watched him as he walked past. “Why didn't you let me know you were here?”

“I was watching you.”

“Because a woman taking rolls out of the oven is just so sexy.”

“With you it is.”

“You say those things and I get all mushy.” She leaned in to kiss him and brushed up against the file. “You brought work?”

“Not exactly.”

He debated launching into this now. When he saw her, heard her voice, he couldn't accept the idea of her being Jimmy's sidekick.

She took off the apron tied around her waist. “Is something wrong?”

“You could say that.”

“Damn, this isn't more about the video, is it? There's only so much the news can show. One station had black bars pasted over my—”

“Katie.”

Her hand gestures stopped. “What?”

“When did you last see Jimmy?”

All of the blood ran out of her face. “What?”

The stunned reaction told Eric what he didn't want to know. She hadn't broken her ties with Jimmy. She also hadn't expected Eric to find out about it.

He remembered his first night in juvy all those years ago. A bunch of older kids held him down while another punched him in the head. This moment with Katie felt like that. It battered every part of him to watch her fumble for words and panic at being found out.

“You told me you worked for him at the beginning and ended it that day in the diner.” His voice sounded odd in his head, rough and skating the edge of reason.

“Right.”

When she backed up, he crowded her again. No way was she running away from this conversation. “So I'll ask again. When did you last see him?”

Nothing remained of her flirty welcome. Her mouth stretched tight and her eyes were wary. “Why?”

“That doesn't matter right now.”

“I don't think you're asking your real question.”

“Answer me.”

“I don't know what you think you know, but it's not true.”

She rambled and deflected and not once did she tell the truth. He saw it now. Every word spilled out in front of him. Maybe she liked the sex or the idea of being with a guy who wielded some power, but their entire time together had been a job. A way to make cash and maneuver him where she wanted him.

“You haven't even heard the allegation yet,” he pointed out.

“But there is one.” She crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant, closed off gesture that matched her words. “There's always a new charge against me.”

“Because I keep stumbling over information that proves you're lying to me.”

“About what?”

No denial. She didn't get defensive or insist she was telling the truth. She actually asked the question as if she were asking him to define which instance of lying she was referring to.

The hopes he'd built around her collapsed. He grabbed for the counter as anger spilled through him, fueling every horrible word on his tongue. He wanted to lash out at her. Make her feel as hollow and empty as he felt. But he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. This was the time for detachment. The only way to survive this moment was to power through.

“You're not going to control this,” he said.

“What does that mean?”

“Tell me about Jimmy.”

“I didn't have anything to do with the video.”

She'd said something like that before and Eric had believed her. This time the words rang false. The big-eyed innocent look wasn't going to play anymore. “But he did.”

“Yes.”

The word pierced through him. “And you knew it.”

“I suspected it.”

Just once Eric wished she would deny a piece of horrible information when confronted by it. She listened, assessed, and dodged. He hadn't seen it before. It was all he saw now. “And you know it's true now because you're still seeing him.”

“Don't say it like that.”

“Forget dating him. That's your business and I sure as hell don't want to know about it.” Eric choked on the words. The mental image of Katie going from his bed to Jimmy's was more than he could take. Eric shoved it out of his head and refused to examine it. “You're still working for him.”

“It's not like that.”

“Then how is it?” He took out one photo and with a sharp flick of his wrist threw it in her direction. Then another. Throwing them felt good, so he kept going until he emptied out the file.

She tried to catch them all but missed. They piled at her feet, leaving one in her hands. And that one said enough. Katie holding Jimmy's hand across the table.

“I met with him recently and he admitted to taking the video. He thought I would be happy. I told him I wasn't and left.”

“But you didn't bother to tell me.”

When she looked up, her hands shook and her eyes pleaded with him. “I was trying to get Jimmy to leave you alone.”

“You were covering your own ass. Still are. You excel at that skill. You lie and then shove the blame onto someone else.”

“That isn't true.”

“Did you ever stop working for him? Ever stop conning me?”

She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, all the life in them had been erased, leaving behind a dull stare. “Yes.”

“I have to wonder what else is coming. Am I going to find out you're on Gunnery's payroll and always have been?”

“I did the initial job, the one I told you about. Everything else has been about being with you.”

Eric refused to be lured in. The act had worked once, twice even, but he could not buy it again. He was smarter than that, had lived long enough to know some things could not be fixed.

“If I ask Jimmy, will he tell me the same thing?”

She swallowed. “Not exactly.”

“What?”

“He wanted me to keep following you. I didn't do it. I never reported back to him after that first time.”

“Stop lying.”

“He said his client knew you were seeing someone and wanted to know if it was Deana. But it was me. He basically hired me to follow myself.”

Eric listened to the ridiculous explanation and discarded it. It was time to bore down to the real problem. “You lied to me. Every time you opened your mouth, you said something untrue and let me build around that.”

“I was trying to protect you.”

The comment shot through him, releasing every ounce of rage in his head. “You can't fucking believe that.”

“You have to listen to me.”

She reached out toward his cheek but he caught her hand. “Don't.”

The sweet voice and simple touch wouldn't work this time. She'd used those weapons before. He had defenses against them now.

She bit her bottom lip. Actually looked like she could cry.

The woman knew how to lay it on thick. When the con broke down, she didn't just give up and walk away. No. She dug in and kept trying to sell it.

“You have to know how I feel about you. What happened between us wasn't fake.” Her voice came out as a desperate whisper.

It was a nice touch but not good enough. Not this time. “It wasn't real either. From the beginning to now, you've been playing a game. Have you gone so far that you buy your own lies now?”

“That is not true. What I feel for you is absolutely real.” She grabbed onto his arm but only caught his sleeve. Still, she didn't let go. “I need you to know that I—”

“Don't say it.” He couldn't handle that.

“I love you.”

He'd lived for those words. An hour ago he would have heard them, grabbed onto them, and started building a life with her. Now he ignored them. Had to. “I gave you every chance to come clean about Jimmy, but you kept me in the dark.”

Her mouth opened three times before the words came out. Between the slumped shoulders and glassy eyes, she put on quite a show. “That's all you have say?”

He could get through this. The crying and soft hands weren't going to work. “To your comment? Yes.”

Silence fell over the room. He thought she'd end it there. But she finally started talking again. “Not telling you all of it, about everything with Jimmy, was a mistake. I was scared. I thought I could fix the mess and keep you safe.”

She touched the nerve guaranteed to make him yell. “I don't need a damn bodyguard.”

“You had so much happening in your life.”

He held his body stiff. Shutting down his heart and his head was his only protection from getting sucked back in again. “All bad and it can all be traced back to you.”

“I know. I brought this all to you. Jimmy and the video, even though I knew nothing about that part until you told me. Being the cause of all your trouble killed me. It chipped away at me every single day.”

He should just shove her aside and walk out. He knew that but kept debating anyway. It was as if his mind wasn't ready to break the tie. “We were dating, seeing each other all the time. You had every chance to come clean.”

She held him with both hands now. “You are so together and strong. I've kicked around without any direction and even been in jail. How could I ever be the woman you needed?”

“You stopped trying. You pulled away from me after I saw you with Jimmy.” Eric knew in his head it had all been a lie, but part of him wanted to know what changed that day in the diner. “You've been emotionally packing your bags ever since.”

“That wasn't about a con or scamming you.”

“What was it?” Damn, he still needed to know the answer to that one.

“You.”

“Now this is my fault?”

“I couldn't understand how you could forgive me so easily for the way we met.”

Shock vibrated through him. “You were mad because I believed in you?”

“That's not what I said.”

“If that's true, you should be happy now, because I don't believe you. Not one word. In fact, I can't stand to look at you.” He picked up several photos, crushing them in his fist and shaking them in front of her face. “Maybe you and Jimmy will have better luck with the next sucker you pick.”

“Eric, please.”

He slammed the photos on the counter. “My only advice is that you be careful, because I won't think twice about prosecuting you if some other dumb mark you pick presses charges.”

 

Cara found Katie an hour later. She sat at the counter and stared at the incriminating photos spread out in front of her. Her body functioned. Somehow her brain signaled for her to breathe, but she felt nothing.

Seeing Eric spin out of control like that had broken her. She'd thought he lacked fire and passion outside the bedroom. Now she knew it all bubbled under the surface. He kept it controlled, but when he let loose it was pure devastation. Red-faced and yelling, he went on a rampage that left her emotionally torn up and shattered.

And he hated her.

The realization had her eyes filling with tears. She wasn't a crier, but remembering his face when she'd made her declaration of love made her want to crawl into bed and never get out again. His mouth screwed up in distaste and his dark eyes went blank. She'd never forget it.

Locked in a self-imposed torture chamber, Katie didn't feel Cara press an arm against her back. “I thought you were meeting with Eric.”

“He's gone.” Forever. It was so final. The stab of pain hit her everywhere. She felt it in her chest and head, until she doubled over from it.

“Are you going to see him after the shower this afternoon?”

The catering job. Katie didn't think her arms and legs would work well enough to let her serve. “No.”

“What's going on?” Cara peeked over her sister's shoulder. “What is all of this?”

“He found out.”

“What?”

“He thinks I'm with Jimmy.”

“I admit these photos don't look good.”

Katie couldn't survive another round of questions and accusations. “Eric thinks I had something to do with the video.”

Cara went still. “Did you?”

“No.” Katie pointed at Jimmy's image. “He did. I didn't know it at the time, but he did.”

“Did you tell Eric that?”

“I couldn't tell him anything. He wouldn't listen.”

“That doesn't sound like Eric.”

“He lost it.” His words came rushing back at her. He didn't believe anything she said now. “I don't even think he knew he was yelling, but once he started he didn't stop.”