“What was that about?” she asks.
I fill her in, watching her eyes widen with every sentence.
“Okay, Mo.” She laughs.
I have to laugh too. “That man has never been in a fight, but I appreciate the sentiment… mostly.”
“Your men are looking out for you, Ray. Can’t be mad at that.”
“I’m not,” I say with warmth in my chest. “I know it’s frustrating to feel powerless. Honestly, I’m glad the question came up tonight. It gave me a chance to hit back.”
“I hear that,” she says.
“So give it to me straight. How are we looking?”
“We’re seeing strong digital engagement across the board.”
“Define strong.”
“The donation page is getting hammered right now.” Her grin turns victorious. “The video clips are already spreading.”
“Good or bad spreading?”
“Mostly good.”
“Mostly?”
“Girl, it’s politics. Gabriel and your man are spinning their infrastructure numbers and pushing that stagnation-versus-progress contrast.”
I roll my eyes at the way she casually threw DK into that comment. “Is it landing?”
“For some voters, yes. Expansion is always going to be the dividing line in this town. We just need to keep pulling people toward sustainable growth.” She wakes her tablet and scrolls. “You’re carving out a big chunk of the younger voter bloc. Energizing them because you come across as real, not like a politician.”
I grin. “I’ll take that.”
“And apparently your outfits are fire.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.” She laughs. “Gen Z has spoken.”
“What about the Bayside Truth Watch question?” I ask, preparing for it to go either way.
“It’s performing exceptionally well.” She taps the screen and turns it to me with the clip of my response. “This has more views and reposts than anything else from tonight. ‘Only cowards hide’ is the soundbite people are sharing.”
She plays the clip, and I see myself on stage. I don’t look flustered. I look confident, in control. Not furious, but there’s a simmer of anger in my tone, which is what I wanted.
“You did great,” she beams. “Pivoting right back to your record. You forced the conversation back on what you’ve actually accomplished. I hope Hollis is rotting in his own filth.”
“You and me both.”
But neither of us is naive enough to believe this will stop him. If anything, he’ll get louder while insulated behind his computer walls. People like Hollis don’t back down when they don’t get the reaction they want. They push harder.
It’s unnerving not knowing what the next strike will be. But I turn my attention back to the people who showed up for me.
Hollis doesn’t get to have this moment.
“Enough shop talk.” I squeeze her arm. “Let’s go enjoy our party. We earned it.”
