“Yes. I’ve met him a few times at dinners and such, and he asked me for my endorsement. I listened to the changes he wanted to make and supported his platform.”
Steven was uncharacteristically silent; I cocked my head at him, noticing his flushed cheeks. “And you, Mr. Robins, did he simplyjustask you for your endorsement?”
“Steven?” Lucy urged when he stared at his plate, not answering my question. “That’s what you told me. You even encouraged me to endorse him, saying you and I would be a team on this.”
“Right.” Steven cleared his throat. “That’s what happened.”
My grin formed slowly. He was lying, and the senator was going to find out just how smart and powerful I really was.
“You know.” I wiped my mouth. “Toni, there…say hi, Tone.”
He waved. “Good evening.”
“He’s a master of digging. If he can’t find it, he knows people who can.” I leaned forward and glared at Steven. “We found nothing much on Mrs. Mikens aside from the affair. But you, Steve, you’ve been a naughty boy, haven’t you?”
“What’s he talking about, Steven?” Lucy made to get up, but Alex gently urged her to sit back down.
“It took us a long time to get the footage that you two were sleeping together. You were both masterfully careful. But youknow what happens once Pandora’s box is opened? It all flies out.”
“Steven!” Lucy slammed her hand on the table. “Say something.”
Steven’s head snapped up, and his gaze moved from her to me. “You know already, so just say it, then. I won’t confess shit to you, Hendrix. Maybe you don’t know anything.”
“Even if he didn’t have something on you, and he does, this behavior proves you’ve been hiding a shitstorm.” Penn snorted and spun his spaghetti on his fork.
“I won’t drag it out. There’s a list.” I made sure to watch Lucy’s reaction as I spoke. “You’re a gambler, Steve, and a drinker…and you like the young ladies whenever you aren’t getting your fill of Lucy or your wife. You got yourself into a bit of a bind a couple of years ago in Atlantic City. Spent too much, and the prostitute you paid for was sixteen. The house wanted their money, and the casino owner was going to expose you as a pedophile if you didn’t pay up…how am I doing so far?”
“What the hell, Steven?” Lucy looked disgusted.
He gritted his teeth. “You’re doing a stellar job; keep going.”
“Your daddy was friends with Benito’s daddy once upon a time, so you thought you’d call for help, but Benito’s papa was dead and you got him instead. Am I warm?”
“Damn.” Penn shook his head as he bit into his garlic bread. I loved that man.
“He paid your debt and made your problems disappear. All you had to do was everything he told you to do. Endorse him, get Lucy to also endorse him, and so on and so on.”
“You know.” Penn wiped his mouth and sat back with a smile. “Steven, you’ve exhibited very thuggish behavior.”
Lucy sat silently and, if I had to guess, was contemplating all her life choices. Steven glared at me as if he were trying to set me on fire.
“What do you want, Hendrix?”
I clapped my hands. “So glad you asked…let’s get dessert, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Penn
It was a week later;we were all in the backyard having a barbecue since the kids were getting ready to return to school the following week when Lucy Mikens was on the news doing some town hall thing where she explained she’d shifted in her political opinions.
“Check it out!” Toni called us all inside. Mila was here too, and she made sure to cover the food while we rushed into the house.
“Earlier in the year you stated you were endorsing Benito Calvern for governor, and now you’ve changed your mind?” the interviewer asked her.
“In truth, I hadn’t really gotten to know Solange Herbert very well while she worked with Victor Horn. I’m sorry to say I made a judgment of her based on his governing. I was not a supporter of Mr. Horn. I never made that a secret.”
“And now you’ve gotten to know Ms. Herbert and favor her views over Mr. Calvern’s?”
