AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Oh, fucking bullshit." I couldn't even help myself, nor did I care. The two men glanced at me, shared a look, and then returned back to their beers. Jessie Isaacs was the only one who had cleared himself of any wrongdoings, but privilege and money spoke louder then video recordings apparently.
A reporter off the camera shot him a question. "And how do you feel about Senator Carter's indictment, Mr. Isaacs?"
Jessie nodded, pretending to take this question seriously, when in reality, I knew that behind that mask of his, he was grinning from ear to ear. "I feel like justice is due where justice is due," Jessie said. "After Senator Carter informed me of his plan to attempt voter fraud, I reported this to my closest confidants. We were unsure if Carter was playing a joke or not, so we were waiting to have proof before going to the authorities."
"And the accusations that you were partaking in drugs with Senator Carter that night? Or that you were cheating on your wife with a prostitute?"
His eyes narrowed. "As I've said before, I have no comments on either of those topics other than to say that my wife and I are in counseling, and I am taking daily drug tests up until the election.
"So it's true? You're still going to run for President?"
"Yes, it is true," Jessie smiled and looked directly into the camera. "And before that, I intend to find the person or people responsible for releasing this video to the public, as I do believe that is a crime that will come with harsh penalties."
I locked eyes with Jessie Isaacs on the screen. That was a threat. And a heavy one at that. One directed not only at me, but also at Lucas.
My phone buzzed on the bar, and I flipped it over, opening a text from an unknown number.
O, figured this may come in handy to fuck that fucker once and for all. Your favorite, Q.
My heart skipped. Grabbing the phone, I clicked the link. It was connected to a locked folder, one for which I would need to use my computer to hack into. Holy shit. My favorite, Q. And a locked folder?
The text was from Quinn, I knew it without a doubt. Suddenly, I remembered that Quinn had hated Jessie for a long time, that he had shit on the mayor even before this. What was in this folder? Would it be enough to take him down?
I fucking hoped so.
Wiping my face with a napkin, I glanced at the server. "Check, please."
Emerging onto the quiet downtown street, my heart was pounding. I couldn't get back to my apartment fast enough. My computer was the one thing I'd brought with me, the one thing I could use to overthrow Jessie for good.
I'd made it half a block when the hair on the back of my arms stood on end. I glanced behind me and watched as a black SUV braked, and then turned a corner. Was I imagining this? Or I had seen that car before?
I was probably just overthinking this, imagining something that wasn't there. But I couldn't shake the look on Jessie's face in that video. All this time, I thought he'd been focused on an upcoming trial. What if the opposite had been true? What if he'd known all along he was going to get off, and he was out for vengeance, determined to find the perpetrators behind the video?
Oh, God. What if that's why Lucas hadn't been at lunch with Adam and Claire? What if something had happened to him...and I was next?
I picked up my pace, walking faster. And just as I neared the intersection that led to my rental, a man stepped from around the corner.
"Hey, Olive."
26
LUCAS
Only a month had passed, but it felt like so much longer. There were purple circles under her eyes, and she looked like she'd lost some weight, but Olive still looked incredible. I wanted nothing more than to hug her, to hold her.
"Lucas?" she gasped, gripping her chest.
I'd clearly startled her, appearing on the edge of the street corner like this, but I wasn't sure how else I could have done it.
"Hi," I said. Hi? Didn't I have anything better to say? I'd spent time and money on a private investigator to track her to this beach side Connecticut town, and I couldn't say more than hi? What the fuck was wrong with me?
"What are you doing here? I mean...how did you find me?"
I shrugged. "Olive, I fucked up. So bad." The corner we were standing on was busy enough that a few people who had heard me curse stopped and stared. But all my fucks went out of the window the day I discovered she'd taken a bus to another city by herself. She was lost, struggling to find herself, all because of what I'd said. I needed to make it clear that, this time, I wasn't going anywhere. "You weren't answering my calls, and I didn't know what else to do. So I hired a private investigator."
Olive's cheeks flushed red. She glanced sideways around the street. It was clear that more than one person was listening now. In fact, was I imagining this, or was a couple on the corner pausing to take a photo of us?
Stepping toward me, Olive lowered her voice to a whisper. "Lucas, this town is too small and too nosy for you to making a scene. C'mon." She strode past me down the street.
