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“Hi, what did you think?” she asked immediately and then saw his expression. Her heart sank.
“Sophie, there’s no way we can use any of that,” Jude said. “Your drug connection isn’t a reliable source. Not without hard proof.”
“He said he was going to send pictures,” she argued.
“Yeah, but you don’t have them yet, do you? I told you not to pursue that as your only lead.” Jude’s tone was judgmental, more than usual.
“Well, what about getting a look at the finances?” she persisted. It was a long shot, but it could set this case on fire. She made eye contact with Owen briefly. His jaw had gone steely hard like it had other times when he was pissed. She tore her eyes away and focused on her editor.
“That’s not information we can request,” Jude said. “It’s not public record. You should know that.”
She felt chastised, and then pissed. She’d worked hard and put her butt on the line to get the story this far. Didn’t her editor appreciate that or care that if her story succeeded, a huge drug operation in their city would be wiped out? All she needed was a little support from him, a little help—but he didn’t seem willing to give it.
“I’m worried about you,” Jude continued. “I thought you’d be farther along with this investigation. The truth is, Sophie, I’ve let you have a lot of rope here, but you’ve got to come through with a printable story soon.”
“What I have will be printable once I get those photos.”
“Ifyou get the photos, I’m not sure even that would be enough. Pictures can be manipulated, and again, your source is questionable.” Jude scrubbed a hand over his face. “Frankly, I’m worried about you, Sophie. This story seems to be turning into some kind of white whale for you. You’re chasing it so hard that I’m not sure I can trust your judgment anymore to know what’s a real lead and what you justwantto be one. Maybe we get to the end of this and find that there isn’t any story here after all.”
Sophie reared back, stung. “Of course there’s a story here! Do you think I went into hiding on a whim? My life is in danger—and my friends’ lives, too.”
“Yes, so you’ve said.” His tone made it clear that he doubted that, too, and she felt her stomach twist. She’d always known that Jude liked to play it safe, never convinced by anything less than hard evidence, but she hadn’t thought he would flat-out disbelieve her like this.
“Tell you what,” he said in a conciliatory tone. “Why don’t you let me know where you are? I’ll talk to the publisher about getting you security. If you’ve got a bodyguard or two, you could go after real leads and get to the bottom of this once and for all—whether that means finding the real story or accepting that there isn’t one.”
Owen was on his feet, moving toward her until he was in the frame. “She has protection. I’m Owen McCormick. I do security work amongst other things. She’s safe with me, and just so you know, she busted her ass to get an interview with that guy. And he’s going to give her proof. Even without that, even if there’s not enough evidence for a conviction, there’s plenty to force a police investigation. I’ve been helping with this situation from the start, and I can guaran-damn-tee you there’s a story here. A compelling one, that your reporter has gone above and beyond to chase down. A story that deserves to be told. The newspaper covers stories all the time that aren’t guaranteed convictions, right? I think you’re just being a coward for not publishing what Sophie—”
“Owen, that’s enough. Sorry, Jude. I’ll do…something.” She had no idea what.
“Let me know when you’ve got a story worth printing.” Jude cut the link.
NINETEEN
Next to him, Sophie drew in a breath and let it out slowly. Owen had no idea what to expect next. Maybe he shouldn’t have jumped in like that, but he couldn’t sit back and listen to her editor be so dismissive.
“Why did you do that?” she asked after several seconds of tense silence. “I was handling it.”
“That guy’s a jackass, and I didn’t like the way he was treating you.”
“So? I don’t like how the barista treats me somedays, but I suck it up because I want my coffee.”
“If I overstepped, then I’m sorry for jumping in like I did,” he said, “but I’m not changing my opinion. He had no right to say what he did to you.”
More silence. Was that better than yelling? He decided it wasn’t. He preferred sparring with her. At least then, he knew where he stood.
“I appreciate,” she spoke slowly, “that you believe in what I’m trying to do.”
“I believe inyou,” he said, meaning it. “You’ve taken this on, and you haven’t backed down when that would have been the easier and safer thing to do.”
“I can’t back down now. I’m too far in and so are Helen and Julia. I have to see this through.”
“You would have anyway.” He felt sure of that about her. Yes, this was a story that could make her career. But that wasn’t her only motivation—or even her primary one. She wanted to see the bad guy go down. He’d fought that fight himself in the far corners of the world and understood how motivating and terrifying it could be.
“Probably. But you have to promise me that you won’t speak to Jude like that again. He’s my boss.”
Owen didn’t want to make that promise, but she was looking at him with pleading in her eyes, and he knew he had to. “I promise, but I can’t believe that is the great boss you’ve told me about. I didn’t see anything about him to respect.”
She sighed. “I told you. He’s supported me for my whole career. Sometimes that means pushing me a little hard to make sure I get it right. I’ve learned a lot from him. I really have,” she insisted.
