Page 110 of The Beast's Heart

Jonathan stirs at my voice and smiles softly, still half in sleep. I take the book from his hands.

It’s bullshit, of course. I could tell him right now. In this quiet library, with him half asleep. It’s not the moment that’s stopping me, it’s my cowardice.

I lean in and kiss his cheek. He doesn’t wake. I leave him curled up in front of the fire and head for the control room. I have another call to make.

In all the preparation for the event, there’s one thing that we haven’t figured out. The emcee. I reached out to Philip—his parents are big in the charity scene and I thought he’d definitely know someone, or maybe he’d volunteer to host himself. Philip is, after all, heir to the Arrigo fortune and well connected enough to draw crowds.

Turns out he’s now anurse. During thepandemic.Something he failed to mention when I spoke to him about Jonathan’s wardrobe. And he’s not even speaking to his parents. He’s moved into a little place in the Bronx with his fiancé.

I reached out to a few other contacts too. Everyone I could think of. Except one person. Dialing his number has a feeling of inevitability.

Geoff answers on the second ring.

He listens while I pitch the idea, emphasizing that it’s for the cause and that I truly believe he’s the best person for the job. I’m not above a little flattery. It also happens to be true. When he doesn’t say no, I talk him through the commission structure I had in mind and how much we project we’ll raise.

He lets me finish then he laughs. My insides clench. We didn’t exactly end things on the best terms. I’m tensed for him to throw the offer back in my face.

“You know you could probably make double that with much less effort?” he says.

I don’t have to ask how. “I’m not going back to fighting.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.” He then spends five minutes telling me how big this streaming trend has been for the promotion, how much they’re benefiting with everyone stuck at home. They’re doing celebrity cage fights, billionaire smackdowns and (I can hear the smile in his voice) a legendary rampage. Trying to get some old stars back in the ring.

I vaguely wonder who at the old firm is offering him a financial incentive to get me on board. I also wonder if they started paying him before he even left here. If it weren’t for Jonathan, if I had started spending more time with Geoff, would I have agreed?

“You know I can’t,” I say.

“Not this again. Yeah, you’ve had head trauma. Show me one of these guys who hasn’t. One more match isn’t going to kill you.”

“You don’t know that. Nobody knows that.”

“Fine,” he says. “I’ll do your charity thing. But let me know if you change your mind.”

“Thanks Geoff. I mean it. The kids will?—”

“You know I’m not doing this for the kids,” he says. “Email me the paperwork.”

As I end the call, I look up and see Jonathan hovering in the doorway. My heart quivers with surprise. “Hey, I thought you were asleep.”

He rubs his eyes. “I was. Was that… did I hear right? You were talking to Geoff?”

“How much did you hear?”

His expression turns hard and he folds his arms in front of his chest. “More than I was meant to, clearly.”

I stand up and move around the desk. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“You’ve asked Geoff to be involved in our event.” Either he heard or he guesses.

I reach out for him, resting my hands on his shoulders. He’s stiff beneath my touch. “This doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven him for what he did. It just means he’s the best person for the job. I worked with him for years.”

Jonathan’s gaze drops away from mine. “I know that. I’m sorry. I think I’m just groggy. It’s fine. I mean, I didn’t even think he should have to leave the house. It all got blown out of proportion.”

I touch his cheek. “I’ll never forgive him for hurting you.”

He offers a ghost of a smile. “Just business, right?”

“He’s agreed to a commission structure, so we don’t have to pay him upfront. And he has a vested interest in making the event a success. I’m not sure who else to ask.” It’s not just his presence on the night, it’s the publicity, his ability to get people to join the stream. I know I can count on him for that.

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