Page 137 of Sapphire Sunset

“Nicole Richter? What does it say?”

“She wants to take a fresh look at some of the terms oftheir contract.”

“Afreshlook?” Connor asked. “What does thatmean?”

“I have no idea,” Jonas said. “But I wanted to check in withyou before I talked to her. I know we said we’d let them walk without acancellation fee. But renegotiating a few weeks out? Their contract’s tenpages, and it predates my working here.”

“All right, then,” Connor said. “You and I will set up acall with them ASAP. In the meantime, I need a copy of the contract. Gloria,you’re up.”

“Sylvia Milton announced a press conference,” Gloria said.“It’s on the Stop Sapphire Cove Twitter feed.”

“HerTwitter feed, you mean. And what is thesubject, pray tell?” Connor asked.

“New revelations about the security staff at Sapphire Cove.”

“What new revelations?” Connor asked. “Is there something inthe news I didn’t see?”

“We’ve been checking, and the last major item was Benji’srescue.”

“Well, and also the professional history of some of oursecurity team,” Jonas said.

“Twitter was dragging her ass for using their real names,and nobody in the mainstream press was covering it,” Connor said. “What elsecould she possibly be using against us now?”

“I guess we’re about to find out,” Gloria said.

Jonas’s office was a time capsule. The puddling pinkdraperies framing the view of the Draco palms outside brought back painfulmemories of how the hotel had looked in Connor’s youth, transporting him backto a more innocent time before the renovation, before his flight to New York. Connorwould have preferred less memory-filled surroundings as he strapped himself infor Sylvia Milton’s latest attack.

Jonas had turned his laptop screen around and was standingbehind Gloria and Connor as they all watched.

Sylvia Milton stood behind a microphone-clustered podium onthe steps of her lawyer’s modern office building in downtown Phoenix. “This iswhat we know to be true about this allegednew dayat Sapphire Cove.We know that all the members of the security team who worked there while my husbandwas being blackmailed have not, in fact, been arrested. Logan Murdoch, whoworked for years alongside many of the conspirators who destroyed my husband’sfinal days, is not only still employed, he’s being lavishly rewarded with avery special kind of attention by the new general manager, as we all saw. Ageneral manager, I might add, who claimed to have no connection at all to theprevious regime that ran a criminal enterprise. And yet there he was, in alip-lock with his security director in broad daylight. With children a few feetaway.”

Connor winced at this homophobic dog whistle. Gloria reachedout and gripped his arm.

“So I ask you,” Sylvia continued, “when Connor Harcourt saysit’s anew dayat Sapphire Cove, when he assures his guests they will notbe subjected to blackmail and a host of other criminal invasions, is he tellingus the truth? Or is he telling us what hewantsto be the truth becausehis sexuality has blinded him? This seems clear. Logan Murdoch has very specialskills when it comes to avoiding the consequences of actions which happened rightover his shoulder, and those skills include casting a seductive spell over hisnew employer.”

“Blinded by mysexuality?” Connor asked. “Is thatactually how she phrased it?”

“Yes.” Jonas, usually placid as a pond, sounded like hewanted to rip his laptop in two.

“All that being said,” Sylvia continued, “I do believe insecond chances. And yes, I’ve seen the good work Sapphire Cove is doing withvictims of the Palm Fire. And I’m aware the hotel employs many decent,hardworking people who had nothing to do with the Harcourt family’s crimes. Butit is entirely unclear if Logan Murdoch is one of those people, and given thecompromising positions they’ve placed themselves in, Connor Harcourt is the lastone who can make that determination for us. So if he truly wants to declare ita new day at Sapphire Cove, he should begin it without Mr. Murdoch. Thank youfor your time.”

And with that, Sylvia Milton left the podium, ignoring questionsthe reporters shouted at her.

“The Harcourtfamily’scrimes?” Connor asked. “Isshe implying I was in on the blackmail?”

“I’m not sure there’s an end to what she was implying,”Gloria answered.

For what felt like an eternity, none of them said a word.

“Get Lighthouse on the phone,” Connor said. “Right now.”

“Maybe we should handle one thing at a time,” Gloria offered.

“Bet your bottom dollar they’re the same,” Connor said.

As Jonas picked up his desk phone and dialed, Connor tuggedhis cell from his pocket and texted Logan.

Did u see?

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