Page 57 of Nitro

“Unbelievable,” I mutter. I sense eyes on me, so I look up to find Reynolds studying me. “I didn’t mean the recording is unbelievable. I meant what he’s saying is—”

“Salacious. Criminal. Abhorrent,” Reynolds interjects. “Tell me again how you got a hold of this.”

“A friend of a friend. Someone who works for Blackstone,” Nitro says smoothly while pausing the video.

“Why didn’t this person come directly to me? Why go through you?” Reynolds isn’t letting us off the hook that easily. I’d expect nothing less from the top reporter in the U.S.

“They were afraid of what Blackstone would do to them.”

“They. Them. Is the informant male or female?”

“Female.” Nitro glances at me. We weren’t supposed to reveal the gender of the person because it would make it harder to keep our story straight. I know why he’s doing it, though, and I agree with his approach. We need Reynolds to trust us.

“A mother?”

“I’d rather not say.” Nitro nods slightly, answering him without specifically saying it.

“She must feel guilty. That’s why she’s trying to get this out there.” Reynolds strokes his chin with the tips of his fingers. “Play the rest.”

“It gets graphic from here,” Nitro warns.

“I spent three weeks in Bosnia listening to the stories of survivors of one of the worst genocides in the last century. There’s nothing that I haven’t heard before. Not to sound indifferent, but I’ve been a reporter for over forty years. I’ve covered everything from the Challenger space shuttle explosion to September 11th to the 2020 virus. If what you’ve got here is legit, the world needs to know about it. We can’t have another Epstein running around, and we certainly don’t want a child trafficker in office.”

“Okay.” Nitro hits play.

We watch the rest of the video in silence. I have to look away at one point, but Reynolds keeps watching it intently. When the recording is finished, I face the men again.

“I’ll need my forensics team to check this out. I can’t air this unless we’re one hundred percent sure it’s legitimate. I won’t have my career go up in flames because I rushed to judgment.”

“We’d expect nothing less, sir.” Nitro powers off the laptop and hands the flash drive to Reynolds.

“What are your thoughts on this?” Reynolds asks me.

“At first, I couldn’t believe it. Blackstone’s always on television talking about how much he cares about kids. This seems contrary to his nature.”

“Looks can be very deceiving. I once interviewed a man convicted of murdering his entire family. He was a deacon at his local church. A pillar of his community. He’d also kept one of his daughters locked in a basement dungeon where he did unspeakable things to her. His so-called good deeds masked the devil inside him. Pure evil, that one.” Reynolds shakes his head in disgust. “After that interview, I burned the clothes I wore to it. Couldn’t get the filth out. Do you believe in demons?”

“Not really,” I hedge, not knowing what the correct answer might be.

“Well, I didn’t before I met that man. After that, I went directly to confession. I haven’t missed a Sunday in twenty-four years. If this recording is real, I’ll be spending an extra day in church this week praying for their souls.”

I don’t ask who because I’m sure he’s referring to Blackstone and Senator McNash. Both men will have their careers ruined by this. And if we’re lucky, they’ll be investigated and will spend the rest of their lives in prison. I glance at Nitro. He gives me a reassuring nod. Our work is done here. It’s up to Reynolds to take the recording, confirm it, then spread the story across the airwaves. Blackstone will never survive a scandal this big. It’s impossible.

Instead of driving back to the clubhouse, Nitro gets onto the highway going in the other direction. I don’t know where he’s headed, but I don’t care. After watching that video, I need to do something to take my mind off it. The cavalier attitude Blackstone and McNash used to talk about the children was so repugnant I want to go to Blackstone’s mansion and burn it down myself. Being disgraced won’t bring me any satisfaction. I doubt it will be enough for Nitro and the guys either. No, revenge needs to include more than just destroying his political career. He needs to go to prison for the rest of his life.

By the time we get to Bozeman, I’m shaking with rage. Nitro parks outside a steakhouse. After removing our helmets, he helps me off the bike, then pulls me into his arms. We hold each other for several minutes before he gives me the softest kiss. I return it until we’re melting into each other.

“Take me home and make love to me,” I whisper between kisses.

“I would, kitten, but I’m starving. I could eat a whole cow.”

“Ew.” I wrinkle my nose.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Not really. That video … I can’t even imagine being … Nitro, I—”

“No.” He places a gentle finger over my lips to silence me. “Not tonight. I know it’s a lot to deal with, but I’ve been living that shit for decades. I don’t want to think about Blackstone. Let Reynolds do his job. He’s a good man who has always sought the truth. The video we gave him is going to destroy Blackstone. I’m ready to celebrate the end of that bastard’s career.”

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