Page 2 of Spellbound
“You rang?”Yep, he was getting sass.
Which sailed right over his head.
He dropped the implement into a partially open drawer, then dug through the clutter on his desk. With a muttered “Here we are,” he shoved a somewhat crumpled paper across to me, disregarding the detritus he displaced along its path. “What the fuck is this?”
I peered closer.
“That would be my leave request.”Obviously. “You haven’t signed it yet and my vacation starts tomorrow. I’m going to Tennessee.”
“Notthistomorrow, you’re not.” Perry hunched forward over the desk, the sharp edge digging into his soft belly. “Did you not understand the plum that landed in your lap just the other day?”
I held up a finger. “But Perry, I asked for these days back in—”
“Girl, it’s time for you to step up, show what you’re made of, earn your paycheck. The only trip you’re taking is to wherever Eli Masterson is hiding out.”
Um, no.“I’ll be happy to help with the story, after I get back from—
“You’ll help by digging this guy up.”
My eyes flew to his.
“That’s right, he seems to have gone underground. Probably waiting for the heat to die down before he shows his female-assaulting pansy ass.” Perry gave a mirthless chuckle.
“From what I heard, nobody’s even spoken to the guy. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?”
Perry’s lip curled. “These pros all think they can get away with anything, but they’re not getting past me this time. No siree, not this time.” Another self-amused chortle. “You’re going to track him down and write a follow-up, give people the juice. That idiot Karl butchered the notes you gave him before, but you’ll get the job done right. Can you do that for me, EG? Can you do that?”
I casually used the back of my hand to tip up my chin and close my mouth, which had fallen open sometime during Perry Thompson’s soliloquy. My heartbeat drummed and as if in a trance, my head bobbed.Wait! What?I shook myself back to my senses.
“No, Perry. I’ll be out-of-state next week. I’m sorry but I can’t take on this story.”There. I mentally patted myself on the back.I was professional but firm.
Perry sank back into his chair, his fingertips steepled under his chin and his eyes trained on me as if in deep thought. “Really? You think it’s that easy? You just waltz off whenever you please?”
“Um.”
Apparently not. This wedding I’d been helping to plan for the past year was suddenly a problem.
Perry pointed at the door. “Pack your shit and get out. You’re done here.”
“Um.” All right, then.
Problem solved.
2
Eli
It wasn’tthat I minded making headlines—or trending because of the mind-blowing offer I just received to play for my dream team. What I did take exception to was that damn incessant ringing that woke me from what was already a restless night’s sleep. I snatched my phone from the night table and barked out a hello.
“When your reputation is swirling the commode, it’s a fucking bad idea to ghost me.”
I yanked the phone away and rubbed my abused ear. Likely the neighbors two blocks away overheard Pete Cartwright’s bellow. After a moment of blessed silence, I gingerly returned the device to the side of my head.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and scrubbed a hand over my scratchy jaw. “What the hell are you bitching about so early in the morning?”
Pete had been blowing up my phone the night before, but after days of meetings with agents, reps, and lawyers, I wanted one night off. Which my recently ex-girlfriend, Priscilla Bayless, managed to thoroughly implode with her never-ending dramatics.
Coffee. I needed coffee so words made sense, and shuffled down the hall. Pete’s voice rambled on in my ear about some gossip rag and a story they needed a comment for. I had no idea what he was talking about.
