Page 94 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
‘Sorry,’ she said as she moved closer. ‘You were so stone-faced I couldn’t tell, but I thought maybe…’
She caught his hand where his fingers were fluttering like an accountant without a keypad. Going up on tiptoe, she kissed him. ‘Now we can celebrate for real.’
The contract was gone, and Maggie Harris was facing charges.
With a smile, she picked up the marshmallows and waved them. For someone with such a hard body, she had a sweet tooth. Brody grinned. That only meant more Zumba for him.
They made s’mores and eventually retired to the Adirondack chairs on the other side of the deck for drinks. The evening was still warm and crystal clear, but out over the ocean a storm was brewing. The dark clouds bunched together, and rain slanted down in a sheet.
‘It looks like a movie from here,’ Genieve said.
‘But we’ll probably have rain tonight.’
‘I wouldn’t mind that…lying in bed with you as the rain beats on the roof…’ Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone started ringing.
After the quiet day with no interruptions, they were both startled by the ringtone. Genieve sat up quickly and almost spilled her wine as she dug out her phone. Seeing the purple case, Brody realised she’d gone back to her old one. She looked at the caller ID before accepting.
‘Hi, Nina.’
He watched the storm and tried not to listen in. She’d cancelled her contract yesterday; he couldn’t imagine her boss would be happy with him. For such a tiny thing, the blonde could be scary. Behind all that polish and poise, Nina was a tough customer. If there was something going on between her and the detective, the guy had his hands full.
‘Oh, my gosh. Are you sure?’
His attention swung back to Genieve when she dropped her feet from the stool they shared onto the deck floor.
‘But it’s all been handled?’
Her gaze jumped to his, and Brody frowned when he saw the creases on her forehead. Something was up. He wrapped his fingers around the wide arms of the chair and sat up straighter. Something not good, from the sound of it. His brain immediately began ticking off possibilities. Was it something new? Something he’d left unguarded?
‘Do Brody and I need to do anything?’ she asked. Her gaze broke from his, and her voice dropped. ‘No, it’s good. You were right. We’re giving it a go without it.’
She bit her lip and nodded. ‘Thanks, Nina, and thanks for letting me know.’
‘What happened?’ Brody asked the moment she disconnected.
She pushed back her bright hair. ‘It turns out that Maggie Harris didn’t provide the anonymous tip that brought the TMI News crew to the Emissary. Kevin Murphy did.’
Brody’s feet clunked against the decking, too. ‘Murphy was responsible? The same Kevin Murphy who’s running against Gunderson?’
She looked out to sea where the storm churned fiercely. The clouds were moving in faster than they’d predicted. ‘We were right all along. It was dirty politics.’
Brody tried to rearrange the thoughts in his head. It made more sense. The senator’s aide was gaga over him. She wouldn’t have sent a camera crew to film him doing the deed with another woman. ‘So it was two separate break-ins? No connection?’
‘No, no, there was. Apparently Murphy was somehow siphoning information off of Maggie. He was responsible for the Emissary, but she was the one who broke into my house. At least that’s the way Detective Morgan has it figured.’
The detective would know. The guy was a bulldog when it came to investigating a case. They’d learned that first-hand. Thank God he hadn’t let the Emissary case go, even though they’d been doing everything they could to make the bulldog turn it loose.
Murphy. That dirty bastard.
Brody jumped out of the chair to pace around the deck. He stopped next to a post and slapped his palm against it. He’d suspected the senator’s opponent from the start, but he’d been in damage-control mode. Everything in his arsenal had been aimed at protecting Genieve. In doing so, he’d missed something. If not for the detective, would he have ever made the connection?
He’d slipped, majorly, but he knew the whole truth now. The quiet calm of the day sifted away as Brody felt the fight rise inside him. The brain that he’d turned off clicked back on. It was time to go on offence. ‘Murphy’s going down.’
Genieve rubbed her forehead. ‘Nina neutralised him. I’m safe and so is Luxxor.’
‘Are you sure of that?’
When she lifted her chin, her green gaze was steady. ‘Nina was in boss mode. I’d be surprised if the guy can walk right now.’
