Page 33 of Clear Blue Sky

“I know he does.”

“I might have another way for you to see what’s in the book and help me fact-check some military things, but I need to talk with my dad and brother first.”

“All right.” He nodded.

She stood, collecting her bag.

“Brandi, I’m sorry that you’re stuck in the middle of this. I never meant to do that to you.” He took her by the biceps.

“You didn’t. Marcus did. But the moment you saw me with him and you believed he was out to hurt you, as your girlfriend, you should have told me.”

“Point taken.” He brushed his lips over hers in a tender kiss.

But it didn’t last as she pulled away before it even got started.

“Will I see you later?” he asked.

“I’ll text you after I’ve had a chance to visit with Lake, Tiki, and Maddie.” She patted his chest. “For the record, I think what Marcus has done is a low blow, regardless of how he feels about you.”

“Done?”

“To your character in his book. It’s kind of obvious to me now and…” She shook her head and sighed. “I’ll text you in a couple of hours.” She turned and took five steps, pausing at the door. She glanced over her shoulder. “I’ve only known you a year and the truth is, I don’t know you very well, but I’ve never seen you be violent.”

“I’m generally not.”

“You fought Marcus.”

“He brings out the worst in me,” Nelson added.

“Unless he hits you first—and there are witnesses to it—you better behave yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Don’t everma’amme if you want to see me naked again.”

At least he knew there was still the possibility.

8

Brandi paced in front of her brother’s desk in his home office. She tapped a pencil against her temple. “Daddy, we must find out if Marcus committed a crime regarding a classified mission.”

“Sweetheart, you said yourself that Nelson didn’t say much anyway,” her father’s voice boomed over the speakerphone.

“He didn’t have to. He knows he’s in that book, and I know what character he is, and so do both of you.” She pointed to the cell and then to her brother. “If Marcus is out to hurt Nelson, he’ll take this to another publisher if we turn him down. He might get someone to bite.”

“The major players will do exactly what we would do and demand a letter from the military that states no part of this book is true,” Lake said. “But Dad, I understand where Brandi is coming from. This is personal for Nelson. Let’s say there is no truth to the special ops portion, whether it be another publisher or us, that’s been verified. If there is any truth to what happened between the heroine and this Anderson character, and Nelson can see and prove that it’s him, that opens us, or whoever takes on the project, to a libel suit.”

“But bringing him on as a consultant could open a different can of worms,” her father said.

“I disagree, Dad.” She stopped pacing and stared at the phone as if her father were going to jump through the airwaves. “He tells us if Marcus screwed up regarding classified information. He also can confirm if he’s been trashed in the book. If that’s the case, we can find all sorts of reasons for rejecting the book that has nothing to do with Nelson while he does whatever he needs to do to protect his side of the story.”

“But we fed him the ammunition he needs. And we did it knowing that Marcus could be running Nelson’s name through the mud,” her dad said. “I prefer the idea of you meeting with Marcus. Find out if he’s even willing to revise. If he’s not, cut him loose.”

She shivered. “Doesn’t Nelson have the right to know what’s in that book?”

“If we do that, we’re breaking a trust we might not ever be able to recover from,” her dad said. “I know that’s harsh, but we have to think about our writers and the future of this company.”

“Dad’s right on that point, but bringing Nelson and his brothers on as expert consultants will protect us.” Lake leaned back in his big leather chair.

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