Symphony of Bones by L.T. Ryan (little bear else holmelund minarik .txt) 📕

“Your son was a spoiled brat who risked your career and his life on countless occasions without a thought to the consequences. That is precisely the reason we had a contingency plan in place should something like this happen. Do I think he deserved what he got?” She paused, and Grayson saw the flicker of a lie in her eyes. “No, I don’t. It’s a tragedy what happened to your son. But this is my job, Senator Grayson. Nothing more. I am human, and I feel for you, but this is what you pay me for. You have your wife to console you. Do not make the mistake of thinking that is part of my job. If you want me to step aside, I will. But I will not return as your publicist. Apex represents you because you had an impeccable track record, incredible charisma, and a dogged determination bound to take you to the top. We don’t offer second chances. You’re at a crossroads now. You can walk away from all of this, and we’ll let you out of your contract with no strings attached. I personally guarantee it. But Apex will not get into bed with you again, and I don’t think I need to emphasize just how difficult it will be to attain your goals without us.”

The Politician was awake now. Anastasia had said exactly what he had needed to hear to snap Grayson back to reality. He had been a good senator before Apex had stepped in, but he’d been spinning his tires in the mud that was congress. After he hired Anastasia, everything had changed. He’d finally gotten some traction, and his career had taken off like a bat out of hell.

There was no way he was going to lose all that, too.

“I’m here,” he said. “My heart will be in it.”

“Good.” She picked her tablet up and swiped at the screen a few times. “Now, our biggest concern is getting through this investigation. We’re doing what we can to speed up the process, but we have to follow procedure. It’ll be a few months before sentencing is complete, but your job is almost done. The arrest happened quicker than I expected, but I’m not complaining.”

“I don’t like Agent Viotto.”

“Neither do I, but he’s harmless. His partner is a lot smarter than him. Mannis is keeping him on a short leash. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble.”

“He was asking a lot of questions.”

That caught Anastasia’s attention. “What kind of questions?”

Grayson sipped at his whiskey, as if imbibing more alcohol would help recall the memory faster. “He doesn’t seem to think Lewis did it. He was trying to come up with alternative scenarios, but Davenport kept shooting him down.”

“They’ve got the evidence on Lewis.” She shrugged. “I doubt anything he comes up with sticks.”

“He was asking a lot of questions about my relationship with Connor.”

“That’s to be expected.” Her eyes narrowed. “Anything specific?”

“He asked if I owed anyone money. Or political favors. He seems to think this was more than just a drug deal gone wrong.”

Anastasia made a few notes before she looked back up at Grayson. “He doesn’t have any proof, which will hold in our favor. I’ll ask around, see if there’s anything we can do. Until then, just lie low. Simple answers only. Don’t give away more than they’re asking for. It’ll only get you into trouble, and that’s the last thing we need right now.”

Grayson wanted to tell her he knew that, he wasn’t stupid, he was aware of what was on the line. The last thing he would do is incriminate himself on top of all of this. There was a reason Apex picked him as their champion, and it was—in part—because of his discerning nature.

But he didn’t say any of that. He just sipped his whiskey and thought of the day he’d finally get everything he’d worked so hard to achieve.

20

When Cassie got home, she retreated to the spare bedroom and hunkered down with her laptop. Laura and her father were out in the garage building something, and her mom had laid down to recuperate from the morning’s events. No one had asked why she hadn’t returned with any purchases from her so-called shopping trip, but Laura gave her a look that said, You’re gonna tell me what you were up to, right?

For now, Cassie was winding down from her brief lunch with Viotto. There was something encompassing about the flirtatious yet unassuming way he carried himself. He had seemed equally interested in getting to know her and talking about the investigation. Or, as much as he could without knowing who she was.

Not for the first time, she wondered what was in that file the FBI kept on her. She knew her involvement with various investigations over the years had garnered her a place in someone’s desk drawer, but she’d never seen the folder herself. Only heard hints of it here or there.

What kind of information did it contain? What would Viotto learn about her? Undoubtedly, it spoke of her encounters with Novak. Maybe it even mentioned Mitch Tanner. There was probably a note in there for every time an FBI agent encountered her at a crime scene. But would it talk about her abilities? Did it talk about the fact that she could see ghosts, or did it just imply that she could speak to the dead and her delusions helped solve crimes?

How would Viotto take that? And what about his partner?

Cassie rejected the idea that she needed Viotto to approve of her skills, but she couldn’t deny how it made her feel to hope he’d accept them without question. Without doubt.

But there was always doubt. David had doubted her. Harris had doubted. Her sister had accepted her abilities faster than most, but every once in a while, she caught Laura looking at her like she thought it was all a convincing lie.

Hell, Cassie sometimes wondered about