Full Circle by Rj Scott (top 50 books to read TXT) 📕

fingers, he pulled up a diagram of links and photos that he had hibernated. It was a match for Morgan's murder board done on a drag-and-drop workflow program. "They said yesterday, the brothers in that meeting, if she ever found out…" he shrugged and his voice trailed off. He suddenly seemed insecure and anxious.

"What if she found out?" Manny concluded.

Josh clapped his hands together with a nod.

"Exactly."

"Coffee. Shower. Get dressed."

Manny left and stalked straight to Nik and Morgan's room. Yes, it was only six am, but they needed to be up and doing things. He knocked and entered. And got an eyeful.

Yes, they were up and doing things. Shit. Placing his hands over his eyes he just said. "Phase two guys." Then he left and pulled the door closed behind him.

"What happened?" Josh was standing in front of him still looking adorably sleepy. Manny laughed and shook his head.

"Coitus interruptus," he smirked. Then he held up a single finger, licked the tip, and drew an imaginary one in the air. "My point I believe."

Josh quirked a smile in return. "I'll start the coffee."

The news hit that Senator Thomas Bullen was holding a press conference at eleven am and it was the perfect 'in' to approach Emily. Press passes were easy to organize, or rather easy to fake, and Manny stood at the back of the hall waiting for the senator to take the podium.

There was a buzz about resignation. The words passed around him as other reporters speculated on resignation, murder, and ties to organized crime. The usual heavies ringed the stage. All in black suits, they formed the best barrier money could buy.

When the senator took the stage he looked very different from yesterday. Gone was the fire and passion that danced around him when he'd confronted his brother.

Instead, there was a man who had the weight of the world laid on his shoulders. The projector feed was showing a silent version of the senator's latest advertisement and Emily was there. Dressed similarly to yesterday, in a pale suit with pearls she was a few steps behind her husband with an impassive expression on her face.

She wouldn't be able to see Manny from here. He was one of hundreds in the outer fringes of the darkened room. Manny felt a twinge of guilt at what he was going to do. Then he pushed it down. She had known what her husband was. She wasn't innocent in any of this.

The speech was short. Full of promises from Thomas that he had only ever worked for the public interest and that he was resigning because he had to ensure his brother had support over the terrible allegations being leveled at him. Again he reinforced that his family had had their problems historically but it appeared that certain factions were using his brother against him. The implication there was that someone was out to get them.

Manny even saw a few journalists nodding at this. Oration was clearly the senator's strong point. He was up there thanking his wife for her support and he really looked like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth as he held out a hand and she took it to stand next to him.

Having seen her yesterday Manny wasn't entirely convinced she was happy to be there. The senator said he would answer a few questions and Manny straightened. His hands closed over the control in his pocket and he heard Josh's voice in his ear.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," Manny said simply.

Some reporter from the front row asked about aspirations outside politics and Bullen was giving some bullshit answer about more time with his family. Another asked about his daughters and what they felt. Again more bullshit about their being sad about the end of their dad's journey to make a better America.

"Pass the sick bucket," Josh intoned.

Manny had to hold back the instinctive laugh.

"Sir," Manny finally called, "I have a question." The light found him in the crowd and as he was staring directly at Emily he could see the wide, shocked expression on her face. The senator looked positively ill, and equally shocked. Both of them were frozen still.

"My question is. Do you know this girl?" He pressed the control in his pocket and where before had been the promo video was now a grainy version of the photo of the senator receiving the blow job. The girl on her knees.

The necklace. The senator blustered and demanded the feed be cut. He dropped his wife's hand and the entire room was silent.

"Marianne Whitely? Oh my God," Emily said clearly into the microphone. Then the room erupted with noise, shouts and cameras flashing, and Manny watched as Emily left the stage. Carefully, he made his way through the reporters before they decided to focus on him and headed down to leave the center. Nik was waiting in the car and Manny slid into the front seat.

"Let's go home."

When they opened the door to the apartment Morgan and Josh were both waiting.

"Jake wants Nik to extract Emily," Morgan said immediately. "She's asked for federal protection and they're looking to Sanctuary for immediate support."

"She didn't hang around," Nik commented, and then he held the door open and waited.

Morgan didn't hesitate. Grabbing a bag and whistling for Puck, with hurried goodbyes the two men were gone in under a minute. Manny watched the whole thing. This is what it was. One day seamlessly segueing into the next and Sanctuary out there doing their thing and doing it well.

"You okay?" Josh asked carefully. He was in the kitchen doing something with the coffee machine.

"It wasn't nice shocking her like that," Manny said.

"But she's not untarred by the Bullen family. Had to be done. She's the weak link. It will all fall down like a house of cards now." He went into the small kitchen and hugged Josh from behind.

For a second Josh relaxed against him but then he went stiff in his arms. "Jake