Dirty Work (5 page)

G
etting
to sleep last night was damn near impossible. I’m grumpy, and my face shows every bit of my attitude as I enter the tiny dining room of the inn in search of a fresh cup of coffee.

“You look like shit,” Lexi, Reagan’s campaign manager, says when she catches sight of me.

I grunt and head for the counter that’s lined with off-white coffee mugs. I don’t have energy for anything more or remotely coherent. When I place the cup underneath the coffee pot and pull the lever, only a few drops plop out.

“Sucks.” Lexi laughs, and I glare at her. “I took the last cup.” She raises it to her lips, and I can see her smile behind the rim.

Without asking, I start to disassemble the pot and open the cabinet above to find more coffee grounds because I can’t just stand here and watch as Lexi enjoys her cup.

“I’m so sorry, sir,” an older woman in a pink tracksuit says behind me. “Let me get that for you.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I reply because I don’t have the luxury of being a cranky ass to the entire voting population of Illinois.

Lexi licks her lips and grips the coffee cup with both hands, resting it against her chest. “Where you headed next?”

I yawn, fighting off the drowsiness. “I’m not sure.” My voice is gravelly and about two octaves lower than usual. “You’d have to ask Carl.”

Carl appears out of nowhere like magic as soon as his name slips from my lips. “Did someone say my name?”

“Good morning, Carl.” Lexi smiles at him like a Cheshire cat. “I was just asking Jude where you’re headed next so we don’t have this issue two nights in a row.”

I’m leaning against the counter, trying to play it cool with my arms crossed in front of me. “What issue?” My eyebrows draw together.

Reagan wouldn’t tell Lexi about what happened last night.
Would she?

Lexi smirks and shakes her head. “Being in the same city at the same time, Jude. I know you’re new, but it’s not preferable.”

“Lexi,” I say, tilting my head with a crooked smile. “I couldn’t have been in a better place last night.” Movement to my left catches my eye, and I turn to see Reagan standing in the doorway, frozen. “Feel free to follow me around the state. It could be fun.” The statement’s for her, but only she knows that.

Reagan’s body moves forward, jerking slightly, but she doesn’t step inside the room. “What could be fun?” She looks from Lexi to me with wide eyes.

I answer before she has a meltdown. I told her that last night would stay between us, and I plan to keep my word. “Working the same cities.”

“Oh,” she says and curses softly under her breath.

Lexi walks toward her and grabs Reagan’s arm. “You okay?”

Reagan smiles and waves Lexi off. “Just tired. I didn’t sleep well.”

“It seems to be an epidemic,” Lexi replies and glances in my direction. “Champ back there is a grumpy one today.”

Reagan’s eyes flicker to mine with a momentary smile. “Is there coffee?”

“Lexi got the last drop.”

“It’s almost done,” the innkeeper says, pulling off the lid and peering inside. “Sixty seconds.”

“Thank God,” Reagan groans and walks toward the counter, but she keeps her distance from me.

Lexi backs up a few steps and glances around the room. “I’m going to get us checked out so we can get on our way. Okay, Reagan?”

“Yeah,” Reagan says and nods without looking in Lexi’s direction.

“I’ll do the same, Jude. If that’s okay? I can stay if you don’t want to be alone—” He doesn’t finish the statement when I glare at him.

When the room clears and it’s only the two of us left, I slide my ass down the counter and stop right next to Reagan. She doesn’t move away, but she doesn’t look me in the eyes either. “Are you really okay?” I resist the urge to sweep the hair away from her face.

“I’m fine.” Her voice is deflated and soft.

“Be real with me, Reagan. What’s eating you? You don’t hide your emotions well.”

Her back straightens. “I surely don’t wear my emotions on my sleeve, Titan.”

“I didn’t sleep well last night either,” I offer to see if she’ll be more willing to talk.

She peers up at me. “You didn’t?”

I shake my head and frown. “I couldn’t stop thinking about last night.”

She rolls her eyes, and her lips turn down. “Figures.”

“About what you said,” I correct her. “You thought I was trying to trap you and ruin your career. I felt like shit after that, Reagan.” I scoot a little closer, leaving very little space between us. “I take my reputation and honor very seriously. I’m not the type of man to ruin someone’s career. If I win this campaign, it’ll be fair and square. I’d never do anything to personally ruin you.”

“Sure,” she says and swallows hard. “That’s what you say now, but you’ll see.” She reaches for a coffee cup when the machine makes the last gurgle. “When it comes down to the wire, people will do anything to win.”

I lean to the side, bringing my mouth next to her ear. “Not me. I kissed you because I wanted to, not to hurt you.” I back away, putting just enough space between us to keep the prying eyes of the public, or worse, our campaign teams, happy and unaware.

“Jude,” she whispers without looking at me. “We can’t.”

“We did.” I smile.

She shakes her head and pulls the lever of the coffee pot, keeping her eyes glued to the liquid spilling into her cup. “Never again.”

“I’m not making that promise. That’s one I’d be more than happy to break.”

She turns toward me with parted lips and squeezes her eyes shut. “I mean it, Jude. This campaign is too important to me. We’re not friends.” When she opens her eyes, she says, “We’re nothing.”

“Reagan,” I say and start to reach out for her when Carl walks in, staring at his phone, and I pull my hand back quickly.

He glances up and looks between Reagan and me. “Ready?”

“Let me grab a cup of coffee first.”

“Have some on the bus. I already had the driver start the pot.” He shoves his phone in the front pocket of his gray suit and rubs his hands together. “Let’s go. You have a rally in one hour. We need to prep away from the competition.” He narrows his eyes at me, motioning toward the door with his head.

Reagan’s oblivious, staring at the wall behind the coffee pot as she sips her coffee.

“I’ll be right there, Carl,” I tell him, staring him down until he nods and leaves.

“I hope you have a good day, Reagan. I look forward to the next time I see you,” I tell her without any recognition from her. I lean into her space until she glances at me out of the corner of her eyes. “And for your information…” I lower my voice with my lips almost touching her ear. “By the way you kissed me back, we’re something, whether you’ll admit it to yourself or not.”

She’s holding her breath when I back away and stare at her before walking out. Reagan Preston is under my skin, but I know she feels everything I do. She felt the connection last night. She wanted it just as much as I did.

Who am I lying to?

I still want it.

One touch of her lips wasn’t enough.

* * *

“
W
hat do
you think of your opponent?” The reporter shoves the microphone closer to my face.

“Mr. Solomon is a man with limited experience, more limited than mine. I’ve led men into battle.” I scan the group of reporters as they hang on my every word, holding their recorders and microphones close to me and jockeying for position. “Sonny’s experience is limited to being a prison guard and serving as a small-town mayor. I’m not sure he realizes the gravity of the job he’s running for, and the tenacity it will take to be successful at it.”

“And what about Representative Preston?” a different reporter asks, jabbing her recorder forward.

I swallow roughly and clench my fists at my sides. “Representative Preston has experience at the state level, but she comes from a political family. Stan Preston wants his daughter to go to Washington to get special favors. She’s a genuine person, but she doesn’t have enough real-world experience outside of politics to understand the plight of the little person.”

My stomach’s turning because I know the statement I just made will get back to Reagan. There isn’t anything I said that isn’t true, but that doesn’t make it okay. It’ll hurt her feelings, but it’s politics. There’s no room for feelings when you’re trying to be victorious. Only one of us can win, and I’d prefer if it were me.

Carl steps in front of me. “No more questions right now. If you’d like to do an interview with Mr. Titan, feel free to contact the press coordinator for the campaign,” he tells them before they scurry away.

“Did I do something wrong?”

He shakes his head and smiles. “It was perfect. You’ve given them enough of your time. We have to get on the road.” He glances at his watch and does a mental calculation with his eyes bouncing around. “If we leave now, we won’t make it to the next city before nightfall.”

“That’s why they invented headlights.” I laugh.

“Let’s go, smartass. I have a stack of interview submissions we need to go through while we travel. There aren’t enough hours in the day,” he says and starts to walk away.

It takes me a minute before I follow. This is only the start of my campaign, but I’m already exhausted. It has been years since I left the military, and my body has gotten used to a set schedule. The rigors of traveling remind me of my time in the service, but without worrying about getting my ass shot.

A woman holds her baby in my direction when I make my way toward the bus. “Jude, a photo, please.” She smiles, pushing the little girl toward me.

“She’s beautiful,” I say, lifting her into my arms and cradling her against my chest. She coos with wide eyes. “Aren’t you?” I tap her nose gently, and she giggles, creating spit bubbles on her lip before I pose for the photo.

“Thank you,” the mother says before tucking her phone back into her purse and reaching for her baby. “You’ve earned my vote. Thank you for your service.”

I tip my head and smile. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Her cheeks turn a rosy shade of pink. “Cindy,” she says and bites her lip.

“Cindy, thank you for your vote.”

She smiles and walks away with a slight skip.

“The ladies love you,” Carl says to me before sighing. “At least we can count on their votes.”

“I want to earn their votes on my record, not my face.”

“I don’t care how you win, as long as you do.” He jerks his head toward the bus, reminding me to get my ass in gear. “No more stopping.”

I walk slowly, surveying the crowd still left over from the rally. People seem to be in high spirits throughout the parking lot. There’s a team of voter registration people wandering through the crowd, handing out cards to remind everyone to register for Election Day.

When my feet touch the top stair of the bus, I fumble with the two top buttons of my shirt. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and collapse onto the couch.

Carl slides into the banquette across the aisle from me and starts to go through a giant stack of papers. “Let’s start here,” he says and holds out a few sheets to me.

I glance down and read a few questions. “You already know my answer to these. Can’t you do some of them too?”

“We’ll do them together. There’s too many for you to do yourself, or we’ll be here until Election Day.”

I chuckle and reach for the pen he left for me on the edge of the table. My mind is in campaign mode as I start to answer the questions as honestly as I can when my phone dings.

Unknown: Real nice today. Way to make me feel like a complete asshole.

I grimace, squinting at the screen.

“Everything okay?” Carl asks.

“Yeah,” I lie and type a quick message back to find out who sent it.

Unknown: Who do you think it is? You know…the rich girl that doesn’t understand the plight of anyone but the wealthy.

My jaw clenches, and I look around like someone might have seen her message. It’s an irrational response because I know I’m the only one reading it. Only Carl and I are on the bus, but I feel like I might get caught.

Me: Sorry. It’s politics, right? I thought you had a thicker skin than that.