Page 88 of Meet Me at Midnight

He waves me in from his spot behind his large desk, talking on the phone at the same time. He holds up a finger to me as he unearths a large manila envelope from beside his laptop and hands it to me, tucking the phone underneath his chin to whisper sternly, “It needs to get there by five today.”

I nod in understanding, even though I’m mentally thinking about how he’s a bit of a dick, and just like that, he’s back to his business again and ignoring my presence entirely.Yeah, he’s definitely a dick.I scoot back into the hall with the envelope, curiosity getting the better of me. It’s not sealed yet, an oversight on his part, so I pry it openjustenough to peek.

A Midnight campaign slogan,No Curfew, No Rules, is the first thing that stands out, and my feet come to a skidding stop in the middle of the hallway as my head turns into an out-of-control Ferris wheel.

I know this slogan. I’ve seen this slogan because it’s the foundation ofBeau’scampaign. And I know it’s Beau’s campaign because, well, I spend a hell of a lot of nights at his place these days.

Seth, the sneaky fucking snake, was actually successful in his endeavor to steal Beau’s pitch?

I dart my eyes around the room, thankful that no one has noticed that I’m currently standing here with my jaw sitting on the damn floor and slam the envelope shut before running to the bathroom with it to take a closer look.

Once I’m inside, I lock myself in a stall and pull the paper out of the envelope with shaking fingers.

It’s a single document, outlining the breakdown of what seems to be Beau’s entire campaign with specifications for the printer. Seth is expecting me to send this out today, for print next Tuesday, an entire week before Beau’s print deadline of mid-December. He’s stealing Beau’s shit and trying to finish it first so he can claim himself as the victim if he needs to.Gah, this fucker will do anything to keep Beau from being able to beat him in this little competition.

My hands shake as I leave the bathroom and speed walk down the hall to Beau’s office. He’s, of course, nowhere to be found, and the panic I feel is overwhelming.

What in the hell am I supposed to do? What in the helllll am Igoingto do?

I listen intently for the sound of Beau coming home for the evening through our walls, the envelope sitting on the edge of my bed. I didn’t take it to the courier like I was supposed to, and I’m not exactly sure what that’ll mean for me in the morning.

When I’m certain he’s in his bedroom, I get on Midnight and send him a message.

ElizaBeth: Thank God you’re finally home! I’ve been waiting all afternoon.

His response is immediate and cheeky.

ThunderStruck: I like the sound of that. Eager to see me, huh? Don’t worry, I can be hard by the time you get over here.

I huff out a breath.This isn’t the time to be flirty and dirty, Beau.Nearly hysterical at this point, I cut to the chase.

ElizaBeth: No, no. This isn’t about that. You can keep THAT in your pants for now. This is about a situation at work you need to be aware of.

ThunderStruck: Oh, boo. That’s no fun.

How can he be so freaking nonchalant right now? This is a five-alarm emergency we’re dealing with here!

ElizaBeth: Beau, I’m serious. You need to know what Seth is doing.

ThunderStruck: No, Juni, I don’t. I don’t want to know, remember?

ElizaBeth: This is different.

ThunderStruck: It’s not. I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, but I’m a big boy, okay? Seth can do whatever he needs to do, and I’ll be able to handle it. You don’t need to protect me, I promise. Whatever it is, just let it go on however it’s supposed to.

Just let it go on? Is he serious? I suck in a breath and dig my teeth into my bottom lip.

ElizaBeth: I don’t know if I can do that.

ThunderStruck: You can, and you will. I know you just as well as you know me, and I know you’ll do the right thing. I’ll be fine, whatever it is, I promise.

Dear God almighty, I sure hope so.

Beau may be confident, but I have a bad feeling thateverythingis just moments away from going up in smoke.

ThunderStruck: But you know what won’t make me fine?

Hope blooms in my chest, my mind utterly desperate for him to let me tell him what Seth is up to.

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