Page 9 of Where There's Smoke

“I did. I’m just not sure what kind of answer you’re looking for.”

“Seems pretty straightforward to me,” he said with a hint of a shrug, and I decided his earlier laugh haddefinitelybeen arrogant. “Why should I put my reputation on the line, raise my blood pressure, and devote all of my waking hours for the next few months to gettingyouelected?” He smothered his cigarette and picked up the lighter. Sitting back in his chair, he absently turned the Zippo between his fingers. “I have to convince the voters to elect you as their governor, which means you need to convince me to put in the effort.” His eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly.

Jesus. I’d been a failure as an actor for a lot of reasons, but stage fright wasn’t one of them. Sitting across from Anthony, I was about as articulate as a kid who’d found out a minute too late he wasn’t ready to take center stage in the school play.

But I needed his help, and he was still looking at me like that, so I had to come up with an answer and figure out how the fuck to speak again.

“Why should you help me get elected? Well…” I took a drink, which moistened my dry mouth. Instead of looking at him, I watched myself set the glass down. “I’m sick and tired of the way—”

Clink.The lighter startled me again, and I barely kept myself from cursing aloud over the fact that I visibly jumped. Anyone else on the planet could playwith a Zippo and not bother me, and here I was stuck with the one man who could make it as distracting as a goddamned marching band.

Pretending to be unruffled and not the least bit flustered, I sat back in my chair and looked at him. “I’m sick and tired of the way the state government is—”

Clink.

His face betrayed no expression, his dark eyes boring into me without giving me a hint of what was going on his mind.

I took a breath. “This state’s government is run by—”

Clink.

I took another breath and gritted my teeth. “It’s being run like—”

Clink.

I eyed the lighter, then him. “You done?”

A hint of a smile pulled at his lips, and he set the lighter on the table. As he folded his hands across his lap, I couldn’t help thinking I’d just passed some test I didn’t know I’d been taking.

“Go on.” His tone was gentler now than it had been before.

I hesitated, expecting him to…do something. Some other distraction. Some other way of fucking with my head. But he didn’t move. He watched me intently, waiting for me to finish my thought.

I coughed into my fist. “Anyway, like I told Roger, I’m sick of watching the state government fuck around. We’re spending money on bullshit programs, taxing people who can’t afford it, and giving breaks to people who don’t need it. We’ve got multimillion dollar corporations flourishing without seeing any increase in taxes while the schools are laying off teachers.” I shook my head. “No way in hell this can continue.”

Anthony nodded slightly. “Fair enough. But why not the legislature?” He shrugged with one shoulder. “Cut your teeth there. Make yourself known.”

“If John Casey wasn’t running, then that would be an option.”

“Which begs the question,” he said, raising an eyebrow, “why the hell should I believe you’re a more viable candidate than Casey? Or for that matter, the other more experienced politicians you’re trying to beat out for the candidacy.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you suggesting you want Casey in office?”

“Quite the contrary. I want someone running against him who’s a safe bet to keep his sorry ass out of office. Which is why I need to make sure it’s worth the effort to run you and not one of those other idiots.”

“Well, they all have proven track records of being idiots in political offices.”

“And you have a proven track record of precisely nothing.” He spun the lighter on the table with his middle finger. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying, better the devil you know than the one you don’t.”

Why yes, Mr. Hunter. That phrase would be rather apropos at this moment.

“You know my uncle’s views on things, right?”

“Obviously.”

“Consider that theCliffs Notesof my beliefs,” I said. “For the most part, mine line up with his.”

“For the most part?” His eyebrow rose slowly again, andneverhad anyone been capable of unnerving me like this with such a subtle gesture. “Where don’t your beliefs line up with his?”

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