Page 54 of Burn It Down

“I’ll be offended if you don’t.” I don’t care iflatermeans in an hour or in two days, I just want him to call.

And that’s not good.

Chapter 15

Jake

By the time Monday morning rolls around, I’m fucking exhausted. I usually love my time at the fire station and rescuing that sweet little girl is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

But it was also new. I’ve never had to pull a frightened, wailing child to safety before. Never had a mom weep with relief as I handed her child to her even as she, herself, was being treated for second degree burns on her legs.

I slept like the dead the night of the fire, but last night, I was alone in my own bed, on the top floor, and I still smelled like smoke. Not quite a panic attack, my heart rate was still far above normal and I had trouble sleeping. I’m paying for it this morning. It would seem burning the candle at both ends while being emotionally exhausted over what the fuck I’m going to do about Cora and Dylan has me wrecked.

“Mr. Ellington, your two o’clock just checked in,” Peggy informs me through the intercom on my phone.

My two o’clock? Fuck, what happened to my morning?

“Patch him through, Peggy. Thanks.”

“He’shere, Mr. Ellington. The meeting is in person. It’s with Martin Cosey.”

Hearing my future father-in-law’s name startles me. “Why is he meeting with me? He’s my father’s client.”

“I’m not sure, sir. Seemed above my pay grade to ask.”

“Right, thanks, Peggy.”

I quickly pull up his account, but there’s nothing here that helps me.

Shortly after Peggy and I hang up, knuckles rap on the solid wooden door of my office. I click the button under my desk to unlock the door before standing to greet the governor as he enters.

“Martin. Good to see you. Come on in.”

I blink rapidly, trying to push back all signs of exhaustion, not wanting any weaknesses to show. Martin will ask questions that I can’t answer and if he shares his concerns with Cora, she’ll echo his questions on a much grander scale.

Martin is a no-bullshit kind of guy. Handsome, charming, and outgoing, he easily owns the polls during elections, but his competition is strong this year. He’s always been aboveboard in his campaigns and isn’t big on smearing the other candidates which I’ve always respected. He conducts his business as a gentleman and I often wish my father would do the same.

Martin strides toward me and shakes my hand firmly, a warm smile on his face.

“Jacob. Thank you for meeting with me. I know we just met for dinner not too long ago, but I dislike the taste of mixing business with family time so I didn’t want to start the discussion then.”

I offer Martin a cup of coffee as I refill my own, praying the caffeine kicks in quickly.

He takes the cup, sits down on the leather couch in my office, pulls a folder out of his briefcase, and begins spreading papers across the glass top of the coffee table in front of him.

“Come. Sit. I want to discuss a real estate opportunity.”

My eyes light up. Although I manage all types of investment portfolios, real estate ventures have been a growing passion of mine.

I set my own coffee aside and begin leafing through the pages as he talks.

“This is a condo building about twenty miles east of here that I’d love to get my hands on. Decent side of town, nice for young professionals or those just starting families, but the best part is what’s across the street.”

I take the plat map he hands me.

“There’s nothing across the street,” I point out.

“Exactly. I want to build a shopping center there. Grocery store, bank, high-end restaurants, and high-end shopping. I want to own the housing and provide the necessary conveniences and luxuries in shopping and dining so people never have to leave.”

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