Page 160 of Hate Mates

“As I said, I knew you would find a way to beat me one day. Use the information or not. The choice is yours. I’ll give you the final piece of the puzzle before the rally starts.”

“I don’t understand you. Why are you doing this?”

“Because I’ve finally met my match. I knew it the first day I met you. The game has been so much fun, but it’s time for a change.”

His words are confusing me, and my brain is foggy with the intensity of the situation.

Game.

Beat Him.

Met his match.

What the fuck is he talking about?

“If this is some kind of setup, I’ll make sure you regret it.” I finally manage to say, even though my words come out a lot less forceful than when I said them in my head.

Lincoln chuckles. “Looking forward to it, Ms. Tucker.”

He turns and walks away without any further comment.

“What the hell?!” I gasp out to the empty room.

I suck in a deep breath, trying to fill my lungs with air to replace the breath I’ve been holding for far too long.

This is a mistake.

It has to be.

Whatever this… this tension is between us, I can’t let it distract me.

But even as I gather the files and prepare to leave, I can’t stop thinking about the way he looked at me and that, for one fleeting moment, I didn’t want him to stop.

FIVE

3:00 PM

PASSION ERUPTS

When I return to my campaign headquarters, I’m still trying to understand what the hell just happened.

Have I just made a deal with the devil?

“What are you going to do?” Beth questions as we walk into the office.

On the way back here, I told her about my encounter with Lincoln and the evidence he showed me.

“I don’t know. This isn’t the way I want to win the election. I want to do it fair and square. But the headlines this morning could ruin that. Mayor Weston needs to pay if this information is true. It’s illegal. Immoral.”

“But it came from Lincoln Caldwell. That must set off so many alarm bells ringing for you.”

“It sets off every alarm bell in the world.”

“Jerk.”

“Prick”

“Idiot.”

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