Page 72 of Resisting Temptation

Beckett’s attention is focused on Noah. “Someone had to tell you the truth. Don’t shoot the messenger. You agree with me, right, Noah? It’s why you’re so angry. You know it was Margo.”

Noah’s eyes meet mine with a sad resignation. “He’s right, Paisley. It has to be her. I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but it might be time to get you a bodyguard, someone to watch over you until this campaign is over.”

I look at Noah like he has lost his mind, then I glance back to Beckett.

He’s nodding. “I agree with Noah. We don’t know how far this is going to escalate. I would feel more comfortable knowing you’re protected until we win this thing.”

My stomach sinks, an uneasiness coming over me at how protective they’re both being. I feel like there is something they’re not telling me. “Can’t you just go and fire Margo, get rid of the problem?”

“It’s a start, but trust me, once Margo is fixated on something, it’s not going to be that easy to rid her from your life. Did you ever ask why she picked you in the first place, Noah? Or should I say whytheydid? They were looking for someone pliable and easy to manipulate, and who better than the son of their old buddy. You fell right into their trap, and now you have two choices: join them and be just like daddy or drop out of the race and hand the title over to me.”

Chapter 39

Noah

Iglare back at Beckett, anger radiating through me. He’s fucking right. I’ve been played. Set up just like my father. I should’ve seen this coming. I can’t believe I ever trusted her. Margo, and whoever she’s working with, thought I would do what they said like my father obviously had in the past. But I fucking won’t have it. I came home to make things right. To stop the corruption and its chokehold from strangling the life out of the town I love so much. Margo picked the wrong man to try and manipulate.

My phone rings, and I check the caller ID. It’s Parker. “I have to take this,” I tell Paisley.

“You can go out back,” she tells me, motioning to the back door. I walk onto the adjoining back deck of her shop and answer the call. “What have you got for me?” I ask, more desperate than ever for information that’sgoing to get me out of this mess. Beckett’s right, I could just walk away and let him win. But then this has all been for nothing.

“I can’t find anything on Beckett that will help. Other than a few disgruntled ex-girlfriends, he’s strangely squeaky clean, but his father is a real piece of work. From what I’ve found, he’s had control of more than just the media in Deception Bay for years. He’s got more offshore accounts than fingers on my hand, and it looks like even though Hamilton took over Prescott Media, there are parts that he still owns. From what I can see, it’s a social media subsidiary. And the kicker is the major sponsor is Giorgio Motors. Everyone answers to Mr. Prescott — and I mean his sons, the cops, I can even find links to the Rebel Raiders. He’s controlling it all.”

“Could you find anything on Margo? I just had a very interesting chat with Beckett, and apparently, her father is Adrian Giorgio from Giorgio Motors, the one who threatened me. She also has a track record of using her car to take out her competition.”

“There was something.” The sound of typing comes through the line, and I know he’s looking into her. “He’s one of Mr. Prescott’s henchmen. When he wants a job done, looks like Adrian Giorgio makes it happen. Margo must work for Mr. Prescott too somehow, but I can’t find anything that directly leads back to her. She’s been working for the city for years. I would say she’s been able to avoid a criminal record until now, but she’s certainly been involved in all sorts of criminal activity. From what my man could decipher, every time she gets herself into trouble, the cops are paid off.”

“Her father?” I ask, wondering who would have that kind of money.

“Or her sugar daddy? I’ve been following her today. She’s at a small motel just out of town. Who else do you think just showed up there. None other than Daddy Prescott.”

The thought makes me feel sick. But with her unusual behavior the other night, I wouldn’t put it past her to be sleeping with Daddy Prescott to get what she wanted. From the manipulation I have seen over the last few weeks I think she would do just about anything. “It’s worse than I thought.” The only part I can’t work out is why they needed me in the first place. “Why would they have me running for mayor, saying I need to win so they still have all the control, if Beckett could just win and then he would follow in his father’s footsteps.?

“Maybe Beckett’s not as compliant as Adrian Giorgio and Margo? Just a thought. Either that or you were about to be the fall guy for a shit ton of illegal activity just like your father was all those years ago.”

“Thanks, Parker, if you hear anything else let me know. After what happen last night, we can’t take any chances.”

While Paisley’s packing up her shop, I’ve come over to the mayor’s office to confront Margo. I have enough evidence to know what I’m up against with her. She can’t be trusted. She’s also been consistently texting me all day, and I need to put an end to whatever she thinks is going on.

As soon as she spots me, she smiles sweetly, a flash of relief in her eyes, and already I know this conversation isn’t going to go down well.

“I was wondering if you were still alive.” She laughs lightheartedly.

“Not run into a ditch on the side of the road?” I throw back at her, making sure she knows this isn’t a friendly chat. I can see her for who she is now. A manipulating, lying, jealous little witch.

She places a hand to her chest, trying to come off all sweet and innocent. “I heard about poor Paisley, how awful. I hope she’s okay, Noah, really, I do.”

My eyes narrow in on her. The nerve of her to try and make out like she cares. “Where’s your little red car today? You normally park right out front,” I throw back at her, waiting to see how she lies her way out of this one.

She rolls her lips. “In getting a service. I borrowed a car from a friend,” she says, her guilty eyes giving her away. She lies right to my face, and I wonder how many times she’s done it before.

“Or is it in having the front bumper replaced because it was involved in an accident last night?” My question drips with anger. What kind of a person runs another off the road and into a tree just to get what they want? It’s disturbing on so many levels.

She clambers to her feet, closing the laptop in front of her as she rounds the side of her desk. “What are you implying, Noah?” she says, her voice all light and fluffy like I’m being silly. But her eyes give her away. She knows I’m not stupid.

“I’ll give you one chance, Margo. Tell me what happened,” I demand, my voice icy.

She reaches for me, her hand going to my hair, causing me to flinch away in disgust. What the hell is she playing at? “You’re so pretty, why couldn’t you have just done the job we wanted you to? We could have been a real power couple, Noah. You and me. I could have you back on top where you belong, and I would look so perfect at your side. Can’t you imagine it?”

---