Page 118 of Second Chance Savior

He’d spent his first day at Last Refuge trying to break into the encrypted file, but his ToughBook lacked the computing power of his larger set-up at his Main Street apartment. So we’d relocated there. River had been throwing everything possible at it with no luck yet. I knew it was driving him crazy. He’d called in the help of Rubicon’s broader network online, all of them trying to break the encryption. River had said it would take time.

But with every day that passed, I felt the pull to return to work. To use every bit of power and influence I had to fight back against Stillwater. I couldn’t do as much as I wanted from Hartley.

So far, I had refused all but the most cursory interviews with the media. The governor wasn’t happy about that. He wanted me to be out there assuring the public that we had this situation under control. The official story was that an organized crime group had tried to target me because of my initiative against human trafficking. Which was partially true.

But the governor, along with plenty of other officials,preferred to keep Stillwater’s involvement under wraps. They didn’t want to confirm that a group like Stillwater was out there, pulling strings and running circles around our government.

I didn’t care what the governor thought. I wasn’t going to stay quiet about Jud’s corruption or Stillwater’s latest activities. The last thing I wanted to do was cover this up.

That was why I was meeting with Genevieve Blake today. To give my first in-depth interview. She had broken the original story on Stillwater, so who better to tell my version of what had really happened?

Stillwater was probably watching and waiting for the next shoe to drop. Well, Genevieve and I were about to give it to them. She had her heels. And I had my trusty combat boots.

We grinned as we headed into Jessi’s Diner. Jessi and Aiden weren’t working here today, since they’d turned over almost all of the daily operations of the diner to employees. I’d heard a million stories during my brief time here. Not just about the Protectors and their fight against Stillwater, but about how Jessi and Aiden had fallen in love. Trace and Scarlett. Owen and Genevieve. And they’d wanted to know all about me and River, which was a tough subject. There was so much to tell. And also so much I was unsure about.

But one thing was clear. No matter how much River exasperated his friends at times, they loved him. He seemed to have that effect on people.

We sat at a booth and ordered coffees and pancakes. Genevieve pulled up the voice recorder app on her phone. “Ready to go on the record?”

I nodded. “Please.”

“Lieutenant Governor, I’d like to start with your initiative to fight human trafficking. How did that come about?”

We talked for hours in our corner booth. There were some things I couldn’t touch, like River’s hacking. Or his SEALbuddy Griff Hodgson, who didn’t need reporters or police banging on his door. I glossed over my personal connection to River, noting only that we’d been friends for a long time.

I described the attack on the botanic gardens, the brave FBI agents who’d tried to shield me, and how River and I had gone on the run. All because Stillwater had wanted to use me as leverage against Jud Hale.

Genevieve hit pause on the recorder. “How much are you willing to say about the you-know-what? I realize that’s something the guys have been arguing about. How much to make public once River gets access.”

I glanced around the diner. There wasn’t much of a crowd today, as Genevieve had expected, which was why she’d suggested we meet here.

I dropped my voice and leaned in. “My friend in the FBI wants us to work with her agency. Not publish the list in the media. Stillwater won’t go down easily. You’ve seen that too.”

“I have. But the more of us who are talking openly about their shady dealings, the harder it will be for them to hide in the shadows like they’ve been doing.”

“Stillwater is like a weed with deep roots,” I said. “You can cut off what’s visible, but they’re not gone. They’ll come back. Unless we do more.”

“And you think the FBI can help with getting to the root?”

I rubbed my forehead. “Maybe? Brynn has been there when I’ve needed her. Agents Rainey and Torres were injured helping me. They could’ve been killed. It would be great for the Protectors to have allies like that. Don’t you think?”

She nodded. “I do. I know Aiden’s brother works for the DEA in California. But it’s pretty much impossible for rogue operatives to put their faith in the government. That’s something Owen has struggled with. Being the sheriff and a Protector at the same time.”

I knew exactly what she meant. But I wasn’t just in locallaw enforcement, like Owen. I was part of the government at a fairly high level, within the state at least. Yet another barrier that stood between River and me. I existed on one side of the law, and River operated on the other.

The lieutenant governor couldn’t have a boyfriend who was a vigilante and an illegal hacker.

Genevieve smiled apologetically. “I have more tough questions for you. Like about River. Your relationship with him, whatever that may be.”

I groaned. “You reporters are vicious.”

She laughed. “You can’t blame the public for being curious about him. The police made him look like the bad guy, yet he was truly your savior. And when you throw in your past with his brother? You have to admit, it’s a juicy story. All that drama? The public would be hanging on every word.”

“And yet, I’m not going to comment on my personal life.”

She pouted. “Can’t blame a girl for trying, can you?”

“No, I can’t blame you for doing your job. Honestly? Off the record? I’m not sure what to say about River and me. On the one hand, the list of reasons we can’t be together is so established, it’s practically carved into stone.” Maybe we could overcome a few, but not all.

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