Page 75 of Power Twist

“I'm not sure he's really thinking.” Shoulder against the post, I stare out into the backyard. “I'll admit Birmingham is a manipulative, power-hungry fuckstick who thinks everyone is beneath him, but this?” I shake my head and turn back to face them. “It seems desperate. Over the top for him, for anyone—well, anyone except Whit. Whit keeping track of you and those important to you doesn't surprise me at all. He's probably hoping for some kind of leverage to use against you or dangle like a cat and mouse game.” I roll my upper back against the rounded post, attempting to massage a knot from my muscles. “You said Birmingham was pissed on that call?”

Her head bobs up and down. “Now that you mention it, there was something different about the whole thing. Yeah, I've pissed him off plenty of times, but that call, his voice… there was something more than rage in it. Maybe a hint of panic?”

“But why?” Tank adds in. “What could he be hiding that he'd risk hiring a contract killer to take her out? What's worth that?”

“Ah, remember, I'm not worth anything to him anymore,” Randi says with a bite to her tone. “I served my purpose, got him into the White House. Now I'm disposable in his eyes.” Her eyes seem to glaze over, a far-off look settling into an unfocused stare. “In law school, he enjoyed pushing me to the brink, testing how far he could go before I would break, but you’re right, this seems like more. Then it was all fun and games to him, but now, if what y'all say is true, then something changed. Almost like… almost like I'm a liability.”

Half of me wants to cradle her in my arms, protecting her from that dipshit, while the other half is eager to race straight for the White House to put an end to all this now. But neither is possible or helpful. What good would I be in protecting her if I'm in federal prison?

“Also, while we’re on the subject, Grem has decided to stay down in Austin leading Taeler's protection detail permanently.”

“Of course he did,” she says. “At least I know someone capable is watching out for her. That's a small concession to knowing it won't take long before they're all over each other.” She smirks and flicks a quick look at me. “Not that I can say anything. I just want her to be careful, you know. She's all I have—well, besides my mom.”

“How's she doing, by the way?” I ask. Perching along the railing, I stretch my legs out and cross my ankles.

Randi nods several times before speaking up. “Good, I guess. She's still out at the rehab facility, but more in their recovery program side. It's expensive, her living there and trying to adjust to normal life, but it's better than her going back to Texas and relapsing. She can't stay there forever, but for now it’s the best place for her. Even if it costs me a kidney.” Leaning back in the rocker, she rests her head and closes her eyes. “It’s crazy. How much I'm paying a month for that place used to be what I made in four. Now it's still a big expense but not out of the question. It's been over two years since Kyle walked into my office and changed my life. Now here I am.” Her eyes flutter open and scan the porch, then the backyard. “I’m in this amazing house, have no financial worries, have friends,” she says with a smile, “and a price on my head.”

“Would you say it was worth it?” Tank asks, coming to sit beside me. The railing shakes under his weight. I shoot him a look and stand before the wood splinters beneath us.

A cool spring breeze whispers through the night, brushing along my exposed forearms and cooling the sweat beading along my neck and brow. Randi shivers and wraps her arms tight around her torso. Without a second thought, I head inside and snag a blanket from the nearest coat closet. Back outside, I unfold the thick material and gently wrap it around the shivering Randi.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“You’re welcome.”

A pointed, annoyed cough interrupts the small moment we slipped into. Eyes on hers, I step back, putting space between us.

“Was it worth it, or is it worth it?” she says, repeating Tank’s question after clearing her throat. Sliding her gaze over to him, she shrugs. “Yes and no. Right now, with tonight and the upcoming vote, knowing I'm the one who put that dipshit in office, I'm going with a no. But then I see the good I’m doing with the other committees and projects I have going on all around the country, plus you two, and I know I'd do it all over again just for that.”

Do not kiss her.

Do not kiss her.

Do not kiss her.

Even with the mantra running over and over in my mind, I can't stop my feet from taking a step and then another toward her. This pull, her smell, her voice—everything about her calls to me. The back of the wicker chair digs into my bare forearm as I support my weight to lean low, putting my head level with hers.

I take in every beautiful inch of her face before meeting her confused gaze.

Here it goes. Now's the time to tell her. Everything.

“Before I tell you about the bill, I need to know something, Mess.”

A quick breath whistles through her teeth. “And what's that, Trouble?”

“Do you have anything sharp on you?”

Chapter Twenty

Randi

“The hell?” I ask, pushing his shoulder, needing a few inches between us to breathe normally. Ugh, it’s so hard to think straight with him close. His intoxicating cologne, that smirk, his knowing eyes, the love pouring off him. And then he goes and says that? “Seriously, Trey. What the fuck?”

The heaviness of our conversation and the gloomy mood whip away with the breeze, leaving behind a lot of confusion on my part and humor on his.

“Smooth, Playboy. Real smooth.” Tank's voice lightens with laughter, even though it’s clear he’s trying to suppress it.

“So you're in on this together?” I ask, shifting in the wicker seat to glare at T. “What's he talking about? Sharp things?”

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