Page 52 of Hers to Hold
“That’s a wide disparity.”
“Depending on how much of my experience you’d count.”
His look was shrewd. “Martin, you’ve proven that you’re willing to do what it takes to get a story, to discover the truth. You pushed back a little, but I expect that of my top investigative reporters. You don’t get anywhere important in life by coasting. You have to fight against the current.”
This all sounded like a TED Talk if it wasn’t grounded in the mire of ignored ethics.
“I expect all my investigative reporters to see the line and know when to cross it for the sake of the story. I’m proud of you, Martin.”
Senior status.
Charm faded and glow cooled, what she wanted more than anything was to get back the status she had with Wes. To rewind history to the moment she found the line and jump back over it. To regain that man’s lost trust. To make it work with him.I wouldn’t mind being a stepmom to Chastity if…
“Thank you, sir.”
“You don’t sound all that excited. Isn’t this what you wanted?”
Kady let her arms drop to her sides, her defenses disabled. “It is, sir,” she said.
Yates studied her with disbelief.
Kady worked her jaw. “I’m not ungrateful, sir. I just…I’m not comfortable with how I got it.”
He shrugged. “I can appreciate that. When I was your age, I had to make some questionable professional decisions, but look at where I’m at?” He spread his arms wide with a grin to match. “Sometimes you have to make hard judgment calls, Martin. People might get hurt, but getting the truth is worth it. And that’s our job. It’s a tough business, and only a few people are capable of doing it. I mean, think of your friend. Now the truth is out there and his friend Drew really isn’t guilty.” He frowned and shifted in his chair. “Another boring story about idiot criminals,” he muttered.
“Sir?”
“That’s all, Martin. Send me your draft.”
Kady left her boss’s office conflicted. Being an investigative reporter was her dream job. She followed the careers of several journalists who were pillars of integrity.
Or so she thought.
Did all of them encounter ethical questions? Have moments of regret over their professional choices? Was this how life was? One precarious decision after the next? She proved she was capable of doing the job and doing it well. The question now was…did she still want to?
Chapter 21
Wes watched Kady leave Drew and Kat’s house after their meeting with the FBI and the campaign team—minus the financial firm. She had briefly met his gaze, her brown eyes heavy with remorse. The look tore right through his heart and out his back, leaving a ragged trail of flesh and blood.
He wanted to be resolute. To think her betrayal hadn’t truly affected him as much as it did. He was a United States Marine. He could take on any challenge. Defeat any enemy. Conquer these strange feelings of longing and the desperate need to forgive. He was a man. With an newly erected impenetrable brick wall around his heart.
That got blown up by a lovely pair of brown eyes.
Who was he kidding? Wes had never wanted to follow someone more in his life. They hadn’t spoken a word to one another, and although the day was already at a record-breaking temperature, the atmosphere in the room was icy. He’d frozen to death; and it was painful way to go.
He still hadn’t processed the revelation from that morning: Kady was a journalist working undercover to investigate claims of campaign finance fraud against Drew.
The woman he instinctively had to protect when first meeting her, the woman he kissed on a whim because she had personally delivered treats as an apology, the woman he had invited into his and his daughter’s life…she was actually playing a role to get close to Drew.
How could I’ve been such a fool?
She walked out with back straight and expression firm, but her eyes… The same look she had during dinner at his house. That expression had haunted him. He couldn’t get her to open up then.
And now I know why.
“Okay, Wesley,” Kat began, hands on her growing hips. “What’s going on? Spill it.”
Wes immediately cast a ‘help me’ look at Drew, who responded with a crossing of arms and a lifting of a reddish brow. “Really?” Wes complained. “Your girlfriend walks in—”
