Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“Mark!” Anika scolded him.
I laughed and saw her smile immediately. “I see you actually know him.”
Mark chuckled, and they both sat down. Sam then met Bindi and asked her how such a lovely woman could be married to a man so directionally challenged.
“I mean, even with GPS or Waze, he can't make it to things on time.”
She gasped and broke into real laughter. It was apparently a thing with her husband.
“One time, Kage,” Drew groaned. “Get over it. I made it to the meeting.”
“Was it a meeting?” Sam asked, squinting at him.
“Oh no,” Anika gasped, trying so hard not to smile. “Was that the governor’s law enforcement luncheon?”
He put his head in his hand, and Anika pressed her lips together tight.
“The man was mid-speech, buddy,” Sam reminded Drew. “And you let the door bang shut.” Sam glanced at Bindi. “That was ah-mazing.”
Bindi lost it, Anika lost it louder, snorting into her hand, and her husband was smiling and nodding.
“I thought this was going to be awful, but things are looking up.”
Clearly, from the way Anika had to dab at her eyes with her napkin, everyone had been expecting Sam’s boss, and that was not a good thing. Sam being there was far better.
The last couple who arrived was the assistant state’s attorney, Kimberly Rodriguez, and her wife, Naomi Jacobs, a news anchor at WGN News Channel 9.
It was nice to meet them, especially Naomi, but I didn’t want to make conversation with Kimberly, as I had not voted for her boss, Timothy Grant, but instead for the guy who didn’t win.
We were all chatting well, getting along, until Sam gave his full attention to Kimberly.
She put down her wineglass, harder than she wanted to I was sure, and tipped her head, meeting his gaze. “What? Spit it out.”
“I just don’t get it is all.”
Her breath came out in a huff.
“Now, Sam, don’t be mean,” Drew said indulgently. “It’s fine that her boss let Tenley Moran off on conspiracy to transport minors to participate in illegal sex acts and instead just hit her with second-degree sex trafficking of a minor. It’s fine.”
“She was trafficked herself, Sam,” she reminded him. “It was PTSD.”
He nodded.
Naomi coughed, and Kimberly turned to look at her. “You have something to say too?”
“I already said it at home.”
Kimberly was back to glowering at Sam. “You and I both know he’s got a soft spot for blondes with sob stories who come from the suburbs.”
“Yes,” Sam agreed. “I do. And thank you for having the balls to say it.”
She took a big gulp of her wine.
“If you run, I’ll vote for you.”
“Everyone knows Greiner is going to run,” Anika chimed in. “Why do you think we’re all here at his daughter’s wedding?”
Sam leaned forward. “This is gonna be in the paper tomorrow, front page, above the fold, so all you have to do is keep a secret for one night.”
“Bindi is like a vault,” Drew vouched for his wife. “I completely endorse her to hear all secrets and plots.”
“Mark is the same,” Anika promised Sam. “My secrets are his secrets.”
Sam then looked back at Kimberly, who turned her head to look at her wife.
“For one day only?”
“Yep,” Sam told her.
“Can I get an exclusive with you about it tomorrow?”
“No, because all we’re doing is mop-up. But I’ll give you the name of the person to talk to at the ATF and the DEA.”
“Oh,” she moaned, her lashes fluttering. “Yes, I’m in. I swear.”
“And so you all know, my husband keeps all my secrets, so you know he’s good.”
“I could tell he’s good,” Anika said, smiling at me.
Sam took a breath. “The groom’s father is going to be arrested for trafficking firearms and drug smuggling. It’s a huge operation based out of Chicago and Sacramento, and apparently, Greiner has no idea.”
“He plans to run for state’s attorney,” Naomi told Sam. “And you’re saying he’s about to be blindsided?”
“Completely.”
“I would feel sorry for him if I liked him,” Drew said sadly. “Can you imagine the family dinners with his new son-in-law?”
“Well,” Kimberly said, her eyes flicking to Sam, “if this is real––”
“When have you known me to share gossip?”
She put up her hand. “Yes, fine. I apologize,” she said quickly. “Then I might just have a shot, because my boss isn’t going to run again.”
“You’re sure?” Anika questioned her.
“He can’t,” she said, grimacing.
“I know this one,” Naomi apprised us, and then mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key.
“That one will be a press conference first week of January.”
“Oh no,” I said, because that was when the scandals normally broke. Not taking bribes, nothing about money, but things like sex and cheating and all the tabloid crap.
“Oh yes,” she replied. “That’s why I’m here filling in for him.”
“So you’ll be in the job shortly,” Sam pointed out.
“And I think Greiner would probably have asked me to stay on as his second, because that way, you know––”