Chapter 9

Renata had given her husband the cold shoulder since he had shared the mysterious note with her. She did the things she needed to do and put up a good outward appearance, but she refused to budge from what she had told him about his possible downfall. Jackson Prentiss had promised to fish around for gossip about Elaine Howard, and Renata searched Logan's office daily. On the fourth day, she hit the jackpot. She had finished searching the desk and files and was pacing in frustration when her glance hit on Logan's cigar case. She opened it idly and realized that the cigars were not sitting neatly in the box. The corner of the box's bottom was askew, and she carefully took out the cigars and pulled at the tiny opening at the bottom. Sure enough, it was a false bottom and there were several papers in the small compartment. Renata took out the one on top and unfolded it carefully. It was a steamy note from E.H. and Renata knew immediately that they were, indeed, having a fling. There was a hotel receipt and enough other damning evidence to make the situation clear.

Renata thought hard for a minute, then she painstakingly put everything back the way it had been and left the office after turning the security camera back on. She planned her next moves carefully and then entered the office again and topped off Logan's whiskey decanter from the bottle. As she turned to leave, she answered her cell phone and set the whiskey bottle down on the corner of the desk, accidentally knocking it against the cigar box. After she finished her phone call, she began to straighten up the cigar box and realized that something was wrong with the base of the box. She discovered the hidden papers all over again and left everything lying on top of the desk as she left the office and shut the door hard.

It was several hours later when Logan got home, and he went straight to his office with his briefcase, calling out for Renata as he went. He stopped, stock-still, when he walked into the office and saw the desktop. He approached the desk slowly and stood there for a long couple of minutes, trying to think what to do next. He suddenly felt like a trapped animal as he put his briefcase down and fingered the incriminating papers on the desk, remembering exactly what was there. He poured a glass of whiskey and went to find his wife. When he walked into her office, he found her sitting in her desk chair, an untouched glass of wine in front of her, her lovely face grim. At a loss for words, he stared at her silently.

Finally, Renata took a sip of her wine and then said, "You're a fool, Logan. What did you think you were doing? You must really want to ruin everything you've worked for. Everything I've worked for."

Logan's heart was hammering furiously. He said, "She doesn't mean anything to me. I just needed to have her where I wanted her. She's useful."

Renata actually laughed. "Come now, you can do better than that. She doesn't mean anything to me is what every man says when he's caught. You think she's useful? Do you know what will happen to you if I leave you? Your future is history."

Desperately, her husband said, "You can't leave me. This is important to you too. I'll drop her. I won't see her again. I won't touch her again."

Renata gave him a withering look. "Do you think I really care who you fuck? You've just set me free."

"If you don't care about that, then what is it that has you so upset?"

Renata got up from her chair and took a step toward him, her eyes glittering. "I care about you fucking everything up. You're about to ruin everything. If you do that, you're useless to me. And I despise wasting my time."

Logan was truly shocked. "No, you love me. You love it when I make love to you. Your body tells me that. You're lying."

Renata took another step and said softly but fiercely, "You call that lovemaking? You're like a rutting animal. I despise you, Logan. Let's be completely clear. If you weren't someone I could put in the position I have you in now, we wouldn't be here today. You're a tool, and right now I'm beginning to believe that you're a broken tool."

"I don't believe you."

"Then you're an even bigger fool that I thought." Renata shook her head in disgust and Logan stepped toward her.

"You love me. You married me. You come until you're screaming when I fuck you. That can't be fake."

It pissed Renata off that she had to admit to herself that her body did react to him, as much as she hated him. She would never tell him that. "Oh, Logan. You're so easy to fool. Elaine probably fakes it too."

He was getting angry. "Elaine begs for it. I've got her right where I want her. She's dazzled by me. I don't know why you're acting like this; I know how you feel. I know how you fell for me from the first day we met." He took a few strides toward her and reached out to pull her against him.

Renata moved swiftly, and a split second later, her husband felt cold steel between them. She held the knife at his throat, and he froze. "Listen to me carefully, Logan. You are never going to put your hands on me again. You're going to end it with Elaine, and you're going to do it in a way that will keep her from turning on you. There are only two more debates before the primary and you are not going to lose. You cannot afford to let anyone find out that you're fucking around on your wife. You are not going to waste all the work I've put into you. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"

"Are you crazy?" Logan whispered and then stiffened even more when she pressed the knife harder against him. "Okay, okay, I understand."

Renata kept perfectly still for another long moment, and then she stepped back, slowly lowering the knife she held. "Good. I'm glad we've settled that. Now, there's one more thing that has to be explained."

A little fearfully, Logan asked, "What is it?"

"The note. The anonymous note left on your desk. I want an explanation."

Reluctantly, her husband said, "About that, there's a problem."

"What problem?" Renata asked through gritted teeth.

"There was…another one. Another note."

Renata swore in Portuguese for a full thirty seconds. "Give it to me."

Logan reached into his coat pocket for an envelope identical to the first one. Renata opened it silently, unfolded the paper, and read it. Swearing again, she paced the office, stopping to take a healthy swig of her wine. "What do you have to say about this?"

Logan shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I swear, I don't know who it could be from. Jesus, you just held a knife to my throat! If I knew anything, I'd tell you."

Renata stared at him in disgust and then shook her head bitterly. "You're pathetic. Get out of my sight. And make sure you have whatever you need in the guest room. You won't be sharing my bedroom any longer."

Logan stared at her for another moment, searching her face, then turned without a word and left the room. He didn't doubt her for a moment, so he went to the bedroom and moved his things. Then he went into his office and sat drinking and trying to think. It was only minutes before he had to admit to himself that he would never get through the election process without Renata. He had the charm he needed, but she had the brains. He was just going to have to do it her way until he was able to get back in her good graces. His ego allowed him to believe that it would only be a matter of time.

***

Renata thought long and hard, reading the new note over and over. It was just a variation on the first one and offered her no clues. She wanted to feel relief that she had told Logan clearly that he was not to touch her again, but she knew damn well that fight wasn't over. His ego was enormous, and he didn't seriously believe that she could resist his touch for long. She wanted nothing more than to have everything over, but they simply weren't ready yet. They were getting closer, but the election process had to go on. She sent a message to Jacques and asked him to set up another meeting with Gabe. She lay awake for hours before she finally got a few hours of fitful sleep.

Renata met with Jacques and Gabe, swiftly filling them in on the latest. Gabe got up and paced, swearing as he thought of what she'd said. "I don't like it. He's a loose cannon. God only knows what he might do."

Renata said, "He's going to do what I tell him to do. By now, he's realized that he can't do this without me. He knows how to give a charming speech, but he needs me to tell him what to say."

Gabe shook his head, hating every bit of it. "Renata, he could do anything. What if he decides he's had enough of doing what you tell him?"

"He won't. I held a knife to his throat, and he had no doubt that I'd use it," she answered coolly.

Gabe turned on his heel. "You held a knife to his throat?"

"Yes. He tried to put his hands on me, and I've decided that I've had enough of that. He knows he can't manage this election without me, and he's going to be a good boy now."

"And what happens when he's had enough of that?"

Renata said, "Then I'll have to put him in his place again. Let's just find out everything we need to finish this so that it can be over soon. We've got to get the nomination and get close to the election. I can control Logan. If you want to do something that will really help, then find out who's leaving these notes. That's the only unknown that we really have to worry about at this point. Things are falling into place and we can't let whoever it is ruin it all. We know about Elaine now, so we don't have to spend any time on that. Concentrate on the person behind the notes, and I'll keep gathering what's left of the information we need. We're very close; now we just have to play it out."

Jacques said, "There's a meeting day after tomorrow between some of our key players, and I've got a bug in the room, so I'll be recording the whole thing."

"That's good work, Jacques," Renata said approvingly.

Gabe said thoughtfully, "I'm going to talk to Lee tonight, and then tomorrow, I'm going to see if I can make any connections between Logan and anybody who might be making these threats. Can I have copies of the notes?"

"Of course," Renata answered. "Do you need anything else?"

"I don't think so. I should have everything I need. I'm going to go over my file on Logan with a fine-toothed comb, especially back before he met you. See if I can find anything that might give a hint to what's going on."

"That sounds good too. Tell Lee and Jo hello for me and I can't wait to see them again."

"I'll do that," Gabe promised. "Now, you promise to be damn careful around him. Don't let your guard down for a second. I know you know him better than we do, but men can do some really shitty things, especially when they're being threatened."

"You don't need to worry about that. As I told you before, I can handle Logan."

Gabe was in front of her in two long strides and took her by the shoulders. The shiver down her spine was immediate and so strong that her legs went weak. The heat that crawled through her belly and between her legs was a shock. "Renata, I mean it. You keep your guard up. Don't let him get away with anything. He's not predictable, no matter what you think, so don't take any chances."

Renata's mouth watered as his hands tightened on her shoulders and her nipples were hard and tingling. "I said, don't worry. Logan Wakefield is never going to hurt anyone again, especially me."

"Okay." Gabe stared into her eyes and his cock twitched as he reluctantly let go of her. Damn, she was hot!

***

"Well. I think we're done here." Renata busied herself putting away papers and nearly forgetting to get a copy of the latest note for Gabe. When she handed it to him, his hand closed over hers for just a second and sent another thrill down her spine. "Okay, I'm going now. If anybody finds out anything at all, let the others know. I'll see you both soon." Her legs were still weak as she walked out of the office. "Damn," she muttered to herself. "How does he do that?"

Renata settled into a cab and looked at her phone. She'd had a call from Jackson Prentiss, so she returned it immediately. "Hi, Jackson, do you have something for me?"

"I don't have any real details, but I had drinks with the person you asked me about. It seems she's been dropping hints that she's about to become much more successful in her field. She's very…confident, to put it nicely. I couldn't get her to spill any actual information, but she hinted that she's got something on our man."

"Well," Renata said drily, "that may be just the fling they're having that she thinks gives her a hold over him. She's about to get a surprise."

Jackson was doubtful. "I guess that could be it. You verified that?"

"Oh, yes, I definitely verified it."

"I don't know, it seemed to be something deeper than that, something from before you. I'll try again when I get a chance, but if I get too persistent, she'll get suspicious."

Renata had to agree with that. "You're right. Let's see what happens over the next couple of days. Don't push her."

"She has an assistant who might be a soft spot. She likes men and doesn't currently have one on her radar. Her name is Mallory Bishop. I'll send her pic to you; you'll be able to find her all over social media."

"That's worth a try. I'll set something up." Renata ended the call as the cab pulled up to a favorite store a block or so from her building. It was a short walk home after she spent a few minutes in the store.

Daria met her at the door, a worried frown on her face. "I'm glad to see you. Your husband was like a wild man this morning. What's wrong with him?"

"He got caught with his fingers in the wrong cookie jar. Don't worry about him, but if he's rude to you, you let me know immediately. I won't tolerate it."

Daria's eyes widened. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, yes, I'm very much all right. Daria, if things get uncomfortable around here for you, or if you feel threatened in any way, you go home and don't come back. Call me, and I'll make sure that you're on a paid vacation. I won't have you put in an uncomfortable position, do you understand?" Renata was dead serious.

Daria sniffed. "He's not going to run me off. He's just like a little boy throwing a tantrum."

"I mean it. I need to know that you're safe. He's going to be getting a lot more unhappy very soon and he could turn ugly. So promise me that you'll do what I ask." Renata took both of her hands as she spoke earnestly to her housekeeper and friend.

"All right, I promise," Daria said grudgingly. "But it's only for your sake, not because I'm worried about him."

"Good enough. Now, I need a little something to eat and a cup of strong tea. I've got some work to do in my office."

"I'll bring it in to you," Daria said.

Renata settled down with her laptop and began to look at both Elaine Howard and Mallory Bishop. Jackson was right, Mallory loved dancing and drinking with attractive men. She was the longtime personal assistant to Elaine, and Renata suspected that she would know more about the news babe than anyone else in the world. Renata searched through Mallory's photos as she ate the snack Daria brought her and sipped the tea. Her taste ran to tall, dark, and handsome, and Renata thought that Jacques would be the perfect person to sweet talk her into spilling some secrets. She didn't want to admit to herself that she was relieved the sassy redhead wasn't drawn to sandy haired, green eyed men so much. She smiled faintly at herself and put a call in to Jacques.

Renata leaned back in her chair, slowly sipping her tea while her thoughts wandered. She pictured Gabe, standing in the grass beside the pond with his fishing pole. The mental image was enough to send that wave of heat crawling through her again. She'd never had that kind of instant reaction to a man before and she wasn't quite sure how to handle it. Obviously, acting on it was out of the question. Logan was already endangering her plan; she couldn't risk any negative publicity on her part. She was just going to have to ignore her attraction to Gabe and get on with the job at hand. But for a moment, she let herself think maybe someday.