Betrayal Of Trust. Tracey V. Bateman

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СКАЧАТЬ me about Matt.”

      “Matt, is it?”

      Despite the fact that Ken couldn’t see her, Raven felt a blush creep up to her cheeks. “We had a thing once a long time ago.”

      “What kind of thing?” he asked in his I-smell-a-story tone of voice.

      “The kind that’s none of your business.”

      “Touché, but is it perhaps the kind of ‘thing’ we might be able to use to get access to the almost-senator?”

      An uneasy twist affected Raven’s stomach and suddenly the coffee didn’t sit well. “Just meet me at Corner Coffee, will you? We need to talk and map out a strategy.”

      “All right, girl. But let me tell you, I’m not wasting my time on personal ethics. If you got an inside to this guy, you better use it or I might take the sweet Miss Kellie up on her tempting offer.”

      “You’re old enough to be her dad.”

      “Yeah, well. Ain’t that the kicker? I’m not her dad and she seems to go for my natural maturity. And she likes the way our names go together. Thinks it’s downright cute. Kellie and Ken. It does have a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

      Raven gave a snort. “Don’t flatter yourself, pops. She wants to break up the wonder twins, and that’s all there is to her sudden attraction.”

      It was common knowledge around the station, and had been for the past several years, that Ken and Raven were an unstoppable team. Thanks to Raven’s instincts for where the great story was, they rarely failed to bring it home, and thanks to Ken’s hot ability with a camera, they ended up with unbelievably good shots of whomever they were after. The dream team.

      Raven’s ire rose at the very thought that Kellie might be making a play for Ken. And even more so that Ken was exploiting it to bait her into using her past with Matt as a means to an end.

      Never mind that she planned to do that anyway, she didn’t need someone reading her so easily. It just made her feel more rotten than she already did.

      “Stop threatening me. You know Kellie would get on your nerves in three and a half seconds. You’d be miserable. Meet me in forty-five minutes.”

      Without waiting for a reply, she hung up. A second later the phone rang. A grin split Raven’s lips. She snatched up the receiver. “You just have to have the last word, don’t you, cowboy?”

      “I’m sorry?”

      Raven nearly swallowed her tongue at the unfamiliar voice. “Who’s this?”

      “Um, Sonny.”

      “Well, Sonny, I think you dialed the wrong number.”

      “I don’t think so. Raven Mahoney?”

      “All right, buster. I don’t know how you got this number, but I don’t take calls from strange men.”

      “Wait! Don’t hang up. If you’re Raven Mahoney, then you’re going to want to talk to me.”

      Matthew jolted awake and fought to understand why he could barely breathe.

      “Are you awake, Dad?”

      A smile lifted the corners of Matthew’s lips and he opened his eyes to find Jamie sprawled across his chest, her dark hair sticking up in about twenty different directions.

      “I am now, you little twerp!” Grabbing the little girl he wrestled her across the bed and tickled her just enough to be funny. Too long and it was just mean. Matthew wouldn’t do that. But they both enjoyed a short wrestling/tickle game.

      “Hey, Dad?”

      “Yeah?”

      “I saw you on TV yesterday.”

      “You did?” Irritation nipped at Matt. “How come you were watching it?” And more importantly, why didn’t his mother keep Jamie away from the set? She knew he wouldn’t want his daughter watching.

      “The news interrupted cartoons.”

      “I see.”

      She stretched out on her side next to him, her ear cupped in the palm of her head as she rested on her elbow. Her eyes dulled with a rare solemnity as she stared at him with concern.

      “How come you changed your mind about being senator?”

      A lump gouged Matthew’s throat. “I just decided it was best.”

      “Why?”

      He caressed his daughter’s hair. “Some things are not up for discussion, Jamie. When you’re older, I’ll explain.”

      The little girl scowled, looking an awful lot like Ray. Way too much. Matthew’s pulse quickened. As if by instinct, Matthew reached forward and grabbed her into a fierce hug.

      “Dad!” The muffled voice held a squeak of mild panic. “You’re squishing me.”

      Reluctantly, Matt released her. “Jamie, I want you to listen to me. This is very important. Are you paying attention?”

      Wide brown eyes stared back at him, as Jamie nodded.

      “You have to be careful. Play close to the house and don’t go near the gate. Understand?”

      “Why?”

      “Because I said so.”

      She frowned, her freckled nose wrinkling in confusion. “But why do you say so? I always play by the gate.”

      “Can you just trust me on this one?”

      She hesitated, but gave another nod.

      “Don’t talk to anyone you don’t know really well. Even if you see me talking to the same person. Clear?”

      “Come on, Dad. What’s all the drama about?”

      Matthew smiled at his daughter. “There are some things I’m not ready to talk about.” Like the fact that your natural dad is out of prison and extorting money from me. And if I didn’t step down from the race, he could have used my position to exploit you. If Jamie were a few years older, he could have told her those things, but not at eight years old. For now, she needed to concentrate on playing soccer and watching the Cardinals and having a great summer vacation. “Now, are you clear on the new rules?”

      She shrugged. “I guess so. Can we go to breakfast now? Grams said we’re having blueberry pancakes.”

      Matthew’s favorite. He had a feeling he’d be getting a lot of his favorite dishes over the next few days. Mom’s way of consoling him. It was a wonder he didn’t weigh a ton.

      “Go tell Grams I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      Matthew СКАЧАТЬ