4. 100 PM
FOUR
1:00 PM
THE UNEXPECTED ALLY
T he records room at City Hall is eerily quiet. Most people are busy tidying up and preparing for what happens after the rally and vote. They aren’t desperately searching for information like I am.
The scent of old paper clings to everything down here in the basement. It’s oddly calming like being in an old library. Beth and I have been sifting through records for nearly an hour now, and we’ve found no evidence to link Mayor Weston to any bribes. Nothing. Just dead end after dead end.
I’ve sent Beth to get us lunch and a coffee as the silence in the room is constantly being broken by the echo of our rumbling, hungry stomachs.
Rubbing my eyes, I take a moment to myself. This is not what I thought I would be doing today. All thanks to Lincoln Caldwell, I need to chase a lead rather than campaigning to capture some last minute votes. I really wish I knew what that man’s issue is. He’s like a dog with a bone when it comes to me. He can’t stop trying to make me fail. It’s frustrating.
Lincoln’s a rich asshole who buys what he wants and doesn’t have a moral compass. He also knows he’s good looking, which doesn’t help. God certainly messed up when he made him. He should’ve been born ugly to match his soul. I shake my head, trying to push Mr. Caldwell to the back of my mind.
I need to find some evidence. Anything.
A faint noise behind me, like the rustle of fabric, has me frozen to the spot. My instincts are screaming caution before I even hear his voice.
“Why am I not surprised to find you here, Ms. Tucker.” I sigh as I spin around to face my nemesis, my lips pursed together in anger. “Looking for something?” he asks.
Of course, it’s him.
Lincoln Caldwell stands in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame like he owns the fucking place. His arms are crossed over his chest, his tailored suit is immaculate, and he doesn’t have a hair out of place. His tie is slightly loosened, just enough to give him the air of effortlessness that Ihate about him. How can everything come so easily to such a despicable man?
His presence fills the room as he smirks at me like he’s caught me doing something I shouldn’t.
“Well, Sophia, it took you long enough. You’ve had the letter for weeks.”
Realization sets in. Lincoln must’ve been the one who sent the letter. This is another game of his, and I’ve fallen for it. It’s the reason why I can’t find any evidence—there is none. It’s another way for this monster to waste my time.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter, turning back to the files, even though it’s now obvious my search is pointless.
Lincoln approaches me slowly. He never rushes, moving with the confidence of someone who knows the world will wait for him.
“You’re very predictable,” he responds, his voice low, as he reaches my side. “I knew you’d come sniffing around here, eventually.”
“And yet,” I say, pretending to search through another stack of papers without looking up, “you still followed me. Afraid I’ll find something you missed?”
“You’re walking into dangerous territory. If you go public without airtight proof, they’ll tear you apart.”
I pause, my hand hovering over the next file.
His words shouldn’t get to me, but they do. I’ve endured years of him playing games with me, and I’ve fallen for another one.
I glance over my shoulder meeting his gaze and ask, “Why do you care?”
For a fleeting moment, something that looks a bit like regret flickers across his face. I can’t be sure what it is, though, and it’s gone almost as quickly as it appeared.
“Let’s just say I don’t enjoy watching people self-destruct. Especially you,” he replies with a smirk.
“Especially me? Why are you doing this, Lincoln? What have I ever done to you?”
The tension in the room is palpable as I stare up at him. He’s so close to me that we’re almost touching, and our breaths fan each other’s face.
“You made me realize I can lose,” he murmurs almost imperceptibly.
“What?”
He smirks again, and I want to slap him to knock the grin off his face.
“You heard me,” he responds, his tongue darting out and licking his lips.
He picks up one of the many folders I’ve been frantically searching through. Opening it, he spreads out the papers and stares pointedly at them. I cock my head to follow his line of sight. Finally, my eyes land on a contract buried halfway through the folder. My breath catches as I pull it free. It’s an agreement signed by Weston himself, and it’s for the parcel of land mentioned in the letter. The developer’s name on the document is an exact match for the one that was mentioned as offering bribes.
It’s not the definite proof I need, but it’s a start.
Lincoln steps even closer. His scent, something clean and warm with just a hint of spice, drifts toward me, and I curse myself for noticing and even more for liking it.
“You’re going to need more evidence than that.”
I lean away from him, trying to regain my senses. I need to distance myself from the overwhelming closeness of a man who infuriates me but, at the same time, is making me feel very hot and bothered, and not in a good way. Well, not in a good way for me since between my thighs is pulsating.
Where the fuck is this coming from?
Maybe my trusty vibrator isn’t doing it for me anymore if Lincoln Caldwell is making my panties wet.
Get it together, Sophia!
I snap a photo of the document with my phone, putting even more space between myself and Lincoln as I do. “And let me guess—you just happen to have the evidence I need?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he shifts and rests his hands on top of the filing cabinet behind me, so I’m trapped between his arms. I feel the heat of his body against mine as he leans in closer.
Glancing up at him, I’m ready to tell him to back off, but the look in his eyes silences me. He’s studying me, his usual snide grin replaced by something different, something I’ve not seen before, and it’s something that makes my pulse race.
“As I said, I knew you would find a way to beat me one day. Use the information or not. The choice is yours. I’ll give you the final piece of the puzzle before the rally starts.”
“I don’t understand you. Why are you doing this?”
“Because I’ve finally met my match. I knew it the first day I met you. The game has been so much fun, but it’s time for a change.”
His words are confusing me, and my brain is foggy with the intensity of the situation.
Game.
Beat Him.
Met his match.
What the fuck is he talking about?
“If this is some kind of setup, I’ll make sure you regret it.” I finally manage to say, even though my words come out a lot less forceful than when I said them in my head.
Lincoln chuckles. “Looking forward to it, Ms. Tucker.”
He turns and walks away without any further comment.
“What the hell?!” I gasp out to the empty room.
I suck in a deep breath, trying to fill my lungs with air to replace the breath I’ve been holding for far too long.
This is a mistake.
It has to be.
Whatever this… this tension is between us, I can’t let it distract me.
But even as I gather the files and prepare to leave, I can’t stop thinking about the way he looked at me and that, for one fleeting moment, I didn’t want him to stop.