Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
Sydney
N ear the end of the day, Holly stomps into my office, brows and hands both raised in an expectant expression. People often underestimate her because of her Kewpie-doll looks—and they always pay the price.
“Where is the latest installment in the magical war saga?” Holly asks. “Chop, chop. I’ve got loads of messages from invested readers.”
Everyone seems enthralled, especially my hunky photographer. This morning, he conveyed his passion for this tale with more than questions. While his insistence is compelling, it remains to be seen whether his interest is a scam. I want to believe him…
“I’m still working on a draft of the story,” I say. “Maybe by tomorrow or Wednesday.”
“What? I need it now. This is tomorrow afternoon’s top story. It has to be to copy editing no later than tomorrow morning.”
“It’s…” I shake my head. “I’m not happy with it. The angle troubles me.”
“We’ve been over this. I gave you a perfectly good angle.”
“I don’t like glorifying a rapist.”
“Most of our clicks come from readers who think we write total rubbish and pop in for a laugh, or they’re lunatics themselves. They’re hardly questioning our journalistic integrity.”
Holly isn’t wrong, but I feel compelled to get this right. I know most of the stories I write aren’t real. So does Holly, and she’s always about the bottom line and whatever gets us onto the next story and more profit faster. But this article feels not only real but critical.
“My name is on the byline. And my gut tells me this angle is off. Then there’s safety, both the source’s and mine. What if this Mathias character actually exists? What if he’s not a savior but a villain?”
“Would a wizard trying to take magickind in hand really be spending his time reading human tabloids and compiling his hit list?” Holly frowns. “What’s made you change your mind? After our call yesterday, you seemed set with the story.”
“I talked to Caden. He asked me to consider a different slant.”
“His version won’t get more clicks.”
“Maybe not, but that poor witch makes me want to print the truth. If I do, maybe her family will find her.”
“And you don’t think she’s delusional?”
If anyone else were telling me this story, I absolutely would. “She’s clearly been through something incredibly traumatic. And the details she’s given me so far have all checked out. As fantastical as it sounds, I think she’s credible.”
“You want to believe her.”
“I do,” I admit. “But that doesn’t detract from the fact that people like the story as she’s told it to us. And according to her, Mathias is no hero. If we take Caden’s angle, we’ll have a narrative that makes sense with hers. We’ll also have done a good thing if we can prevent more women from being raped. Because let’s face it. Even if Mathias leads a good cause, he’s got a terrible human rights policy.”
“If Caden is causing you to hesitate on turning in a perfectly acceptable story, then he’s given you crap. Why are you letting that man crawl in your head?”
I should probably finish the damn piece and be done. But if there’s even a hint of truth to this story, then dangerous times are afoot. His concerns for my safety are valid. Besides, when he argued his case, I felt as if I was finally seeing the real Caden. “Granted, his behavior is a bit dodgy, but?—”
“What else has he done, besides trying to talk you out of perfectly good articles? Is he doing his job?”
“He is. Amazing pictures. Crisp. Beautiful angles, even on terrible subjects. His work is like art.”
“But?” Holly cocks her head, her blond ponytail swishing. “Oh, bloody hell. You two aren’t having an office shag, are you?”
I lower my head to hide the flush crawling up my face. “No! Maybe I’m overreacting, and I just need pointers on working with him more effectively.”
“If you can’t get on with a man that dishy, there’s no hope for you. Smile, flirt, if you must. Tell him what pictures you need and finish the job.”
“It’s not that simple. I hate to even bring this up because I could be wrong, but…I’ve wondered if he took this job to scoop the magical war story out from under me.”
Holly stands up straighter. “Why do you think that?”
“At first, he literally talked of nothing else and showed almost no interest in any of my other stories. But he’s asked a thousand questions about this one and hounded me about the identity of my source.”
“I hope you told him to bugger off.”
“I did.”
“How did he take that?”
I hate to paint Caden in a bad light, but Holly is more than a boss; she’s a mentor, too. She can probably help me put this mess into perspective, but I can’t get her unvarnished opinion if I’m not honest.
“Over the weekend, he dropped by my flat and expressed romantic interest in me. I realized he was lying and threw him out. So he waited for me to leave and tried following me to my meeting.”
“Prat. I ought to sack him now.”
“I thought the same thing. I particularly doubted his reason for returning to the UK because he’s been so vague about his brother’s mystery illness. Do you know about it?”
“I didn’t ask since it’s personal.”
“I did. He’s said next to nothing, except that it was his reason for returning here after over a dozen years in the States. He’s on sabbatical from a job at a prestigious paper to work here. But if he’s upending his whole life for his brother, why does he rarely talk about the man? Why doesn’t he ever sneak away to visit the hospital or even call?”
“So you fear he’s trying to scoop you and made up an ill brother to explain why he’s working here? And that he tried to get romantic with you so you’d divulge your source? Because he wants to steal your magical war story?”
“It sounds far-fetched, I know. I’ve wondered if I’m being paranoid. Caden says he’s concerned for my safety because Mathias is quite dangerous.”
“Rubbish.”
“Is it?” I shrug. “Why would he help me find a better angle for my story if he simply wants to steal it? The man is a bloody puzzle. I’m keeping him at arm’s length, just in case. I can’t risk him stealing my information and selling it elsewhere.”
“Hmm. Does he behave like he’s guilty?”
“His behavior is odd. But guilty?” I shrug. “Still waters run deep. Until he suddenly became agitated today, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man more still.”
“Is he violent?”
“No. But something isn’t right. He swears he doesn’t want my story. Then why is he here? I know the excuse he gave me, but I truly can’t fathom another reason for his odd behavior.”
My editor frowns. “The magical war news is too lucrative to risk. Keep your notes to yourself. Lock everything up. Don’t leave your computer untended without password protecting it. And send the current version to copy editing tonight.”
I hesitate. Maybe I let the trauma my source endured and Caden sway me too much. Holly is probably right about everything. I nod.
“Excellent. Our rivals are beginning to investigate the magical war story. In fact, I had a call, feeling me out for details. Which reminds me! I’ve also had a ring from another bloke, claiming to have pictures of the tunnel and the bodies no one else has. Odd name…” Holly’s brow furrows as the wheels in her head turn. “Zain Something-or-another.” She shrugs. “I’ll chat with him, see what he’s got and if we want to acquire it.”
That doesn’t make me feel any better. The fact remains, Caden works beside me for reasons I can only guess at, while my interest in him has grown. “Brilliant.”
“What’s next? Did your source give you anything new over the weekend?”
“Not much. She’s away temporarily.” And if I tell her I’m a reporter, I fear she’ll stop talking altogether. “So unless there’s another magical battle, I’ll have to try crafting an article about related topics. I have the supposed ‘magical diary’ Aquarius gave me for my birthday. When she returns from holiday, I’ll ask about its origins.”
“Have you tested it out?”
A mental image of a naked Caden pressing my body to a wall and taking everything he wants from me burns across my brain. I wrote my fantasy nearly forty-eight hours ago.
So far? Nothing.
I sigh in disappointment. “Yeah. I don’t think it works.”