Chapter 5 #2
I want to push. Every journalistic instinct is screaming at me to ask what happened behind that door. But I know Hudson well enough to know that pressing him right now would be dangerous and pointless. I’m here to pay my debt for keeping my ex out of the headlines.
He takes a long breath. By the time he sets down his glass, he's Hudson Blake again. That fake smile is back.
"My parents are here," he says. "Ready?"
No.
"Ready."
He leads me across the terrace. The string quartet shifts into Vivaldi. Candlelight catches the roses overhead, casting everything in gold.
Hudson's parents are standing near the balustrade, looking out over the city.
His mother is elegant in the understated, expensive way old money is. Silver hair swept into a bun. A cream-colored gown. A string of pearls that has probably been in the family for generations. But her eyes are sharp and miss nothing. I could be screwed here.
His father is different.
Richard Blake is tall, Hudson's height, Hudson's build, but diminished.
The bones of a powerful man are still there, but the flesh has thinned, the color has faded, and he moves with the cautious precision of someone whose body is running out of time.
He leans on a cane, and his suit hangs looser than it should on his shoulders.
"Mom. Dad." Hudson's voice softens. Becomes, for the first time tonight, almost human. "I'd like you to meet someone. This is Harper. My girlfriend."
The word hangs in the air. I hold my breath. I never did well with drama classes at school. This is not the job for me.
Audrey Blake's face breaks into a smile so immediate it catches me off guard. She takes both my hands in hers before I've even offered them.
"Oh, Harper. I’m Audrey. We were beginning to think Hudson had taken a vow of solitude." She squeezes my hands. "Richard, look at her. Isn't she lovely?"
I bite back a laugh. Solitude? Hudson? She does not know her son.
Richard steps forward. Up close, I can see the illness in the lines around his eyes, in the tremor in his left hand. But his smile is genuine and absolutely nothing like his son's. A pit forms in my stomach.
Probably the guilt of lying to him for Hudson to steal the company.
"Lovely doesn't quite cover it, Audrey." Richard takes my hand gently. "Harper. It's a pleasure. Where on earth did our boy find you?"
I glance at Hudson. He gives me a microscopic nod.
"At work, actually. I'm a journalist at your company. Your son is my boss, which I remind him of daily."
Richard laughs, and it turns into a cough he tries to suppress. Audrey's hand goes to his back instantly.
"A journalist. And one who keeps him in line." Richard's eyes twinkle. "I like you already."
"Where are you from, dear?" Audrey threads her arm through mine. "I'm hearing something in your voice."
"Arizona. A small town called New Falls. My family has a little ranch there."
Our family's ranch is tiny compared to Ace’s. Sterling Ranch spans quite literally most of the land in New Falls. It is a beautiful place, especially that one ridge where the sunrise is perfect. And somewhere there, are our initials carved into a post.
"A ranch." Audrey turns to Hudson with undisguised delight. "A ranch girl, Hudson. You managed to find the one genuine woman in all of Los Angeles."
Hudson's smile is fixed. "She's one of a kind."
"I grew up around horses and cattle," I continue, selecting the truths that serve the story.
The wholesome, girl-next-door version of Harper that Hudson brought me here to sell.
"My parents still run the ranch. I moved to LA for school and fell in love with journalism.
I think my dad met you at a networking event a few years ago, you gave me a job after that. "
"Oh, of course. I remember now, how is Tony?" Richard says, with a wry smile that suggests he’s trying to recall the story.
"He’s good. Busy with his own ranch now, gave up on the small town journalism a while ago."
It's the truest thing I've said all night. Hudson's hand tightens on my waist.
They ask about my family, my childhood, whether I cook, and whether I've ever ridden a bull. That in itself makes me pause, because the only bull rider I care about is the one who still owns my heart.
"This one's lost interest in the editorial side." Nodding at Hudson. "All about the numbers now. The metrics." He says the word like it tastes bad. "But a company like this needs a soul, Harper. Promise me you'll keep caring about the story."
I meet his eyes. The performance falls away. "I promise."
He nods.
"She's wonderful, Hudson," Audrey says, kissing her son's cheek. "Don't let this one go."
"I don't intend to," Hudson replies, and there's something in his voice, a thread of sincerity that scares me.
It makes my skin crawl.
They excuse themselves, and as soon as they're out of earshot, I step out of Hudson's grip and exhale.
"That went well," he says.
"Your parents are lovely."
"They liked you."
"I liked them. Your father, especially." I set my glass down. "He actually cares about journalism."
Something flickers behind Hudson's eyes. A crack in the mask. For a moment, I think I see grief underneath.
Then it's gone.
"Thank you for tonight, Harper. We can leave whenever you're ready. My parents are too busy entertaining to care what we’re doing now. But we may need to arrange a dinner with them soon, to really seal the deal."
I blink at him. “That wasn’t…”
He shrugs. “Okay. New deal. You keep this arrangement up with me, and I’ll give you a lead on whatever stories you want to follow. There is one I know you’re going to die for, Harper.”
I arch an eyebrow. “Die for? How good is it?”
He loosens his tie and lets out a breath. “We will discuss it on Monday. It’s back at New Falls.”
My mouth drops open. Fuck. I plaster back on a smile. I know in my gut it’s about Ace and his family. They are quite literally the only interesting thing about that place.
“I can take it.”
He leans in, and I suck in a breath, his lips hovering by my ear. “Gianna needs this. So you don’t fuck it up this time, do you understand?”
My blood drains from my face.
"I'm ready now," I blurt out, pulling back.
He pulls out his phone and arranges the car. I'm being dismissed. The prop has served its purpose.
I drift toward the balustrade with my clutch. The city glitters below, and from up here it almost looks beautiful.
Movement at the entrance catches my eye.
Gianna Milano is leaving, along with her huge bodyguards and her brother.
She's crossing the road below, red dress catching the light, black hair swaying with each step. Dom is beside her. She moves through the night unhurried and untouchable, and the valet staff scrambles to open the door of the car idling at the curb.
A Rolls-Royce Phantom. Matte black. Gianna pauses at the open door and looks up.
Directly at me. Twelve floors up, leaning on a balustrade.
She smiles. Not the diplomatic one she wore inside. Something that makes her softer.
And I am starting to see her, too. She wants something in New Falls. That isn’t a coincidence after what I’ve learned. The web just keeps getting more tangled, and I feel like I’m getting dragged into it.
So, becoming Gianna’s friend may just be the answer to keeping Sterling Ranch safe.
The Rolls-Royce disappears into the river of taillights.
My phone buzzes.
Hey cowgirl. Lunch next week? I know a place. G
I stare at the screen. Behind me, Hudson is talking to someone.
I type back before I can overthink it.
Me: Name the time and place. I'll be there. H
Hudson appears at my elbow, offering his arm. I take it. Play the part. Smile for the stragglers.
Because I may be a long way from New Falls, but it will always be my home.
So is Ace. And I’ll do everything in my power to protect it. To protect him.
Even dating my boss and having lunch with deadly mafia princesses.
I owe it to him.
And perhaps, I can still get my career break in the midst of all this.