Page 18 of Nothing to Beat (Nothing to… #13)

HER FATHER WOULDN’T trust her. That wasn’t offensive, she wouldn’t trust him either and didn’t believe in double standards.

Rocking up to his doorstep would more likely seal her in his prison than free her to be with Breck.

And appealing to his better nature? Ha! What better nature?

If that was even a remote possibility, she’d have done it years ago.

After hanging up on Breck last night, she’d popped back into Porter’s apartment to tell the others she was going to bed. Her decision needed some time to percolate.

The Gambattos could not regain power. Her father couldn’t. She’d lived her whole life believing he got whatever he wanted, that he was the most important figure on the planet. It was hard to cast off that image when it had been ingrained in her since birth.

But this was a new day, time for a new outlook.

His arrogance would be his downfall. Even now, privately or not, she’d bet he believed this whole investigation was nothing more than an inconvenience.

He’d have faith in triumph, his own anyway.

Joey would lose his freedom. Their father would accept that as the price of doing business.

In his own warped mind, Joey deserved to be locked up for being careless, Senior was too important to be taken down.

Joey did deserve prison, but her father did too.

She got up early. Okay, that was a slight lie.

Sleep hadn’t come easy. Rather than battle insomnia, she left her bed to go to Roxie’s desk, swiping a few sheets of paper from the printer.

A few became a few more; the pen worked on its own, getting as much down as possible.

By the time she was done, her hand cramped and light peeked through the curtains.

New dawn.

No one else was awake. Not that she considered that before leaving Roxie’s to hurry downstairs. Knocking on Porter’s front door, she wanted to get in and out before anyone noticed her absence. What time was it? She hadn’t thought to check. Oops.

Adrenaline raced her heart. This was a bad idea on so many levels. It went against the cells that made up her being. It was almost as if basic genetics imprinted an aversion to turning on her family. Out of guilt? Or was it fear?

She knocked again. What was taking so long?

Could it be so early Porter wasn’t up yet?

Alternatively, it was later and he’d already gone to work.

Please don’t say it was the latter. The last thing she wanted to do was walk up to the prosecutor’s office where anyone could see her.

The idea was to gain her freedom, not incite her enemies into acting against her and those she loved.

Another knock. Maybe slightly more insistent than the last. Rudeness had its place in urgency. It wasn’t bad manners, more like determination. Yes, determination was a good word. Boy, could she convince herself of anything.

She’d apologize later. Send Porter some expensive scotch or fancy cufflinks, whatever Roxie said he liked. Being friends with the ex wasn’t a bad deal while attempting to keep someone on her side.

There was reason behind the madness; it wasn’t just random insanity.

No, she saved that for Breck. This mission had to be completed while she had the gumption to do it.

Translated: before she talked herself out of it.

If it took a whole day—God knew how long Porter stayed at work.

Guys like him didn’t stick to a typical nine-to-five. Something she had experience with.

But it was the weekend. Would he go into work at the weekend? This was a big case, probably a seven day a week deal. If not, sleeping in may be more—

A click prompted her back a small step. Yes! There was someone on the—hair wet, Porter was tying a robe when he opened the door.

“Knew it couldn’t be Rox, she’d never be up this early on a Saturday.”

Days of the week versus weekends probably didn’t factor much into Roxie’s decision making these days.

Her life was the same and different every day of the week.

Irrelevant. Get to the point. The man hadn’t been disturbed for no reason.

From the look of him, he’d been in the shower.

Impressive that he’d heard the door at all.

Despite vigilant building security, the danger posed by her relatives probably hung heavy on him.

Maybe he was conscious of every little noise.

Paranoid? No. Smart. As she was all too aware.

She glanced around the doorframe feeling a tickle of it herself.

Could be there were cameras somewhere she didn’t see.

Shit. The point. Right.

“I have something for you,” she said, holding her stack of papers aloft. “Something…”

“That might help the prosecution?”

Quick study. “No one can know. Not even Roxie.”

“It’s about your family.”

Obviously, what else would be of interest to him? What else did they have in common? A love of Alice Breckenridge, but that wasn’t a truth she’d keep hidden.

“Can you keep it between us?” The guy could lie, but she had to hear the words anyway. “If this sits uncomfortably for you—”

“Come in,” he said, stepping aside to let her enter.

Despite being there the previous night, she waited, as was polite, until he led her over to the desk and gestured for her to sit.

She settled herself. “You didn’t give me an answer.”

“Can I keep it between us? Depends what it is,” he said, pulling his chair around to sit at the end of the desk.

Less confrontational, more conversational.

The guy was good. “I won’t make any false promises.

Roxie doesn’t know every detail about my life.

My boss on the other hand, if it helps the case—”

“It can’t get out that I was the one to provide this. I won’t testify. I won’t sign any affidavits or put my name on anything. As far as the world is concerned, this never happened.”

“If you have evidence of criminality, I need to be able to use it. That means chain of custody. Without that, whatever you share may be useless. Zairn is protecting your sister, she trusted him to—”

“No,” she said, adamant. “I’m not doing this for me.

I’m not even doing it because it’s the right thing to do.

” A shameful thing to admit. “I’m doing this to be with the man that I love.

” With that clarity, Porter’s shoulders went back as he sagged a little.

Did he judge her? He should; she judged herself.

“I can’t be with him if I’m always looking over my shoulder. ”

His nod was slow yet understanding. “What have you got for me?”

Still no definitive answer on secrecy. Nothing was set in stone yet, she could still get up and walk out. Except that would be tantamount to walking out on Breck. Damnit.

“Why did you and Roxie break up?”

The question just popped out. Yeah, okay, maybe it wasn’t her business, but if she was going to entrust her future to this guy, his honesty was important too.

If he was cagey with her, why should she be open with him?

She’d confessed the truth about her motivation, that was personal.

Didn’t that give her the right to ask a personal question in return?

“I proposed,” he said with a flash of a smile. “That was enough to scare her off.”

She winced. “And then she went and got engaged to Zairn?”

He shrugged. “Z worked hard for it and Rox didn’t want to be a congressman’s wife…

” Oh, wow, a man of ambition. “It’s a long story.

I’m happy for them. Roxie’s a dynamic woman, she needs the life Zairn gives her.

” The excitement? The unpredictability? “They’re a better match than Rox and I were.

I didn’t see it at the time, I see it now. No hard feelings.”

What happens when the person you see in your forever walks away? Something she didn’t want her or Breck to learn.

“Magnanimous of you.”

“Zairn’s a good guy. I wanted to hate him,” he said, raising his hands. “Everything I thought I knew about his reputation, and he was moving in on my ex…”

“Moving in or moved in?”

“Then the guy went and lined up a star witness.” Hmm, the prosecutor was good at ducking questions. “How could I hate him after that?”

“One step closer to congressman.”

An exhaled laugh. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“You must still be close if you’re living in their building.”

“These days I talk more to Zairn than to Rox. He kind of keeps a lid on things for her. She needs him in a way she never needed me. Not in a dependent type way, they complement each other. He takes care of the details, she focuses on bullshit he’d rather not deal with.

She’s amazing for the brand, plays to it, I think. ”

“I’ve got to say she fits in with his set so well, sometimes better than him. It’s a relief for him to just sit back and watch her work. No one works a room as well as her.” Or so she’d heard. “She’s a natural.”

“Cares though, more than people think. The frivolous thing works sometimes, but if she needs to switch it on, she can. I remember the night she heard about the fire at my apartment. Man, was she pissed I’d taken on the Gambatto case.

And this was after we were broken up. Even still, she called as soon as she heard, read me the riot act.

Would’ve done anything to get me to give it up. ”

After they were broken up. Huh. That was something.

In college, there had been guys, boyfriends, but her relationship with Breck was unique.

She’d never cared for another man the way she did for him.

From that aspect, she had no frame of reference.

Love for Breck was automatic and the care came by default.

If she found out he was putting himself in danger, she’d go nuts too.

Casual college hookups, the men before him, didn’t inspire that same fervor.