Page 106 of Release

Everyone nods and notes it, but Declan arches an eyebrow at me.

Shit.

He’s the one person I really don’t want asking questions about it. I know I made him a promise years ago, but things have changed.

The situation’s changed.

Hehas changed. He’s now George’s lifeline. I could drop dead tomorrow, and Declan would still keep George going, and George would keep Declan going. They need each other.

If George loses Declan…

Well, I can’t take that risk. For a whole bunch of reasons.

We wrap up our morning staff meeting just as I receive the alert from George’s alarm that he’s set it, meaning he’s inbound. I dismiss everyone and start to prep the bullet points for George’s morning briefing, but Declan hangs back and shuts my office door before he turns to me.

I don’t glance up even though I watch him with my peripheral vision. “Yes?”

He slides his hands into his pockets and walks over. “Talk to me, Case.”

I take a deep breath and sit back to find his brown gaze focused on me. George is letting Declan’s beard grow out again, several days’ stubble shadowing his jaw around his mustache and goatee. I wish the man would pick a look and let Declan stick with it for more than a few weeks at a time.

Although I guess I can’t fault the man. Heisa control freak, after all, and the distraction Declan’s providing him with is making him want to keep living. George used to love dictating things to Ellen, like what dress she’d wear to an event, or her nail polish color, or her hair style. Little things they both enjoyed him having control over.

Apparently, he’s following the same path with Declan.

“Talk about what?” I ask.

“The private dinner. I thought we agreed no more off-book events this close to the general.”

“We did, but there will be money in attendance that I want to try to sweep into the PAC for extra cable network TV ads beyond what we already have budgeted.”

He cocks his head and my breath catches, because it reminds me so much of how George does it. He’s picked up a lot of George’s mannerisms in the past several months. I don’t think either man realizes it, either.

Ellen had, too. She gave me that same head cock I don’t know how many times.

He drops his voice. “Try again.”

“That’s the truth, Declan.”

“That’spartof the truth.” He stands there, feet apart, shoulders back, hands in his pockets. I canseeGeorge in him. This is beyond even Alpha Declan.

It’s a damn shame Dec doesn’t want to run for office. I could get him elected in a heartbeat. He’s got the looks, the personality, and the brains for it.

“It’s need-to-know,” I tell him.

“He’s going toaskme, Case. Tell me what I tellhim, because he’s not going to believe me any more than I believe you right now.”

Declan never uses my name this much in private conversations.

I shift positions in my chair. “I’m targeting some whales who’ve previously donated. Certain select industries. They’re friends with each other, and the organizer is friends with them and has donated handsomely to the campaign before. If we can get commitments right there from even one of them, the others will jizz themselves trying to out-do each other and contribute. Dick-measuring contest with dollars. It’s a highly targeted strategy that leaves George’s hands clean, and will hopefully leave us a cushy bank balance to spend on extra cable news network TV ad buys to bury our opponent in our shaky districts around Memphis and Knoxville.”

Now he looks puzzled. “Then why can’t I go? He’ll ask me that, too. Why are you freezing me out of this?”

“Because you’ll be over at WZTV filming the political panel show that they’re airing next weekend.” Theduhis implied.

He scowls. “Oh.” He pulls out his work phone and I’m sure it’s his calendar he’s pulled up. Then he scratches at the stubble along his jaw. “Shit. I forgot about that.”

I say it. “Duh.”