An hour later, I hear the water beginning to drain from the tub. A bath I’d run for Hadley so she could relax and I could think. I glance at the closed bathroom door, seeing the shadow of Hadley’s feet passing by.
Things have changed now. I know it. And I imagine so does she.
We can’t go back. Not after the emotional line we just crossed. I want to remove her worries. Christ, I want to erase her pain. I know I can, that’s the trouble. I’m the one man she needs, and she’s the very woman I crave.
And now I have the answer for why she sought out other men. Me. My refusal to fight for her and to be the man she begged me to be, and the thought sickens me, making me question where my loyalty has been. For the last year, I’ve been restrained under my duty to the senator, but I’d devastated Hadley because of that loyalty. All of that I can handle. What I can’t handle is that she kept coming back, knowing I would reject her.
She never gave up. Not once.
Before my feet carry me toward her, my phone rings, a blessed distraction. I grab it from my back pocket and see it’s Gabe. “Hey, Gabe. What’s up?” I ask.
“I’ve got that name for you,” he says. “Want it over the phone?”
I get his worry. We’re being tapped, but the phone is a burner that isn’t connected to me at all, because at this point there’s not a single piece of electronic equipment that I trust. “This is a safe line, who is it?”
“It’s Congressman Westhaven.”
I stare at the bathroom door, watching Hadley’s feet pass by again, telling me she’s likely hanging up her towel after getting dressed. “Patrick Westhaven?”
“Yup. That’s the one.”
The mention of a politician straightens my spine like a steel rod. “How do you know that it’s him?” I wasn’t expecting the name to be given this easily. Usually anything that’s too easy makes me suspicious.
“Because I put a few feelers out there and it appears that the congressman is known for leaving private invitations in lockers. It’s his kink, so to speak.”
“Oh, I see.” Not what I expected to hear, but nonetheless it makes me more confident that he’s the guy I want to talk to. “What else do you know of the congressman?”
“Other than that, not much. The manager at the club said that he can be a little shady and rough at times.”
“Good to know.” The congressman isn’t my only concern. “Is he into ménages?”
“From what I was told, he usually acts alone.”
My internal alarms go off. Perhaps this other person is the hacker. And maybe the congressman and the hacker are working together to somehow get the senator out of the way. “Anything else?”
“I’m afraid that’s all I’ve got. I don’t think I need to tell you the importance of leaving the club out of this?”
“I’ll keep Afterglow out of the conversation.” I understand Gabe’s concern because the privacy of his members means something to him. He’s already crossed a line telling me this information, but we both know it was a line that had to be crossed. “I have possession of the video he is in. That has nothing to do with the club. He won’t connect the two.”
“Perfect. Good luck.”
“Thanks for the help” is all I say as I end the call. But before putting my cell away, I call Alex.
She answers on the second ring. “Whatcha need, boss?”
“Look into Congressman Patrick Westhaven. He’s one of our guys.”
“On it.”
The phone line goes dead. Alex is top-notch; I know she’ll find everything I need to know and more before the night ends. I place the phone on the coffee table, drop my head into my hands, and rub my eyes, feeling the stress and strain over the past days wearing on me.
A lot weighs on finding this hacker. Once we have that information, I should be able to find out the connection between the recording devices at Gabe’s pub and the tabloids, and this hopefully will lead me to what I need to know about the senator.
God, I hope I’m right and I can end this all quickly. I’m tired, irritated, slightly emotional, and sexually frustrated, all of which are a terrible combination.
“Is everything okay?”
I lift my head and find Hadley standing there. Damp hair hanging over her silky robe. Face fresh without any makeup. Skin perfect with rosy cheeks and those perfect pouty lips, slightly pinkened. Her green eyes locked on mine.