“Oh?” I twist my face to his, so he has my full attention. “You said he was focused and determined, and…” My mind wanders to our telephone conversation last night. Stuart said Reed was obsessed. That he was worried he was going to burn out. But when I spoke to Reed afterward, he sounded almost regretful. Like he blames himself for me leaving.
“He is.” Stuart glances at Paige, but she’s in her own little world talking to her goat.
“Then, what? Has something happened?” I scan his face for any sign of alarm, any hint as to why the hesitation in his voice has my lungs burning as though they’re filling with acid.
“You could say that. I…” Stuart runs a hand around the back of his neck. “He’s about to announce who he’s selecting as the commissioners for the agencies. The NYPD being one of them.” The corner of Stuart’s left eye twitches as he talks.
“Right,” I reply, confused about where this conversation is going.
“He… He knows who he wants. And who he doesn’t.”
“Sounds like Reed,” I say. “He’s always known his own mind. Especially when it comes to who he wants working alongside him. He’s going to make a great mayor.”
We slow down so Paige can walk her goat along the seat of an unoccupied bench.
“Yes. He is. And he’s going to make the decisions that are right for the city. Not the ones that are right for him personally.”
“What do you mean?”
Stuart presses his lips together before releasing them with a soft smacking sound. “I mean. He can’t let anything get in the way of what’s best for the city. Even if it isn’t what’s best for him. He can’t let the past dictate the future.”
The blood in my veins turns to ice and my feet stop moving.
“Why are you talking about the past?” I stare at Stuart as he stops walking and calls to Paige to wait for us. “Stuart?” My voice rises as I step closer to him.
“I know, Harley.” His chest deflates as he confesses. “I know about everything. It’s my job to knoweverything. Past, present, even future, to some extent.”
“But…?” I step backward, unsure of what to say next.
“It’s my job to find out everything. When you’re running for something like mayor, you have to be prepared. You squash an ant when you’re six years old, and someone will find out and try to use it to discredit you. It’s the way it works. I’m not saying it’s right. But it’s how it’s always been.”
“You know about what happened to him?” My voice is barely a whisper. If Stuart found this out, then anyone could find it out. There must be ways. It must be possible. I thought Griffin would be able to find out who was behind sending me the video. It must be someone with a motive. Someone who has something to gain from George Yates being the NYPD commissioner.
But what if it’s just some crazed person who thrives on drama and attention? What if they have no real reason, except for the fact they’ve discovered this huge, damaging part of the future mayor’s life? What if finding out about Reed’s past wasn’t as hard as I thought? Stuart knows. Whoever sent the video knows.
What if the net needs to be cast wider than I thought? What if Griffin, even with all his contacts around the city, and beyond, can’t find out who sent it. What if we never find out?
Reed will never be free of his past. Someone will always be able to discover it and use it against him.
“I do. I’ve always known about the assault. But Reed didn’t mention it, and it didn’t matter. Until now.” Stuart looks at me intently.
“Now?” I try to fight the rising nausea from my stomach back down.
“I know you’re being forced to do things you don’t want to, Harley.”
“How?” My shoulders shake and my throat burns as I blink to keep the tears at bay. Hearing Stuart say it out loud reminds me that it’s real. Watching Paige, the sun shining down on us in the park, I could almost believe it was all a nightmare and not real at all.
I wipe at my eyes and Stuart wraps his arms around me and pulls me into him. He smells of expensive, spicy cologne and coffee.
“Like I said. It’s my job to know about it all. And I’m sorry you’re being dragged into this. I’ve seen some shit in this job. But this is the lowest of it all.”
The muscles in his chest tense against my cheek, and I take a deep breath to compose myself. I don’t want to upset Paige if she sees me crying.
“Are you two going to get married?”
I pull back and Paige is looking up at us, her nose wrinkled, the little goat held firmly in both hands in front of her chest.
“No. Why would you think that?” Stuart laughs.