Shattered Grace

by Brook Wilder

  ***

  It took me two days to get to New York.

  After leaving a very happy and sated Jill, I returned home and put my plans in motion with Chains and Widow Maker’s help. They wholeheartedly agreed with my plans, probably because they could see that I was in love with Jill and wanted to get some sort of retribution for what Julian had done to her.

  After a long flight, I stepped into New York City, something I didn’t think I’d ever have to do.

  I took an Uber to the Times building right before lunch, not even bothering to stop and eat first. There was someone waiting for me, a New York Chapter Rough Jesters brother who also worked as a security officer for the building. “Thanks for helping out,” I said, bumping fists with him as I walked past. He had gotten me access to Julian Elbert through his secretary, whom he had been fucking. She had, in turn, put me on Julian’s schedule, which was all I needed.

  I just needed fifteen minutes.

  I was doing this for Jill, to finally have her believe that she was better than this fucker so we could move forward with the future that we were gonna have together.

  I walked into the plush corner office, seeing the man standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city below.

  This was the man that stood in the way of my fucking future.

  Elbert turned and I watched as I took in the man that stood before me. I wore a suit, dressing the part of an eager writer looking for an internship.

  Hey, I could still pull off the clean-cut look.

  “Mr. Morrison?”

  “Mr. Elbert,” I said with fake eagerness, to inflate his ego, as we shook hands. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

  “Of course, of course,” he smiled, gesturing toward the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”

  I did as he asked, adjusting my trousers as I did so. Elbert sat behind the desk and looked at me expectantly. “Well. So you want to be an intern.”

  “I do,” I said, giving him a grin. “Who doesn’t want to work for the best paper in the world?”

  That did him in and I saw the tension ebb from his expression. I had him now. “Well then, that’s the truth, son. It’s the reason I wanted to be the head editor here.”

  I slid forward, resting my hands on my knees. “I’ve read up on you. Congratulations on your Pulitzer. It’s a dream of mine, of course. Can you tell me how you did it?”

  “Good writing,” he chuckled. “And perseverance.”

  I frowned. “I heard about your scandal. I’m glad to hear it hasn’t affected your work.”

  “Of course not,” he answered. “Just another person trying to cash in on my hard work. I feel sorry for her, you know?”

  “I’m sure.” I reached into my suit coat pocket. “Because I have the original exposé right here, and it doesn’t have your name on it.”

  The light in Elbert’s eyes died as he looked at the packet of papers, which was nothing more than a newspaper folded up. “Who the fuck are you?”

  I grinned. “A concerned citizen is all. Here’s what you are going to do. You are going to grant Jill Anders the front page of the Times in two weeks for her fucking story, with her fucking name on it. Then you are going to get her an interview with the owner of this newspaper to be the editor of her own division.”

  Elbert looked at me and burst into laughter. “You think I would do anything for that bitch? She gave me what I needed, which was this fucking job and that Pulitzer that will be hanging on the wall in a few weeks.” He then grinned at me. “You’re fucking her, aren’t you?”

  I knew he was trying to get under my skin, but I wasn’t gonna let him. I tapped the bundle of papers against my knee, watching as he followed my every move. “Well, this is unfortunate, really. I thought we could come to an agreement.”

  “For her?” Elbert laughed. “She was too gullible. Easy pickings for me. She had talent, I’ll admit that, and that talent has benefitted me greatly.”

  Damn, the man loved to hear himself talk. I stood, tucking the papers back into my coat. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Elbert. I got what I needed.”

  He paused. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the recorder that Jill had let me borrow. “You know, for such a smart man, you are really fucking dumb.”

  Sweat broke out on his forehead. “I didn’t tell you shit. No one is going to believe you.”

  “Maybe not,” I answered, tossing the recorder in the air. “But I bet a hell of a lot of people will have questions for you, including those judges for that fancy prize of yours. You might not lose it all, but I will give you a damn bumpy ride to get what you want now.”

  His face drained of color. “I could have you killed before you exit the building.”

  Chuckling, I made my way to the door. “Could you, now? Didn’t realize the Times hired someone with those kinds of connections. You know I’m still recording, right? Not just on this thing, but on my phone, and it’s backed up to the cloud. Two-factor authentication and everything.” I was totally bluffing, but damn, it sounded really good.

  Nor did I believe that he was going to have me killed. Hell, I could kill him before I left this office, but I really was trying to get home to Jill and not be stuck in jail.

  “Fine,” he rasped as my hand clung to the doorknob. “Just don’t send that tape.”

  I grinned and passed through the door, winking at the secretary as I passed. “Your boss is a dick.” I told her as I got in the elevator and gave Elbert the finger.

  Chapter 23

  Wires

  Today a Senate committee was convened to review the allegations of government corruption and involvement in the Pacifica Cartel. The story first broke on the front page of the New York Times, in an article written by Jill Anders based upon an interview that she conducted with a former CIA agent, code name Voodoo. In that article, Voodoo accuses the US government of funding the Pacifica Cartel, which has been responsible for numerous innocent deaths on both sides of the border. There will be more to come on this breaking story.

  The Senate committee heard the testimonies of numerous witnesses today, most from a well-known biker club in Castillo, Texas. The Rough Jesters Motorcycle Club had previously been tied to cartel dealings, but today, it brought forth a plethora of evidence to support the claim by ex-CIA agent Voodoo, along with videos that showed the known violence in Mexico. There were also videos that showed blurred images of a US-sanctioned hit in Mexico where innocent bystanders were killed. There was clear evidence that the US government was involved, for which the Senate members appointed to the hearing had many questions about the validity of the evidence. Mr. Rex Harper, president of the Rough Jesters Chapter in Texas, gave his testimony on the evidence and explained how his club members were able to decode a cryptocurrency wallet that held multiple accounts linked back to numerous well-known US businesses and shell companies.

  In a surprising twist today, the ex-CIA agent at the center of the cartel scandal made an appearance. Daniel Culbertson, a decorated agent, took the stand and told many stories about how he was used to leak information from the cartel to the US government and how he was sent to infiltrate the ranks of the Rough Jesters in order to learn more information about their alignment with the cartel. It was an insightful testimony and though one Senate committee member tried to interrupt Mr. Culbertson numerous times, the overseeing judge overruled the interruptions and allowed the testimonies to continue.

  Another surprise was the arrival of Castillo Police Chief Alisha Owens, a former ATF agent whose partner was imprisoned for kidnapping her. She relayed additional information that corroborated Mr. Culbertson’s testimony as well as evidence on behalf of the Castillo Police Department in regards to former Police Chief Brad Walker, and his personal involvement with the Pacifica Cartel prior to her arrival.

  Today’s testimony concluded with that of Kristina Harper, who spoke to the committee about the good that the Rough Jesters have been
doing over the last few years. Mrs. Harper provided evidence of the Rough Jesters’ involvement with FBI investigations and how they have helped extinguish the cartel’s presence in Texas and controlled the border war. The Senate will now go into private session for the final ruling.

  ***

  “Yes, of course I will. I can have something to you by the end of the night. Thank you.”

  I rubbed my stomach as I watched Jill take call after call, everyone suddenly vying for her writing skills. I let her enjoy her time, smiling inwardly every time she did a fist pump in the air.

  After years of being shunned by her peers, she was now one of those peers.

  I was so fucking proud of her.

  Jill turned, a huge smile on her face. “That was the LA Times. They want me to write them a piece for their paper, something unique that focuses on the cartel’s reign.”

  “That’s great,” I answered, patting the bed beside me. “But can you tell me while you’re lying naked beside me?”

  She smirked, walking toward the bed. “What? Are you missing me?”

  “Hell, yeah,” I said as she jumped in the bed, my bed to be exact. I grabbed her by the waist and hauled her against me. “It’s about time.”

  She pressed her lips against mine, causing me to growl and send my hands wandering over her body. After two weeks of stressful times with the Senate committee hearings in Washington, I was glad to be back home in Castillo. I think everyone was, really.

  And everything had worked out in the Jesters’ favor. The Senate had found that there was corruption from the US government in the cartel dealings, implicating numerous officials that would be tried in future hearings. Voodoo had also been exonerated, though the committee had stated that he could be called as an expert witness in other hearings.

  Jill’s article had appeared online first, then on the front page of the Times, with Elbert’s name nowhere to be found. I still wasn’t so sure what the editor would do and was waiting for him to make that phone call or else I would release that recording of him.

  I wasn’t playing around.

  Jill’s phone vibrated again, and I groaned against her shoulder. “Can’t it go to voice mail this time?”

  She giggled, pressing her lips against my cheek. “Let me just answer it. I will be back, I promise.”

  I reluctantly let her go, watching as she answered it. I was fucking happy for her. She deserved this and more.

  Jill hung up the phone and turned, her eyes wide. “That was the Times.”

  I smirked. “What did they want?”

  She palmed the cell phone. “Julian stepped down from his editor position. They want to fly me out to New York to interview.”

  My smile died. Even though I knew I had asked the fucker to do that, I hadn’t expected he would come through, much less step down from his dream job.

  Well, hell. Maybe my influence had backfired on my own fucking happiness. “That’s great, Jill, really.”

  Her eyes were shining as she climbed back in the bed. “I can’t believe this. That is the job that I wanted, the one that I worked so hard to achieve. Why do you think Julian stepped down?”

  “Probably because he realized that his secrets were gonna be exposed,” I answered, the words difficult to get out. She was gonna leave me. I couldn’t go to New York. I wouldn’t be comfortable there. Castillo was my home; the Jesters were my family.

  And I had thought Jill would be my future. “You’ve gotta go.”

  She propped up on her elbow. “Really? This is all so sudden.”

  Yeah, it was. “Of course you do,” I answered, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “This is the New York Times, Jill, not the damn local newspaper. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

  Jill chewed on her lip, her expression indecisive. “But I don’t want to leave you.”

  I forced a smile. “I’ll be fine, I promise. You can FaceTime me and we can have phone sex to satisfy your hunger for me.”

  Laughing, she straddled me, pressing her palms on my chest. “Is that what you think?”

  “It’s what I know.”

  Jill leaned down, brushing her lips over mine. “You might be right. I don’t think I can get enough of you.”

  I flipped her onto the bed, rising above her and taking in her flushed cheeks, the way she gazed at me like she really cared about me. I could do this. This was what I wanted for her, what she deserved, and I wasn’t about to tell her she couldn’t go and at least interview.

  No matter how big of a boulder it caused in my chest.

  Chapter 24

  Jill

  I straightened my shoulders as I walked off the elevator, trying not to squeal as I did so. I was in New York, in the New York Times building, about to interview for one of the biggest positions in the place. When they had called me about the editor position, the position that had formerly been held by Julian, I was shocked.

  Of all people they could have chosen, I should have been at the top of their list, but my recent fame with the exposé on the US government involvement with the cartel had really propelled me into the spotlight. Now my cell phone was full of voice mails from around the world, from interviews they wanted me to conduct to just plain interviews on me.

  The takedown had been on every newswire and every newspaper for weeks now. I couldn’t help but smile every time I saw something about it on the internet or in the news, knowing that I had finally arrived.

  And the conspiracy website? It was the hottest thing since sliced bread now that it had carried the biggest news of the century. The editor had reached out to me personally with a job offer to be part of the staff.

  Not a writer, but an editor. Had the Times not called me I would have given it serious consideration.

  Shaking my head, I found it hard not to grin every second of every day.

  I would never have thought this would have happened to me; not after everything I had gone through with Julian.

  Yet here I was, about to live out my biggest fantasy.

  Why didn’t I feel complete about it? There was something in my chest that was holding me back and it was suspiciously around my heart.

  I knew what it was. It was my strong feelings about Keith. I hadn’t told him how I really felt, holding that piece back because it could completely expose me to another human being again. I hadn’t opened my heart like this since Julian, but with Keith, everything was different.

  I was completely in love with him.

  Approaching the desk, I smiled at the receptionist. “Jill Anders. I have an appointment.”

  She smiled. “Welcome, Ms. Anders. They have been expecting you. If you will have a seat, I will check to see if they are ready.”

  I nodded and sat in one of the chairs that lined the hallway, watching as she stood, pausing before she went down the hall. “You know,” she said as she smoothed down her pencil skirt. “Every girl could only dream that their man would go to great lengths for them like yours has.”

  “What?”

  She gave me a knowing smile. “That hunky biker boy of yours and what he did to my former boss. I’m not sure what he said, but clearly it was in your favor and scared the shit out of Julian Elbert. I’ve never seen a man look so scared before who has not been touched.”

  Dumbfounded, I watched as she walked down the hall, a flood of emotions smacking into me. Keith had been here, in New York.

  He had confronted Julian on my behalf and whatever he had said to him had gotten me this interview of a lifetime.

  It was a sacrifice and it tore at my heart. That was the kind of man I wanted to be with. A man so selfless that he was going to allow me this opportunity, an opportunity he had created so that I could be happy.

  What he didn’t realize was that I was happiest when I was with him.

  What was I doing here then? My man, my future, was back in Castillo.

  “Miss Anders? They are ready to see you now.”

  I stood, not feeling as nervous as I had when I wa
lked into the building and followed the receptionist to the large boardroom, where the owner of the Times and his board members sat. There were smiles all around and I knew this was just a formality on their end before they would offer me the position.

  After all, I was the hottest thing in the journalism world right now and would be stupid to turn it down.

  “Miss Anders,” one of them stated, nodding toward me. “Thank you for coming to meet with us.”

  “Thank you for the offer,” I answered, not sitting in the chair that was likely for me. “But I am going to have to leave.”

  There was not an unshocked face to be had. “Leave?”