Vaughn's Pride: California Cowboys
Page 21
All four men were silent for a moment. Derek knew better than to ask Teague for details about his life prior to the day Teague arrived in D.C. to attend law school at Georgetown, but he’d gleaned enough over the years to realize that Teague had lived through things most people only saw on television shows like Breaking Bad. If anyone knew what it felt like to be young, alone, and desperate, it was Teague.
“Now if only we knew whether she’ll be satisfied with the payoff I gave her…” he muttered.
“She will,” Kamal said with confidence. “Even after she gives the agency their cut she earns a great deal, and she was raised in a culture that highly reveres integrity. Her word is probably as good as gold. You just made her day at work more profitable than usual is all.” He paused. “How much did you give her anyway?”
“Twenty grand.” Derek sighed. He made a very good living, but twenty grand wasn’t chump change, and he’d really been looking forward to having that new Jaguar F-Type parked in his Georgetown garage next month.
“Ouch,” Jeff said, grimacing.
“So we think she’ll keep quiet?” Kamal summarized.
Teague and Jeff nodded.
“And if she doesn’t?” Kamal asked.
“Then we’re fucked,” Derek answered. “And eighteen months of plans are as well.”
No one looked happy at that. The Powerplay club had worked hard to choose Melville. They’d scouted candidates, discussed options, and vetted the Senator very carefully. It was a colossal disappointment to find out he had bad habits they hadn’t discovered prior to his announcement.
“How did this slip by us?” Jeff asked. “There was nothing in his background or profile that indicated he was seeing a hooker.”
“Escort,” Derek interjected half-heartedly.
“Whatever,” Jeff replied.
Teague snorted.
Derek continued, “I don’t know how it slipped by, I’ve talked to our investigators and believe me we’ll be shopping around for some new talent, but in the meantime I do not like someone else holding the cards here.”
“Let me look into options to get us in a better position,” Teague said. “Maybe we can find some sort of leverage to insure she keeps quiet.”
“I’ll ask my contact at the D.C. police department what he can tell us about the escort service too,” Jeff added, running a hand over his buzz cut hair. Even though he’d been assigned to the Pentagon for several years, he kept his hair as short as a field officer did.
“Good,” Kamal said. “And let’s get Scott to keep an eye on our candidate while he’s at work on the Hill.” Powerplay member Scott Campbell was Chief of Staff for the President Pro Temp of the Senate.
“And I’ve got him when he’s on the campaign trail.” Derek scowled.
“Now,” Kamal pressed. “What’s next on the agenda?”
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About the Author
Selena Laurence is an award-winning and USA TODAY bestselling author who loves Putting the Heat in Happily Ever After. Her super sexy stories take place everywhere from rock concerts to family ranches, and her books can be found around the world in four languages, at libraries, bookstores, online, and in audio.
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