The Rebel King (All the King's Men Duet #2) - Kennedy Ryan Page 0,111
watch the bottom line ruthlessly, and take risks that will propel us all forward. A man who will honor the past when we got it right, and apologize for when we got it wrong, and who is determined the future will be better than we can imagine.”
I turn my attention to the audience and shrug, smile.
“Just consider the kind of woman that man would choose, and you’ve got Lennix Hunter.”
50
Maxim
“I swear I’ll try to make it,” I tell Lennix, taking a sip of my coffee.
“I know how full your schedule is today,” she says from the other end of the line. “You don’t turn down Good Morning America for anything. This is a great chance for you to connect with voters.”
“Yeah, Kimba sent me some policy notes last night to review. It was basically War and Peace, but slightly longer.”
“She’s thorough.” Lennix laughs. “I’ll give her that.”
“We’ll probably strangle each other before November. Being on the road without you as a buffer sucks. There’s no one to protect me from her.”
“Well I’m on the road myself. The governor’s race is heating up, and I think we’ve got a real shot of turning Virginia blue. I mean, it’s a swing state, so it’ll probably go red again in four years, but I gotta try, right?”
“Right.” I rest in the easy silence for a few seconds, just enjoying the sound of her voice, the thought of her. “I miss you.”
“Same, Doc. Same.”
I smile even though it hurts to not be with her. “There’s some guys in from Hong Kong. After GMA, I have to meet with them and try to save this deal, but I plan to catch a flight right after so I can be there in time.”
“If you don’t make it—”
“It’s a big deal. I want to be there.”
“Okay.” I hear the smile in her voice. “Well, I have to go now. It’s still really early here, but Mena will be up soon. I’m going for a run then making her breakfast for a change.”
“Tell her I said hi. I love you. It needs to be Tuesday really soon.”
“We don’t have to say that anymore,” she laughs.
“I know, but I just like it.”
“Bye, you.”
“Bye, you.”
I need to focus. Kimba really did send me a huge stack of policy notes. She wants me prepared for this interview. I already know they’ll ask about Nix and me. There’s no paper for that. Everyone does these days. Not in the “dirty little secret” way they used to. Now they want to know if we’re engaged yet. Will she be my first lady if I win this thing?
Who the hell knows?
It’s an act of faith, tabling our marriage discussion, but moving forward on the trail. Maybe she’ll warm to the idea of re-shaping what the role of first lady could look like. I won’t rush her. It is a huge sacrifice. Hell, if I win, I can’t run my businesses while I’m in office. I built those from the ground up. The thought of someone else steering them, shaping them while I’m away, is galling. But I meant what I said. I’m running because I believe I can change things.
The door opens as I’m reviewing a few immigration laws that really do need to be struck from the books.
“Grim,” I say. “Didn’t your mama teach you to knock?”
“I think you’ll be more interested in what I have for you than in my manners,” he says dryly, but with just enough excitement in the undercurrent of his voice to catch my attention.
“What you got?”
“Him,” Grim says simply.
My head snaps up and I pin him with my stare. “Gregory? You got a lead on him?”
“Not just a lead. I know exactly where he is. I got eyes on him, King.”
“How?”
“We found the rat.”
“How?”
“I’ll let Wallace tell you,” he says, dialing on his phone and coming around my desk so I can see. Wallace comes onscreen. He hasn’t been around much since our confrontation at Lennix’s apartment. Lennix and I have been on the road most of the time, first for Owen, then to Wyoming, and then for my campaign.
“Hey, Maxim,” he says. It looks like he’s home, based on the bedroom visible behind him.
“Wallace, how’d this happen?”
“Uh, yeah.” He rubs his eyes. “There’s this tech on my team, Chauncey. When I got back to work after Costa Rica, he was acting weird. Really weird. Missing work, checked out. Not at all like he was before my trip. Then he requested a transfer not long after I