Natalie
“What do you want? I’ve already given you a job, haven’t I?” Fat Ed grumbles from behind his desk, looking straight at me with an expression of disgust. As if he expected me to turn on my heels and leave at once, he returns his gaze to his laptop screen.
“It was you!” I growl, taking one step toward his desk and staring him down, rage making the blood boil inside my veins. I was always meek and timid when around him, but right now I’m a wild beast. I think that some of Hunter’s wildness has rubbed off on me. And thank God, because right now I need all of that wildness.
“What are you talking about?” he asks me, slowly raising his gaze from his laptop screen and closing the lid. “And who do you think you are? You can’t talk to me like that.”
“Just admit it!” I insist, gritting my teeth so hard that a stab of pain shoots up my skull. “You went through my trash, found the recorder and… and you were the one behind the leak! It had to be you.”
“What if it was me? Maybe I was just doing the job I hired you to do.” Is it just me or is he smiling right now? The bastard is enjoying this!
“You had no right!” I cry out, balling one hand into a fist and slamming it down on his desk. His eyes widen in surprise and, for a short moment, he seems taken back by my sudden outburst. He has grown accustomed to good girl Natalie, but now he’s face-to-face with a fiercer version; one that’s more than ready to rip his head out.
“How could you?” I insist, lowering my voice into a whisper. Ed has never been someone I considered to be a good person, but I also never thought of him as a straight up evil one. But I was wrong about it, oh so wrong.
“Don’t act like a naive stupid girl,” he growls, reaching for the carton of cigarettes in front of him and fishing out a cigarette. “A lot of people want this fight to happen, in case you haven’t noticed it.”
“What does that have to do with me? I’m just a journalist!”
“Yeah, sure, a journalist,” he laughs as he lights up the cigarette. “You’re just a hot piece of ass, Natalie, and you were exactly what was needed to make these two come to blows.”
“You mother --”
“Uh, uh. Watch your words,” he whispers, still smiling as he puffs on his cigarette. “You still have a career you want to build, right? Don’t fuck it all up just because you feel something for these two.”
“How do you --?” I start to ask, but then I remember that he listened to the tape. And in that tape was a recording of everything that happened during that night. Everything. Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone as much as I hate Ed right now.
“Yes, smart girl,” he laughs, focusing on how my expression changes as I realize the extent of what he knows. “Now, don’t be embarrassed… You might be a fine piece of ass, but there’s still hope for you; you can be so much better than that.”
“What are you saying?” I hiss, resisting the urge to jump on top of his desk and strangling him.
“Use your brain, girl. You have a privileged relationship with both men… If you play your cards right, the sky’s the limit for you. You can go far in the Gazette - maybe even escape that gutter that’s the sports department.”
“You want me to use them?” I ask him, not sure if I believe what I’m hearing.
“And you call yourself a journalist? That’s exactly what journalists do, you stupid girl. They use people so that they can get to the truth.”
“This isn’t about the truth! This is about you being greedy! You don’t care about anyone or anything, you just want to sell newspapers and line your own pockets!” I reply, raising my voice so much that I’m not longer just arguing - I’m shouting at him.
“Think it over… Play your cards right, you idiot. Soon enough I’ll be retiring, and who knows…? You might even end up running the Gazette. Wouldn’t you like that, Natalie?”
“And all I need to do is offer my soul in return, right? You want me to work as your spy, to feed you privileged information, and then I’ll have what I want, uh…?”
“There’s a price for everyone… Even for you,” he growls again, finishing his cigarette and putting it out.
“No,” I whisper, suddenly realizing the extent of my feelings toward Hunter and Logan. “If I have a price, it’s not one you can afford.” I take a deep breath then and just the let the words explode in my mouth. “I quit,” I tell him, the words coming out of my mouth like flaming cannonballs. With one last disgusted look at Ed, I then turn on my heels and bolt out of his office.
Screw Ed, screw the Gazette… I don’t need any of it. I have been lucky enough to meet both Hunter and Logan, all the rest is nothing more than a detail. And now that I know the truth of what happened, maybe I can put a stop to all this. I can build a bridge between Hunter and Logan, tell them all about the recording and how Ed played me… Maybe there’s still hope.
Heading toward the office I share with Michelle, I don’t even respond as she asks me about what happened. She’s talking, but I’m not even listening to what she’s saying - I have a one track mind right now.
I just hope I’m not too late.
With trembling fingers, I take my phone out of my purse and dial Hunter’s number. “Please, please, please…” I whisper as I hear the tone on the other side. If Hunter picks up, I’ll tell him the truth of what happened, and then there’s no reason for him to fight with Logan…
Oh, God, please.
Please, please, please.
I keep the phone pressed against my ear for what seems like forever, but Hunter never picks up.
Even though I know the truth, it seems that there’s no way for me to stop this fight. This is Hunter’s last day before he isolates himself on a training camp, and then there’s no way I can get to him.
And if that happens, all this will be in God’s hands.
“Please, Hunter, pick up,” I whisper, hoping that someone up above is listening to me.