Chapter 18
Viviana looked out at the sea of people crowding around them on the steps of the campaign headquarters. As strange as it seemed, the women, particularly the young girls in the crowd, seemed as interested in her as they were in their candidate. Although every time Enrique smiled or met their eager gazes, one or two of them practically swooned in excitement.
“Okay, ladies and gentlemen. All of you know that I will never break a campaign promise. Unlike a lot of other politicians—make that almost all of them—”
His supporters interrupted his gibe with catcalls and excited laughter. Enrique held up his hand. “Now, now, remember, we are running a positive campaign, so I won’t spend time on my opponents. But . . . ” He paused dramatically, then said with a cockeyed grin, “Tell me this: how many candidates do you know who said that they could get the single most famous cop in this state to campaign with them?” The crowd roared in excitement. “And who did it?” At the roars from the crowd, Enrique’s smile split his face. He held out his hand to Viviana, who’d been standing off to the side with Nicolas and Sonia. A little surprised that he didn’t first acknowledge his wife, whose practiced smile could have chipped diamonds, Viviana gave in, accepted Enrique’s hand, and allowed him to pull her to the center of the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce, straight from galaxies far, far away, none other than the Enchantress herself!”
In the excited din that followed his introduction, Viviana couldn’t help but be impressed. Good grief, she was an admitted media darling, a role that she’d carefully cultivated. But seeing the horde of reporters and cameramen sprinkled throughout the excited crowd, she was impressed. Granted, Enrique was running for governor, which was a big deal no matter how you looked at it. But the number of media representatives shoving their way to the front of the eager supporters was truly noteworthy. A little shiver of apprehension flitted up her spine. Remembering Jax’s assertion that the ambitious candidate was piggybacking off her notoriety, she conceded there was truth to his claim. But that was nothing new. Face it, a lot of people, worthy and unworthy, had tried to use her fame to bolster a campaign or an issue. After her lengthy conversation this afternoon with Enrique, she’d decided there were a lot less worthy causes wanting her approval than those driving the dashing gubernatorial candidate.
****
Earlier, after she and Sonia spent several minutes making careful small talk with one another, Enrique grasped her hand, pulling her close to him. His face alight with enthusiasm, he said, “I know how tiring it must be that so many people want a piece of you.” He added with a self-effacing grin, “I’m beginning to understand the wear and tear that being a star can do to one’s equilibrium, as you, of all people, must know.” He put up his hands imploringly and said, “Given that my campaign staff is waiting in the conference room, barely able to contain their excitement, how about it, Enchantress? Can you make some young people’s day? Make that their week—hell, their year!”
Viviana laughed. “Yes, Enrique, being a star does have its pitfalls. But at least for me, my notoriety—as my detractors call my ‘stardom,’ is a price I gladly pay for the attention it brings to the issues that I care deeply about.”
Enrique agreed. “Exactly, Viviana. That is precisely why I am eager to have you support my campaign. And why that crowd of young people down the hall is counting the minutes until they get to meet one of their true heroines in person.”
Viviana conceded that Enrique had not overstated his campaign staff’s enthusiasm. Walking into the large conference room filled primarily with young people, she was surprised at the outflowing of enthusiasm. The applause from the group lasted for several minutes. At first, Viviana was taken back. She hoped that this enthusiastic group understood that she was not a member of the campaign. Being as intuitive as he apparently was, Viviana was grateful when Nicolas stepped in front of her.
“Now, now, everyone. Not that Sergeant Moreau isn’t accustomed to being bombarded by her fans, but if I’m not mistaken, I believe this is her first venture into partisan politics. It’s important that you understand that the reason Enrique and I are so pleased that she is willing to participate in our campaign, at least along the outskirts, is that the issues she is passionately interested in are the primary ones driving our campaign.” He threw Viviana a rakish grin. “Not that I have to protect the sergeant, who, without a doubt, is the scariest woman I’ve ever met. Nobody, including me, would ever want to get on the wrong side of her. That caution stated, may I introduce none other than Sergeant Viviana Moreau, also known as the Enchantress.”
For the next hour, Viviana talked with Enrique’s staff. Many of them referred to her famous cases and identified with her passion. One of them poignantly spoke to the issues that often surfaced in many of the conversations she had. “I know you don’t know me, but you changed my life, Sergeant Moreau.” The young woman, who couldn’t have been more than eighteen, wore the indelible scars of the street on her young face and body. “I’m ashamed to admit I was selling my body to pay for my drugs. One of the older streetwalkers told me about you. I started following the news about you, reading everything I could get. Finally, I decided to go to the shelter, and with a lot of help from the sisters and the other girls there, I’ve been off the streets and the drugs for nearly six months.”
Thoroughly taken by the heartfelt and often chilling tales from one after another of the eager young people, Viviana admitted she needed a breath of air. She shouldn’t have been surprised when Nicolas interjected.
He spoke to the group as a whole. “Okay, worker bees. How about we give Sergeant Moreau a break? Enrique and I are hoping that she will hang around tonight and meet some of our supporters, so we don’t want to wear her out. In the meantime, we have hundreds of posters that need to be hung and at least three times that many envelopes that need to be addressed.”
Viviana tossed him a grateful grin and excused herself, indicating that she needed to go to the restroom. After she’d relieved herself and did a quick repair to her makeup, she sank into an overstuffed chair in the anteroom. Unfortunately, at that moment, the door opened and Sonia Vega entered. Not able to keep from sighing, knowing that her respite was decidedly over, Viviana forced a smile onto her lips and made an attempt to connect with the frosty woman.
“My goodness, Sonia. I thought chasing bad guys and girls was challenging. But campaigning puts police work to shame.”
Sonia threw her a practiced, mirthless smile and agreed coolly, “Yes, it is hard work. Fortunately, when you believe in the candidate the way that I believe in my husband, one is willing to do things that are more than challenging.” She added, her lips curving in what almost seemed like a genuine smile, “But then, if anyone knows what it is like to bask in the limelight, it is you, Sergeant.” When Viviana chose not to answer her, Sonia asked, “Tell me, how does that handsome rogue you are hooked up with deal with your notoriety—as I believe you called it? It must be hard to see every man in the room lusting after his supposed woman.”
Viviana rose to her feet and chose not to pick up the gauntlet that the viperous woman had tossed at her. Instead, she placed as insincere a smile on her face as the one on the combatant facing her and said with a nonchalant shrug, “Jax is well aware that there is only one man in my life and that it is him. That knowledge makes it possible for us to overcome challenges that few couples have to face. But then, if anyone understands that challenge, Sonia, you do. If you’ll excuse me, I promised Nicolas I would meet with some of your donors.”
Without waiting for the hard-eyed woman to respond, Viviana left the room, startled to see Nicolas Garza waiting outside the door. She was grateful when he didn’t pull any punches.
“I trust you understand why Sonia might be a trifle prickly with you, Sergeant.”
Not willing to dissemble any more than the audacious man apparently was, Viviana said curtly, “I’m sure you are aware of the challenges beautiful women and men have. While it is wonderful to know that you are gorgeous, that sensationalism can take a toll on your partner or lover. As I just made clear to Mrs. Vega, there is one man and one man only in my life. Trust me, if you knew Chief Hughes the way that I do, you would know that it would be impossible for anyone to compete with him.”
Nicolas nodded and flashed his sharp smile, followed by a wink. “Yes, having seen Chief Hughes up close and personal, I can imagine how that astonishingly handsome and arrogant man could capture even as noteworthy a prize as you, Enchantress.”
Biting her tongue to keep from saying something she would regret later, Viviana couldn’t hold back completely. “The last thing I want to do is to give an accomplished puppet master advice, but believe me, Nicolas, no one who goes in the ring with that particular police chief comes out with all the equipment he went in with.”
Nicolas gave a knowing laugh and shot her his trademark wink. “Believe it or not, Viviana, if I may call you that, not only is Chief Hughes the luckiest man alive, he is also one of the most formidable. Indeed, if anyone is almost as scary as you are, it is that fortunate man, who has captured you.”
At that moment, Enrique came from the conference room and must have overheard Nicolas, because he added, “I’m not sure what you two are discussing, but if it is your debonair partner, Sergeant Moreau, he is lucky indeed. However, getting to know you as I am doing, it is hard for me to believe that anyone, even as superlative as Jaxton Hughes, could ever truly capture the Enchantress.” Turning to Nicolas, he added, “I know we are meeting with supporters later, but I have to believe that Sergeant Moreau needs a break as much as I do. How about it, Sergeant? Can I entice you with a shot of whatever liquid pleasure you imbibe and a few minutes out of the limelight?”
Viviana smiled, surprised at how much she needed both liquid refreshment and a chance to relax. Twenty minutes later, sipping on her second shot of potent whiskey, she admitted that the charming candidate had accomplished what few men had ever done—intrigue her. She surprised herself by sending Jax an unexpected text.
“I know I said that I would meet you at Flemings, but I got caught up in a flurry of campaign appearances. Please give the guys my regrets. I know you’ll understand when I brief you on the issues at the heart of this campaign. As hard as it is to believe, given Enrique’s passion, we might actually be able to elect a governor who can do something about the things I care desperately about.”
****
Glancing up from his phone, Jax met Mick O’Reilly’s troubled gaze. Knowing what was on the frowning man’s mind, he shrugged. “Sorry to say, Sergeant Moreau won’t be joining us.”
Mick was quiet for a moment, then apparently unable to hold back, he said, “I hate to pick at a pimple, Jax, but fuck it, this is the third time Vivi has skipped a happy hour at Flemings.”
Jax blew out a hard sigh and decided not to evade Mick’s unspoken concern. Given that their silence confirmed it was a concern Francis Fleming and Greg Bannon clearly shared, he chose to address it.
“I’ll admit, Mick, I don’t like it any more that you do that Viviana has gotten so involved in Vega’s campaign. To the point that it is interfering with her work.” He added with a forced grin, “And with her pleasure, which is how we describe sitting with all of us scarfing down Francis’s high-end booze.”
He was quiet for a moment, then said, “All of us know how passionate Viviana is about abuse issues and the hideous toll they take on the victims. It appears at least in her mind these issues are a central part of Vega’s campaign. I’m not surprised that she’s intrigued with the campaign and the candidate. Frankly, it’s good for her to have a concrete way to address some of the problems that have bedeviled her all her life.” Glancing at the men who were studying him with varying degrees of skepticism, he barked a short laugh. “Of course, it doesn’t help that the fucker is Hollywood handsome and almost as arrogant as I am. Just know, fellows, that between Viviana and myself, I do not refer to him as Enrique, as she does. Rather, I call him the asshole who’s going to get his ass kicked if he tries to move in on my woman.”