TEN

Sofia hated feeling like she needed to sneak out of her own office, but it was none of Trevor’s business where she was going. She listened to his muted voice as he talked on the phone, the rustling of papers, and the annoying squeak of his desk chair.

The chair never made noise before, but then again, Trevor probably outweighed Justine by sixty pounds. Memories of Justine’s cheery disposition made her sad and angry. She missed Justine and the stability the young woman had brought to Buyers Choice Foundation. The clients loved her perky and efficient assistant, and she made Sofia’s time in the office seem normal, unlike the rest of her life. The foundation used to be Sofia’s sanctuary. Now her business felt like a prison. Something needed to change soon.

When the noise stopped, Sofia paused for a few minutes and heard nothing, so assumed Trevor had gone to the break room for his afternoon jolt of caffeine. He clearly thought highly of himself and his abilities, but she had gotten the jump on him during their first encounter. She also already ascertained he was a creature of habit, so he had vulnerabilities. He was strong and fit, and she had probably lost any future element of surprise, so she hoped to avoid another physical confrontation with the big muscular man. From here on out, she would need to outwit him.

Sofia grabbed her purse and slipped out of the office and headed for the park. Once she was sure she hadn’t been followed, she found a bench far enough away from the nearest person to avoid being overheard. Pulling out her burner phone, she punched one of only two numbers stored in its memory.

“Why would you send me an invitation to your fundraiser?”

“Hello, to you, too. So, should I assume you’re calling to RSVP that you won’t be attending?”

Sofia didn’t like the cocky tone of Senator Grant’s voice.

“You idiot,” she hissed. “It wouldn’t take a genius to connect the dots if they saw us together. Some of my biggest lobbying successes can be directly tied to issues you’ve exerted influence over.”

“There will be many lobbyists in attendance, including those who’ve achieved great success due to my position and assistance. Many lobbyists meet with me regularly, not just you. It’s what you people do. You come to my office and try to convince me to support your causes. So what’s really bothering you, Sofia?”

“That you’re not worried about putting me in the same room as your mother, whom I assume will be attending.”

The chuckle resonating through the line unnerved her even more. She never thought he was very smart, but he was clearly as unethical as his old man. She had no doubt he was up to something.

“Why are you laughing?”

“You’re done blackmailing me. My mother knows all about my father’s affairs, and she made peace with it years ago. According to her, there are more ex-mistresses out there than she can shake a stick at. If she let every one of them or their family members blackmail her, she’d never get anything done. So, tell whoever you want that your young mother, who we’ll assume was a cheap gold-digging tramp, had an affair with my father over thirty years ago. Not even the tabloids are going to go after an eighty-year-old ex-politician for an extra-marital affair from decades ago.”

Sofia was stunned. The senator had been such easy prey, until now. How much more would it take to keep in line? She feared there was only one way to find out.

“If only your father’s transgressions ended there.”

“I suppose you’re going to tell me you’re my half-sister? Mother said there’s at least one illegitimate kid out there, so I suppose it isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Even if you can prove it, don’t think you’ll be welcomed into the family with open arms or that you’re entitled to one cent of the family money. You don’t want to tangle with our attorneys.”

He answered her question in no uncertain terms. She’d have to expose so much more of her past to ensure he’d keep doing their bidding, but she wasn’t sure if she was willing to share the one secret she had been carrying around for so long. The memories were too painful to toss around like a bargaining chip.

She had given so much to Coterie and what had she gotten in return? They didn’t make her rich, only richer. At first, she thrived on the thrill of out maneuvering and posturing, but she was quickly tiring of the game, and she had never fathomed it would go so far. She had no problem ruining lives, but she never signed on to take them.

Sofia wasn’t sure what else to say to the senator so she pressed the end key on her phone, stowed it in her purse, and slowly made her way back to the office. She needed to plan her next move carefully. Most of all, she had to decide how far she was willing to go to keep the senator on a leash. Once she played her last card, there would be no turning back.