Page 29 of Villainous Mind
I clutched her tighter. “Hush,” I crooned. “Relax. You might enjoy it.”
“I doubt it.”
“Close your eyes, darling. Try to get some sleep.”
I held her in my arms. That had been a close call. I always had control of Vortigern. He might rear his ugly head at times, but never to that extent. It made me realize I could never take the chance again, especially when someone else was involved.
Especially with Navy.
I got up with the sun, too anxious to lie in bed. I would have to be more careful. The kettle whistled, and I poured the boiling water into a teapot. Navy came out of the bedroom, running a hand through her tousled hair. She sat down on the couch and pulled her computer out of her bag, opening it up.
“That stupid fucking dickhead,” she said, slamming the cover shut.
“What?” I asked, pouring tea into two mugs.
“He stole my story. Sam put his name on my fucking story.”
ChapterNine
NAVY
If seeing red was a real thing, then I was seeing red. “I can’t believe Sam did this to me. He has completely undermined my career.” The article in the Times actually made the front page online.
Myarticle made the front page.
The picture thatIprocured. The informationIgathered.
“Well, you did steal the idea from him in the first place,” Rhys said.
“Shut up. What he did was different. He plagiarized my work.”
“Then say something,” he offered.
“No one in their right mind would believe me. I’m a nobody, and he is an award-winning journalist. I might as well go home.”
“So, you’re going to let him win.”
“What do you mean am I going to let him win,” I yelled. “He’s already won.”
“No, he hasn’t,” he said calmly. “He hasn’t solved this case. There are still missing girls. The only thing he’s done is deliver an article with minimal information. It will be forgotten by tomorrow. You are still here, and you’re a smart girl who has a connection to the police department. Figure this out, and you will have an award-winning story.” He put two rolls in the oven to warm.
I shook my head, still in disbelief. He was right, though. I didn’t let people get the best of me. “I need to go deal with my car.”
“It’s done. I’ve called the garage, and Dan will tow it to his place. He says it will take a few days, though, to get in the parts required to fix it.”
“Did he say how much it will cost?”
“Don’t worry about it. I gave him my credit card number.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“Seriously darling,” he said, adding bacon to a pan. “Just worry about the story. What time is the press conference?”
“Ten.”
“Good, we have plenty of time. Go get dressed, and I’ll take you over to Dale.”
I went into the bedroom and changed into jeans, a black wool sweater, my combat boots, and my black leather jacket. I considered it my field outfit, and it was much more comfortable than a skirt and heels. Lastly, I applied my makeup, taking extra time to blacken my eyes and lashes. Mask my ass. Even if it was, it was my mask, and I loved it.