Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

ALONDRA

New York City, NY

There’s a fissure in my chest since I said goodbye to Vale, and I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that I won’t see him again. That’s what had me teary eyed all the way to LaGuardia. And just like years ago, the minute I land, I need to pivot to survive.

Maeven made sure of it. From the moment she called and got me on a private plane to New York, the day progressed like a train accelerating to high speed. She’s the traction that keeps it secured on the tracks while the world passes by it like a blur. She had the best lawyer I know riding shotgun with her in the car: Esme. I didn’t even have time to get teary eyed. They ushered me into the SUV and handed me a light blue suit. I changed in the vehicle as we prepped on the way to the TV station.

“Stick to the facts. Don’t add or subtract, but answer with what you know is true,” Esme coaches. “You know how this goes: Anything you say or do can be used against you.

I am still reeling from the realization that when she said a morning show interview, she meant national television. I was across from Kayla Gwin, whom I watch every morning before heading to work, answering questions about how I chose the nonprofits to award. Kayla was sympathetic but asked tough questions.

“Why did you not question it when you got memos to award a list of organizations?”

The question made my face tingle, the shame rising because I had been stupid.

“Kayla.” I sigh. “That’s a difficult question because it requires me to admit that I relied on my full trust, and it came back to bite me. The lieutenant governor’s office reviews the applications requiring larger awards. This was a stipulation put in place when Mayor Briddams was elected.”

Kayla frowns. “Is that legal?”

“Oh, yes. When new administrations take over, they put certain new rules in place. This was Briddams’ way to ensure checks and balances.”

She leans in, her gaze sharp on mine. “Except he used it as a reverse measure to get away with awarding his rich friends.”

I nod, and Esme clears her throat almost imperceptibly.

“Allegedly,” Kayla adds.

We were barely done with that interview when we met with the correspondents from Mundo Latino, one of the biggest Spanish-speaking networks in the U.S. The interaction lasted fifteen minutes, and then we were off to the Department of Investigations. She had secured an interview for me to give my statement.

We go up to the top floor of a large office containing a whiteboard with the names of the mayor and other top city officials. My name is" the last one on the list. We sit, waiting for someone to show up, and when the door opens again, my heart drops to the floor. The Attorney General of New York walks in.

She shakes my hand and sits. “I’m ready to hear your story.”

We go over my statement twice. Then, two more people — who no one wants to see in an official capacity — show up. The Inspector General and Jackson Sacks, the Special Agent in Charge for the FBI. They question me for the next hour so aggressively that I get that sinking feeling that I’m going to jail. I managed to avoid it when I hid gun in Valentin’s bag so many years ago, but I’ll end up there anyway.

I get the urge to tell them all to fuck off because I can’t take any more questions. But just as I’m about to pop off, all three top officials stand.

“Thank you for your time. We’ll be in touch.” With that, the Attorney General leaves the room.

The SAC adds, “As part of our standard procedure, your statement will be included in the indictment of Mayor Briddams. It is just a formality at this point, but make sure to leave all your contact information.”

It’s late afternoon by the time we step outside the building. I’m drained.

“Let’s get a drink,” Esme says.

I shake my head. “I love you both. Thank you for helping me through this, but I want to shower and go to bed.”

Alone where I can cry.

Maeven bumps my shoulder with hers. “Girl, we knew that. There’s a ride waiting to take you home. Esme and I are going for drinks. We need them.”

I’m confused, but I don’t ask questions. I need to put this day behind me, call Vale, and let him know how things went.

I already miss him and the view from his deck. I wonder what he’s doing.

We step out of the building, and my eyes immediately zero in on the pickup truck double parked outside—mainly on the man leaning on the vehicle.

I’m stunned and turn my gaze to the girls who are smiling.

“Did you do this?” I ask Maeven.

She shakes her head. “He texted that he was coming. He’s been waiting for a while.”

I hug them and rush to cross the distance between me and him. He waits for me with open arms, and the moment they close around me, I feel like life is flowing back through me. He ushers me inside his truck and waves to the girls as he gets in the driver’s side.

“What are you doing here? How did you get here so fast? Who did you leave the place with? Why did you come? I don’t want this to?—”

He takes my hand in his, halting my words.

“I came to be with you. I left right after you did. Ahmed and Yesenia are watching over the B&B… and your cats. I needed to be with you. You don’t want me involved, but I need you to know you’re not alone. Life brought you to me, and I’m not letting you go.”

The surge of emotion is so strong it threatens to choke me. “Vale?—”

“No, let me finish,” he says. “There’s something you should know. When we got attacked in Afghanistan, and Kyle died, I didn’t think about my family or anyone else. I thought about you in what I thought were my last seconds of life. I never stopped loving you, Alondra.”

And suddenly everything in the world dissipates: my anxiety, the scandal, my worries for the future.

When we catch a red light, I pull him to me and kiss him with all the pent-up emotion in my chest.

When I pull back, we smile, and he puts the car in drive again.

“Tomorrow, I want you to take me home.”

He frowns. “Isn’t that where we’re going?”

I rub my hand over his leg. “Not the place I rent. I’m talking about the house where the sea whispers on the shore, and I found the love I once lost. Let’s go home to Susurration, North Carolina.”