“Assholes. Conflict of interest much?” She threw the paper onto her desk. “I sooo don’t need this bullshit right now.” She looked at the men. “I’d expect this kind of pettiness in high school, not from someone who claims to be a businessman.”

“You told him no,” Doug said. “It’s as simple as that. Someone like him, he’s used to getting his way. He’s been a big fish in a relatively small pond. Problem is, until recently he didn’t know just how small his pond was. He thought he was a big fish in a big pond. Now he’s starting to see the light, and he doesn’t like it much.”

“This still doesn’t make any sense. There’s got to be more to it.” She looked at the men. “Call Gorden in. He’s got a lot of contacts he can pump for information.”

* * *

Three hours later, after Gorden arrived and started making calls, they had what they believed to be their answer. They might have been a little too fast to lay the blame directly on James, but he most likely had a hand in it. More likely, the answer lay in the junior congressman from Washington state who received a lot of contributions to his fledgling reelection campaign coffers from people somehow tied to Northwestern Pacific Navigational.

Harper sat back in her chair and nodded. “That does make sense. This douche on the committee wants to make sure he can sway the other committee members to vote for his little hometown company so people keep pouring money into his campaign account. We just happened to get caught in the crossfire this time. Suggestions?”

Gorden glanced at Doug and Tate before returning his attention to her. “I say we bury the fucker. I can call in a few favors to bend some ears. Remind our own representatives in D.C. that our company employs far more of their constituents than some little pipsqueak company out west. One of the committee members is from Miami.”

Harper grinned. “God, I missed you.” She remembered her men standing there. “Sorry. No offense, guys.”

Tate smiled. “None taken. Believe me, I missed him, too.”

“Ditto,” Doug said. “I’m glad you’ve got our backs on this.”

“Hey, someone’s got to help you boys out,” he teased. “I imagine you’ve got your hands full just keeping her in line.”

She didn’t miss the look of love on both Doug and Tate’s faces. “You’ve got that right,” Tate said.

They were still talking when Eddings arrived.

“Cut to the chase,” she told him.

“Well, it’s like this. I think the fastest way to get in front of this is to talk to Jared Stockholm in person.”

“Fine, set it up.”

He cleared his throat. “It’s…ah…not that simple.”

“Why not?”

She didn’t miss it when he glanced at Doug and Tate. “When I talked to Stockholm a little bit ago, he said he’d be glad to interview you, would welcome the chance to do a follow-up piece.”

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

“He asked me about Doug and Tate. Specifically, about rumors he’d picked up locally about you living with both of them.”

“Rumors?”

He nodded. “He said ‘a reliable source.’”

“Meaning Julia.”

“Probably.”

She felt her face redden. “That fucking son of a bitch! Get him on the phone right—”

“Harper!” Gorden snapped, silencing her. He turned to Eddings. “Set up the interview for late this afternoon. Four thirty. Doug, Tate, clear her calendar for the entire day.” He turned back to Harper. “You’re going to do exactly what I say and how, do you understand me?”

She wasn’t used to Gorden taking this kind of tone with her, but she nodded.

He looked satisfied. “They put the metro section to bed by seven at the latest, usually. We’ll keep him here and talking until at least six thirty. I doubt he’ll be able to put together a story in time.” He looked at Eddings again. “Who do you know over at the St. Pete Times?”

Eddings shrugged. “I know a couple of people. Why?”

“Get someone over here you trust, anyone who you think will be sympathetic, preferably a woman.”

Harper couldn’t help it. “What?”

Gorden wheeled on her, glaring. She fell silent. He nodded and continued with Eddings. “See if you can get them over here before lunch.”

Eddings grinned. “You are a sneaky bastard. You want their story to run tomorrow.”

Gorden grabbed a legal pad off Harper’s desk and started making notes. “Of course I do. I want the Trib reporter to look like an idiot. Their story probably won’t come out tomorrow. And when the Times story does, they’ll have to revamp theirs to not look like idiots.”

Tate gave Gorden a mock bow. “You are the master, sir. I’d tip my hat if I was wearing one.”

Gorden didn’t look up from the notepad. “Is her calendar clear yet?”

Doug and Tate exchanged looks. “Um, no, we aren’t done here—”

“Do it.”

Doug and Tate glanced at Harper, who nodded. The two men left without further word.

Eddings also stood. “I’m thinking Ceelie Reynolds, on their business desk, will be perfect. She loves doing stories on local businesswomen.”

“Great. Get her here ASAP.”

Eddings left.

Gorden finally took his attention from the notepad and focused it on Harper. “Have I ever steered you wrong?”

She shook her head.

“You’re going to do and say exactly what I tell you to. No temper tantrums, no slamming the Trib story or Stockholm when he gets here. Understood?”

She nodded.

He smiled. “Good girl.”

Harper really hoped Gorden didn’t notice how she blushed when he said that. It was too close to how Doug and Tate both took control at home.

* * *

Ceelie Reynolds didn’t appear to be too much older than Harper, but she had a well-worn and comfortable air about her that made Harper think of a mom-type figure.

That, and her atrocious choice of clothes. The pantsuit she wore looked like it came from a thrift shop sale two decades earlier.

Gorden took point. “We’re not going to try to pull one over on you, Ms. Reynolds,” he said. “We’re here to get ahead of a pretty unfair and totally biased story that appeared in today’s Tribune.”

She nodded. “That’s what I surmised when John called me.” She smiled. “So what’s the payout?”

Gorden laid their cards out on the table. Harper had to do very little talking. Doug and Tate didn’t open their mouths either. Once Gorden finished the business portion of the discussion, he nodded toward Harper, who sat flanked by Doug and Tate, on the sofa in her office. “And it also looks like someone wants to get into the mud and turn this into a statement on lifestyle, as well. Harper, Doug, and Tate are involved with each other. Unfortunately, her father’s ex-girlfriend, who didn’t want to be his ex, has decided to bend a few ears as well.”

Ceelie had been taking notes the whole time. She nodded again. She did that a lot, Harper noticed. “Julia Carson, right?”

Gorden looked impressed. “Yes. How did you know?”

She smiled. “I wondered why she called me a couple of days ago wanting to know if I was interested in a juicy story. As soon as I told her where to go with her gossip, she hung up on me.” She looked up from her notes. “I scratch your back, you scratch mine, right? What’s in it for me?”

Gorden smiled. “In addition to putting the correct version of the facts regarding the GAO audit on the record, as a footnote you get to add that Wells Technology is making a holiday donation of twenty-five thousand dollars to the Shriners Hospital for Children here in Tampa. And you will get to break the story that we are currently in the process of starting an annual 5k fundraiser, in partnership with the local SPCA, to raise money for their outreach program to help low-income families be able to keep their pets.”

Jesus, he’s brilliant. Kids and animals. If he could shit rainbows, we’d have an unbeatable hat trick.

Ceelie looked suitably impressed. “Successful local businesswoman who employs thousands throughout our state, as well as elsewhere, and a philanthropist.” She grinned. “I’m surprised you didn’t tie a bow on it for me.”

Gorden laughed. “Well, we didn’t want to make it too easy.”

Ceelie stood and shook hands all around. “Thank you for the scoop,” she said. “I love being able to rub the competition’s face in it. I’ll e-mail a finished version of the story before I submit it to my editors.” She shook her finger at Gorden. “But remember, I won’t hesitate to come down on you guys if I find out anything contradictory.”

“I would expect nothing less than integrity from the Fourth Estate,” Gorden said.

She snorted. “Yeah, right. Puh-leeze. Have you seen Fox News lately? That’s a hoot. Thanks again.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when she left. “Well?” Harper asked Gorden.

He smiled. “I think it went well.”

“Hell,” John Eddings said, “I think you nearly gave her an orgasm, Gorden.”

“That was the easy part.” He glared at Harper. “You and I still have some prepping to do before this afternoon.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” she said glumly. “I’m surprised Daddy hasn’t weighed in on this yet.”

“Who says he hasn’t?” Gorden said.

“Crap. Is he upset?”

Gorden rolled his eyes. “I wish. If he was only upset, that would be a vast improvement. I spent a good amount of time this morning convincing him that burning reporters at the stake is usually not only frowned upon, but that I was fairly certain it was illegal in at least twenty states, including this one.”

Harper finally laughed at Gorden’s smirk. He always had a way of cutting through the tension.