Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
“Sydney?”
“All right. I don’t know a bloody thing. But you can’t fight off magic, either.”
“At least I know how to use a gun. Before you do anything for this story, especially visit the madman’s victim, take me with you. That’s all I ask.”
She sighs. “I’ll…think about it.”
Chapter
Nineteen
Sydney
Near the end of the day, Holly stomps into my office, brows and hands both raised in an expectant expression. People often underestimate her because of her Kewpie-doll looks—and they always pay the price.
“Where is the latest installment in the magical war saga?” Holly asks. “Chop, chop. I’ve got loads of messages from invested readers.”
Everyone seems enthralled, especially my hunky photographer. This morning, he conveyed his passion for this tale with more than questions. While his insistence is compelling, it remains to be seen whether his interest is a scam. I want to believe him…
“I’m still working on a draft of the story,” I say. “Maybe by tomorrow or Wednesday.”
“What? I need it now. This is tomorrow afternoon’s top story. It has to be to copy editing no later than tomorrow morning.”
“It’s…” I shake my head. “I’m not happy with it. The angle troubles me.”
“We’ve been over this. I gave you a perfectly good angle.”
“I don’t like glorifying a rapist.”
“Most of our clicks come from readers who think we write total rubbish and pop in for a laugh, or they’re lunatics themselves. They’re hardly questioning our journalistic integrity.”
Holly isn’t wrong, but I feel compelled to get this right. I know most of the stories I write aren’t real. So does Holly, and she’s always about the bottom line and whatever gets us onto the next story and more profit faster. But this article feels not only real but critical.
“My name is on the byline. And my gut tells me this angle is off. Then there’s safety, both the source’s and mine. What if this Mathias character actually exists? What if he’s not a savior but a villain?”
“Would a wizard trying to take magickind in hand really be spending his time reading human tabloids and compiling his hit list?” Holly frowns. “What’s made you change your mind? After our call yesterday, you seemed set with the story.”
“I talked to Caden. He asked me to consider a different slant.”
“His version won’t get more clicks.”
“Maybe not, but that poor witch makes me want to print the truth. If I do, maybe her family will find her.”
“And you don’t think she’s delusional?”
If anyone else were telling me this story, I absolutely would. “She’s clearly been through something incredibly traumatic. And the details she’s given me so far have all checked out. As fantastical as it sounds, I think she’s credible.”
“You want to believe her.”
“I do,” I admit. “But that doesn’t detract from the fact that people like the story as she’s told it to us. And according to her, Mathias is no hero. If we take Caden’s angle, we’ll have a narrative that makes sense with hers. We’ll also have done a good thing if we can prevent more women from being raped. Because let’s face it. Even if Mathias leads a good cause, he’s got a terrible human rights policy.”
“If Caden is causing you to hesitate on turning in a perfectly acceptable story, then he’s given you crap. Why are you letting that man crawl in your head?”
I should probably finish the damn piece and be done. But if there’s even a hint of truth to this story, then dangerous times are afoot. His concerns for my safety are valid. Besides, when he argued his case, I felt as if I was finally seeing the real Caden. “Granted, his behavior is a bit dodgy, but—”
“What else has he done, besides trying to talk you out of perfectly good articles? Is he doing his job?”
“He is. Amazing pictures. Crisp. Beautiful angles, even on terrible subjects. His work is like art.”
“But?” Holly cocks her head, her blond ponytail swishing. “Oh, bloody hell. You two aren’t having an office shag, are you?”
I lower my head to hide the flush crawling up my face. “No! Maybe I’m overreacting, and I just need pointers on working with him more effectively.”
“If you can’t get on with a man that dishy, there’s no hope for you. Smile, flirt, if you must. Tell him what pictures you need and finish the job.”
“It’s not that simple. I hate to even bring this up because I could be wrong, but…I’ve wondered if he took this job to scoop the magical war story out from under me.”
Holly stands up straighter. “Why do you think that?”
“At first, he literally talked of nothing else and showed almost no interest in any of my other stories. But he’s asked a thousand questions about this one and hounded me about the identity of my source.”
“I hope you told him to bugger off.”
“I did.”