Caress Read Free Page B

assertive as she interrupted Nya’s tirade.
    “Yes?”
    “The Harrison Tribune lawyers and I have already received a phone call from your father, his lawyers, and an FBI agent. I am aware of what is underway and we plan to print a prominent follow-up article indicating that we did not intend to insinuate that Hatsheput was in any way complicit with the criminals at the Art Sentries Foundation. We will also make it clear that you have cooperated with the authorities from the moment the corruption was discovered. I offer my sincere apologies to you as well for what has transpired. We are willing to do a longer, feature article setting the story straight as soon as the legal processes are complete.”
    Shrewd, Nya thought. She tried rubbing away the aching knot in her neck, knowing that if she didn’t relax she wouldn’t be able to think straight. Getting this handled properly was crucial.
    “I think that’s a stellar plan, Ms. Harrison.”
    “Please call me Claudia.”
    “Claudia, perhaps we can discuss this exclusive further once the case is closed. In the meantime, however, our company’s image, as you acknowledged, has been tarnished even though you made no explicit accusations. As a result, the investigation has been dealt a major setback. We can’t be sure when the ‘legal processes’ will be complete. Surely, we can arrange a feature on Hatsheput sooner rather than later that both exonerates us and honors us for our service to the community.”
    There was a pause on the other end of the phone. Then: “I’m sure that can be arranged.”
    h
     
    Nya had been working for hours since she got home. Her eyes were gritty and her back ached from being hunched over her laptop. Her soul felt battered. On her screen were photos of four young men, none over twenty-one, who had lost their lives too soon. Her throat burned and she beat back tears. For the first time in a long time, Nya felt as if she needed a hug. A big one. From someone with strong arms. When an unwanted vision of the man from the airport popped up in her head, she knew it was time to take a break. What did it say about her that in a time when she needed comfort, she thought of a perfect stranger?
    Trying to shake off both grief and loneliness—if she didn’t she would most assuredly go insane—Nya stood and stretched. Walking into the kitchen, she ran her fingers through her twists and let them hang loose down her back. She stared into the refrigerator, searching for something perfectly delicious and decadently succulent that would take her mind off her despair. She wondered when she had last eaten. As she feared, there was nothing in the fridge. She’d been gone for a week and what she had was either frozen, spoiled, or not something she wanted.
    Sometimes it seemed God really did listen to her. She was still standing in her kitchen when the doorbell rang. She padded through the house to the door and looked out the peephole. Maybe not the best company, but he would definitely do; plus, he was carrying a grocery bag!
    She pulled open the door. “Oh, my God, El, please tell me you brought food!”
    Elphonse Deklerk, her oldest friend in the world, walked in with a grin. “If you call a couple of sirloins, shrimp, potatoes, spinach, cream, butter, and a heavy block of aged Parmesan cheese food, I guess so. I brought some vine-ripened grape juice, too… fermented, that is.”
    Nya salivated at the thought of steak drizzled with a shrimp sauce, some sautéed spinach, and a baked potato with a glass—make that a bottle—of wine that didn’t go with it while watching inane television all night. It sounded like pure bliss. “El, I swear to God I hate you most days, but you are a prince among men right now.”
    El raised an eyebrow. “And you are Queen of the Backhanded Compliment.”
    “Thanks. I’m glad I’ve been promoted to queen.”
    “Oh, but you still have the attitude of a princess, princess.”
    Nya scowled at him.
    A tall, slim,