It Takes a Rebel Read Free

You're forgetting Alex,
    we used to be the underdog."
    Alex bit back her argument, knowing she couldn't change his mind when he was in such a mood. In fact, she was starting to
    worry that the reason she'd been chosen for this assignment was so her father could pull the strings without appearing to.
    "Okay," she conceded. "The appointment stands. I'll see you at ten in the morning."
    "Have a nice day, sweetheart. By the way, Gloria wants you to come over for dinner soon."
    She wrinkled her nose at the mention of her father's wife—the woman was dim and dull—then mouthed some vague
    response before saying goodbye. Alex disconnected the call, feeling torn, as usual, after talking to her father. Was it so wrong
    to want his love and his respect?
    But as she replaced the phone, she suddenly realized she didn't have a thing to worry about where the meeting was
    concerned. Jack Stillman would swagger in tomorrow looking like a wasted tourist and even her honor-bound father would
    recognize the absurdity of working with the down-and-out agency.
    Alex smiled and lifted her chin. With Jack Stillman's unwitting 'help' tomorrow morning she'd be able to kill two birds with
    one stone: Her father would be forced to consider the reputable St. Louis advertising firm she was advocating, which also
    meant he would be forced to admit that she was right. And since the episode would unfold in the presence of various VIP's, her
    chance for the vice presidency would undoubtedly improve.
    With a new outlook, she laughed aloud, mentally thanking the disreputable-looking advertising man for being in the wrong
    place at the right time. Her dear mother had once said that every event in this seemingly disjointed world actually happened for
    a reason. Apparently her mother's theory even extended to her unpleasant encounter with the repulsive Jack Stillman.
    Chapter 2
    « ^ »
    " D erek's going to kill me." Jack held his head in his hands, fighting some kind of weird swirling sensation in his stomach. And
    his heart was racing as if he'd just run for a ninety-nine-yard touchdown. "He's absolutely going to kill me."
    "In that case, I hope you have cash."
    He glanced up to the open doorway. A plump fiftyish black woman stood dressed in white pants and shirt, wearing a
    lopsided red paper hat that read "Tony's." "You the stromboli sandwich with extra cheese?" she asked, her hand on one hip.
    Jack nodded miserably, thinking even food wouldn't help his mood today.
    "That'll be six dollars and forty cents." She dropped the sack on the desk unceremoniously and wiggled her fingers in his
    direction. Her fingernails were at least two inches long. And bright yellow.
    With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself to his feet and removed his wallet. He counted eight one dollar bills into her hand, then
    added another when she lifted a winged eyebrow.
    "You the handyman around here?" She nodded toward his tool belt as she stuffed the money into a fanny pack around her
    waist
    "Sort of," he mumbled. "This is my company … and my brother's."
    "The murderer?"
    Jack frowned. "Hmm?"
    Her head jutted forward. "The man who's going to kill you—is he your brother?"
    "Oh. Yeah."
    "Why?"
    "Why what?"
    Her eyes rolled upward, and she spoke as if to a child. "Why is he going to kill you?"
    Irritated by the woman's nosiness, he scowled. "It's a long story."
    "Lucky for you," she said, revealing remarkably white teeth and surprising dimples. "You're my last delivery." She had a
    pleasant way about her, he conceded, kind of … motherly. The woman was only trying to be nice, and what could it hurt to
    unload on a stranger? He shrugged, indifferent to her interest. "I'm supposed to be running this place while my brother is gone,
    but I f—" He swallowed at the disapproving look the woman shot him. "I mean, I messed up royally."
    "How's that?"
    He quirked his mouth from side to side. "A woman IRS agent was supposed to stop by, so when this gal showed up a while
    ago, I assumed she was