Page 120 of Power
Chapter twenty-four
Bennett
Myeyesopenand I let out a long sigh. Turning in the bed, my heart sinks when the realization that I’m alone again hits. These are the moments of quiet I know I screwed up by letting Reece go. I heartlessly broke the bond we were growing.
I allow myself a few minutes to mourn the love I once had with Kathryn, and the one I completely fucked up with Reece.
It’s already been a long day, even though my eyes have only been open for minutes. I let out a long sigh before pushing up out of the bed and heading to the bathroom. Once out, I walk into my study and turn the TV on before I head out to grab a coffee. I open the door to find Mark standing opposite. “Morning, Mark.”
“Sir. Sleep well?”
“Meh.” I lift my hand and slightly wobble it. “You?”
“Like a damn baby.” He smirks.
A little too much information for me, but I guess, Mark knows exactly when I’m intimate with Reece. The kitchen is cold and lifeless when I walk in. I spark the coffee machine awake and wait for it to come up to temperature before making myself a cup of joe. With my coffee in hand, I head back to my bedroom and study to process the morning before leaving for the office downstairs.
With the TV on in the background, I scroll through my tablet attempting to block out any media my name may be attached to. “What can you tell me about the character of Reece Maxwell?” Reece’s name instantly stops me from scrolling through the Internet. I look up to see a woman on the screen. She’s not that old, but she looks like she’s seen a hard life.
The woman smiles and looks down at her hands. “Her character?” She lifts her eyes to look at the male interviewer.
“Yes, her character? Actually, let’s back up a bit. How long have you known her?”
“We lost contact once she and her daughter moved to Washington.” A tight humorless smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. “I always hoped they were doing well.” Her brows pull in together as she flashes a genuine look of concern toward the interviewer.
“When she was here, what type of person was she?”
“What do you mean?” she asks for clarification.
“Was she aggressive, or dishonest, narcissistic, judgmental, predatory?”
The woman softly shakes her head. “Sounds like you’ve already made up your mind about her,” she snaps. “You have to remember; she was a child with a child when I knew her. So, for you to sit there and ask me if she was aggressive, narcissistic and predatory tells me more about your judgements, simply because she’s an escort.” Oh, my God. She’s serving it up to him. I bet he wasn’t expecting that response from this woman.
He clears his throat, obviously uncomfortable with how she called him on his bullshit question. “How did you meet Reece?” he pulls his tone back, softening his approach.
“She was a kid in a bad situation, and although I’ve seen it many times, I wanted to help her. So, I started talking with her, and checking in on her.”
“What did she tell you about why she was...” The interview pauses and rolls his eyes as if he’s thinking about what to ask. “...soliciting?”
“Not much, and I didn’t ask either. But, there were moments when I’d ask about family and her eyes would well up with tears. She’d lower her head and say family isn’t something she’d ever had.”
“What kind of relationship did you and Reece have?”
The woman looks over to the left and tilts her head in the same direction. “I tried to protect her. The streets aren’t a place for a kid, but she survived, if that’s what you can call it.”
“How did you try to protect her?”
“I’d be there when she needed someone to be, and if she was running short of a few dollars, I’d give her some. But she really tried to be smart about a lot of things. She’d health-check her clients, and made sure she was safe.”
“Tell me, Peggy, how did Reece end up pregnant at such a young age? Was she trying to trap a client?” Reece told me about Peggy and how kind she was toward her and Emily.
Peggy’s left brow slowly rises, her lip curls and she clicks her tongue. “Take a step back and think about that question. You’re asking me if a child was attempting to trap someone by getting pregnant by them. A child. You’re putting a lot of emphasis on shaming the victim. That’s not the interview I signed up for.”
Yes. You go, Peggy. “I’m asking the questions the American public deserves to know an answer to,” he snips with contempt.
“No. You’re looking for me to say something perverse, to blame a child who was forced into selling her body,” Peggy replies, keeping her cool.
I’m buying Peggy anything she wants, because she’s not cracking under the pressure of this live interview.
