Scandal:The Complete Series(41)

“I’m sorry, Miss Wade, but I’m not going to discuss an ongoing case with you. If you are interested, I suggest you watch the news.”

His suddenly snobby attitude bugs the hell out of me.

“Never mind,” I say. “I’ll ask Jaxson Cole himself. I’ll pay him a visit at your lair of operations.” I turn to Mark, fully aware I’m acting like a brat. “Would you be interested in a piece about that?”

“Don’t bother,” Rick says. “Jaxson Cole was released early this morning on bail. I’m surprised he hasn’t reached out to you. Maybe there’s hope for him.”

His sarcastic tone doesn’t escape me, but I’m done excusing myself to Rick Esposito or Mark Devlin for that matter.

“Take the day off, Ella,” Mark says, ushering me to the door. “We’ll speak tomorrow when you have a clear head.”

So now I have to figure out how to deal with this new piece of information. Jax was released hours ago and didn’t try to get in touch. I double check my phone for texts, voicemail, anything. There’s nothing, no signs of life from him all morning.

If I’m being honest, I’m the one who stayed away all weekend and didn’t bother to check on him. For all he knows, I might have decided he’s guilty and taken my distance. I wouldn’t blame him if he thought that.

I sit down at my cubicle, drowning in a sea of conflicting emotions. I’m mad at Jaxson for not coming clean, worried that the DNA evidence might be damning and even accurate, but at the same time I miss him and yearn for his touch and voice. His tenderness and persistence, his complete faith in me, his muscular body, his soft lips, the way he played with my body and claimed it for his own—all those things have stripped me of my defenses and I don’t know how to stop wanting him.

I’m a mess. Mark was right, I need to take the day off. As I get up, Hanson peeks into my cubicle. Hanson, my coworker whose cubicle is the one next to mine, is the nicest guy in the world even if his monologues on the importance of keeping the fridge handle germ-free or how the toilet lid should always be closed before flushing can drive you insane.

Hanson gives me a smile. “Ella,” he says, “I have a message for you.”

“What kind of message?” I say, absentmindedly.

“This lady came in looking for you. She said you should call her.” He hands me a piece of paper with a name and a number.

Elaine Parker.

I scratch my head for a second before I realize she’s the glamorous lady from the modeling agency. “Did she say what she wanted?”

“No,” Hanson says, “but I have to tell you, she gave me the creeps. She’s beautiful but she’s like a Stepford wife. Her eyes were too intense.”

I shrug. “Something related to Madison I’d think.”

“Ella,” Hanson says in a whisper, stepping inside the cubicle, his eyes darting around as if to make sure we’re alone. “Don’t think I’m crazy but something is off with this investigation. I’m hearing strange things. People don’t take me seriously, they think I’m kind of slow and into my own world but I pay close attention. I hear everything. And I don’t like what I’m hearing. Get away from this. Drop it like it’s hot. Don’t let Mark manipulate you.”

Everyone knows that Hanson is a hypochondriac fantasy geek with a vibrant imagination. And yet, the unusual seriousness of his tone gives me pause. “What kind of things?” I ask.

“It just doesn’t add up, you know. All of Esposito’s visits, his willingness to share information, it’s as if Mark’s holding something over his head. And then there’s the secret meeting they had without you. Why wouldn’t they invite you? You’re supposed to be leading the coverage.”

“What secret meeting?” I sound more and more like an echo.

“There was a meeting on Friday that Mark called. They specifically left you out. I wasn’t invited either but that’s because I’m never invited to anything crucial.”

If I don’t watch it, Hanson will talk till Tuesday. “I appreciate the warning,” I say, “but you don’t have to worry. Esposito just fired me. I’m officially off the case.”

“That’s good,” Hanson says, “but even still, be careful. I know your stubborn side.”

I pat his shoulder as I go, a growing buzz echoing in my head. Outside, morning has turned into a scorching hot noon with temperatures climbing over one hundred. I feel like the world’s melting.

Too much, I tell myself as I walk out under the burning sky, this is all becoming way too much.