Tall, Dark & Reckless

TRAVIS WENT STILL. “What do you mean?”

This is going to get ugly, Mark thought. Travis did love his Super Bowl parties.

BT leaned forward. “I mean that the salary for Mark’s new partner is coming out of your Super Bowl budget.”

Partner? Mark didn’t like where this was going.

“What new partner?” Travis turned to Mark. “You didn’t say anything about—”

“Thanks,” Mark said to BT. “But I don’t need a partner. I’ll be fine.”

“Good to hear. But you’re still going to be working with a partner.”

Never. “I work alone.”

BT shook his head. “Not anymore. You take too many risks, Mark.”

So he’d heard. “That’s how I get stories nobody else does. They hesitate. Hang back. Or they have to wait for authorization. I go for it.”

“Sometimes you shouldn’t.”

“Sometimes I don’t. You never hear about those times.”

“I sure did last year.” BT drew a long breath.

Here it comes. The man was entitled to a lecture, Mark supposed. BT hadn’t said a whole lot at the time Mark had been rescued. Then again, he’d been injured and, as Travis had pointed out, getting a lot of media attention. But that was last year and BT clearly wanted to assert his authority before sending Mark back into the field.

So be it. Mark would take the verbal spanking, apologize, and then they could get back to business, although he’d prefer not to have this conversation in front of Travis’s sister’s and Piper’s assessing gaze.

Mark sensed that she wasn’t impressed by him. That bothered him some and being bothered annoyed him. Usually, Mark didn’t care what strangers thought of him. Maybe it’s because you hope she won’t stay a stranger.

Where did that come from? She wasn’t his usual type and Mark would bet he wasn’t hers, either. He couldn’t imagine a reason for them to see each other again after today. He wasn’t going to seek her out. What would be the point, when he’d be half a world away in a couple of months?

“On your last assignment, you ignored State Department warnings,” BT said, starting his lecture, and Mark refocused his attention. “You ignored my direct order to break off contact with Mendoza.”

Because I do not take orders from someone who has no idea of the situation. Not too fond of orders, period. “You weren’t there. If you’d seen what I—”

“It doesn’t matter what you saw,” BT interrupted. “You were taken hostage and as far as the government was concerned, you’d ignored their warning, so it was tough luck.”

This was old ground and they didn’t need to cover it again. “Meeting with Mendoza was a risk I was willing to take,” Mark said.

BT jabbed a finger to his chest. “But I wasn’t!”

“Dad,” Travis interrupted. “He gets it. Let’s move on.”

BT silenced his son with a look. “Mark, your decision cost me hours of my life dealing with petty bureaucrats and not so petty bureaucrats. You’re only here now because Travis raised money from the Guys of Texas readers to hire mercenaries to go into those mountains and get you.”

Yeah, and the No Guy Left Behind project got a huge amount of news coverage in the process. It was a brilliant strategy that resulted in soaring ad revenue. Not only that, it had succeeded, for which Mark was grateful. “And I appreciate that.”

“We’re good, Dad,” Travis said.

“But I’m not good,” BT retorted. “I’m not good at all. Mark’s reckless—the kind of reckless I can’t afford.” Pointing at Mark, he continued, “If you had a wife or a girlfriend, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. They wouldn’t let you get away with the crazy risks you take.” He gave a short laugh and nodded toward Piper. “Maybe you should talk to this one about finding you a girlfriend.”

Mark flicked a glance her way.

“Not a matchmaker,” Piper said.

“Whatever you call yourself.” BT was insultingly dismissive.

Mark could understand why the man was angry at him, but from what Travis had told him, Piper Scott had been responsible for a nice uptick in OMG’s bottom line.

“Mark, the point is, if you had a partner to answer to, you’d think twice.”

That didn’t sound like a partner; that sounded like a babysitter. “Thinking twice is how reporters miss stories.” He shifted, deliberately softening his body language. “I chose to work at OMG because you gave me a freedom other journalists envy. In return, my reporting has enhanced OMG’s reputation—and profits.”

Mark hated playing the money card, but it always came down to money.

“And he’s ready to do it again, too.” Travis slapped the arms of his chair, mimicking one of his father’s gestures. “I say we stick with what works for him.”

“But it’s not working for me.” BT leaned forward and laced his fingers together, telegraphing that he wasn’t budging.

Hell. It had been a good run at OMG. He hated to see it end.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mark saw a movement and knew Travis’s sister and Piper had exchanged a look. They knew what was coming, too.

“Mark.” BT gazed steadily at him. “This hasn’t been the first time you’ve stepped on governmental toes. I’ve got a budget item called ‘news support services’ that’s nothing but money I use for bribes—excuse me—fines to either get you out of a mess or ensure the local authorities leave you alone. You disappear for days at a time without checking in. You change your travel plans without telling anyone. I think you’re in one country and you pop up in another. You ignore me and, frankly, without somebody riding herd on you, you’re not worth the liability, aggravation and expense.”

“Dad!” Travis looked genuinely shocked.

Mark had been worth it before and he’d be worth it again. This was all about Travis’s father showing everybody who was boss. Mark didn’t mind up to a point, but forcing a partner on him was that point. “I work alone.”

“I’ll take the responsibility, Dad,” Travis offered.

Sounded like a plan to Mark. He nodded his thanks to Travis.

BT shook his head. “You’re not part of the news division. You’d have to get up to speed on everything we’re doing and you’re overloaded now.”

“It seems as though Mark isn’t the only one who needs a partner,” Dancie said.

“I work alone.” Mark subtly shifted the emphasis.

“Make me an OMG partner and I can take some of the extra responsibilities from Travis,” Dancie offered. “I could handle Mark.”

That was the most alarming thing Mark had heard so far.

Travis slowly shook his head. “Oh, nooooo, you couldn’t.”

“There’s not going to be any extra work because I’m sending someone with him. Okay, Mark, let’s call it a producer, since you don’t work with a partner,” BT said. “A female, because I don’t want two men getting into a pissing contest. Pardon my French, ladies. But it’s gotta be a woman who can stand up to him.”