Raw Vengeance (The Rich Fordham Series) Read Online Free Page A

the door. I have considerably more sway here than you do.”
    The moment to finally debate with Wayne had arrived. Challenge accepted. “I think that was a threat, Wayne, and this whole time I thought you were a happy-go-lucky guy, someone who couldn’t care about a peon like me,” Rich said.
    “ You’re right about the peon part, at least.”
    “ What does that make you? A miserable, middle-aged prick who has to bed his boss’s wife to get ahead? I thought only insecure women sleep with their boss to get ahead.” Without giving him a chance to retort, Rich started to walk past him. Just as he was about to pass, Wayne put up an arm and grabbed Rich by the shoulder, nearly clothes-lining him.
    “ Your ass is mine,” Wayne said, close enough to Rich’s ear that he could feel the heat and smell the remnants of Wayne’s morning breath. “If I so much as see you look in my direction, you’re done. Got that?”
    It took every ounce of Rich’s mental strength not to break the man’s arm. Instead, Rich cocked his head at him and showed his toothy, shit-eating grin, then returned the penetrating stare. “Haven’t you figured it out yet, Wayne? You’re right where I want you. Great hair, by the way, very metro.” Wayne immediately released his grip. Rich patted him on the cheek and walked off.
     
    CHAPTER 4
     
    “ I told you ten times already, Mom. How many more times do I have to tell you? I don’t want and I don’t need protection.” Tyler Cogan’s assertion to his mother, Shantell, was more of a protest than a question. Because he was the son of a prominent mayor, she thought he should have two bodyguards with him at school, an idea that caused friction between the two.
    The clock on the microwave read seven-fifteen a.m. He finished breakfast and got his textbooks in order. Today was the first day of his sophomore year at a public high school, and they were bickering like old times. Having gone to a private middle school, the transition back to a public school would be a culture shock for Tyler. Shantell had made the choice for him. When she formed an exploratory committee to run for the Presidency, she thought it would look better to the press if he went to a normal school like a normal kid.
    Although Shantell was only in the second year of her first term as Chicago’s mayor, she dominated the straw polls. Her constituents and colleagues liked her tough talk on abortion, immigration, and healthcare. Her status as a business owner and an African-American single mother who was bringing up a child on her own made her popular with minorities and women. Being the mayor came easily, and she relished the power and media attention. As a regular commentator on conservative talk shows, her popularity skyrocketed. It was only a matter of time before Tyler would undergo media scrutiny regarding his sexuality—something for which Shantell had a plan.
    Shantell was tired of the bickering and the power struggle between herself and Tyler. She had better and more important things to do than argue constantly—things like testing the waters for the Oval Office. “Tyler, damn it, why are you such an idiot sometimes? Why can’t you learn to do what I say and not question my authority?”
    As the mayor, Shantell was used to everyone doing what she said and jumping when she gave an order. She thought her son was a lost cause. At twelve, he had come out of the closet and admitted to being a homosexual. Shantell had seen signs of his sexuality, but dismissed his effeminate behavior as a passing phase he’d grow out of. As a Baptist, it was her moral obligation to enroll him in an academy that specialized in converting gay kids to straight. Tyler lasted an entire week before he skipped out; to him, it was a condition that didn’t need fixing. He had male and female friends, but he found himself attracted to other male teens. When the feelings of arousal toward boys first surfaced, he had been in complete denial and told no