The Peace Proxy: Part 1 Read Online Free Page A

replied as he climbed back
into the vehicle.
    The aircar drive energized with a distinct
hum as Garrett began the cold walk to the alcove that housed the
elevators.

    “Garrett!” Katherine exclaimed as he came
through the door of their apartment. “Are you all right?”
    “I could use a drink,” Garrett replied as
she put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
    “I’ll get it. Relax; I’m sure you’re still
shaken up.” She moved to the next room and retrieved a bottle of
scotch from the bar.
    Garrett walked into the living area and
collapsed on the sofa. He watched Katherine pour the scotch into a glass. Oddly,
she was only wearing a black bra and panties. Seeing her move
around the room brought a small smile to Garrett’s lips. She handed
him the scotch and went into the bedroom. He took a long drink and
closed his eyes. Governor Weller’s suicide was unexpected, and Garrett knew he was going to face an
avalanche of criticism. Memories of the last time his career was in
jeopardy pushed their way out of the recesses where he tried to keep them buried. His
thoughts drifted back to when he met Katherine.
     
    After the debacle in which Garrett’s
investigation of Senator Rimes’ involvement in questionable real
estate transactions was front-page news, the Secretary of State
wanted to meet with Garrett. As chance would have it, the Senator
and the Secretary were old friends, and the
Secretary felt obligated to relay his opinion of Garrett’s reckless
journalism to Garrett personally. Garrett had not noticed Katherine
before the meeting. Afterward, he was too caught up in
self-examination to fully appreciate his surroundings and had therefore overlooked the
attractive special assistant to the Secretary
of State. A myriad of unanswered questions competed for his
attention and even now, two years later, he was still no closer to
finding resolution . Who forged the bank
records? Where had the witnesses come from and how could they have
disappeared without a trace? He was certain it had been a setup to
besmirch someone’s character, but Garrett was not sure if he or
Senator Rimes was the target. Either way, by the time it was over,
both of their reputations suffered considerable damage.
    The Secretary’s special
assistant was not as caught up in introspection and noticed
the endearing reporter who could barely find his way out of the office after meeting with her supervisor.
Garrett heard a woman’s voice asking someone if they would like to
join her for lunch. After a pause that was too long to be
considered good manners, Garrett realized he was the intended
recipient of the question. He looked up to see
a beautiful young woman addressing him. She stood half a head
shorter than he and had a smile that captivated him in a way he
still found difficult to describe.
    “Pardon me?” Garrett responded, still
emerging from his contemplations.
    “You look like you’ve had a rough day. Why
don’t you join me for lunch?” she replied. Garrett stared back at
her, seemingly incapable of responding as he mulled probable career
paths based on the day’s events.
    “Come on, I’ll buy,” she offered energetically, as she grabbed his arm and began walking
toward the door.
    “Yeah, sure,” Garrett mumbled, as he
consented to being led out of the
building.
    Over lunch, he found her to have a wry wit
that he thoroughly enjoyed, and after he had recovered enough to start using sentences that were
longer than two syllables, she found his company equally agreeable.
She was particularly attracted to the quiet
strength his personality carried so nonchalantly, almost as if he
were not aware of it.
    She had grown up on a farm in rural Ohio.
The youngest of four, she developed adept negotiating skills at an
early age, to steer daily childhood squabbles
to her benefit. This had turned her into an
extrovert by necessity, and she had the
intellect to match her outgoing demeanor. On the high school debate
team, she was known for