A Shot of Red (9 page)

Chapter Nine

Gio scrubbed a towel over his hair with one hand and flipped from cable news channels to network broadcasts with the other. Standing in front of the TV, he was eager to see how they were covering the flu outbreak and positioning the One Shot program this morning. The media always loved a crisis, and they could usually be depended on to overhype the issue of the day. But in this case, he was glad to see so much airtime dedicated to the burgeoning flu outbreak, considering how many people had already died. He tried not to overestimate the importance of his work, yet he felt a personal responsibility to motivate people to get vaccinated and stop the death toll from adding up. As if trying to save people’s lives wasn’t enough pressure, the success of the One Shot program could bring a lot of even higher-profile career opportunities his way, and that only multiplied his stress.

His strategy for babysitting the One Shot PR appearances was to show up at the television studio in time for Mia and the doctor from the CDC to take the stage and do their segment. He had plenty of work to keep him busy otherwise, including remotely managing his staff. One of them could easily be in New York monitoring the appearances, but Senator Moncure, Secretary Dartmouth, and Matthew Moncure thought there was too much at stake not to have a “senior person” on site. Gio considered Ellen a senior person, but that was beside the point. One part of him thought this wasn’t the most efficient use of his time, while another part had him longing to be wherever Mia was, especially after last night—when he’d put his job at risk, again.

Neither of them had gotten much sleep, and he hoped that wouldn’t affect her presentation on the
Today
show. No doubt she could pull it off after a couple cups of coffee and the shot of adrenaline that was standard issue with a television appearance.

A smile tugged at his lips as he thought about their reunion—their sensuous shower, the midnight room service, sleeping with her in his arms. Gio’s blood tingled as he envisioned her naked in the steamy shower, mesmerizing rivulets of water trailing over the swell of her perfect breasts, slick to his touch.

His phone rang and he glanced at the screen.

Senator Moncure.

His chest tightened. He doubted his job could survive it if she found out what was going on between him and Mia. They’d have to figure out something though, wouldn’t they? Mia had told him that last night would never be enough. He wanted to believe her, but he’d learned the hard way not to get too far ahead of himself where Mia was concerned. Right now he’d take the satisfaction of knowing that the sparks that had fired between them months ago had caught flame and burned like the sun last night. Other than that, he couldn’t be sure what might happen next.

“Good morning, Senator,” he said, propping his phone between his shoulder and his ear.

“Some disturbing news just came to my attention,” she said tersely.

Gio tensed against a surge of adrenaline. Could she have found out about him and Mia?

“We’ve got record numbers of flu cases being reported, especially in the Northeast,” she said, “and the death toll is creeping up faster than expected.”

He could hardly breathe a sigh of relief, considering the sad news, but at least he was breathing again.

The senator cleared her throat, usually an indication that she was getting ready to say something politically incorrect or downright insensitive. “Richard has his people making sure we’re getting real-time numbers, because we can’t afford to get the negative rap for what happened prior to the vaccine launch.”

Gio winced, thankful he wasn’t face-to-face with her. People were dying, and she seemed more worried about who would be blamed for it than how devastating it was on a personal level. A little dose of compassion from her would be heartening once in a while.

He sank onto the desk chair. “Is your concern that the public doesn’t realize the timeline involved and they’ll start pointing fingers?” He knew the answer was yes. And that she didn’t want fingers pointing at her, Moncure Therapeutics, Secretary Dartmouth, or the president. This outbreak was the type of large-scale public crisis that could launch or crash political careers.

“Exactly.” She sounded relieved that Gio got her meaning without her having to specify exactly whom she was worried about protecting. “So we need to firm up the message for Mia’s appearance this morning.”

His pulse fired faster at the mention of Mia’s name.

“Are you at the studio?” the senator asked.

“I’m headed there soon.”

“Get with Mia and Ellen and craft some specific language that makes it clear that the deaths to date are not on our hands.”

Gio tensed. “That’s going to be tricky. The strategy is to go with a lighter message this morning and let the PSAs and the media do the heavy lifting with the warnings and urgent call to action. We’ve got lots of different demos we’re trying to appeal to. I’m wondering if we should wait it out and see if the blame game starts instead of calling attention to something before it becomes an issue.”

“Well, there’s no need to wonder. I don’t care what the strategy was, or how tricky it’s going to be. Fix the message and get it out there. If Mia has a problem with it—and she probably will—then have Dr. Ogden from the CDC do the appearance by himself. But make sure he’s got the new message, and he’s prepared to deliver it.”

Gio’s temper flared at her flippant disregard for Mia’s ability to draw an audience. He might not have anything to base his opinion on, but he’d bet Mia could rock a PR appearance. She was smart, conversational, and gorgeous. Both men and women would be compelled to watch her and listen. Certainly much more than if Matthew had been the spokesman for the campaign as Senator Moncure had wanted.

“I’ll speak to Mia.” He wondered how they would mix the casual message they’d crafted with the more serious don’t-blame-us statement about the number of deaths to date. Mia could probably pull off whatever they decided, but they had to come up with something quickly. “Viewers will be a lot less compelled by Dr. Ogden, no matter what he has to say.”

His remarks were met with a stony silence that made him wonder if the senator was still on the line. “We have to get this right, Gio,” she said finally, her words clipped as they always were when she was pissed. “Richard’s arranging a press conference for late this afternoon, so be sure to brief someone and have them prepared to be there.”

Gio tensed at her tone. Before the vaccine initiative, she’d been cordial and somewhat open to his guidance, but the steamrolling had begun. Now he was expected to execute without question, whether or not he agreed with the strategy. This dynamic would only get worse if he wasn’t in DC to manage the solid communications plan already in place. Maybe today’s press conference was his ticket back to the office, at least for the day.

“I’ll be there myself and rejoin the team in California tomorrow for the
Tonight Show
appearance.”

“However you need to handle it,” she said. “Now go set Mia straight.” She hung up and left Gio sitting there, staring at the chair where Mia had sat last night, the colors and light on the television shifting and blinking in his periphery. Something on the floor next to the chair caught his eye—a small black square vivid against the taupe carpet. He went over and had a closer look at what turned out to be a flash memory card. Either it belonged to Mia, or someone else had left it behind and it had been overlooked by the housekeeper.

Gio pulled his card reader out of his briefcase, connected it to his laptop, and transferred the card data to his computer.

One video.

He turned up the volume and clicked on the file, and Brent English’s face filled the screen. Gio flinched at the unexpected sight of his former colleague and Mia’s ex, especially since he and Mia had talked about Brent just hours ago in this room. Clearly the flash card belonged to her. From what Gio remembered, the beginning of the video looked a lot like the one he’d seen her watching last night in the business center. His curiosity and his conscience immediately went to war.

This is Mia’s personal business…not yours.

Just give it back to her.

But watch it first.

His battle of conscience continued as he tapped his finger on the mouse, and the cursor hovered over the start arrow, blinking in time with his pulse.

…

Mia’s heart leaped when Gio strode into the green room at the
Today
show studio. He looked irresistibly sexy in his charcoal-gray suit, a lightly starched white shirt, and a brilliant blue tie. Tingling warmth swirled through her as she thought about their sensuous night together. She’d been careful not to say too much to him since life inside her mind and outside of his hotel room was so complicated—and guaranteed to become even worse. But they hadn’t needed words.

Mia had harbored her secrets and focused on Gio. He’d surpassed every expectation her fantasies had raised, taunting her with sensations she’d experienced only with him, and tempting her beyond her boundaries. She stifled a satisfied smile, knowing she’d given as good as she’d gotten. The low rumble of his satisfied moans echoed in her mind, along with him breathlessly calling her name.

But the expression on his face was all business as he approached her. She appreciated his caution since Ellen and Dr. Peter Ogden, the portly, middle-aged medical liaison from the CDC, were having a conversation merely steps behind her.

Gio nodded to them but stopped in front of Mia. “Got a minute?” he asked and cocked his head toward the door.

Mia had the feeling it wasn’t a question. She lowered her eyebrows, but his expression gave nothing away. “Sure.” It was rare for any of them to call out one of their team without including the others. She and Gio had ushered in a new dynamic last night, but she hadn’t expected things to change on a professional level. They’d both do well to keep whatever happened between them confidential. That was certainly her intention. She glanced over her shoulder at Ellen and Dr. Ogden. “I’ll be back in a second.”

Gio led her out into the hallway. “Is your dressing room nearby?”

Mia pointed down an adjacent corridor, and they headed in that direction. She glanced at her watch. Fifteen minutes until she was supposed to be on set. They ducked into her dressing room and Gio closed the door. He tugged his hand through his hair and Mia could still feel the satiny strands between her fingers. But he was all business right now, without a trace of last night’s tenderness in his gaze.

“Your mother called.”

Mia tensed, as if she weren’t nervous enough. Nothing good ever came after her mother called.

“I hate to tell you, but she and Secretary Dartmouth got some numbers showing flu death rates coming in higher than expected—cases that were likely active prior to the vaccine launch.”

Mia nodded, then it clicked. “And my mother doesn’t want to take the blame for that.”

Gio had the good sense to wince, as if he found the idea appalling as well. “Specifically, she doesn’t want fingers pointed at the government or Moncure Therapeutics.”

“I hate to ask if she had a care about all the people dying.”

Gio frowned, answering Mia’s question. “She wants to fine-tune the message for your appearance this morning.”

“Fine-tune?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Like I said, the deaths likely happened before the launch. We need to make sure people get that.”

“Who says it’ll even be an issue?”

He raised his eyebrows as if the answer was a given.

Mia’s temper flared. “This is an awareness campaign. We’re trying to save people’s lives, not cover people’s asses.”

“I’m well aware of that,” he said, his tone sharp. “But we have a directive to change the message. They’re even staging a presser today to make sure the information gets out there and the public understands the timeline.”

“Let them have their press conference.” Mia’s voice was a note lower than usual. “That message conflicts with our strategy, and it’s entirely inappropriate for this show. This isn’t about politics, it’s about people.”

“It’s your family’s company. I guess your mother figured you might be on board for a little reputation preservation.”

“I would be if someone was actually questioning it.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not changing the message.”

“I assured the senator that you would.”

Mia suddenly realized the predicament she was in. Had she spent last night sleeping with the enemy? “Then you and
the senator
are going to be disappointed.” She set her jaw, hating that the afterglow of last night had officially burned out. “Clearly we’re on opposite sides here.”

He narrowed his eyes and set a gaze on her that made her breath hitch. After several tense moments he said, “I’m not on anyone’s side, Mia. I’m just trying to do my job.”

She held his stare. “And I’m trying to do the right thing.”

Gio reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out something small, black, and square pinched between his fingers.

Brent’s flash card?

Mia’s heart thundered against her ribs as she looked in his eyes and found the answer there.

Gio took her hand, pressed the flash card into her palm, and closed her fingers tightly around it. “The right thing?” he asked huskily. “Then what are you going to do about this?”