Slaughter Series: Books 1 to 3 Bundle

491 pages

Chapter 3

Principal Rachel Adams sat quietly in the small study, a room that had been reserved for private meetings with the Chairman. She shifted in her seat, constantly looking at the time and cursing the fact that she had been waiting for almost half an hour. She was accustomed to a certain level of respect, and was always annoyed when she was treated with any less. She was not a woman who liked to be kept waiting.

The door to the study opened and Chairman Daniel Cole stepped in, flashing Rachel his best political smile. He opened his arms wide in anticipation as he confidently made his way to her. Rachel stood up quickly, scowling at the man and raising a hand to stop his advance.

“This is ridiculous, Daniel,” she spat. “I have obligations, you know. I can’t waste time playing games with you.”

Daniel’s smile didn’t falter. “Rachel, I assure you, if I could have been here sooner, I would have.”

Rachel scoffed and sat back down. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Do you have somewhere to be?” Daniel asked, walking to a small mini-bar and setting two cups out. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured a shot into each, taking one back to Rachel.

“Unless you’ve forgotten, I have a school to run,” Rachel replied, taking the drink and putting it on the small table beside her without even looking at it.

Daniel smiled, raising his glass in a mock toast before downing his own drink and replacing his cup at the bar.

“What do you have for me?” he asked, immediately taking on a more serious tone as he sat in the chair behind his desk.

Rachel opened her bag, pulling a file out and tossing it in front of the Chairman. Daniel raised his eyebrows and tapped the file with a long finger.

“Does anyone know about this yet?” he asked.

“Do I look like I’m an idiot?” Rachel asked, infuriated that he would even ask. “We all know the rules.”

“You haven’t even talked to the Sheriff?” Daniel asked. “I know the two of you are close.”

Rachel eyed Daniel Cole, imagining her hand around his tie and suffocating him in his seat. She hated the way he talked down to her, as if she were his subordinate. She wanted to remind him who had put him in his chair, but decided against it.

“It isn’t my place to tell the Sheriff,” Rachel said, reluctantly accepting the hit to her ego. “That’s your job, isn’t it?”

Daniel smiled. “I just wanted to make sure we all remembered our places in this matter.” He slid the file closer to him and opened it, looking at the sheets of paper within that Rachel had spent the last few weeks compiling.

“The boy’s name is Blake Collins,” Rachel said. “They’re new to Melington. Mother’s dead, father’s as useless as they come. I had my secretary call the garage he works at. Apparently he’s one mistake away from being fired.”

Daniel nodded. “We wouldn’t want that to happen, now would we?” his voice was low, menacing, enough to make even Rachel shudder. “We should make sure Mr. Collins hands in his resignation with dignity and finds his fortune somewhere else, don’t you think?”

“I don’t think about these things,” Rachel said. “You know my conditions. I don’t want to know anything more than what I have to.”

Daniel nodded quickly and gave her an annoyed wave. “Relatives?” he asked, sifting through the papers.

“Don’t worry,” Rachel said, standing up. “He won’t be missed.”

Daniel Cole watched her adjust the purse on her shoulder, her tall frame and curves accentuated by the two-piece suit she was wearing. Rachel could see his eyes undressing her, and immediately felt her stomach turn. She couldn’t understand how his wife tolerated him.

“If that’s all, I have more important matters to attend to,” Rachel said.

Daniel’s eyes found hers and held them. “Nothing is more important than this,” he said. “That is, as long as you hope to have grandchildren, Rachel.”

Rachel smirked. “I think you’re more worried about your own than any of our children, Daniel.” She turned and walked to the door, opening it slightly before stopping and turning to look at the man behind the desk.

“Alan Carter is back,” she said.

Daniel’s head snapped up from the file. “What?”

Rachel nodded with a smile, amused at how worried Daniel Cole suddenly looked. “He’s applied as an English teacher at the school.”

Daniel sat back and looked at the woman, frowning in confusion. “What are you going to do?” he asked.

Rachel shrugged. “That’s Deborah’s decision,” she said, knowing well what the outcome of the interview would be. It was one of the reasons she hadn’t wanted to be involved with Alan Carter’s application. She didn’t want the Council members blaming her for the man’s return to Melington.

“That was not a very wise decision.”

“I can’t imagine why?” Rachel asked, playing the fool and adding to Daniel’s discomfort. “I wonder if he’s anything like his father. What do you think Alan would do if he figured out the truth?”

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