The Prof Croft Series: Books 0-4 (Prof Croft Box Sets Book 1) Brad Magnarella (ink book reader txt) 📖

press conference, but a relaxed interview. “You want your life back, don’t you?” he’d asked. He had me there. After the NYPD had extracted me from the ruins of downtown, I had spent the next two weeks in hiding until City Hall could leak the “actual” account of my involvement. “Anyway,” Budge said, “I gave Courtney over at TV 20 first rights to your story.” I wondered if that had anything to do with Budge being a bachelor again and Courtney being gorgeous.

“‘Complicated’ is an understatement,” the blond anchor said with a small laugh. “You had everyone fooled.”

A tide of assenting murmurs went up. I glanced around. While the interview was relaxed in the sense I was wearing jeans, Budge failed to mention it would be held in front of a packed auditorium at City Hall.

I swallowed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“The simple answer is this,” Budge cut in. “I knew the vampires were planning something, but I didn’t know what. So I had Everson here infiltrate their ranks. And when the vampires attacked, guess who was on the inside?” Budge slapped my knee. “My good old secret weapon.”

“Five vampires destroyed, including Arnaud Thorne,” Courtney cited. “Two captured…”

Leaderless, and their blood slaves decimated, two of the remaining vampires had fled while two others surrendered to the NYPD. At my suggestion, the vampires were bolted inside steel coffins and their slaves imprisoned in a reinforced shipping container until the city could figure out what to do with them. A short ethics debate followed. In the end, the vampires were executed by cremation in order to restore their blood slaves to mortality. Those young enough to survive the transformation went into immediate counseling.

“All thanks to Everson’s fine job,” Budge said.

“So, the Central Park campaign…?” Courtney asked.

“Mistakes were made,” Budge cut in, “but the buck stops with me and no one else. Especially not Everson here, who risked his life trying to get the other officers out of the park that night.”

Courtney smiled and tilted her head in approval.

“And we learned from that experience,” Budge went on. “The fight was better waged from the air, which is what we did. The city’s had to deal with a lot of smoke these past several days—and I do apologize for that—but Central Park is officially clear now. The monsters that once terrorized the woods and meadows are now the ashes from which a new, improved park will rise.”

“And to that end, I understand you’ll be announcing a jobs program soon?”

Budge’s embarrassed laugh sounded like part of a script he and Courtney had worked out beforehand. “You’re preempting me a little here, but yeah. With Central Park and the downtown in need of rebuilding, we’re allotting a portion of the federal package to put New Yorkers back to work. There are going to be a ton of new jobs.” He turned toward the crowd. “That is, if you would do me the honor this fall of allowing me to serve a second term.”

“That seems in little doubt now,” Courtney said above the whoops and applause.

Budge waved his hand modestly, but Courtney was right. The death of Budge’s wife coupled with his victory over the vampires had vaulted him to a twelve-point lead in the latest poll. The jobs program would only build on that. I had to hand it to him and Caroline. They had conducted a near-flawless campaign, he for the mayorship, she for the fae portal.

Courtney returned to me. “And will you have a role in the second administration?”

“I’m planning a little time off, actually,” I said. “There are some things I need to take care of.”

“I hear you’ll have a new title at Midtown College when you return.”

“That’s true.” I couldn’t help but smile. “Tenured professor. I received the news this week.”

“Well, congratulations,” Courtney said as more applause rose up.

I nodded and gave the same modest wave as the mayor. I wasn’t there when Chairman Cowper announced my tenure to the rest of the faculty, but I was told Professor Snodgrass went into a convulsion that locked his entire body. He was carried out on a stretcher, one of his heeled shoes protruding from his mouth to prevent him from biting through his tongue.

I had his secretary retrieve my cane from his office.

“And the honorariums don’t end there,” Courtney said with a sly smile. “Mayor?”

I turned toward Budge with more than a stab of dread. Okay, what’s going on?

“As mayor of New York,” he proclaimed reaching inside his jacket and withdrawing an oblong black case, “I hereby present Everson Croft with our city’s highest honor.” When he opened the case, a ceremonial key to the city glittered for everyone to see. “May you remain a trusted friend.”

A fresh storm of applause rolled in as cameras flashed and audience members stood from their seats. Budge signaled for me to stand as well. He seized my right hand and held the open case between us.

“You’re one lucky bastard,” he said through his enormous smile. “City was ready to rip you to shreds. Press had practically written your obituary.”

“No shit,” I replied through my own fixed smile. “Thanks for bringing me back to life.”

“Thank Caroline. Hell of a body count you left down there.”

“Wasn’t all me,” I said. “But I am sorry about the wolves.”

“Ehh, I never much cared for them. Wife excluded, of course.”

“About that…” I started to say, but he gave my hand a harder squeeze.

Following the photo op, the interview turned into a campaign platform for Budge, which was fine by me. Among other things, he announced a wave of hirings in government security—the werewolves’ former domain—trimming New York’s unemployment rate by a half point. I sat back and studied the key, wondering how long the good will would last. New York had a short attention span and an even shorter memory.

When the interview concluded, Courtney, Budge, and I stood and shook hands. While the audience filed out and the camera crew packed it in, Budge pulled me aside.

“Listen,” he said in a lowered