REMNANT - Chapter One PREVIEW

EXcUSE ME, MA'AM…

YoU ARE ABsOLUTELY A SIGhT TO BEHOLd.

|’M HERE WITh SOMEoNE.

|’VE BEeN WATcHINg YoU, YoU’RE NOT HERE WITh ANYoNE.

|’M MEeTINg SOMEoNE.

YoU DON’T HAVE TO WORrY ABOuT ME. |’M A NICE GUy. REaL NICE.

YoU’VE GOT ThE WrONg GIRl. ANd “NICE” ISn’T REaLlY MY TYPE.

SENATOR PALmER.

| SEe NOW, YoU’RE ALrEaDY BOoKED FOR ThE NIGhT.

Mr…?

GrEeNfIeLd. Mr. GrEeNfIeLd, ThIS IS StELlA BENOiT. EXECUTIVE VICE PrESIDENt OF ThE ACADEMIC ADvANcEMENt OF CORbIN FOuNdATIoN.

MY SINcERESt APOLOGIeS, MA’AM. |’M A HUGE ADvOCATE OF ThE AaCf. MY WIFE ANd | HAVE MADE CONsIDERABlE DONATIoNs. PlEaSE TELl YoUR WIFE WE APpRECIaTE YoUR SUPpORt.

HELlO, SIR. WhAT CAN | GET YoU ThIS EVENINg?

OLd-FAShIoNED DrY. COMINg RIGhT UP.

PlEaSE TELl YoUR WIFE WE APpRECIaTE YoUR SUPpORt.

…A 23% INcREaSE IN ThOSE GrADUaTINg HIGh ScHOoL FrOM LASt YeAR ALONE. ThIS IS REaLlY MAKINg A DIFfERENcE. ANd LET’S NOT IGnORE ThE POSITIVE EFfECt YoUR INvOLvEMENt IN ThIS PrOGrAM WILl HAVE ON ThE POLlS.

YoU ShOuLd CONsIDER A CAREeR IN POLITICs. YoU UNdERsTANd ThE GAME.

GARcON, L’ADdITIoN SIL VOuS PlAiT.

ThANk YoU FOR YoUR TIME ThIS EVENINg, SENATOR. HOPE TO SEe YoU SOoN.

KNOCK KNOCK

KNOCK KNOCK

NO ANsWER.

YeS?

WhAT IS ThE ISsUe?

|’M JOHn BELl, DIRECtOR OF HOTEL SECURITY. | NEeD YoU TO OPEN ThIS DOoR RIGhT NOW, SIR. ThERE’S BEeN AN INcIDENt. A GUeSt HAS REPORtED ThAT HER EiGhT-YeAR-OLd ChILd HAS GONE MISsINg, ANd OuR SECURITY CAMERAS ShOW ThAT HE WAS LASt SEeN GETtINg OuT OF ThE ELEVATOR ON ThIS FlOoR, ACcOMpANIeD BY AN OLdER GENtLEMAN.

WhAT?

WE’RE ChECkINg EVERY ROoM ON ThE FlOoR BEFORE WE EScALATE ThINgS ANd GET ThE POLICE INvOLvED. | NEeD YoU TO PlEaSE REMAiN HERE IN ThE HALlWAy WhILE | SEaRcH ThE PrEMISES.

UNlESs OF COuRsE YoU HAVE SOMEThINg TO HIDE.

YeS, OF COuRsE-| MEaN NO, |’M NOT HIDINg ANYThINg-GO RIGhT AHEaD.

| JUSt GOT WORd, ThEy FOuNd ThE BOy! HE’S FINE. ThANk YoU FOR YoUR COoPERATIoN. YoU MAy RETURn TO YoUR ROoM NOW. HAVE A GOoD NIGhT, ANd ThANkS FOR ChOoSINg ThE MANdARIN.

SURE! HAPpY HE’S OK. ‘NIGhT.

ANd ThERE’S MY LEVERAGE. ThANk YoU, SENATOR.

|'Ll BE RIGhT BACk. JUSt GOiNg TO WASh UP.

SwITcHINg HIS SIM CARd? NOW WhY WOuLd YoU DO A ThINg LIKE ThAT?

| REaLlY DO HAVE TO BE GETtINg HOME.

TO YoUR WIFE. | REMEMbER.

WhERE YoU OFf TO NOW?

ThIS PlACE IS MAFIa RUN. WhAT ARE YoU INtO, StELlA BENOiT?

VINcENt CARmIChAeL? ThAT’S ONE OF FrANk PAZIaNO’S TOP LIeUTENANtS.

KNOCK KNOCK YeAH, COME IN.

HEy! Mr. CARmIChAeL NEeDs YoU

HUH? WhAT FOR? ANd WhO ARE YoU?

|’M JIMmY. PALADINO. TONY'S COuSIN.

Mr. CARmIChAeL SAiD HE NEeDs ME? LOu?

ThAT’S WhAT HE SAiD. “GET LOu FrOM ThE BACk OFfICE.”

OK. JIMmY, WATcH ThIS ROoM TIL | GET BACk. YoU GOT IT.

WhERE’S FrANk? HE’S BUSY.

| HAVE SOMEThINg FOR HIM.

PAuLIe DIMARcO? NO. YoU’RE NOT HERE FOR HIM. YoU’RE WORkINg DIRECtLY FOR PAZ.

GOoD. LEaVE IT WITh ME, |’Ll MAKE SURE HE GETs IT.

NO. | DON’T ThINk SO. |’Ll WAiT.

IF YoU’D LIKE TO KEeP ThAT ARm, | WOuLdN’T DO ThAT AGAiN.

ThERE’S A HIeRARcHY HERE, SwEeThEaRt. |’M VERY AWARE. ARE YoU?

ThAT’S YoUR FINAL WARnINg.

YoUR SpUNk IS GETtINg ME HARd BABY.

COME ON, BABYDOLl, LET'S PlAy.

OH, ThAT’S HOT. | LIKE IT ROuGh.

FUCk ThIS.

WHAT THE FUCK?!

BANG

ShIT.

PENTHOUSE.

GOoD TO SEe YoU AGAiN, Mr. KANE. YoU MAy GO UP.

| HAVE ABEL KANE HERE FOR YoU.

HELlO, Mr. KANE, PlEaSE FOLlOW ME TO ThE StUDY.

PlEaSE HAVE A SEaT, HE’Ll BE RIGhT WITh YoU. WOuLd YoU LIKE A SmOoThIe?

SURE.

ABEL.

SENATOR PALmER. NICE TO SEe YoU AGAiN.

“JIM”, PlEaSE.

ALl RIGhT, JIM.

IT’S JUSt, HmMm, ThAT PARt WhERE YoU HAVE FINAL SAy ON WhAT MAKES IT INtO ThE BOoK, IT’S A BIT StICkY FOR ME. | SEe. LOoK, | GET IT. | KnOW MY REPUTATIoN.

SO YoU’VE REVIeWED ThE CONtRACt? EVERYThINg ClEaR ANd GOoD?

AS | WAS SAyINg, HAVINg AN INvEStIGATIVE JOuRnALISt KnOWn FOR TELlINg ThE WhOLE UGlY TrUTh WrITE A BIoGrAPhY ThAT PAiNtS A FAVORABlE PICtURE OF HIS SUBjECt WOuLd DO WONdERs FOR YoUR PUBlIC PERcEPtIoN, ESpECIaLlY WITh YoUR UPcOMINg PlANs TO RUN FOR PrESIDENt.

WhICh IS EXACtLY WhY | AM PrOPOSINg ANOThER DEaL.

EXACtLY! YoU GET IT, | NEeD TO CONtROL ThE NARrATIVE. WhICh IS WhY |’M OFfERINg TO PAy YoU TEN TIMES YoUR StANdARd RATE.

|’M INtRIGUeD. CONtINUe. YoU’RE GOiNg TO PAy ME $100,000 NOT TO WrITE YoUR BIoGrAPhY.

WhAT?

CONsIDER ThIS EMpAThY. |’M NOT CURbINg MY WORdS, ANd YoU NEeD A ROBOT, NOT A JOuRnALISt.

YoU ThINk |’M ThE ONlY PERsON IN CONgRESs WhO’S EVER ChEaTED ON ThEiR WIFE--

|’M SURE MrS. PALmER WILl UNdERsTANd. ANd YoUR ThREe DAuGhTERs. |’M SURE ThEy’Ll GET ThE PrESsURE YoU’RE UNdER…

A MAN HAS NEeDs. BUT YoU StILl LOVE ThEM ALl ThE SAME. ThEy’Ll UNdERsTANd. ThEy’Ll FORgIVE YoU.

TO CONtINUeD…