All Chapters of HEAT BETWEEN THE LINES : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Three days after Jake and Emma had decided to seek objective validation of her work, Emma received a phone call that made her realize Marcus's threats weren't empty. The caller identified herself as Patricia Mills, a romance author Emma had met at several industry events. "Emma, I'm calling because I received some disturbing information about you, and I wanted to give you the chance to respond before I decide what to do with it." Emma felt her stomach drop. "Patricia, what kind of information?" Patricia's voice was uncomfortable but determined. "Emma, someone contacted me claiming to be a journalist researching ethics in romance publishing. They provided detailed information about your relationship with Jake Morrison and suggested that your recent success might be due to personal favoritism rather than merit." Emma felt sick as she realized Marcus was actually following through on his threats to contact industry professionals. "Patricia, what exactly did this person tell you?" P

The Romance Writers of the Pacific Northwest monthly meeting was typically a casual affair thirty or so authors gathering at a downtown Seattle hotel conference room to discuss craft, industry trends, and upcoming releases. Emma usually attended these meetings with quiet enthusiasm, but today she felt nervous as she and Jake walked into the room together. Word about Marcus's allegations had spread through the tight-knit romance writing community faster than Emma had anticipated. She could feel the curious glances and whispered conversations as she and Jake found seats toward the front of the room. Some faces were supportive and sympathetic, others appeared skeptical or uncomfortable. Patricia Mills, who was serving as the evening's moderator, called the meeting to order and immediately addressed the elephant in the room. "Before we begin our scheduled discussion about authentic character development, I think we need to address some concerns that have been raised about professi

Emma was revising the final chapters of her second novel when her phone rang with a number she didn't recognize. The voice on the other end was crisp, professional, and completely unexpected. "Ms. Chen, this is Richard Blackwood from Blackwood & Associates. I represent Marcus Fleming in a potential defamation matter involving statements you and your associates made at a recent industry event." Emma felt her stomach drop as she realized Marcus was escalating beyond harassment into legal threats. "Mr. Blackwood, what statements are you referring to?" The lawyer's tone was measured and intimidating. "Ms. Chen, my client alleges that you and Jake Morrison made false and defamatory statements about his character and professional conduct at a Romance Writers meeting. Specifically, you accused him of harassment, theft of intellectual property, and unethical business practices." Emma felt a surge of anger at Marcus's audacity. "Mr. Blackwood, every statement Jake and I made about Marcus

Word of Marcus's legal threats against Emma and Jake spread through the romance writing community faster than either of them had anticipated. What surprised Emma most wasn't that people had heard about the situation, but the overwhelming support that began pouring in from authors, editors, and industry professionals she'd never even met. The first call came from bestselling author Victoria Sterling, whose name Emma recognized from numerous award lists and bestseller charts. "Emma, I hope you don't mind me calling directly. Patricia Mills gave me your number because I wanted to personally offer my support in your situation with Marcus Fleming." Emma felt honored and slightly overwhelmed that such a successful author was reaching out. "Victoria, thank you so much for calling. I have to admit, I'm surprised that news about our situation has spread so widely." Victoria's laugh was warm but determined. "Emma, news travels fast in this industry, especially when it involves someone tryi

The day after Emma's keynote speech, she and Jake were having breakfast in their Portland hotel when Catherine Walsh called with news that would change everything about their legal case. "Emma, I need to share some developments that came to light after your speech yesterday," Catherine said, her voice carrying an excitement that Emma had never heard before. Emma put the call on speaker so Jake could hear. "Catherine, what kind of developments?" Catherine's tone was that of a lawyer who'd just been handed a game-changing piece of evidence. "Emma, after your keynote speech was livestreamed online, I received calls from three more women with information about Marcus Fleming but these aren't just harassment stories." Emma felt her pulse quicken. "Catherine, what do you mean?" Catherine's voice grew more serious. "Emma, one of the women who contacted me is Lisa Torres, a freelance editor who worked with Marcus on several projects over the past two years. She has evidence that Marcus