Campaign Trail

by J. A. Armstrong

  Jameson listened curiously.

  “I’m sure she’s told Candace by now.”

  “She’s not quitting…”

  “No,” Alex dismissed the thought. “I think it’s safe to say that she’s committed to helping Candace get elected.”

  “I’d understand, so would Candace. I mean, you’re going to have your plate full in a couple of weeks.”

  Alex shrugged. That was the truth. “True. We’re lucky to have a lot of support. I don’t think a baby is going to change Cass’s feelings about working for Candace.”

  “But?”

  Alex sighed again. “She mentioned that Cooper was nervous about assassinations.”

  “He and Spencer saw something on the TV a few months back.”

  “Yeah, that happens sometimes,” Alex commented. “We went through that with Dylan when O’Brien was splashed all over the news. No matter how much we tried to shield him—Well, he either caught a glimpse of the TV or he heard things at school.”

  “Couldn’t have been easy.”

  “No, it wasn’t. He was only seven. It was hard for all of us. Sometimes, I am amazed how well-adjusted he is,” Alex admitted. “He’s had more than his share of upheaval and loss.”

  Jameson nodded. Dylan had only been seven when his father died.

  Alex continued. “JD, there’s something that Cass and I thought Candace should know. Actually, there’s more than one thing.”

  “What?”

  “Christopher O’Brien was a son of a bitch,” Alex said flatly.

  “So, I’ve heard.”

  “Yeah, so the world heard,” Alex replied. “The truth is it was much worse than anyone in the public knows. He was not who people thought he was—not in any capacity.”

  Jameson was curious.

  “I won’t go into all the details. Let’s just say his agenda was not to serve The United States.”

  “I kind of gathered that.”

  “Yeah, well, he didn’t actually serve anyone but himself most of the time. His allegiance was to another government.”

  “Are you saying he was a spy?”

  Alex shrugged. Spy was a stupid word in her opinion. “He was working for another government. Well, at least, he was supposed to be. I’m not sure at all what he was hoping to do. He was a shitty husband, an absentee father, and a crooked politician who took orders from the Kremlin.”

  Jameson’s choked on the sip of beer she’d just taken.

  “That’s pretty much how I feel about it all too,” Alex said.

  “Holy shit. You’re not kidding.”

  “Nope. That’s part of the reason Cass wanted Candace and Jane here this week. All this digging into the embassy bombing—she wanted Candace to have all the information possible.”

  “Do people know?”

  “Some people know. I can’t say who knows. That’s the thing about working in the intelligence sector. There’s a lot of competing agendas. Some of it overlaps politics—more than you might imagine.”

  Jameson sighed nervously.

  “I’m not telling you this to worry you. Candace wasn’t born yesterday, JD. She’s probably one of the smartest politicians I’ve ever met. She might not know the details, but she knows the drill. The details will help her down the line. Most people won’t give her them straight. Jane and Cassidy will.”

  “Cassidy knows?”

  Alex nodded. “I probably should have kept more from her. That’s just never the way it’s been. There are lots of little things I would never tell her. She doesn’t need to know everything I have seen. She knows enough. I wouldn’t have made it without her to confide in. That’s how it was for John with Jane. Everyone in this life needs someone they can tell everything to that has no stake in it other than loving them.”

  Jameson rubbed her face. She’d known that Candace pursuing the presidency came with both overwhelming responsibility and considerable risk. Alex’s revelations brought that home in an unsettling way.

  Alex smiled at her friend. “She’ll be okay, JD. If that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “I am worried. You say that. Look at what happened to President Merrow.”

  Alex nodded. John Merrow had been her commanding officer in Iraq and later her closest friend. His death had devastated her. “John was in a different position than Candace.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that he wasn’t just a politician.”

  “You’re talking about his military service.”

  Alex nodded. “He worked for the CIA, JD.”

  Jameson was stunned.

  “I told you; worlds overlap.”

  “Jesus.”

  Alex couldn’t help but chuckle. It sounded absurd, like a spy novel. Alex had come to accept that truth was stranger than fiction. “Crazy, huh?”

  “A little.”

  “That’s not the only thing people don’t know about John.”

  “I’m not sure I want to know,” Jameson said.

  “He was Dylan’s biological father.”

  Jameson’s jaw dropped.

  “That was my reaction when Cass told me,” Alex chuckled.

  “Holy shit.”

  “I might have said that too.” Alex winked at JD. “It’s a lot to take in.”

  “Alex, why are you telling me this?”

  “If you mean about O’Brien and John’s background, because Candace will only tell you parts of it. Not because she doesn’t want to tell you, because she won’t want you to worry about her. It’ll eat away at her. Me telling you takes that pressure off. You can handle it. I saw the way you worked Carter over without him knowing. If I didn’t think you could handle the truth, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  Jameson nodded.

  “And, as far as Dylan; Cass felt Candace needed to know that. No one knows but the family—all our family.”

  “You mean Jane?”

  Alex nodded. “And her girls. That doesn’t mean no one will ever figure it out.”

  “Hey, listen, if that’s too risky for Dylan, Candace will understand. She…”

  “We both know that. Dylan is all right. I think, if I’m honest, it might be a relief for us all if it did get out there. Right now, might not be the best time for that where Candace is concerned—not with Cass and Jane so close to the campaign.”

  “Probably not,” Jameson conceded. “She won’t want Cassidy to quit, though.”

  Alex smiled. “Yeah, I figured as much. Look, I told you; I hate politics. Unfortunately, my wife has a taste for it,” she laughed. “She still thinks someone like Candace can make a real difference.”

  “You don’t?”

  Alex sighed. “I do. At least, I think Candace will try.”

  Jameson smiled. “She will.”

  “John tried too,” Alex said. “He was caught between worlds. Candace isn’t.”

  “But?”

  Alex groaned. “There are people who will be less likely to give her all the information she needs,” Alex said. “Not just to win this campaign.”

  “I think I understand.”

  “I figured you’d catch on quickly.”

  “Alex, can I ask you something?”

  “Shoot.”

  “No bullshit, do you think Candace is in danger?”

  “Not physically.”

  Jameson sighed.

  “They won’t want to martyr her, not ever,” Alex said. “And, believe me, JD crazy strangers don’t kill presidents or presidential candidates.”

  “There’s a but coming.”

  “They also don’t want her in that office.”

  “Because she’s…”

  “Because she will make her own decisions,” Alex said.

  “You think they’d rather that Keyes be the nominee?”

  “No. Jane and Cass have a better pulse on that stuff. But, no; I don’t. They want Wolfe in the White House.”

  “Who does?”

  “The people with the power,”
Alex said. “They’d love to send Candace packing. They don’t want a politician. The last thing they want is to negotiate. They want a flunky; someone they can control.”

  Jameson shook her head. “I wish I knew how to help her.”

  Alex smiled. “The one thing I do know, JD is that the best way you can help her is by giving her someone to let it all out with. That’s why I’m telling you. She needs you to be that person. She’ll want to protect you from the truth. I’ve just given it to you; enough that she won’t need to think about whether she should.”

  “Do you think she can win this?” Jameson asked.

  “She has to.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Nervous about the speech?” Jameson asked.

  Candace smiled. “No.”

  “You were locked away with Cassidy and Jane all night.”

  “We had a lot to talk about.”

  Jameson nodded.

  “I already know that Alex filled you in.”

  “Are you mad?”

  Candace sighed. “I was at first.”

  “Why?”

  “Jameson, I don’t want to burden you.”

  “I don’t see it that way.”

  “I know you don’t.”

  “I worry about you,” Jameson conceded.

  “I’m okay.”

  “I want you to be able to tell me anything that you need to,” Jameson said.

  “So, do I.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.” Candace chuckled. “Cassidy made me realize how important that was.”

  “Do you think they will call you to testify before congress?”

  “Before the Intelligence Committee, yes.”

  Jameson sighed.

  “It’s all right,” Candace said. “I have what I need.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Knowledge.”

  Jameson nodded. “Knowledge is power; is that it? Can’t it also be a liability?”

  Candace closed the distance between them and kissed Jameson. “I suppose, it can,” she admitted. “But only if you don’t know how to employ that knowledge and who to trust with it.”

  “I’m glad you have Cassidy and Jane in your corner.”

  “Me too. I’m glad that I have you.”

  “You do.”

  Candace placed a gentle kiss on Jameson’s lips. She stepped back and took a deep breath. She held out her hand to Jameson. “Ready?”

  Jameson sensed this speech, this visit with their friends had marked a shift in more than the campaign. For the first time, Jameson understood the gravity of what Candace was stepping into. And, she knew that the hill they were climbing was about to get much steeper. The next six months would determine who would accept the nomination for the Democratic Party. The turmoil of the last six months would be nothing by comparison. Jameson had been preoccupied with the notion of unfair press coverage, constant travel, and the everyday realities of a campaign. She had known there were competing agendas and ideas. She understood now that those existed far beyond egos and ambition. The corporate world, the intelligence complex, foreign governments, social organizations—everyone had a stake in a presidential election. Was she ready? She looked at Candace’s extended hand and smiled. As much as she needed Candace, she’d begun to realize how much the world did too. The reality scared her, but not nearly as much as it made her heart swell with pride and with love. Jameson found herself musing again, wondering how she had been so lucky to get to share her life with Candace.

  “What are you thinking?” Candace asked.

  “Just how much I am looking forward to watching you,” Jameson said.

  Candace’s eyes sparkled. “Listening or watching?” she teased.

  Jameson winked.

  “That’s what I thought.”

  ***

  “Where are we at?” Bradley Wolfe asked.

  “Their first televised debate is January 31st,” Klein replied.

  “And, you think Keyes will challenge her?”

  “I don’t think. I know.”

  “And, what about Drury and his committee?” Wolfe questioned.

  “It’s not going anywhere of consequence,” Ritchie answered.

  Wolfe’s displeasure was immediately evident.

  “I didn’t say it won’t work,” Ritchie continued.

  “I want her out of commission,” Wolfe said. “Not limping toward the finish line. I want her on the stretcher.”

  “You don’t want to run against Keyes,” Klein said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You don’t.”

  “Keyes is a weasel,” Wolfe said.

  “Exactly, he’s a weasel.”

  Wolfe reclined in his chair. “Are you telling me that you think George Keyes will be harder to defeat because he’s a man?”

  “Yes,” Klein answered.

  Wolfe grinned. “What is it with you, Klein?” he asked. “Problems with women?” he goaded.

  Lawson Klein bristled. “I don’t have problems with women. I have a problem with women who don’t know their place.”

  Wolfe laughed. “And, where would that be exactly? Your bedroom?”

  Klein’s face flushed with anger. Ritchie interceded. “The point is that we need Governor Reid to go down.”

  Wolfe chuckled. “I don’t think we’re her type.”

  Ritchie groaned. “Brad…”

  “All right,” Wolfe surrendered. “So, we want the good governor to make it to the general—fine. Seems risky to me.”

  “Maybe. She’s an easy target in a general election,” Ritchie said.

  “Really?” Wolfe questioned.

  “She’s already compromised with this new investigation into her role in failing to safe guard the embassy in Moscow.”

  “That was years ago,” Wolfe reminded him.

  “True, but her entrance into this race has raised all kinds of discussion about her relationship to Merrow. We all know that there are skeletons there.”

  Wolfe let out a heavy sigh. “You’re the strategists,” he said. “I’d remind you that I now have a field of five candidates I need to best to secure the nomination.”

  “Not an issue,” Klein said.

  “Is that so?” Wolfe asked.

  Klein grinned. “You just stay on message,” he advised Wolfe.

  “And, what message might that be?”

  “Make them all look like the establishment lackeys they are,” Ritchie replied.

  “And, Reid?”

  “For now, let us worry about Candace Reid. We’ll pave the way for you. Keyes will chip away at her base, erode it a bit before she secures the nomination. By the time the conventions finish, she’ll be amassed in a media blitz questioning her integrity the likes of which she’s never seen.”

  Wolfe nodded. “And then?”

  “You keep doing what you’ve been doing all along,” Klein said.

  “What might that be?” Wolfe asked.

  “Follow the script.”

  ***

  “Are you feeling okay?” Jameson asked Cassidy. “Alex will kill me if you go into labor here.”

  Cassidy laughed. “I wonder if this one will be the one to follow in her Momma’s footsteps.”

  “Why?” Jameson asked.

  “She seems to find foreign policy interesting,” Cassidy said. “No labor, JD. Although, I think she’s trying to move herself around in there.” Cassidy laughed when Jameson went pale. Jameson reminded her of Alex. This was Cassidy’s fifth pregnancy. She’d miscarried once three years earlier. Alex was always a bundle of nerves when the time for delivery neared. Cassidy was confident she could deliver a healthy baby a hundred times over and Alex would still be a nervous wreck each time. She patted Jameson’s arm. “I’m fine; I promise.”

  Jameson nodded. Candace came up between them and noted Jameson’s nervousness. “Are you all right?” she asked Jameson.

  “Yeah, why?”

  Cassidy chuckled. “Fallon’s been giving me fits,�
� she explained, rubbing her belly.

  Candace smiled. It was the perfect momentary distraction. “Bet you’re glad you never had to go through that with me now,” Candace winked at Jameson.

  Jameson shrugged.

  “Ready?” a voice came up behind them.

  Candace turned to its owner. “As I’ll ever be,” she told Jane.

  “Good,” Jane replied. She offered the group a wink and headed for the stage.

  Jameson watched as Candace took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. “You’ll be great.”

  Candace nodded her thanks. She listened as Jane’s short speech wound its way to her introduction. One more deep breath and Candace made her way onto the auditorium stage.

  “She’s not usually nervous,” Jameson commented.

  Cassidy kept her gaze on Candace in the distance. “She’s not nervous, JD.”

  “You don’t think so?”

  “No. She’s just aware.”

  Jameson and Cassidy sat in the chairs placed for them off stage. Jameson took a nervous breath. “She’s got this.”

  Candace looked out at the audience. The lights made it difficult to discern faces. Normally, that unsettled her. Today, she found herself feeling grateful. She was not looking to connect with individuals today. Today, she was looking to command an issue—to look, sound, and convince people she could act as Commander in Chief.

  “Thank you all,” she quieted the crowd. “I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today about something I think we are often remiss in discussing. Campaigns can become emotional; not just for the candidates, but for our constituents. They’re often laden with personal innuendo and the bravado of larger than life personalities. It’s sometimes easy to forget that the presidency consists of far more than photo ops, speeches, and ceremonies. While those things may seem trivial; they are not. The President of the United States stands as a symbol to the world of what our country stands for, what we believe in, what so many before us have fought to defend, preserve, and protect. We’ve battled in this country; battled each other to form a more perfect union. This country stands as a shining beacon on a hill to so many around the world who are less fortunate; who are still fighting to achieve basic human rights, who suffer under oppressive regimes, struggle with abject poverty, and live in fear of war and genocide. As our world has become smaller, as we have become connected, the dangers to our more perfect union have become more palpable. We’ve endured attacks by extremists who seek to undermine our way of life, who want to pit us against one another. We continue to struggle to find balance between fair trade and exploitation. Living in a global community is complex—at times, it’s dangerous, but it is our future. If we hope to secure a peaceful, prosperous future for our children, we must navigate the path forward with care, never forgetting the role The United States plays as a leader in this new global community. We must be strong in our convictions, forthright about our intentions, deliberate in our communication, and compassionate when it comes to the welfare of our human community.”