Ellison continued sipping his scotch, gauging the woman before him. He’d only begun to get to know Candace Reid. She was a talented politician and policymaker. She was personable, and as far as he could tell, she was honest. He’d been impressed at the way her staff responded to her, and her ability to re-direct a conversation without the participants realizing what she had done. And, he had watched her with those closest to her. Loyalty was something Candace Reid commanded without deliberate effort. That told him that she was sincere and that she kept her word. Now, her presence possessed an air of more than control. Her bearing denoted confidence and determination. This, he understood, was the future president speaking to him.
“One thing that a president cannot afford is to be exploited, particularly not by those closest to the presidency. I think we both know that exploitation always comes from the closest corners.”
“And, you want to be sure we are on the same page.”
“I want to be sure that no matter where your career began, and no matter who has helped pave the way for you to sit here now, that you understand whose agenda you serve.”
Nate Ellison set down his glass. She knows. “How did you find out?”
“You’ll find that I like to cross all my ‘T’s’ and dot all my ‘I’s.’ I’ve been at this a long time. I have my adversaries. I also have friends.”
“What are you asking me?”
“I’m not asking you anything. I don’t expect you to share the details of your past. I do expect that your agenda remains firmly in line with my administration. I am open to your ideas and I welcome your experience—all of it. The presidency serves the people. That is the purpose of the presidency. There will be times that I am forced to make decisions I would prefer I was not faced with. There will be times that I will have to defer to the intelligence and military experts, and there will be times when I will deny their requests and advice and choose a different path. That’s what a president must do. We both know that there will be people in every corner seeking to undermine my success for their gain. That cannot be you.”
Ellison nodded. “I’m curious.”
“Go on.”
“If you knew that I had an intelligence background, why did you ask me to join the ticket?”
Candace smiled. “Because you were the right choice.”
“And, you still feel that way?”
“We wouldn’t be sitting in this room if I didn’t. You should know that my eyes are open,” she said. “In front of the cameras, on the stage all people see is a campaign. Behind the scenes, we need to be prepared for more than an election. And, Nate? We can’t afford to allow Bradley Wolfe a chance at the White House.”
“I agree.”
“I can promise you that what you share with me will stay with me.”
He nodded again. How much do you know? “Something tells me you know what you need to know.”
“I know more than you expected me to.”
Ellison chuckled. “I should have guessed.”
“Why is that?”
“Your friendship with Agent Toles isn’t a secret.”
“No.”
“And, Agent Brackett?” Ellison shook his head. “You do know about her background?”
“I told you; I have friends.”
“Do you trust them?”
“I do.”
Ellison sighed. “They report to different corners than I did.”
“Did?”
Ellison picked up his scotch and sipped for a moment. “Once you’re in the game, they never let you out—not really.”
Candace listened.
“Someone always wants something. Sometimes it’s information. Sometimes it’s a more tangible operation.”
“I understand.”
“Money, Candace—in the end, it always comes down to money—who has it, who doesn’t, who’s moving it, who’s receiving it and where it needs to go.”
Candace nodded. “I’m aware.”
“I can see that. You’re worried that my agenda might differ from yours.”
“It does.”
Ellison nodded.
“But it can’t.”
He raised his glass. “Understood, Madame President.”
“Not yet.”
“You have my word,” Ellison said. “I’m on your team.”
“I hope so.”
Ellison drained his glass and set it aside. “Let’s talk about Lawson Klein and why he’s in Bradley Wolfe’s corner.”
“I’m listening.”
***
Jameson took a seat on a log. Claire plopped down beside her.
“This your secret getaway?” Claire wondered.
“One of them.”
“You’re worried about Candace.”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“Sure,” Claire replied. “She seems like she has a grip on things, JD.”
“I’m more worried about people trying to get a grip on her.”
“You mean Klein?”
“I mean anyone.”
Claire nodded. “She has Jane and Alex in her corner.”
“I know, but that’s…”
Claire laughed. “Trust me, JD; that’s the Holy Grail.”
“What do you mean? Alex is your partner.”
“Now she is. It wasn’t always that way.”
“I’ve heard.”
“Yeah, but you’ve heard pieces—if I had to guess.”
“So? Fill in the blanks for me,” Jameson said.
“You don’t want to know most of it.”
“Tell me what I need to know then.”
Claire sighed. “If you want to understand Lawson Klein, you need to understand that he’s nothing more than an expendable pawn on a worldwide chessboard. He’s a fly, JD—a nuisance.”
Jameson listened.
“He might think he’s in charge, but someone is always playing him. They’ll keep moving him until they don’t have any use for him anymore.”
“Wolfe?”
“Nah, I doubt it. Look, people think that we have all these adversaries—the country, I mean.”
“And, we don’t?”
“No, we do. It just isn’t as simple as it looks. Russia, China even North Korea—there’s the public narrative and then there’s the agenda behind it.”
“Yeah, okay. What does that have to do with Candace?”
“Everything and nothing. If she gets elected, it will become her problem. The more she knows, the more she won’t know.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“Look, me and Alex—Jane, Cassidy—we all sort of were led to this life. Kind of like Candace was led to hers and you to yours.” Claire sighed. “Our families were all part of the intelligence community in some way, just like Candace’s grandfather was in politics, and yours builds things.”
“And?”
“That goes back more than one generation, JD. This mess we live in isn’t something we created. The problem is there are more people perpetuating the mess than trying to fix it. And, a lot of them believe they’re doing the right thing.”
“What is the right thing?”
“Depends on who you ask,” Claire said. “Klein’s not your biggest problem. He’s not Candace’s either. It’s like that asshole who was on the news talking about you.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Yeah, that had to suck,” Claire observed. “He didn’t do that all by himself.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he was well paid.”
“Right? But who paid him?”
“Klein, probably.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. You have to think beyond that. It’s the same with all this stuff about Candace and Russia—about John and Russia.”
“That’s what worries me. They’re trying to hang Candace for…”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. She’s got just as many people in her corner. JD, that attack on the embassy—it was done to create a narrative too.”
“A n
arrative? Jesus, twenty-two people were killed.”
“Price of doing business.”
Jameson’s caustic chuckle made Claire sigh.
“It’s the truth. I know what you want me to do. You want me to give you details,” Claire said.
“I want to be able to support Candace. Alex told me some. I feel like everyone leaves out the pieces that matter.”
“Depends on what you think matters.”
Jameson shook her head.
“You want my advice?” Claire asked.
“You’re going to give it to me anyway.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Go ahead.”
“Listen, if you want to know all the gory details about Lawson Klein, I can tell you what I know. I can tell you all about what happened in Moscow. I can even tell you about John’s assassination and how Cassidy’s ex met his end—If that’s what you want to know.”
“But?”
“But that won’t help Candace.”
“How do you figure?”
“It’s like Alex. She tells Cass enough. Cass has learned what enough is.”
“What does that mean?”
Claire took a deep breath. “What we do, JD—me and Alex? What we’ve done? It makes you see the worst in people—even yourself. A lot of times every choice you have sucks.”
Jameson listened intently.
“Candace—she strikes me as someone who sees the best in people.”
“She does.”
“Mm. Where she’s choosing to go? That’s not gonna be so easy.”
“So, let me help.”
Claire laughed. “You think knowing about all the crap she sees and hears is the answer?”
“Isn’t it?”
“I don’t know,” Claire answered honestly. “I think she’s a lot like Cass. The thing is, she’s made a choice to know the details. That’s gonna make it hard for her to see the best in people. Alex always says that going home to Cass and the kids is what helps her keep perspective. Cassidy knows enough, more than she’d probably like. What she doesn’t know, what she doesn’t see lets her keep seeing the best in people. That’s what makes it possible for us to do that.”
“Us?”
“This will sound weird. Somehow, I think you’ll understand. Cassidy is like my mom in some strange way. My mom died when I was thirteen. What most people don’t know, JD is that I watched while my father strangled her.”
Jameson’s heart dropped. “Jesus.”
“I told you. Things can be ugly in the world. In my world and Alex’s, they get uglier than most people ever see. You need someone who sees the other side. Otherwise, you can get sucked into it.”
Jameson sighed and shook her head. “I just want to keep her safe.”
“You do. It’s just not the way you think you should,” Claire said. “I get it. Listen, Klein is a dirtbag. He’s helping to funnel money to some of the most disgusting people on earth—people who sell people, JD—people who kill people for sport. That’s the truth. Candace will have to face those realities if she gets elected. That’s why Cassidy and Jane told her what they have. That’s why Alex told you what she thought you should know. Like I said, I’m not Alex or Cassidy. If you want to know, I’ll tell you. Just be sure it’s what you think is the right thing for both you and Candace.”
“I get it. Claire?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think she’ll get elected? Seems like Wolfe has these people you’re talking about in his corner. He’s got that whole outsider thing going for him.”
Claire shrugged. “I’m sure he has a lot of them banking on his victory. I said it’s ugly. I never said we didn’t work with good people. There’s a lot of people in her corner, JD. As far as being an outsider?” Claire laughed. “That’s a load of shit. He’s not a politician. He is a someone’s pawn. That makes him part of the game. Candace is the outsider,” she said. “It’s been a long time since there was an outsider in that role. Longer than you might imagine,” Claire said.
“Doesn’t that put her at risk?”
“You want me to lie to you?”
“No.”
“Yeah, it does.”
Jameson closed her eyes against a wave of nausea.
“Everybody in that office is at risk. It gives her the advantage, though.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Nope. I told you when we first met, I don’t bullshit. People can accuse me of a lot of things, JD and most of them would be true. I’ve never been a liar. And, I will tell you this much. I don’t have a lot of friends. The ones I do have? I don’t take kindly to anyone threatening them. That’s one thing Alex and I have in common. Don’t worry so much about Candace. Trust her.”
“I do.”
“Good. Trust that you both have people watching out for you.”
“I appreciate that.”
“You can call me, JD. If something doesn’t feel right—you can call anytime.”
“I will.”
“Good. So, got any more beer?”
Jameson nodded. “Not sure there’s enough after this conversation.”
“Scotch?”
“I know where some might be hiding.”
“Lead on.”
***
“I hear you and Claire disappeared for a while. Something I should know?” Candace teased.
“I think we both know that you have more information than I do.”
Candace sighed.
“I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right.”
“Yes, it did. Jameson, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t tell you.”
“I know that.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah, I do. Claire sort of spelled that out.”
“What did she tell you?”
“Nothing specific. I just wish I could help you.”
Candace smiled. “You do help me.”
“I hope so.”
“You do.” Candace looked across the backyard. She thought a change in topic was in order. “Can you believe how many kids are still awake?”
“I can’t believe how many kids are in this yard.”
Candace laughed. She let her head fall onto Jameson’s shoulder. “Jonah tells me you two are going fishing.”
“Yeah. I hope that’s okay. I know we had talked about spending the week together.”
“We are spending the week together. Besides, it’ll give me a chance to spend some time with Laura and the kids. Cassidy invited Marianne and Scott down for a visit. Cooper asked if he could go.”
Jameson snickered. “He worships Dylan.”
“Yes, he does. Marianne said it’s okay with her if we don’t mind. They’re leaving Friday morning. They’ll be back Sunday afternoon.”
“Are you okay with it?” Jameson asked.
“Not really,” Candace confessed. “It’s not about me. It’s good for him. He’s blossomed so much, Jameson. Remember how nervous he used to be meeting people?”
“I do.”
“Who’s going to travel with them?” Jameson asked.
“I don’t know. Alex said she’d work that out with Gil.”
“I’ll bet she did.”
“Are you okay with it?” Candace asked.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Need a break?”
“What?” Jameson asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know how you are still standing,” Candace said. “You’ve been chasing after Cooper and me for over a month.”
“I don’t see it that way.”
“I know.”
“But I’ll admit I like the idea of an entire day alone with you. Can we banish visitors?”
“Consider it done,” Candace said.
“Seriously?”
Candace kissed Jameson’s cheek. “Yes.”
“I was thinking about our first barbeque,” Jameson said.
“Seems like forever ago,” Candace commented.
“Do you remember the kids fightin
g about our kids?”
Candace laughed. “The kids we said we’d never have?”
“Yeah, those.”
“I remember. You told me the kids had you knocked up and your mother had us headed to the altar.”
Jameson gently pulled Candace to look at her. “I love you, Candace.”
Candace’s gaze narrowed.
Jameson’s voice remained steady. “No matter what happens with this election, I don’t want you to forget that.”
“Jameson.”
“I’m serious. I told you that day there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do if you asked me. Even if I didn’t think I’d be any good at it, I’d try.”
“I remember.”
“There is one thing I would never do.”
Candace waited.
“I would never leave you, and I would never lie to you. Not even if you asked me to.”
Candace caressed Jameson’s cheek. “I would never ask you to.” She kissed Jameson tenderly. “Never.”
***
“What’s up with Mom and JD?” Michelle wondered.
Marianne exchanged a smile with Cassidy.
“It’s a little early for Bible Study, isn’t it?” Michelle observed.
“Bible Study?” Cassidy inquired.
“Shell is traumatized by the knowledge that Mom and JD do the same things she does with Mel.”
Cassidy sniggered.
“I am not. I’m traumatized by the fact that I’ve heard it. Don’t pretend you’re not,” Michelle said.
Marianne rolled her eyes.
“It happens,” Cassidy said. She looked at Michelle. “Don’t think your kids won’t be feeling the same way one day.”
“No way,” Michelle said.
“Taking a vow of chastity, are you?” Marianne goaded her sister.
Michelle grumbled.
Marianne and Cassidy laughed.
“What are you laughing about over here?” Alex asked.
“Sex,” Cassidy told her wife.
“Parental sex,” Marianne corrected.
Alex shook her head. “My parents never had sex.”
“You keep telling yourself that, love,” Cassidy said.
Alex mumbled.
“See?! Alex understands,” Michelle said.
“What do I understand?”
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