by Krista Lakes
Jaqui nodded. “Yup.”
I sighed as Jaqui handed me a pen and then I started to fill out the paperwork.
Due to the complexities of government work, it took me hours to fill out all the paperwork despite having worked for this office before. I ate a lunch out of the vending machines, knowing that if I left, I might not come back. The forms were typical government bureaucracy at its best. The sun already crept ominously toward the horizon as I left the office and headed to the rich area of town.
It was time to see my stepmother about today.
It took a metro train and a bus to get to her house, but I made it there just as the sun crested the horizon. Long dark shadows filled the streets. It would be a long ride home into the city, but I knew my stepmother wasn’t going to have this conversation over the phone.
My stepmother lived in a nice neighborhood with good schools and beautiful churches. The homes regularly went for well over six million, due to the proximity to downtown DC. It was a very affluent and politically important area.
My father had never lived here. This was the house she bought with his money after he died. I knew that she did well as an information broker, especially in a information hungry area like Washington, but I didn’t think she did well enough to afford living here. Apparently, selling secrets was a lucrative business.
I walked along the comfortable sidewalks under green leafy trees and watched as kids on bicycles peddled past. It looked suburban and comfortable, but I knew that it was too close to politics and power not to have a dark underbelly.
Besides, my stepmother and stepsister lived here, so obviously it was a dark place.
Warm yellow light spilled out the windows of their house as I walked up the driveway. The garage door was open and I could only see one car inside, which was strange. The Jaguar was missing. I wondered if my stepmother had let her daughter borrow it, but that seemed strange as well.
Audrey Verna didn’t like anyone touching her things.
I took a deep breath. I’d come all this way and I wasn’t going to back down now. I knew my stepmother was going to bully me. She would spin the conversation so that losing my job was somehow my fault and it was only through her good graces that I had a new job at all.
I knew it wasn’t true, but the woman was a masterful liar and manipulator.
I marched up the stairs to the front door and rang the doorbell. Anger clenched in my fists and tried to escape through nervous taps of my feet.
I waited for what felt like an eternity before hearing footsteps. I wondered if Audrey’s housekeeper was sick. She was usually very quick to get the door, unless Audrey wanted them to wait. I sighed, figuring out the game. Audrey wanted me to wait to put me at a disadvantage.
“I wondered when you would get here,” my stepmother said, opening the door herself. “I expected you hours ago.”
“I hope I kept you waiting,” I replied, walking inside. “Where’s Anastasia?”
“She’s upstairs celebrating her new job,” Audrey replied. “My daughter is so very pleased to be working in the Senate.”
I bet she is, I thought coldly. I’d done all the hard work to get there. I frowned, wondering where the Jaguar was then. It didn’t matter, though. I wasn’t here to check up on my stepsister or my stepmother’s cars.
“What happened to your pants, dear?” Audrey asked, lifting her nose in the air like I smelled. I looked down and saw the grass stains from where I fell earlier. The thought of Henry made me heat up in my center.
“I fell,” I said, not wanting to tell Audrey any more than that. I didn’t want to share anything with her that she could use against me.
Audrey scoffed and went to close the door behind me. The stains were just one more failure in her eyes. I thought I was used to her being displeased with me, but it still stung when I failed.
I looked around, taking stock of the house. Big windows were dark against the oncoming night. The house felt emptier than usual. She was rearranging the furniture as the baby grand piano was missing, as well as one of the expensive paintings. I knew it was expensive because she took every opportunity to tell me it was.
I turned and faced my stepmother as she closed the door on the spring night behind me. For a moment, I felt like a caged animal. I was now trapped in my stepmother’s domain. She simply stood there, statuesque and perfect.
Audrey Verna was beautiful. She had beautiful porcelain skin and she kept her long dark hair pulled back into a severe bun at the nape of her neck. Silver threaded the dark locks, but instead of making her look old, it made her look powerful. She wore a black silk jumpsuit that accentuated her lean lines and delicate build. Everything about her was sharp. Her acid green eyes were piercing, her nose was knife-like, her jaw pointed, and her clavicles looked ready to cut the unwary.
“Go ahead and ask, dear,” Audrey said, shifting her weight. “Ask me why I pulled the strings and got you a fabulous new job.”
I nearly snorted. Fabulous was the last word I would use to describe scanning documents all day. I was supposed to be working in the Senate.
“Why? Why am I back scanning documents? Why did you do this to me?”
“To you? Dear, I did this for you,” Audrey replied. She stepped forward and patted my cheek like I was a difficult child, before sauntering further into the house. “This is a good step for you.”
I clenched my fist against my side, willing myself not to make snide remarks.
“What do you want?” I asked. “Quit playing games.”
Audrey turned and smiled, her green eyes bright. “Everything is a game, dear. You should know that by now. Come have a drink with me.”
She waltzed into the kitchen, her silk pants swooshing around her feet like skirts. I stood in the foyer for a moment, not wanting to play her games but not really having a choice.
“White or red, dear?” Audrey called out, pulling out a wine glass. I knew she had an impressive wine cellar. She loved to offer all her guests wine of any color and vintage they could ask for.
“Neither,” I replied, finally following her into the gourmet kitchen. “I want answers. Why did you do this to me?”
“So serious,” Audrey clucked, pouring herself a glass of dark red wine. It reminded me of blood in a glass as she sipped it. “Ah. 2005 was an excellent year.”
“You want something from me,” I said, crossing my arms. “This took a lot of string pulling. I want to know what you want and why I don’t go screaming to the press.”
Audrey finished a slow sip before setting her glass down and focusing the full power of her gaze on me. “First of all, the press wouldn’t believe you. Secondly, it is in your best interest. Good things will come of this for you.”
I bit back a smart aleck response. My stepmother just smiled at me, knowing that she was in control.
She swirled her wine glass, the dark red liquid staining the insides.
“I hear that you will be scanning in the trade documents for the Paradisa negotiations,” she said conversationally. “I think that sounds absolutely fascinating. They’re rumored to be very... unique.”
Her green eyes glimmered as she looked at me, waiting for me to understand what she wasn’t saying.
“And you want that information,” I said, feeling like an idiot as I realized what she wanted. Of course Audrey would want the information on the Paradisa trade negotiations. It would be worth a fortune to the right people, especially since it wasn’t public information yet.
She would sell this information to the highest bidder and make a fortune. I could only imagine who would want to know their trade deals ahead of time. For the right corporations, this information could make them billions.
“You see what I want,” she said, appraising me over the rim of her glass. It was almost a real smile. “You get it for me, I pull strings again. You’ll go back to the Senate like nothing ever happened.”
“I won’t do it. Not only is it illegal, it’s wrong. And, if I get caught, it’s
my career. It’s my life. No way.”
“I was afraid you would say something like that.” Audrey tsked and set down her wine glass. “But, as I always say, have a carrot and the stick.”
“I don’t remember getting a carrot.” I crossed my arms. I didn’t want to think about what she could use as a stick.
“You do this for me, and you’ll get your dream job,” she replied, brushing off my harsh tone.
“I had my dream job.”
“No, you had the path to your dream job. You know my contacts. Imagine what a well placed whisper would do to your career,” she said, taking a sip. Her eyes went cold as she looked at me. “And that goes both ways. A positive review would get you in the door with a salary you can only dream of. A poor one, well...” She shrugged.
“You would blackmail me?” I asked, incredulously. “You would be willing to smear my name for no reason?”
“Blackmail is an ugly word,” Audrey said, a frown creasing her forehead. “I prefer to call it selective rewards. You do what I want, I help you. You don’t, I don’t help you. It’s very simple.”
“Yeah. Very simply wrong.” I shook my head. “I won’t do it. You can do whatever dirty tactics you want, but I’m not doing this.”
I turned and started walking out of the kitchen and back to the front door. I couldn’t believe her. She was willing to put her own stepdaughter on the hiring blacklist if I didn’t do something illegal. Well, I’d show her. Even if she did spread lies about me, my good work would shine through. I was a hard worker and good at what I did. There would be people willing to hire me even with her poor recommendation. Some might even hire me because of it, considering the source.
“I was afraid you might decide to be noble.” Audrey cut in front of me, blocking my path. I wasn’t sure how she moved so quickly without spilling her wine, but I couldn’t get past her.
“Please let me leave,” I said politely.
Audrey shook her head. “No. You see, there is something else you need to be aware of.”
“And what’s that? Your stick? You don’t have anything on me. I have no skeletons in my closet for you to threaten me with. I’m not doing this for you.”
“See, you don’t have skeletons in your closet,” Audrey agreed. “But your father did. Lots of them.”
“My father was a good man,” I retorted, but my stomach tightened. My father had been a career politician. What if there was something? “You don’t have anything.”
Audrey must have noticed the slight tremble in my voice because she smiled like a cat in the cream.
“Oh, but I do,” she purred, stepping close to me and touching my cheek. It was a gross approximation of a mother’s caress and it made my stomach churn. “What I have would ruin your father’s legacy. And, as you know, that’s all he has left.”
I stared at her, shocked at her cruelty. My father had been a good man. “What do you have?”
“Your father cheated on me,” she said, causally shrugging her shoulder. “Honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner, but it did happen. I have proof of it.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
“You want to see the photos?” She sauntered over to a counter where a plain black folder lay waiting. She handed it to me. “Take a look. I’d recommend stopping after the the third or fourth one. It isn’t good to see one’s father like that.”
I swallowed hard and opened the folder, holding it like it was a snake that might bite me.
The first image was innocuous. My father entering a hotel. I carefully turned it over to see him greet a woman with short blonde hair. I knew her from somewhere, but I couldn’t place her. I frowned and turned it over.
The next shot was through the hotel room window. My father and his lover had forgotten to close the blinds since they were clearly on an upper floor.
The next picture, the woman had removed her top. My father was shirtless. They were kissing.
I tasted bile and my stomach clenched. I knew what the next few images would be and I didn’t want to see them. I shut the folder, but didn’t give it back.
“Oh, you can keep those if you want,” Audrey replied, an evil grin filling her face. “I have copies on the cloud. Those were printed just for you, dear.”
I wanted to slap the smile off her pointed face.
“There’s no date on them,” I said, trying to keep calm. “How do I know these aren’t from before you were married?”
I didn’t want to believe my father could cheat. Knowing my stepmother, I didn’t blame him for finding comfort in the arms of another woman, but he was so perfect in my memory I had a hard time believing it was him.
“It was a year before he died. He wanted a divorce, but the Ritter name was worth too much to me. I was sure he was going to become president, and I wasn’t about to give that up,” Audrey explained. “We came to an agreement. He could have his happy fairy-tale in the hotel rooms as long as it never went public. For my part, I would be the perfect candidate’s wife.”
I blinked in amazement at the coldness of her tone. She could have been talking about the store not having milk rather than her husband cheating on her. It made me wonder if she ever loved my father, or if he had always just been a political tool.
My bet was on the tool.
“No,” I shook my head. “I still won’t do it. He’s been dead almost eight years. It’s not news. No one will even care.”
No one but me. I cared, but I needed to keep my poker face on. If I pretended like it didn’t matter, then maybe she would think she didn’t have leverage.
“Oh, but they will,” Audrey assured me. “Take a closer look at the woman. Does she look familiar? She should. She’s currently the top pick for vice president in the next election. Governor Allman.”
I felt my eyes widen. That’s where I recognized the woman. She was all over the news. Her hair was different now, but she was making the talk show rounds. The plan was for her to be VP this election and then president after that.
My father would be all over the news because of her. His name would be dragged through the mud.
“Imagine the headlines,” Audrey cooed. “Imagine what will become of his precious Ritter Child Safety Law. They’ll have to change the name. It’ll be tragic.”
Audrey giggled like it was funny to her.
I saw red. My father’s legacy was that law. He had spent months on it, making it perfect. Most considered it one of the best child safety laws ever written. I remembered how proud he had been.
How he said he’d done it for me.
This would tarnish that. They would change the name. He deserved the recognition for his work. It wasn’t fair.
My hands shook around the paper folder. Audrey knew my weak point. She had set me up. This was what she was good at. She was an information broker. Selling secrets and knowing things was how she made her living.
“What do you want?” I whispered, my shoulders sagging in defeat. I didn’t have a choice. Not one I could live with, anyway.
Audrey grinned like a snake. “Just copies of some of the reports. I’ll give you a list of what I’m looking for, and then of course if you see anything interesting, that as well.”
If I saw anything interesting, I was keeping it to myself. I was going to do the bare minimum to keep her happy and keep those photos from the light of day.
“Fine.” I agreed.
“Oh, and there is a new stipulation.” She smiled, but it was cold. “Since you had to be coerced, part of the deal is that you now help Anastasia.”
“What?” My head shot up.
“You’ll make sure she looks good in her new job. It was yours, so it should be easy for you,” Audrey said, taking a sip of her blood red wine.
I opened my mouth to protest, but Audrey simply looked at the folder in my hands.
“I’d hate for something to happen to my cloud access,” she said. “You know how easy it is to post things to social media these days. And
who knows what other interesting things I have on there about your father.”
The threat was clear. If I didn’t comply, she’d ruin my father’s legacy and mine along with it. I was stuck. I had to agree to this for now. I needed time to come up with a way around this.
“Fine. I’ll scan the documents and help Anastasia,” I muttered.
This day really sucked.
“Excellent. I knew you could be reasonable if you tried,” Audrey said, patting me on the cheek again. I nearly turned my head and bit her.
“Is that it?” I asked, crossing my arms. “Can I go now?”
“Of course, dear,” Audrey replied with a smile. “You are the one who came here, remember? Are you sure you wouldn’t like to stay for a glass of wine?”
Only if I could throw it in your face, I thought to myself.
“No, thank you,” I replied through gritted teeth. I looked up at her, anger hot in my chest. “Why are you doing this to me?”
Audrey chuckled. “Because I can. I would have gotten Anastasia the job, but it seems the office won’t hire my blood relative. A wise, but annoying precaution. But you, you aren’t a blood relative and you had prior access. You have a reason to work there without question or concern. To be honest, it was easy.”
My mouth opened but nothing came out.
“Oh, don’t look so shocked. Anyone in my position would see the opportunity and take it. That’s all this is. The fact that I get to make George Ritter’s daughter’s life miserable is just icing on the cake.”
“You must have really hated him,” I said softly, shaking my head. How in the world did my father ever marry this woman?
Her green eyes narrowed. “He was an idealist. He was a fool. And he died before he could follow through on the promises he made me. It was my one chance for power and he failed. He ruined my chances. You deserve everything you get because of him.”
I took a step back as if slapped. I had no idea the resentment she harbored toward my father, and I was just beginning to see how it was going to affect me.
She was going to make my life miserable because my father didn’t live long enough to get her where she wanted to go.