From beside me, Miles can easily see the paper. Yet, kind as he is, he doesn’t say one single word. “I stole from the corner store one too many times,” I explain. “I can’t fault the owner for finally trying to teach me a lesson.” Miles nods. “And the arson…?” “Attempted,” I clarify. “It was a
“I won’t,” he says. “I’ll never promise that.” At once, I’m endeared and annoyed. I love that he prioritizes me, but I hate that he doesn’t see how important his own career is in comparison. I’m just one woman. He’s about to lead the entire nation. He can’t give that up… for me. But there’s not
Somehow, despite the fear and anger quaking through me, I manage to get the girls home to safety. The moment I usher the girls into the house, and they sit down to do their homework, I go into a separate room to call Garnar. Blessedly, he actually answers this time. I don’t even hear his terrible
I can’t run away with the girls, and not just for the campaign. It would traumatize them to be on the run, and when we’re caught, I would lose them forever. I need to think. There has to be a legal way to protect them from Edward Zimmer. God, I wish Cynthia was back from her vacation. I need a f
Miles sits behind the desk at his office in the headquarters. He is supposed to be reviewing the latest poll results and statistics, but instead, he has several browser tabs open, all connected to different social media sites. He’s tracking Esther’s name, seeing how effective the negative ads have b
“Esther,” Crystal says, stepping into my office in the headquarters. It’s around lunchtime. “Representative Hamilton wishes to speak with you.” That’s not unusual. He probably wants to have lunch together. “Thank you, Crystal,” I say and start wrap up my work for lunchbreak. It doesn’t take long
“It doesn’t matter,” Miles says. “None of this matters. Not really. Not when we are faced with a very real threat to your life.” “The election is important, Miles. You deserve the presidency.” “Not at the cost of your safety,” Miles says. He looks at me now, and I’m faced with the same steely de
That night, Cynthia, finally back from her vacation, calls me. The first thing I feel when I see her name on the caller ID is overwhelming relief. It floods through me so strongly that I could cry from it. I’ve missed my friend. I’ve needed her so much. And now she’s here. Answering it at once
“We should watch the rest,” I tell him, though my voice is shaky. “No,” Miles says, more firmly. I breathe a sigh of relief. For my job, I know we have to hear it. But personally, I would like to go the rest of my life without even thinking about Edward Zimmer again. “The numbers are already u
Edward’s response comes in the form of a video message. Crystal set it up on the television on the wall, while Miles and I huddle closer to the screen. Miles holds tightly onto my hand. “Whatever happens. Whatever he says. We will stand against him and we will win,” he says. I believe him. Last
How could I say anything but yes? A thousand times over, yes, yes, yes. I’ve tried so hard since that first night, sleeping with Miles while thinking him a call boy, to not fall in love with him. Yet, as hard as I tried not to, my heart kept pulling me straight back to him. My love for Miles is so
We hold the press conference in front of the headquarters, setting up a podium outside the double doors. The news media organizations have been notified, so they send reporters and cameramen, who have set up around the podium. The release we sent out already told them that the conference would be
Later, I’m going to have to have a meeting and call in all the employees to discuss this. Their care is appreciated, but I need to be able to do my job. For now, though, it seems as if Crystal gets the hint. With a shallow nod, she continues her report. “Mr. Zimmer has been quiet since the inter
Garnar, knowing I was giving a difficult interview tonight, offered to watch the kids. Since they are at Garnar’s house, I expected the house to be empty when I finally returned. Instead, I see Miles’s car parked in my driveway and the additional security staked out around the premises. It’s a rel
Jean was warned about the story, but she still gasped. My eyes went a little wide. We came here to talk about this, but Daphne’s direct wording leaves me speechless. Daphne didn’t come here just to tell a story. She was ready to reveal her truth, once and for all. “Esther and I were victims,” Da
In the Harbinger HQ, in one of the studio sets arranged to look like a fancy living room, Daphne and I sit side by side on a white couch, facing an interviewer, a woman interviewer named Jean, who sits on an arm chair facing us. The setting is intimate, and Jean is a kind, middle-aged woman, who i
“Miles…” Emotion overflows within my heart. There are so many things I want to say, to express – my gratitude, my own affections, explanations about why this has been so difficult for me to accept – yet in the moment, everything gets tangled up in my throat. “Miles…” My tears fall from my chee