Page 26 of Senator

“I don’t have any words of wisdom. My life is pretty fucked up too.”

I heard Kevin and Veer’s laughter come up the back stairs, and I sighed. It looked like the household was up and had probably heard the argument between Ashur and Tara.

“How do you do it? How do you pretend to be with one man when you’re obviously in love with another?”

I glanced to the side and studied her. “We don’t have a choice. There is too much at stake for all three of us.”

“That’s bullshit. We all have choices.” Tara turned sad eyes on me. “We all make decisions, good or bad. I have to live with the ones I’ve made. You better get ready to live with yours.”

“Don’t you think I know this?” I heard the defensiveness in my tone as a lump formed in the pit of my stomach. My voice quivered as I asked, “Why can’t I have him and my ambition?”

“Don’t make the same mistake I did, Jacinta. I hurt the only man I ever loved to protect my family and my future. I wish every day that I’d stood up to Minesh Kumar and told him to fuck himself. You’re going to break Veer’s heart. Once you take that path, you can’t go back.”

My own heart clenched. Tara was right. I wouldn’t expect Veer to stay single once we separated. I shook my head, pushing the painful thoughts away.

“Jaci, I’m not trying to make it harder, but you have to know he will move on. He won’t have a choice. Especially if Ashur breaks me down and gets what he wants me to…” She trailed off. “Never mind. It isn’t my place to say this.”

“Tara, what am I missing? What is Ashur asking you to do?”

“This is something I can’t talk about. It is better that you find out from Veer or Ashur.”

“Oh, believe me, I will.” I frowned. Whatever this big secret was, I had a feeling it was going to be epic. Especially if Ashur went to all the trouble of crashing a party he wasn’t invited to so he could meet with Tara.

“Would you be okay with me leaving?” Tara turned to me. “Ashur is part of your family, and I don’t want to cause any more tension.”

“You’re part of the family too. If anyone is going to leave, it’s Ashur. He showed up uninvited. Sisters before misters.”

A slight grin touched Tara’s lips. “Jacinta Camden, in all the years I’ve known you, you’ve never changed.”

“Of course not. What would be the fun in that?” I offered Tara my hand. “Come on. I know the perfect solution to stupid boy issues.”

Tara lifted a brow. “And what’s that?”

“Retail therapy. Let’s grab Samina and leave the boys to do dumb boy stuff, like fishing. And if they’re hungry, they can make their own breakfast. We can grab some brunch before we shop.”

Chapter Eight

“I can’t believeyou convinced Shawna to make you a custom dress,” I said to Tara as we left Prima.

It was the design studio of Shawna Martinez. She had been my first ever client out of law school. A designer from a larger fashion house had stolen a collection when Shawna had applied for a job and shown her sketches for a new line of clothing. Shawna had sued for infringement of intellectual property and shed light on the practices of companies who poached on young designers. It had taken eighteen months of high media coverage and scrutiny, but in the end, we’d won her case with a hefty settlement.

Today she was one of the most sought-after designers who produced affordable, ready-to-wear clothing.

“I know—I can’t believe it myself. I love Shawna’s clothes, and it’s almost impossible to get any pieces of her new collection,” Tara said. “I’m so excited to have a closet full of her creations. Who knew she was such a fan of mine?”

My security guard, Oscar, opened the door to the limo for us, and we slid in.

“You seriously don’t give yourself enough credit.” Sam pulled out bottled waters, one for each of us. “You’re a hero to so many people across the world. You’re the badass who will look a human trafficker in the face without flinching.”

“Well, the president made it seem as if I went behind his back and engaged in illegal negotiations.”

“He’s pissed that he looks like an ass for sitting back and letting you rescue seventy American teen girls from being sold as brides to men who wanted an easy way into the US.”

There was a silent epidemic of poor immigrant families from the Middle East and Asia, where parents sold their daughters to wealthy men who were looking for a legal way into the United States. The girls had no choice in what happened to them, and if they refused, they were either thrown out of their homes or physically harmed. These parents viewed the dowry earned more than worth giving up a child to a man who could be three times their age.

It made my stomach turn to think of a thirteen-year-old girl having to marry a man in his fifties.

“I agree with Sam,” I interjected. “You put a spotlight on something that was being ignored by the majority of the world. If I didn’t have this senator gig, I would join you on your crusade.”

---