Page 113 of Not the Plan

“You’ve had these for some period of time. And”—Karim needed a deep breath—“you kept me out of the loop. Why are you sharing with me now?”

Julian leaned back in his seat, studying him. “Let’s just say that things are going to get a bit…exciting in the coming days. Needto be sure you understand the stakes, so you remember that my best interests are your best interests.” Julian’s mouth kept pulling to one side, like he was laughing at a secret joke.

“What the hell does that mean, Julian?”

“It means our destinies are linked. You support me or say goodbye to your new life in California,” he said.

“Are you going to speak clearly for once, or are we stuck on cryptic again?” Karim asked.

Peter tittered. “ ‘Cryptic.’ I like that.”

“Me too,” said Julian.

Karim said nothing to either of them, turned on his heel and left. He continued down the hallway and took the back stairs to get to street level.

He crossed the capitol grounds, fisted hands buried in his pockets, his jaw aching. He kept unclenching it, but it would clench right back up again.

All I wanted was a new start, a clean slate. Not to get tainted by a Machiavellian little— He had to pause. Panting through flared nostrils, he found a bush covered in flowers. He took a moment to focus on them, on each detail, trying to calm himself. He’d just been admitted to the California State Bar. And now Julian had set the stage to have him disbarred. He focused on the flowers again. White, tight balls of petals that yawned themselves open into wide, white suns. They weren’t white roses. He sighed. Isadora needed to know that there were videos of the goings-on in the back rooms of Ike’s. It was no surprise Julian had flipped people on the insurance bill if he had that kind of blackmail material. And why stop there?

Fuck me.

It all became clear. Julian was going after the presidency. He’d had Karim prance around to everyone’s office to get the amendment signed, and somehow added the crucial statute changing the rules about president pro tem elections after everyone had signed it. With the videos, he might have just enough leverage to get the amended insurance bill to pass against Daniel’s wishes. Then Julian could call for a vote on the presidency the next day.

I came here to cover for a maternity leave and I find myself party to a coup against the boss of the woman I fell in love with?

He almost punted the flower bush across the gardens. Instead, growling deep inside, he let his jaw and fists clench again as he marched back into the capitol and returned to his office.

He didn’t have to worry about getting himself fired yet. The chimes calling the members to the floor had sounded twice. Julian had three important bills first thing on the agenda; he would be somewhere on time for once. Karim was supposed to have given him the files he needed, but Julian was going to have to be more self-sufficient going forward. The clock was winding down on Karim’s time with him. His new start in California was dead in the water. Now his goal was to make it to the end of the week, or of the session, or whenever necessary to stop Julian from becoming president pro tempore.

He got back to the main office and went into Julian’s to flip on the little TV in the corner. Tuned in to the internal channel, he studied the senate floor to verify that his jackass boss was there. The senators hadn’t been called to order yet, so they were milling around and talking, some arriving, some already at their desks. The camera paused on the vote board; the square next to Julian’s name was green, so he was there somewhere. It panned out and Karim’s heart skipped a beat and then took off. The camera zoomed in on Daniel standing inside the doorway, leading to the back hall, talking to Isadora.

The last glimpse he’d had of her had been beyond difficult, standing there lost as she ran away from him. Followed by those painful hours curled up in the bed, his face in the pillow and sheets she’d slept on, surrounding himself with her perfume, the traces of her left behind. She nodded at Daniel and then disappeared through the doorway. In those few brief moments, her face had remained tight—tense brow, worried lips.

No, no, no, Julian. You don’t get to hurt her. Or the rest of the senate. I’ll figure out a way to stop you.

—

But first he had to eat with the bastard. Julian had scheduled a working lunch with him, and Karim didn’t want to arouse suspicion. Once Julian was back on the floor for the afternoon session, Karim would go to Ike’s and get the information he suspected was there. Then, he’d go to Isadora’s and give her everything. He needed her to evaluate the evidence for herself. If things came together as he hoped, they’d save Daniel’s presidency, and maybe Karim could win back her trust. For the moment, he had to make it through lunch.

“Karim, my boy! You’re back,” Julian said, returning at lunchtime. “Was concerned you might have lost sight of what’s important.”

“Well, what can I say,” said Karim, following him into his office with the documents they needed to review for the afternoon. “The idea of being the chief of staff to the pro tem is rather appealing.” He took a seat with Julian in front of the two lunches he’d ordered.

“Ha! Knew you’d figure it out. But chief of staff? If Christina comes back, we’ll have to maintain lines of seniority. I’d have to reward her years of loyalty.”

“I don’t think so, Julian. You had to know I’d have certain requirements after being the patsy for your power grab.”

Julian’s grin warped his face. “Whatever do you mean?”

“The amendment. Don’t know when or how you did it, but you did something. I know I didn’t include the statute about senate officers.”

“Sorry about that,” Julian said. “It was too good an opportunity to pass up.”

Karim opened his lunch, doubly nauseated. Julian’s table manners left everything to be desired, and Karim hadn’t truly eaten since Isadora left. He had no appetite. But he could fake it. “So?” he asked, unwrapping his utensils.

“So? Oh, okay. Chief of staff,” Julian said.

“And?”

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