Page 47 of The Politician

“We need to make the problem go away. Do you understand me?”

She nodded.

“We can’t let anything get in the way of Sarah’s campaign, and if this,” he leaned forward and tapped his finger on the document, “gets into the media, it will change everything. Sarah’s career will be over, and the party will sit in the shadows for another term.”

“I wouldn’t want that.”

He leaned back and took a deep breath. “I know. You’re loyal to her, and that’s commendable. But things are a little more complicated.”

“How?”

“We need you to disappear.”

Kendra widened her eyes. “What do you mean, disappear?”

“You can’t stay in the job, and you can’t have contact with Sarah. We need a complete break. Your phone has obviously been tapped, so I advise that you change your number immediately.”

A chill slid down Kendra’s spine and into her core. She tossed the words around in her head trying to make sense of the scenario and the feeling in her stomach became leaden. She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

Jeremy sat up and sighed. He pushed the paperwork across the table, took a pen from his shirt pocket, and put it on top of the document. “Read and sign this. It’s an agreement between you and the party to terminate your contract with immediate effect. You will receive a significant sum of money in return for you abiding by the rules as stipulated, which means you will have no contact with Sarah or the press for a period no less than five years.”

Kendra stared at the paper, but the words wouldn’t register, and she couldn’t make sense of her jumbled thoughts. “Sarah has agreed this?”

“We must nip this in the bud, Kendra, to minimise potential damage to her reputation. This story was going to hit the press this morning, but I’ve managed to put a stop to it. I can’t guarantee it won’t be resurrected again, but that’s less likely to happen if you’re no longer in the picture. Literally. You will be followed and questioned, and it would be easier for everyone concerned, including your family, if you just…went on holiday for a few months.”

The paper shook in Kendra’s hand, and she put it on the table. Five years was more than a while. “I don’t want your fucking money.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “Just sign the contract, Kendra.”

“No. I’m not going to be paid off like a fucking criminal.”

His jaw tightened, and he gave her a smile that his eyes denied. “You’ll ruin her career and devastate her family. Your own family will be drawn into this charade. Is that what you want?”

“I’m not taking the money. I will abide by your fucking rules, but I’m not being bribed.”

“It’s a lot of money, Kendra. You could do good work with it.”

She shook her head. “Shove it up your arse, Jeremy.”

He didn’t flinch. “Very well. Wait here.”

He left the room, and Kendra’s head spun. She rubbed her arms, unable to believe the nightmare that had just descended. She pinched herself, and a sharp pain shot up her arm. She would do anything to protect Sarah, including this. The clamping around her chest tightened, and the pressure behind her eyes was building quickly. She looked skywards. Sarah had tried to contact her and if Kendra hadn’t drowned her selfish disappointment yesterday, they would have at least had the chance to say goodbye. Her hands shook, and tears slipped onto her cheeks. She wiped them away, irritated with herself for being weak. But her heart hurt like hell. How was she supposed to react? She cleared her throat, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her distress.

He entered the office and handed her another piece of paper. “This is an addendum to the agreement which says that you have refused to accept the sum offered in the contract, and that in signing the contract, you agree to abide by the terms therein. I need you to sign both documents.”

Kendra picked up the pen and scrawled her signature in the places he’d highlighted. She didn’t need to read the detail to know that this was the end of the road for her and Sarah. She shielded her eyes with her hand, rubbed her forehead, and cursed the tears that filled her eyes.

“I’ll leave you for a few minutes. When you’re ready, let me know, and I’ll escort you out of the building.”

He made her sound like a convict. She gripped at her chest, and the pain was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. “What the fuck?” she whispered as reality hit her.

She handed over her security badge and work phone and rode her scooter into the park. She stopped at a bench and sat with her head in her hands.

She’d spent the day yesterday dreaming about being with Sarah and how they might manage their relationship moving forwards. She’d resigned herself to the fact that it might be some time before Sarah could divorce, but she was convinced they would be together. And then this bombshell had been dropped from a great fucking height, and she hadn’t seen it coming. It was the way these people did fucking business, getting rid of anyone who turned out to be an inconvenience without giving a shit about how it affected them. Kendra’s emotions had been dismissed completely, even by Sarah, it seemed. Why couldn’t she at least have had the decency to come into the office and do the dirty work herself? After all they’d shared, surely that would have been the honourable thing to do. Fucking politicians didn’t know the meaning of the word decency, even the nice ones.

She clenched her hands, and her heart pounded. She had the urge to kick and punch something, but she thumped her leg instead and groaned as the pain in her thigh radiated into her knee. A woman frowned at her and took a wide berth. “Fucking bastards,” she said, and the woman sped up. Kendra stomped up and down the path, trying to shake off the anger that gripped her. She sat again and leaned forward with her head in her hands. She thought about going to Sarah’s house, fuck the contract. But she couldn’t do that to her. She couldn’t wreck her career and her family, upset Abi, and cause a scene.

She was in love with Sarah.

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