Page 45 of A Man of Power

“So be it, then. Let’s bring this fucker down,” Aiden adds as we all take a drink. These two are the real deal. And I know that I was a lucky fucking bastard to have them in my life.

I stare out at my backyard. I have all this house, gardens, pool, for what? For my mother to set me up with someone like her? So I can have a Stepford wife to stand beside me at functions and wave politely? To live in a loveless marriage in this solitary mansion behind a gate?

I throw my coffee mug, not bothering to watch as I hear it shatter on the floor.

Fuck the brotherhood. I don’t know if they want me to get rid of Alexis because she’s not “right” for my campaign or if there’s a bigger scheme behind Confervo or both, but I’m not going to sit idly by and let others dictate my future, not anymore. Another memory comes brewing to the surface. I try to suppress it, not wanting to relive the conversation, but the mind is a dark place and it goes where it wants to.

“Promise me,” Kara says, her wide eyes seeming even bigger in her head with all the weight she’s lost.

I sigh and look down at her from where I am perched on the edge of her hospital bed. “Kara…” I trail off and look away because staring at her is just too painful.

I feel her hand on mine. Slowly, I raise my gaze to meet hers. I can’t say no. I don’t have the heart to do it.

“I promise,” I mutter.

A smile spreads across her face, but then it morphs into a sad frown.

“What?” I ask.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“For what?”

She looks down at our hands and back up at my face. “It’s not fair to you, Bastian. You should be the captain of your own ship, but if you agree to it, then you won’t ever be. You’ll just be a slave to the system.”

We’re both quiet for a moment as the realization of the truth of my promise comes to full light.

“Promise me something else,” she says quietly.

I groan until I feel her hand give mine a small squeeze.

“What?” I mutter.

“If you ever get the chance to get out, do it. Even if that means you bring the whole thing down in a giant ball of flames. Once you do what you need to in order to help other kids, then let it burn. Use it for good, until no more good can come from it. But…make sure that you’re careful. They can never track it back to you. No one can ever know.” We knew too much for teenagers. We’d overheard too much. And as I look at my sister’s gaunt face, I know that I’ve been wrong about her health; very soon, I’d be keeping the burden of this secret all by myself.

I hear my side door open, which means it’s one of three people, Conner, Aiden, or Harriet. The sound of heels on my wood floor tells me which one before she even speaks.

“For the love of God! I’ve been looking for you everywhere this morning. I handled our first two meetings, but I need you in the office, Sebastian. What the fuck is…”

I turn to see Harriet staring at my shattered coffee mug on the floor.

“What the hell is going on?” she asks, her hands going to her hips, yet her face isn’t showing anger, only concern.

I lean back against my counter and run a hand through my hair. “Sorry, Harriet. I…” I trail off because I don’t know what to say. I always know what to say. But this is beyond my norm. Harriet probably suspects things about what goes on behind closed doors in my father’s and my offices, but she doesn’t know. Clearing my throat, I start again. “I think I got food poisoning. I’m feeling better now. I’m sorry I didn’t return your calls.”

“Can you tell me why our best staffer is leaving?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.

I turn back toward the window above my sink, placing my hands on the cool granite countertop. “She was always a temporary staff member, Harriet. She’s in law school. She’s going to go on to do bigger and better things than be a staffer.”

“I see,” she says. “Can I expect you back in the office this afternoon?”

“Yes,” I answer through gritted teeth.

“Good. I don’t know what’s going on, but if we’re doing this, you need to get over whatever this is and get back to work. We have a campaign to win, don’t we?” she asks.

Harriet walks a fine line. She only stayed on with my father because she knew I’d be taking on his role. She’s protective like a mom, more so than my mom, but she’s also a bulldog that wants to kick ass and take names. I know that she’s realizing her ability to protect me and fight for me may be more mutually exclusive than she previously thought.

“Yes, Harriet, we do,” I state. I’m not about to tell her my plans, my plans that end with either winning this election on my own or ending my entire political career. I’m about to light a spark that could blow up generations of work. Kara may have given me my first reason to do what I did, but Alexis just gave me my next reason. I won’t put her in danger, but I won’t be told who to be with and who to be without. And I’m not going to be without her. Fuck the brotherhood, fuck the vow. A war has been waged and I may not have won this battle, but I will not lose the war.

---