Page 114 of Not the Plan

Julian raised his eyebrows, his mouth full. He’d torn off a large chunk of chicken, so he did need time to chew, but Karim wasn’tin the mood for stalling. He needed to reflect the same image and behavior Julian would have in such a situation, to make him believe that Karim was on his side. Karim cocked his head.

“More money?” The question was muffled and came with a tiny piece of chicken that landed less than an inch from Karim’s plate. He readjusted the napkin on his lap and nodded.

“The highest level in that pay grade, plus twenty percent,” he said. He took a bite, maintaining eye contact with Julian.

“Plus twenty? No way—”

“I could get disbarred for the fraud you’ve made it look like I’m party to. Twenty percent or I talk.”

Julian squinted at him. “To who?”

“To anyone. To everyone. I don’t get what I want, you don’t either.” Karim took another bite, posing his utensils on the table and wiping his fingers on his napkin.

Julian huffed, but he didn’t have a way out.

“Fine. Fine. You drive a hard bargain, Karim.” He laughed. “I like it! I think we’ll enjoy working together.” Karim offered his hand and Julian shook it, leaving some oil from the chicken skin behind. A tap at the outer office door had Julian on his feet and into the room before Karim could finish wiping his hand.

“It’ll be best if we talk in here, Daria,” Julian said as he returned to his office. Karim looked up as Julian ushered her in.

“Daria, hello,” Karim said.

“Oh, Karim, hi.” She darted a glance at Julian’s back as she walked in, clutching a file folder tightly to her chest. Her knuckles looked strained. “It’s been a while; how are you?” Her voice and smile were sharper, more forced than the last time Karim had seen her.

“I’m good, and you?” He stood and began gathering the rest of his lunch, having already caught the glare from Julian and his light nod toward the door.

“Oh! I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch,” Daria said. “Please, don’t leave on my account.”

“Not a problem,” Karim said. “I can finish in my office.”

“No,really,” Daria said. Her tone stopped Karim short. “Youdon’t have to go.” Every other time she’d come to the office, she’d barely given him a second glance. Now she wanted him to stay?

“Yes, he does,” Julian said, taking Daria’s elbow and guiding her to the seat facing his desk. “Karim’s got to get back to work, has a lot of things to prepare for the coming days. He’s an excellent little worker.”

Karim forced himself to stop gritting his teeth. He lifted an eyebrow at Julian, lips straight, then bent them into a polite smile for Daria.

“Julian does have a point. Busy week coming up,” he said. “I should get back to work. Good seeing you again, Daria.”

“Um, okay. You too,” she said.

Karim had barely crossed the threshold before Julian closed the door. He paused a moment, listening. Though he couldn’t make out words, he caught the rise and fall of both their voices, Daria’s voice only a murmur, Julian’s loud and direct. Karim returned to his own office and shut the door.

—

Once the afternoon session started and Julian was back on the floor, Karim went into his office and tried to copy the videos from Julian’s flash drive onto a blue USB key to show Isadora. But the videos wouldn’t copy. He tried emailing them to himself, but the files wouldn’t attach. He hesitated about taking the drive; Julian might return before he did. He locked the outer office and hurried down the hall. He ran into RJ as he rounded the corner.

“RJ! Hey! Listen—” He paused, unsure of how RJ felt about him.

“Were you set up?” RJ whispered.

“Yes.”

“Come with me.” RJ unlocked his office, let Karim in, and locked it behind him. “What’s going on?”

“Julian’s planning to take the presidency. He has sex tapes he’s been using to blackmail at least four members. And he changed the amendment. If the bill passes, he’s going to call for a vote on the presidency the next day.”

“Shit,” RJ said. “Sex tapes? He has enough sex tapes to do that?”

“There’s a file with six different videos. I’ve only seen a few seconds of two. Two senators who flipped in the War Room.”

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