Page 88 of Not the Plan

“What is going on, Julian?” Karim took the risk of being direct. “Maybe I’m off. I haven’t been here very long, but that was quite the performance in the War Room yesterday. I’ve never seen so many members flip sides on a subject so fast.”

Julian slid into Karim’s office, leaning against the wall across from his desk. He brushed imaginary lint off his lapel. “That was impressive, wasn’t it? My powers of persuasion not what you expected?”

You didn’t persuade, you jackass. You bullied.

“No,” Karim said. “They were not. Odd though, most of the members who flipped seemed afraid. Don’t know how you did it, and maybe it’s best if I don’t. I’m just surprised that a senator with your experience would use such scorched-earth practices on his colleagues. You still have to work with them, even Daniel. Why not compromise? Why make it difficult for them to save face?”

Julian’s jaw clenched. “Compromise doesn’t interest me. There’s been too much compromise, for too many years. Enough is enough.” His lips curled into the smarmy grin Karim hated. “Daniel is, has always been…a special case. Are you a fan of his? I hope I don’t have to worry about a traitor among my staff.”

Julianwasup to something. Karim needed to stay close to him if he was going to have any hope of figuring out what it was, and if it might be a danger to Isadora. But, given how smug Julian was, and how aggressive, Karim needed to tread with care. He sighed.

“Julian, I believe that my work up to this point has proven my professionalism and loyalty.” Pushing past the nausea of using that word, he tried to be precise with his next statement. “If it hasnot, I hope that you’d let me know, rather than jump to conclusions. I don’t know Daniel at all, haven’t been here long enough to form an opinion. I’m simply respecting the office that he holds.”

“It is a nice office, Majority Leader,” Julian said, picking up the glass paperweight on Karim’s desk and holding it up to the light. “Who knows, in an alternate universe, it could have been mine.” He returned the paperweight to its place. “But what’s most important is the future. And, if things continue progressing as I predict, there may be even greater opportunities in store.”

Peter’s sycophantic laugh bubbled up. He slithered to Julian’s side. “You think Karim will make a—”

Julian raised a hand, silencing Peter. “Shhh…not yet. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” He stepped to the door. “Everything good for the rest of the week?”

Karim appreciated the change in tone from “trying-to-be-mysterious” to “habitual jackass.”

“A few loose ends to tie up, but nothing major,” Karim said.

“Excellent. You do excellent work, Karim. Please don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“Thank you.”

“We’re headed to Ike’s. I imagine you won’t join us?”

Karim shook his head. “Thanks, but I’d like to get a little more work done.”

“Such dedication. I won’t forget that,” he said, following Peter out the door.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Isadora

A few weeks later, Isadora yanked her carry-on down the aisle, her phone to her ear, completely lost.

“What do you mean the amendment changes the rules about electing officers?” she asked RJ.

“I was trying to get out of here fast and I needed to check a couple things before the insurance bill and its amendment get voted out of committee next week,” he said. “It looks like the cited statutesincludethe ones about electing officers.”

“But that’s not what it’s supposed to do at all,” she said, getting to her row, jamming the carry-on into the overhead, and plopping into her seat with her purse on her lap, then digging for her work phone.

“I didn’t think it was supposed to,” he said. “That’s why I called you to check.”

The amendment she’d signed before anyone else, the one that Karim had brought to her, potentially touched on officers, including the president pro tempore. She might have signed something that would change the means or dates for electing Daniel president. An unguarded switch of her pen, and she might have undone years of hard work. She could wait to ask Karim once he joined her on the flight, but she wasn’t capable of being that patient.

“Did you check the email Karim sent? I’m almost one hundred percent sure he said the officers were not included,” she said.

RJ was quiet, and Isadora got her work phone open and began scrolling back through emails. Each keyword she chose brought up a thousand similar emails, so she had to rack her brain for the approximate date.

“Got it,” RJ said. “You’re right. He said it doesn’t cover officers, so there’s nothing for Daniel to be concerned about. How did I mix that up?”

Relief, quickly followed by guilt, crashed Isadora against her seat. RJ had been a zombie since his uncle had passed away earlier in the week. He kept forcing himself to work, and even though she understood his drive, she was afraid he was pushing himself too hard.

“Sweetie, it’s normal. Maybe it’s time to put work aside? Go home and pack? I should be going with you to the funeral.”

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