Woman King Page 24

  Gabriel handed his pages right back to me, saying, “This is his speech; I will let him make the first comments.”

  Levi returned to our circle of chairs, handing me his notes.

  “You’ve always been a good writer, Olivia,” he said. “But this has to come from my heart if it’s going to be credible, so I’ve made a few modifications.”

  His changes were great. I nodded. “Let me update your remarks, and then we can rehearse.”

  By midnight, Levi had completed several practice runs of his speech, as we made minor tweaks to the language along the way. By 12:30 we disbanded, Levi and Gabriel going to their rooms in the hotel. Maggie was bunking in the spare room in our suite, and had long since retreated to get some rest after what had been one of the toughest days of her young political career. I stood in the window of the room massaging my neck, listening as William locked the door to the suite.

  “I need to try to be more ergonomic,” I said, as he took over pressing on the tender pressure points in my neck and back. “Political campaigns are hard on the human body.”

  “Seems that way,” he said. “It feels like you have a rock embedded in your shoulder.”

  I laughed. “That’s been there for a while, if you try to remove it, my arm will fall off.”

  “As soon as this campaign is over, we’re going on a vacation,” he said, continuing to knead my muscles. “Some place where you can relax and stop thinking about everyone else’s problems.”

  “Hmmm, sounds lovely,” I murmured as the muscles in my neck finally relented into a relaxed posture. “Let’s get through tomorrow and then we can start thinking about vacations.”

  I watched the reflection of William’s face in the window break into a smile. “I’ve been observing you since this all began this morning. You always do what’s necessary first, regardless of your needs or wants. I understand now how Gabriel came to choose you for his team; you seem to have an abundance of something that is rare in humans.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Discipline,” he said, as he walked us to our bedroom.

  Once there, I quickly undressed and collapsed into bed, managing a feeble “good night” to William before I dozed off.

  Discipline was definitely what I needed to get out of bed the next morning when my alarm went off. The first beeps of the small plastic box on the nightstand had gone unnoticed, but when my phone chimed in with the backup alarm, I opened my eyes. It took a few moments to remember where I was, having failed to sleep in my own bed the last two nights. Finally though, I brought myself up to speed and rolled over to look for William. I hadn’t expected to see him, since sleeping wasn’t a vampire’s main form of leisure.

  I didn’t I mind though, since I don’t like to snuggle when I sleep. Lying flat on my back with nothing, and no one, near me is my preferred way to slumber, so William was the perfect bedmate. Reluctantly, I got out of bed and went in search of the workout clothes I had hastily packed the day before.

  As I pulled on my running tights and a fleece, I began to think about the day’s schedule. I was grateful to get in some exercise before the day started. Fortunately for me, the Four Seasons had a world-class fitness center only a few floors away by elevator. After lacing up my shoes, I padded down the hallway in search of William. As expected, he was reading in the living room, a guitar propped against his chair.

  “What are you reading?” I asked, knowing he heard me coming down the hallway.

  “Come and give me a kiss and I will tell you,” he said, setting his book on a side table. “You slept well? Feel OK?”

  “Despite the utter chaos of yesterday, yes, I do,” I said, as I settled into his lap. “I went to sleep feeling very optimistic; we’ll see if my intuition holds true.”

  I received a kiss for my optimism, a very deep long kiss, and then a second more gentle kiss in the small of my neck near my shoulder. Such intimate, peaceful play was new to me, and it made my heart soar. It would have been wonderful to stay in his arms for the remainder of the day, but I was back to reality. “I need to go to the gym,” I said rising from his lap. “I need to get some exercise in before the day grows too long.”

  “I’ll go too,” he said. “Give me a minute to change.”

  True to his word, he reappeared in a pair of black warm-up pants and a T-shirt, and we quickly set off for the elevators. I was not at all surprised to see Levi and Gabriel both jogging away on treadmills as we walked through the door of the gym. The only person missing was Maggie, who I assumed, at her tender young age, had decided sleep was more important than exercise.

  There being no need for pleasantries at this hour, we all jumped into our morning routines. I stepped on to the treadmill next to Gabriel and began what I hoped would be a three-mile run.

  My three miles concluded forty minutes later, I lifted some weights and did some push-ups on the mat next to William, who was engrossed in his own routine.

  We left the gym as a group, but went our separate ways, agreeing to meet at the campaign office at 2 pm, one hour before the press conference. William also left, saying he had some business to attend to and would see me at the press conference.

  I stayed behind in the room, intent on working, hoping to call back reporters and review last minute details before the press conference. My plans were disrupted immediately, however, by a series of taunting texts from Stoner Halbert, all saying the same thing:

  Resign.

  It’s not too late to avoid embarrassing yourself - SH

  I picked up my phone, tempted to throw it out the window. The last time Halbert had texted me, months ago, I’d rolled up into a ball on my bed and cried. Now, I felt like punching him in the mouth. My days of running from my enemies were over, so I scrolled to the top of the messages section on my phone where Halbert’s number was listed and pressed the call button, wondering if my nemesis would answer the phone.

  “That was quick,” Halbert sneered. “ I had no idea you would fold so easily.”

  “I didn’t call to resign, you idiot,” I said. “I think all that black magic is rotting your brain.”

  “Then why did you call? Just wanted to hear my voice?”

  “I called to tell you to knock it off,” I said. “For someone with the devil on his side, you’re behaving like a desperate loser. I want you to stop bothering me.”

  “Or what?” he asked. “What will you do?”

  I was on the verge of saying something similar to my remarks in the café—threatening him with some painful retribution involving his limbs being separated from his body, but then I remembered that cell phones could record conversations.

  “You don’t think I would be stupid enough to threaten you on the phone on the eve of my press conference?” I asked.

  Halbert was silent, and it occurred to me that perhaps he’d hoped for just that situation.

  “Goodbye, Halbert,” I said, “I’d tell you to go to hell, but then I’d only be encouraging you.”

  After I hung up, I tried my best to calm down and focus on my work. Halbert did not contact me again. A few hours later, I was stuffing my laptop into its bag when I heard my phone ring. I picked up the phone with trepidation, hoping it wasn’t Halbert.

  It wasn’t. It was JP, so I pressed the talk button to hear what he had to say.

  “Were you planning on inviting me to the press conference?” he asked, without offering so much as a hello. Even through the phone, I could feel his anger.

  “Hi, JP.” I said, trying to sound casual. “I believe your newsroom received an advisory from the campaign like every other news outlet.”

  “Yes, but were you going to call me?”

  “You know, things have been a little busy these last twenty-four hours,” I said. “I guess it slipped my mind.”

  “So you have no comment on the video,” he pressed.

  “We’ll be commenting at 3 pm today,” I said, trying hard not to show my anger.

  “I’m asking if you have anyth
ing to say yourself about the video,” he said, his voice tinged with sarcasm. “Or about the fact that I saw you leave with that man. I saw him with you again last night at the café.”

  Oh, but did I ever have words to say… none of which could ever be uttered on the record. “Any comment from me or this campaign will come at 3 pm. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really have to go. I expect I’ll see you shortly.”

  I pressed the red button to end the call and closed my eyes.

  I’d been so busy trying to find a solution to our debacle that I hadn’t had much time to consider his role in all of this. Was it fair to be angry with JP? Or was JP just doing his job? Had Halbert’s demon provoked Richard? Or had those horrible sentiments been lurking inside him, just waiting to come out? Maybe that’s what evil does; it brings our worst fears and prejudices to the surface, it strips away our ability to silence those voices in favor of patience, or compassion. I’d told William that I couldn’t change a bad man into a good one using my skills, but maybe the devil worked differently. Perhaps he could take a good man and reduce him to his worst impulses.

  In the end, I realized, it didn’t matter. During the countless hours I’d spent talking with voters, it was clear that they didn’t care about Richard Lyon. They cared about Levi Barnes. They wanted to see what he would do, whether he would take responsibility, if he would be accountable. If so, they were prepared to move on and not wallow in the scandal.

  The press, on the other hand, would prefer the scandal to live on, for more details to emerge and for side players to continue their outrageous behavior. If we could deny the media of any further fuel—steal the oxygen for their fire—then the news cycle would close. The plan was for Richard to disappear. Levi would apologize, announce his donation and we would get back to talking about Lacy and her policies. That was what this election was supposed to be about in the first place.

  ****

  CHAPTER 29

  I turned my car onto University Avenue, but found that every parking space around the campaign office was already taken. I circled the block, finally finding a space around the corner and walked slowly toward the office. I was in no hurry to jump into the circus. I knew it would be tense until we got through the speeches. I stepped through the mob of reporters, promising we would begin promptly at 3, which was in less than an hour. As I walked past the press corps, I noticed JP standing off to the side looking at me. I raised my hand to wave; I didn’t see any reason to ignore him. He saw my gesture, but did not wave back. As I turned to walk away, it struck me as ludicrous that I had ever contemplated a romance with someone capable of such pettiness.

  I made my way to the conference room at the back of the suite of offices we’d rented. There inside, wearing tense expressions, were Levi, Gabriel, Maggie, Patrick, but no William, whom I assumed would show up when things got started. We took the few remaining minutes we had to get organized and then walked toward the front of our headquarters, where a table was set up to face the press.

  “Bonne chance,” Gabriel said to me as we walked toward the media throng. “You have done a good job of taking control.”

  “Do you blame me for this mess?” I asked, knowing the walk was too short for such a conversation.

  “No, no, not at all,” he said quickly. “The fault of this lies with the man who let his tongue slip, and no one else.”

  I took comfort in his words as Levi and I took a seat at the table, which was now covered with microphones from radio and television stations.

  “OK, folks,” I said, greeting the assembled group. “I think we’ll get started, but first I want to give you a brief description of the format for today’s conference. At this moment, Maggie and Patrick from the campaign are handing out a statement from Richard Lyon, in which he issues an apology for his outburst two nights ago. As you know, Richard made his remarks at a private party, where he was videotaped. Then, his remarks were distributed over the Internet, unbeknownst to him. This statement will be his only comment regarding the other night. He will not be giving interviews, and is not here today at the conference. In a few moments, Levi Barnes will make a statement, and when he is finished, we will take your questions.”

  I was relieved to see William slip into the back of the room, just as Levi prepared to address the crowd. Levi waited until everyone appeared to have a copy of Richard’s statement in his hands, and then he rose from his chair. “I’d prefer to stand if you don’t mind,” he said to the assembled group of reporters.

  “Let me begin by apologizing to the voters of congressional District 15 for this unnecessary detour from discussing the issues I know they want to talk about. I also want to apologize for Richard Lyon’s remarks. He is one of my oldest friends, and yet here today, in this very public way, I must say that I strongly disagree with his statements, and I wish I had said so more forcefully the other evening. Of course, I didn’t know the conversation was being recorded. But I want to make it clear today that I do not share Richard’s sentiments. I believe they have no place in politics—certainly not as a part of the kind of campaign I am committed to running.”

  Levi looked up at the reporters for a moment before continuing. “The fact is that I do believe in the power of people to change their lives, to change careers, to reinvent themselves, because I did, and I know that many others in their lifetime will, too. I think that is the fundamental promise of our country, but that promise is predicated on a few things that I think are worth mentioning: hard work, honesty and civility. Without those things, there is very little that can be accomplished, which is why I have asked Richard to step down as chairman of my campaign’s fundraising operation. His presence would distract from the real issues of this campaign, but also more fundamentally, I think that his views require me to sever my ties for the time being. I have an obligation to lead by example, and as much as it pains me, I have asked Richard to withdraw from campaigning and to refrain from speaking publicly again until the campaign is concluded. He is now out of the country on business and I do not expect him to return until the New Year.”

  Levi shifted the pages of his speech, bringing the few remaining words to the front of his pile.

  “As I mentioned earlier, I do believe in the power of people to change their lives, and to ensure that everyone in Silicon Valley has that opportunity, today I am announcing my family’s pledge of $5 million to the Vocational Service Corps, a leading job-training non-profit in the Valley. I was a member of VSC’s board of directors for many years and I admire them tremendously for the work they still perform every day. The donation is intended to establish a drop-in center where clients can walk in and immediately begin to find the information and tools they need to find new employment, or transition to a new career. I hope that this will help to demonstrate my belief that all of us have the power to change our lives, even in adversity. I hope as well that this gesture will end discussion of the events of two nights ago and allow us to focus on the real issues of this campaign. And now, if any of you have questions, I’d be happy to answer them.”

  A row of hands shot up immediately.

  “Can you confirm that you had no idea you were being recorded?”

  I looked at Levi to signal I would answer the question. “Yes, I can,” I said addressing a reporter from a local TV station. “We only knew of the existence of the video after it had been uploaded to YouTube. We were not asked to comment prior to its publication.”

  “Did you know a member of the press was present at the party?”

  Again, I indicated that I would reply. “Yes, we were aware that Mr. Lyon had invited a reporter to interview guests, but the conversations were supposed to be obvious, on the record interviews, not a private discussion between two old friends at the end of the evening when they believed they were alone. It’s an unfortunate part of journalism today, but we acknowledge the comments were made and as you can see, we were prepared to respond.”

  “Did you make the $5 million gift out of guilt for your friend’s rem
arks?” asked JP, clearly determined to draw blood before this campaign was through.

  Levi looked over at me to let me know he was OK to respond.

  “If you check with the Service Corps,” he began, “you will find that I had been discussing some kind of gift with them for several weeks. It’s unfortunate to have to do something like this under a cloud, but my donation is one that I intended to make all along. So, yes and no. I do take responsibility for Richard, and I want to make amends for his thoughtlessness, because I can.”

  “You said you want to get back to the campaign,” JP said, asking a second question. “Do you have any comment on Lacy Smith’s demand that you withdraw from this campaign?”

  “I’m sure Ms. Smith would love to spend the next six weeks talking to herself,” I said, generating laughter from the reporters. “But the fact is that Levi Barnes has done nothing wrong, and there is no reason for him to end his candidacy. In fact, our research indicates that voters continue to remain focused on the real issues, such as how unemployment, education and job creation will be managed by Congress. At this moment, the approval rating of the federal government has never been lower. The voters want to see new leaders and they want to see this debate continue, and that is exactly what we intend to do until the election.”

  After that, the press seemed to calm down and the remaining questions from reporters all related to actual government policies—not the video. When the last cameraman had packed up his gear and left, we all breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as the door was locked, we returned to the back conference room. The moment we were away from prying eyes, Levi locked me in a forceful embrace that lifted me up off the floor.

  “You were brilliant,” he said. “We were brilliant. That could not have gone better.”

  “Oh, no! Please don’t jinx us again,” I said. “I do think we turned a corner, but let’s not tempt the gods. We’ll watch the news tonight and see what happens tomorrow.”