“Is that what everyone thinks we should do? Go after the Senator?” I ask, my throat feeling as dry as summer wood. There’s a nervous silence in the room, and then Curtis clears his throat.
“It’s the only way,” he starts, flat certainty in his voice. “We take her out, lay the blame at her feet. Once she’s out of the Senate, we might just be able to place someone more… amiable in her position.” I stare at him in silence, trying to clear my mind and think through what he’s saying. This is my job after all—to make tough calls. I’ve made countless decisions since I assumed the title of Governor, a lot of them hard ones, but this one towers above all others. For the first time in years, I have no idea on what I should do. Throwing Vivian under the bus would be the easy way out, but I’m not sure if I’m the kind of man capable of doing such a thing.#p#分页标题#e#
“You’re the Governor, Carter, and these people are not your friends,” Tina starts, and I can see almost everyone around the table nodding in silent agreement. “This is politics, you’d do well to remember that.”
“She’s right,” Curtis agrees, although somewhat hesitantly. He always hated this part of the job, getting me to agree on something he knows I don’t want to do. He sounds sour and hesitant, but still he pushes through. “There’s a lot at stake here. We can’t let personal feelings get in the way.”
What he’s really trying to say is that I can’t think clearly. That I've allowed my feelings to stop me from seeing what should be done. And, as much as it pains me to admit it, he’s right. Because what they’re asking me to do isn’t a simple political call. They’re asking me to throw the woman I love under the bus. The woman I love, I repeat the thought to myself, letting it echo inside my head. The woman I love.
“Carter,” Tina says, taking my silence for weakness. Her hunger for blood is so overpowering that she doesn’t mind who she buries her fangs in. “Do it. Everyone knows this is the right call,” she continues. Do it, bury her, go for the kill; her eyes tell me. Beautiful as she might be, right now she looks like a wolf, laying low with a snarl and baring its teeth as it sneaks toward its prey. She knows my own cabinet is taking her side, and she’s positioning herself as their unofficial speaker, trying to press me to the give the order.
I never liked being pushed around.
“No,” I say, going up to my feet and staring at her. Whatever happens, whatever the consequences, I won’t go after Vivian, even if it costs me my career. How could I do it when all these memories still linger in my mind? When I can’t forget the way her skin feels under my fingertips, or the way our eyes lock when our bodies are pressed together… How could I go after the woman I love? No, I won’t do that.
Tina leans back against her chair, her lips pursing as a scowl takes over her face. Her eyes have gained a hard edge, and I can’t help but think of her as lacking a soul, her slender body and delicate smile nothing more than transportation and cover for a sociopathic demon. My Chief of Staff looks from me to her, but he remains in silence; no words are being said, but he’s smart enough to know that a battle of wills is going on between me and this mysterious woman—Communist Party member, China First Bank representative, even Mayor of Shanghai. Even though he might think she’s right, Curtis is loyal to a fault and won’t take part in a cabinet revolution.
“You have no idea what you’re doing, Carter,” she hisses, going up to her feet. There’s more than just anger in her voice; there’s hatred. “Look around you; even your own cabinet knows that you’re a shame to the Governor’s office. And all because of that woman!”
For the first time in days, I feel peaceful. Hesitation has finally given way to clarity. Tina Ling—who does she think she is? And why is she even sitting here? She doesn’t care about New York, but I do, and in their own way, so does Liam and Vivian. We might not agree on everything, but our purpose is the same. And here I am, listening to Tina as she tries to pit the people who care about this state against one another.
“Tina, don’t take this the wrong way…” I say, a polite smile on my lips as I stare her down. “But you can go to Hell. I’m the New York’s Governor, and you’re no longer welcome here.” I’m not even mad right now. I feel at ease, my course of action suddenly becoming self-evident. I can’t believe I’ve let a foreign politician string me along for so much, but there’s still time to fix my mistakes. There’s a way out of this.#p#分页标题#e#