"She's making me look like a villain too, Parker," Amy responds, just above a whisper and still glued to the TV. She still isn't saying much.
Actually, I take all of that back. I can believe it. I can believe every word coming from the Governor's mouth.
It's like deja vu.
This is Kate Meelios we're talking about, and she's quite possibly the most power hungry person I've ever met in my life, and that's saying a lot.
I've met a lot of power hungry people during my time on Wall Street, and in various political circles, but she puts them all to shame.
She'll stop at nothing to destroy anyone in her path to power.
I turn my attention back to the TV and listen as Kate Meelios continues her rant to the crowd. They seem to be agreeing to her every word, and her momentum is gaining.
"I'm preparing to send in the National Guard to close down Kinky Amy's. Sex trafficking will not be tolerated in this city, and neither will the antics of Mayor Parker Trask. If he wants to harbor—and protect—a woman who has already been found guilty of such heinous acts as sex trafficking, Parker should resign from politics and take his moral ineptitude elsewhere."
The crowd cheers at this, and it's clear that the Governor is gaining a lot of traction with the public. She's always known how to work a crowd—so long as she doesn't have a technical issue with her microphone.
This all makes me sick to my stomach—and mad. I ball one hand into a fist and shove it into my pocket. The way she's dragging Amy and I through the mud, and the fact she's gone to such extremes is infuriating.
I won't let her get away with this. Not now. Not ever.
Meelios continues, "Also, until further notice, I'll be freezing the assets of New York City until it complies with my ruling on indecency."
Did I just fucking hear her correctly? I'm now shaking my head and leaning in closer to the TV, disbelief etched into my face.
"This means," she continues, "that subway workers will no longer be receiving pay—public transit will come to a standstill. The state's food stamps will also stop being distributed. Just think about all of the disadvantaged families that will be affected by this. And it doesn't stop there. The state's colleges and the state's courts will also no longer receive funding. This will be a crisis unlike anything the state's ever seen—and all until Mayor Parker Trask resigns. I implore the Mayor to do the right thing."
"That bitch!" I yell at the TV, pumping one fist into the air. "I can't fucking believe the lows she's stooping to."
Then Amy turns to me. The expression on her face has changed to one of sadness, and I don't know what's worse—seeing her worried, or seeing her sad.
"You have to fire me, Parker," she says, looking at me before burying her face into her hands.
I immediately scoop her into my arms, wrapping her in my embrace. "No," I say. "I refuse to do that. We aren't going to let the Governor get the best of us."
But Amy doesn't seem convinced. I watch as a single tear zigzags its way down her cheek.
"I have," she says, and halts for a second before continuing, "a secret."
"A secret?" I ask, confused.
"Yes," she replies. "It's time I come clean to you Parker."
Amy
“I’m not… who you think I am,” I start, the words coming up my throat as if they’re wrapped in thorns. “My mother put me up to this, Parker,” I continue, finally letting the truth out. No matter how much it hurts, it must be done.
“Your mother? What are you talking about, Amy?” he asks me, narrowing his eyes in confusion. I wasn’t sure if Parker ever suspected my mother’s hand in all of this, but his look tells me that he wasn’t expecting to hear these words.
Looking down at the floor, I take one deep breath to summon the courage necessary to go through with this. Once I’m done, Parker’s going to hate me, I’m sure of it. But I can’t keep on living a lie. It’s time to put it all out there.
“My mother, she… blackmailed me. She forced me to go work for you. She wanted me to act as her spy but, in the end, what she really wanted was for the two of us to sleep together… which happened, exactly as she wanted it to happen,” I say, my heart tightening up into a fist inside my chest. I replay that fateful night inside my head, remembering each of my mother’s words as she backed me down into a corner and forced me to take up arms against my own stepfather.
“No… it can’t be. I don’t understand,” he says, disbelief in his voice. “I mean… blackmail? What did she even blackmail you with?” he asks me, his tone of voice turning flat and emotionless. Oh, God, here I go.