The Senator's Daughter (6 page)

Her mother stared at the TV. Kat picked up the remote and
turned it off. “What started, Mom?”

“First, his mother told me I needed to change the way I dress.
Be more like Jackie O. She took me shopping. I hated those clothes—they were
itchy and uncomfortable. Then Bill took me to a cocktail party where they were
talking about the Cold War. I spoke up and told them what I thought, that we
needed to focus on jobs at home, not on stockpiling weapons and hunting down
spies.”

She shook her head. “Bill laughed at me, called me a silly
woman. I was so embarrassed. When we got home, he told me I had no business
making those comments. My job at those parties was to smile and look
pretty.”

Kat's heart ached for her mother. For most of Kat's life she'd
been sick, but once in a while when her medication was just right, Emilia showed
Kat a glimpse of the intelligent and vibrant woman she was. She had often
wondered whether her mother would have been a different person if she hadn't
been heartbroken over her father.

“There was always something. I didn't know how to host a proper
dinner party or smile properly when the photographers snapped our picture. I
started staying home more and we drifted apart. I could tell I wasn't the wife
he'd hoped for. Then one night I heard his daddy tell him that I was going to
ruin his dreams of becoming president. He told his father he'd made a commitment
to me, and as a good Christian, he wasn't going to break his marriage vows. He
said he'd just have to give up his dreams. That's when I left.”

Kat put her arm around her mother. Emilia wiped her eyes. “I
loved him, Kat. I wasn't going to be the reason he didn't become the great man I
knew he could be.”

“Did you tell him why you left?”

Her mother nodded. “I told him we weren't right for each other,
that he needed to marry a woman who could be his first lady. He was so angry
with me...wouldn't talk to me after I left...said I'd abandoned him. Then you
came and I had a new purpose in life. By then he'd remarried and had a perfect
new wife. I saw them on TV, the perfect couple. She looked great on camera. I
figured if I said anything he might sue for custody, and I'd lose you, too.”

So that was when it had all started. Kat's aunt had told her
that undiagnosed postpartum depression had made her mother spiral out of
control. But what if it was heartbreak, too? She squeezed her eyes shut to keep
from crying. “I don't have to do this, Mom. I don't need to know him. I'll quit
the campaign.”

Her mother grabbed her arm. “No, Katerina, I want you to know
your father. I should have found a way to tell him. You need him now.”

Something in her mother's tone gripped her heart. “What do you
mean, Mom?”

Her mother shook her head. “It's time, Kat. It's time.”

Kat wanted to press her mother, but a look at the wall clock
told her it was almost time for the video call with the senator. Muttering an
excuse about a grocery-store errand, she left. She drove to a nearby coffee shop
and parked in a dark spot.

After powering up the tablet and following Crista's
instructions to sign into the video chat app, all she had to do was wait. The
senator would initiate the call. Her heart was pounding so loudly, she was sure
he'd be able to hear it on the other end. She took out the BlackBerry to
distract herself and noticed several messages from Alex. She must've missed them
when she was talking to her mother.

Do you want to come to DC tomorrow? Briefings on the IED
bill.

Would be good experience for you.

Hello?

Good material for your book.

Kat? I see your BlackBerry is online. Are you ignoring me?

This is not how I expect my staff to behave.

She'd seen the other staffers constantly glued to their phones,
but she refused to use the holster that would let her clip it to her person.
Crista went as far as to say that she only wore clothes that allowed her to
attach the BlackBerry. Kat thought about how to play this with him. Going to
Washington, DC, tomorrow? It would be a three-hour drive for her, and she'd have
to leave well before dawn to avoid the horrendous rush-hour traffic in DC. It
was a long trip for one day. But she would get to spend it with Alex, away from
campaign headquarters. Maybe she could grill him about his endgame, find out
what he was up to with her.

She thought about how easily she'd melted under his intense
gaze. Was it a smart idea to spend more time with Alex? She punched out a
message.

Chill. My BlackBerry was in my purse.

His response came seconds later. The man must have
lightning-fast fingers.

Keep it on you at all times. That's an order.

Really?

I don't take orders from you.

She waited.

You do if you want to work on the campaign. DC tomorrow. Be
here by 9.

She stuck her tongue out at the device.

I'll be there at 8. Be available to sign me in.

She was not, in fact, going to take orders from him, and
tomorrow was a good opportunity to tell him face-to-face.

The tablet chimed and her father's face lit up the screen. With
trembling fingers, she touched the answer button.

CHAPTER FIVE

K
AT
ARRIVED
AT
the Hart Senate Office Building well before eight in the morning. After a sleepless night following the brief conversation with her father, she gave up on sleep to get an early start on her drive.

Why was she so upset about the conversation? What had she expected from a man who didn't know she existed and didn't know anything about her? Still, the whole exchange left a bad taste in her mouth. But she couldn't think about that now; it was going to be a long day and she needed to focus her energy on the meetings ahead.

She used a home health service for her mother for times she needed to be away. It was horribly expensive, but with her class schedules she couldn't always be around to make sure Emilia took her pills. Kat had scheduled a nurse to come check in on her mother twice a day for the summer months. She didn't want the campaign staff gossiping about her needing to leave to take care of her mother. The expense would drain her savings account, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Hopefully, her work on the campaign would pay off with a promotion.

Washington, DC, was alive at this early hour, with staffers rushing into buildings holding steaming cups of coffee. It was a pleasant morning; the heat of the day hadn't hit, and the famous August humidity was still a couple of months away. The dome of the Capitol rose above all the rooftops. A law limiting the height of buildings effectively eliminated buildings taller than thirteen stories. It gave the city a light, airy feeling. She loved coming here and wished she didn't have to rush home after the briefings. The Smithsonian museums were free for visitors and contained some of the world's greatest collections.

Maybe while she was working on the campaign, she could ask Aunt Luce to come look after her mother for a night or two so she could stay a few days in a row.

She checked her phone. Alex had emailed her an agenda for the day, and it showed back-to-back meetings all morning. He'd left a visitor pass for her so she wouldn't need him to sign in. Most of the congressional members had offices in buildings around the Capitol to accommodate their vast staffs and allow the general public to visit them without the hassle of the Capitol building's security measures. A subway system connected the office buildings to the Capitol.

Kat stopped outside the building to marvel at the marble facade. Despite lecturing on what happened between its walls, she'd never actually been inside. She followed a rush of staffers into the building and stopped. The ninety-foot atrium rose before her, drawing her eyes upward to Alexander Calder's famous
Mountains and Clouds
sculpture featuring black aluminum clouds over black mountains. As people moved around her, Kat stood and stared. It was awe inspiring to experience something she'd only seen in pictures.

“It's quite something, isn't it?”

His warm breath tickled her ear, and she froze.

“I'm not sure I like it.”

“Oh?” Alex didn't move. Just stood there, smelling of clean soap and fresh coffee.

“The sharp angles, the blackness of the sculpture. It seems illusory.”

“Any why is that so offensive to you?” His voice was sardonic.

“This is one of the most powerful buildings in the world. The most senior senators of our Congress use these offices to make policy that affects the lives of people around the globe, whether it's international aid to disaster victims or sending troops into battle. Everything should convey the gravitas of the power and responsibility here.”

She felt him step away from her and turned. He was eyeing her with open curiosity.

“For once, I agree with you. Come, let me show you to our offices.”

She followed him through the atrium and to the elevators. They went up to the dual-level suite of offices for the senator. He quickly introduced her to the staff, who all greeted her with the same warmth—and barely concealed scrutiny—that the campaign headquarters staff had.

He showed her to a cramped area that the staff used for their break room. There was a laptop on a small table. “Space is a premium here, so we can't give you a desk, but you can use this space when you come visit if you need to check email or make a call. This is also where we keep the coffee.”

He refreshed the cup he'd been holding then held out the pot for her. She grabbed a disposable cup and let him fill it.

“Alex Santiago pouring a cup of coffee—now, that's something I didn't think I'd ever see.”

He turned and smiled broadly. Kat studied the woman who had sparked such a brilliant response from him.

“This is Mellie Rodgers. She is the senator's highly capable executive assistant.” Mellie was almost as tall as Alex and was impeccably dressed in a pale pink suit that would've made Jackie O look fashion-challenged. Her auburn hair was styled in a chignon, and her pinch-toed maroon shoes probably cost as much as Kat's rent. All of a sudden she felt frumpy, despite the fact that she was wearing her best suit, a tailored navy pinstripe with a gray silk blouse underneath. Of course her shoes were sensible flats since she'd known she'd have to walk a bit from the parking lot at Union Station.

“What he means is that I'm the person who keeps tabs on the senator's whereabouts and keeps Alex in check.” She reached out and straightened his tie. It hadn't been crooked, but was now. “If you need anything, Katerina, you let me know. Apparently we're to roll out the red carpet for you.”

Kat stared at Mellie's retreating figure. “What did she mean by that?”

Alex took her to his office and shut the door. He glanced in the mirror on the back of the door and adjusted his tie. Kat suppressed a smile.

“You'll find a lot of interesting staff in this office and working for the campaign. We unfortunately have to indulge donors who make significant contributions by giving their children jobs.”

“That should be illegal.” Kat knew she sounded naive, but she couldn't help it.

“That would make my job so much easier. During campaign years we can send them to headquarters or one of the field offices, but all of the staff here have been with us for a number of years.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because it's understood that staff who get their jobs because of who their daddies are get limited access and responsibility until they prove their worth.”

“Oh,” she said simply.

“But you are the exception because the senator has said that he wants you to be fully involved.”

She took a big sip of her coffee, nearly burning her mouth.

He went behind his desk. The office wasn't large, but it was certainly bigger than her closet office at the college. He had a carved wood desk with some trinkets on it but not a lot of the personal junk that normally littered desks. By the window was a more functional wood table with a computer, printer and various office paraphernalia.

The wall was decorated with photos of Alex with the senator, the president and various high-ranking congressional leaders. There was one picture on his desk that was hidden from view, turned away from where she was standing as a guest. In the corner was a pole with the US flag. His office looked like it could belong to an old, stuffy man, not at all like the other work spaces she'd seen in the rest of this modern building. It was an office with gravitas.

“So how did your conversation with the senator go last night?”

“It was fine.”

“Just fine?”

“Would you like me to wait in the break room while you prepare for our first meeting?”

He blinked then shrugged off his jacket. His muscles flexed beneath the plain white shirt. When did he find the time to work out?

“Take a seat.”

She sat in a plush leather guest chair.

“I understand Nathan sent you the policy briefs for the IED bill. I want to hear your thoughts.”

She took another swallow of her coffee. “It was an interesting analysis, taking into account perspectives I hadn't considered when I did my lecture earlier this semester.”

He sat back in his chair, trying but failing to control the smug look on his face.

“But my position hasn't changed. In fact, it's even more firm than before.”

“Excuse me? Did you not read the statistics on how many lives the new technology could save?”

“My argument isn't with the merits of the bill. It's with the need for it. I don't think we should be at war anymore. We need to bring the troops home and use that money to improve our schools, provide better funding to local law enforcement, bolster social security, take care of our own people.”

He laughed humorlessly. “You think we can just bring the troops home. Tell me, have you ever served?”

She shook her head and leaned forward, opening her mouth to argue about the research she had done, but he held up his hand. “I did a tour in Iraq as a reservist.”

She closed her mouth. He had served? Maybe that explained his physique. “Our troops are in danger every second of every day. IEDs are on every street corner, and we use decades-old detection technology. Is it okay to let our men and women die out there? You're telling me you don't support our troops.”

“I do support our troops. But we can't keep using taxpayer money for them to police an overseas nation when our own kids are suffering in poverty, when our elders can't afford health care, when...”

“Kat, you can't support our troops if you don't support their mission.”

A knock on the door interrupted their staring contest. Mellie stepped in a second after she'd knocked, not bothering to wait for an invitation.

“Alex, I had to move your nine-thirty to now so we could fit in that DOD contractor you added yesterday.”

Alex nodded. He turned to Kat. “Your job in these meetings is to listen and learn. You can ask questions, but only if they are not inflammatory. No comments or opinions.”

She pursed her lips but nodded.

The door opened and a woman in a khaki uniform walked in. Her name tag said Atao. She was tall and slim with light brown hair pulled neatly into a bun and gray eyes.

“Hi, I'm Anna Atao.”

Kat leaned forward. Was this woman here to talk about the IED bill? That seemed odd. Her uniform was from the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, which responded to public health disasters. What did that have to do with IEDs?

Alex gestured to the guest chair. “It's also Captain Atao and Dr. Atao, isn't it?”

“That's correct.”

Alex introduced Kat then thumbed through a folder on his desk. “And I understand that you've requested this meeting be kept private because your supervisor, Rear Admiral McKenzie, doesn't know you're here?”

She nodded. “As you know, federal staff are prohibited from lobbying members of Congress, so I'm here to educate you on an issue important to me. However, I'm here as a member of the public and not representing the Commissioned Corps. I wouldn't normally come in uniform, but I have to leave for Brazil right after this meeting.”

Alex sat back. “Now that we've dispensed with the disclaimers, I'd like to hear your concerns. I assure you this meeting is confidential.”

Anna Atao didn't waste any time. “Sir, babies born with atrial septal defect die unless it's surgically repaired. The surgery is widely available in the United States and has a mortality rate of less than one percent.”

She handed Alex a piece of paper. “On that sheet is the number of American babies who die each year on the island of Guam because they can't get that surgery. Even though their parents beg, borrow and steal the money to pay for the procedure, they die because they can't afford airfare to Hawaii or California. Sometimes there aren't even enough seats on a commercial flight to accommodate the baby incubator, nurse and a family member. The airlines don't help. The military has a huge base in Guam, but they won't get involved, either.” The woman's pitch was rehearsed, but Kat heard a deeply buried pain in her voice.

Alex's face was impassive as he read the information sheet, but Kat saw the frustration in his eyes. “Captain Atao, this is an issue for the government of Guam. The governor needs to work with Congress if he wants more resources for the island. The military base is not available to serve civilians.”

Kat glared at him.

Captain Atao stood. She put her hands behind her back and Kat noticed her fingers trembling. “Guam has no representation in the US Congress, so the people must rely on the goodwill of men like you.”

“I see here you no longer reside there?”

She stiffened, and Kat watched her link and unlink her fingers behind her back. This was personal.

“I don't.”

“I'll talk to the senator and try to get you a meeting with him next month.”

“That won't work for me. As I mentioned, I deploy to Brazil for the Zika virus outbreak today. I may be there for months.”

Mellie knocked on the door to indicate their time was up.

Alex stood and came around his desk. “I'll do what I can, but I don't want to give you false hope. It's a tough issue.”

Captain Atao blinked then thanked Alex and left. Mellie ushered in the next appointment. Kat excused herself and caught up with the captain. “Captain Atao.”

She turned in surprise. “Call me Anna, please.”

“Anna, what do you need for the island? Surgical facilities? Helicopters to do medical transport?”

Anna shook her head. “We need to upgrade our hospital and have a regular schedule of visiting surgeons so families don't go bankrupt trying to get to Hawaii or the Philippines.”

She had said “our.” Kat wondered if Anna was from Guam.

“What would it cost?”

Anna rattled off a figure. “Will you help?” Her eyes held so much hope that Kat immediately regretted her impulsivity.

“I don't have any power here, but I do want the facts in case there's an opportunity for me to say something.”