Page 82 of Power
“You know the blame and responsibility always falls on the woman. The man is forgiven. The public will feel sorry for you because your wife is dead and men have urges, while I’ll be painted as the criminal because I sell my body for sex. You’ll be unscathed, while I’ll be villainized. Don’t worry about me. I’ll look after my family, because that’s all I’ve ever done. You just sit there in your tower, surrounded by your Secret Service and loyal staff. Congratulations, Bennett, you’ve not only lost me, but you’ve also lost my vote. Fuck you, Mr. President, fuck you.” I hang up and throw my phone on the sofa in boiling anger. He’s hung me out to dry and doesn’t give a damn about me or Emily. I can’t deal with him at the moment.
I pace back and forth trying to think of what to do.
I head to the front door and open it. “Ma’am,” the older security guard says. “Everything okay?”
“I need to get out of here.”
“I can organize that,” he says. “It’ll take about twenty minutes. Does that work for you?”
Twenty minutes to pack clothes for Emily and me and to get out of here. “Yeah, it does. Thank you so much for your help.”
“It’s my pleasure, ma’am.”
I close the door and run into my walk-in closet where my safe is. Opening it, I take out the emergency cash I have stashed. I pack a suitcase with what I need, then head into Emily’s room to pack another suitcase with her clothes. I double-check everything, and when I’m ready, I roll the two suitcases out to the door. Opening it, I see there are now two security guards standing outside. The younger of the two turns and looks at me. “Are you ready?”
I quickly scan the neighborhood, and I’m relieved to find no one peeking out of their windows. Perhaps it’s still too early for anyone to know. “I’m ready,” I say.
“This is what we’re going to do,” the older of the two says. “You’re going to have to trust me. You’re going to get in the trunk of your car, which I’m going to drive out the gates. Ritchie here is going to follow us to a meeting point away from the paparazzi.”
I crinkle my brow at him. “And you think this’ll work?”
“It’s worked in the past,” he says and winks. “But time is of the essence here. If we don’t get out now, there will be even more reporters at the gate. How many are down there?” he asks the younger one.
“There are two news vans, four reporters, and a few photographers.”
“The longer we leave it, the worse it’ll get,” the older one says to me.
“I’m ready, tell me what to do.”
The older one turns to the younger one. “You know where to go. Like last time.”
The younger one nods and leaves, while the older one closes the front door. My stomach churns with worry. “Do you know why there’s press out there?” I ask, trying to gauge the damage this is going to do in my neighborhood.
“I know,” he says.
“Why are you being so nice to me then?”
He holds his hand out for the keys to my car. “Because it’s none of my business what you do for a living, Miss Maxwell.”
“But, the president—”
“Is the one who should be held accountable. You’ve lived in this community for years and there has never been a problem with you. You have to do what you have to in order to provide for your little girl. I can’t fault a person for that.” He pops the trunk open. “Now, at the risk of sounding like a serial killer, get in the trunk.” He pointedly looks at the empty space.
“Thank you.” I step in and give him a hug before climbing into my trunk. Thankfully, I can bend like a pretzel and the trunk is fairly spacious.
“I’ll be putting your luggage on the back seat.” He closes the lid, and in this moment I’m forced to come to terms with this horrible situation. My mind won’t stop spinning, trying to figure out who would’ve tipped off the press. Why did they do it? Have I been followed? Could it have been Grayson? The car moves for what feels like hours, but in fact it’s probably been five minutes before it stops. I hear footsteps, then the trunk lid opens. “I hope I didn’t hurt you,” he says as he extends his hand to help me out.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done.”
He smiles proudly. “I’ll look after your house while you’re gone. But you look after that little girl and yourself. And, I’m sorry for the journey ahead for you.” His kind eyes sparkle even under this moonless sky.
“How are you going to get back?” I ask as I look around attempting to get my bearings. “Oh.” I point to the security car about fifty yards down the street. “What you’ve done...”
“I’ve done it for people I don’t like, and I’ve always liked you.”
I hug him before I walk to the driver’s side and slide into my car. As I pull away, I look in the mirror to see him walking toward the security car. That man, whose name I don’t even know, has shown me more kindness in one hour than my own mother ever showed me in a lifetime.
I need a plan of attack. A phone call snaps me out of my chaotic thoughts. I look at the number on the screen and see it’s Emily’s school. “Hello?” I answer, surprised, because I only spoke to them less than an hour ago.
