A Girl Undone (23 page)

Sigmund quizzed me for an hour in front of Hawkins and Ho, always focusing on the facts of who I’d met, what I’d called myself, what interactions I’d had with people in Pocatello. Hawkins bristled when he heard me describe how Luke was driving when the Retrievers picked me up. But no one asked why Luke and I were headed to Colorado.

Then Sigmund sketched out the strategy: demonstrate that the person who took the photo mistook me for the girl at the dance by creating a false identity. Birth certificate, marriage license, online presence.

Ho was taking notes and throwing out questions. Hawkins uncrossed his arms.

“We can fix this in twenty-four to thirty-six hours,” Sigmund said. “But Avie’s reinvention could take months.”

“We don’t have months!” Hawkins said. “The primary’s in June.”

“I understand your frustration, but we can transform this scandal into millions of dollars of free public relations.”

“How?” Ho said.

“Aveline is a curiosity. She’s the girl who came back. People will look at her and see the young lioness that Jessop Hawkins has tamed.”

My stomach clenched. Only a few weeks before, Hawkins had told me he looked forward to taming me.

“You mentioned limiting Avie’s public appearances,” Sigmund went on, “but hiding her in Malibu is a waste. Voters want a look at the most intriguing young woman in the country. Put her on the stage, and they’ll flock to your rallies.”

Ho and Hawkins exchanged glances. Hawkins didn’t love the idea, but Ho did. “We can make it work, Jessop.”

“How are the plans progressing for the Signing?” Sigmund said.

“We’re on target for December twenty-third,” Ho said.

“Nine days. Good.”

Good? Helen is playing her part too well. Why isn’t she trying to delay?

Hawkins scowled as Ho ticked off the items that were being finalized: guest list, caterer, music, tent and decorations, security, remote parking, publicity. The vile dress I’d been fitted for weeks ago that the designer said I should wear without panties.

“You’re inviting Vice President Jouvert, of course,” Sig said.

“Jouvert rarely attends events for Paternalist candidates,” Hawkins said. “He’s careful about who he’s seen supporting in public.”

“Jouvert will come,” Sig insisted, “given the likelihood you’ll be the next governor. He needs California voters if he wants to be the next president.”

Hawkins and Ho traded a look. “Fine,” Hawkins said.

I didn’t understand why Sigmund insisted that Jouvert be invited, but clearly Hawkins and Ho hadn’t clued him in that we’d just blackmailed Jouvert.

Sigmund checked his Piaget. “We should discuss Aveline’s cause.”

“Her cause,” Ho said, his tone completely dismissive.

I leaned forward, wondering what Sigmund had up his sleeve, when he wagged a finger, telling me to keep still.

“Your ultimate goal is for Jessop Hawkins to become president of the United States, is it not?” he asked Ho.

“Of course.”

“First Ladies are defined by the causes they promote. Think Laura Bush and literacy or Hillary Clinton and universal health care. The media excitement over Aveline’s return won’t last forever, and the right cause can brand her as First Lady material.”

Ho’s eyes flicked back and forth like he was reading polling results, and he tossed Jessop a nod before saying, “What do you suggest?”

“Orphans. Jessop led the effort to create the nation’s orphan ranches. Having Avie stand by his side and defend the innocent will cast her as mature and maternal. A young woman devoted to the future of the country.”

My skin began to prickle. Sigmund had some grand plan, and it probably included me spying for the revolution. He was going to be disappointed to find out that my days as a revolutionary were over.

Sigmund gave me a long, hard once-over. “Bring in a stylist you trust,” he said. “And get her hair back to its original color. Then we’ll work on wardrobe and interviewing skills. Once we get the Pocatello incident behind us, we need to get her out there.”

Then Sigmund took in Hawkins. “I don’t know who’s responsible for developing your public persona, but if you will excuse my saying so, they have failed to counsel you effectively.”

I stifled a smile as Hawkins narrowed his eyes at Sigmund. “You find fault with my style?”

“Intimidating. Hard-edged. Superior. Your style fits a CEO, but voters don’t elect candidates who intimidate them. They elect people they like. If you wish, I can suggest some simple changes, hair, wardrobe, accessories, to increase your likability factor.”

Hawkins gave Sigmund a look that could melt steel. “I’ll consider the offer.”

“Very good.” Sigmund stood up. “Adam,” he said to Ho. “Let’s get to work.”

Jessop eyed me as if he expected me to stay. I sat taller in my chair.

Once we were alone, he said, “I need to know that you were telling me the truth when you said you weren’t romantically involved with Luke Stanton.”

I was relieved I didn’t have to lie. “No. He helped me, because of his mom.”

“You really don’t know where he is?”

If I did, I wouldn’t tell you
. “All I know is Luke planned for us to go into the mountains.”

“Would he have changed plans after you disappeared?”

My heartbeat thudded in my ears. I wondered if Hawkins suspected Luke was carrying evidence, too. “No, he was set on the Rockies.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I swear, I don’t know where else he could be.”

“I’m sick of being blindsided by revelations about who you were with or what you did when you were on your little adventure.”

“It wasn’t an adventure,” I muttered.

“If there’s anything else you’re hiding from me, you need to come clean now. Do you understand? We’re both in danger here.”

“I get it.” I would not tell Hawkins anything more about Luke or what I suspected he might do. “I gave you the phone. You’ve got the files that were on it. I don’t know what else you want from me.”

“All right then.” Hawkins went to unfold his cuffs and then stopped himself. “You coming?”

“No, I think I’ll hang out here for a while.”

I waited until I was sure Hawkins was in another part of the house before I went back to my room. My head was spinning as I changed into jeans. I didn’t know how Helen had managed to get into Hawkins’ circle, but I was dying to know why she was here.

31

Ho must have offered Elancio, the stylist, a fortune, because an hour later his Airstream was parked in the subterranean garage alongside Hawkins’ Ferrari California.

Unlike the last time I’d been in Elancio’s salon, Elancio hadn’t bothered to fill the bud vases flanking the mirror, and there were no garment bags spilling out of the blond maple cabinets. Today his job was to fix the damage I’d done to his “creation,” and return me to the reincarnation of Letitia Hawkins, mother of the next governor of California.

Sigmund observed from the curved white leather banquette, sipping an espresso, while I sat in the salon chair and Elancio ran his fingers through my hair. “This is criminal,” Elancio grumbled. “This color—so trashy, so fake.” He went to tape a photo of Letitia Hawkins on the mirror.

“You won’t need that,” Sigmund said.

Both Elancio and I looked at him.

“Jessop and I agreed that Aveline cannot reassume the look she had before her ordeal. She has changed, and her look must reflect that: stronger, more dynamic, with a hint of sexy.”

“Right. I’m the young lioness that Jessop Hawkins has tamed.”

“Exactly,” Sigmund answered.

“Very well,” Elancio said, tossing Letitia’s pic in a drawer. “A young lioness.” He crossed his arms and contemplated my reinvention, tapping his chin with one finger.

“Close to her original color, but bolder,” Sigmund said. “They told you extensions, correct?”

“Yes. Yes. Return her hair to its original length.” Elancio fished inside a cabinet filled with boxes of dye. “And those brows—pah!”

Ho arrived while Elancio was painting the color onto my hair. “We’ve got her booked with Evan Steele, the morning show tomorrow, just as you asked.”

“Steele will hit her hard, but then it will be over and done.” Sigmund turned to me. “Tomorrow you must convey strength and femininity. You were confused, and misled by people you trusted, terrified by the violence you were exposed to, and now you’ve returned to Jessop’s side, where you are safe and happy.”

Ho was taking it all in.

“I’ll need to review her wardrobe before I leave. Adam, see if you can get a duplicate of the Love bracelet that Aveline wore on the cover of
People
. And once Elancio is done here, we should review talking points.”

Ho nodded and left.

Elancio applied the last of the dye, and peeled off his gloves. Then Sigmund got up and slipped him a folded hundred. “Why don’t you take a cigarette break?”

Elancio raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing, and dug out his pack. Sigmund waited for him to leave, then raised a finger telling me to be quiet. I watched quietly as he reached under the makeup counter and the red light in the monitor behind me went black.

“Girl, I thought that man would never leave.”

“Oh my God, Helen, I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I almost can’t believe it myself. Imagine
me
inside the cave of the Demon King,” she said, waving her hand at the garage full of luxury cars.

“Senator Fletcher didn’t really send you, did he?”

“Technically, no. Although he often employs the services of the
other
Sigmund Rath. However, I doubt either Jessop Hawkins or Adam Ho have the nerve to call Fletcher’s Washington office to verify my identity in the midst of
le grand scandal
e
politique
. I trust you will keep my secret?”

“Of course I will, but if anyone figures out who you are—”

“You’re sweet to worry, but I’ve spent most of my life hiding my true identity. And besides, I’m not the one who’s in danger right now.”

I ducked my eyes. I didn’t deserve her help. “I’m fine, Helen.”

“I’m talking about Luke.”

My cheeks turned scarlet. “Yeah, of course.”

“Not that your situation isn’t serious,
Hummingbird,
but there’s a nationwide manhunt for him. Maggie left money and forged identity documents. I can get him out of the country if I can find him.”

“Maybe he’d listen to you. I tried to get him to go.”

“Do you really believe he’s in Colorado?”

“No. I wish I did, but we were on the way to meet two reporters when the Retrievers picked me up, and I don’t know if he met them or if they were even real.”

“I’m not following.”

“This man who hid us—his name is Streicker—I think he set Luke up so he’d stalk Jouvert. I’m terrified Luke might try to assassinate him.”

“What!”

“He’s so angry, Helen. Luke wants revenge for what the feds did to his family.”

Helen’s eyes widened. “You care about him.”

“Yes, I do—and he’s not a killer, he’s—” The truth of who Luke really was and how I felt was complicated, too complicated to explain now.

“Well, we have got to locate him. If there’s anything else you can think of, anyone else he might have turned to outside of Salvation, you need to tell me.”

“All right,” I promised.

She reached in her suit jacket and pulled out a photo. “Is this what he looks like?”

It looked like Luke, but something about it was off. “Where did you get this? Luke told me there weren’t any pictures of him.”

“Luke probably never knew Maggie had a baby picture. I found it in her safe, and had it digitally aged. Does it look like him?”

“Almost.” It was like looking at a zombie with Luke’s features, but without the warmth in his smile or the depth in his eyes. A shiver traced my spine, and I handed the photo back. “I feel better knowing you’re trying to find him. Luke knows how to survive in the mountains, but he needs help out in the open.”

“Why were you meeting the reporters?” Helen said. “Were they going to interview you about the shootout?”

I filled her in on the evidence Luke and I were carrying, including Sparrow’s tape of Jouvert boasting about his secret deal with the Saudis.

“He might as well have strapped explosives to his chest,” Helen said.

“I need to tell you something else.”

“What now?”

“Jessop Hawkins used the tape of Jouvert to blackmail him.”

“Blackmail Jouvert! Hawkins won’t stop at anything to win, will he?” She shook her head. “But you can’t help what he did once he took it away from you.”

“He didn’t take it. I gave it to him.” Anger flashed in her eyes, and I rushed to explain. “Fletcher threatened to have me arrested. You saw what the feds did to Maggie when she tried to surrender.”

Helen fixed her eyes on her polished wingtips. “Well, so you did what you had to do to save yourself.”

I swallowed, her disappointment like a spoonful of straight pins going down my throat.

“But who am I to criticize?” she said, taking a breath. “I wasn’t in that church. Who knows what I’d do in your place.”

We sat in silence for a moment, then Helen looked me in the eyes. “You do realize that if the reporters use information Luke gave them and run that story, Jouvert will think you double-crossed him.”

I felt the blood leave my face, and the next thing I knew, Helen was rubbing an ice cube across my wrist. “That’s right. Stay with me.”

I pulled in a centering breath. “There’s no way this will end well, is there?”

“Maybe not, but you’ve gotten this far. Look at everything you’ve survived.” She dropped the sliver of ice in the sink and flicked her fingers dry.

“Avie, if Luke wanted to kill Jouvert, where would he do it?”

I repeated what I’d heard Streicker tell Luke about midsized cities and outdoor rallies in warm climates. Helen nodded, eyes closed as if she was making mental notes.

“He’s got Streicker’s van so he could get to any of those cities,” I said, “and I think he’d try to take out Jouvert in the next ten days.”

“Why so soon?”

I started to explain Streicker’s theory that Jouvert was going to sign an agreement with the Saudis for nuclear weapons, when we heard Elancio on the step.