The Gentlewoman (29 page)

He mounted her and pinned her in place. “I didn’t say you
could go anywhere.” His blue eyes looked into hers. She noticed an odd dullness
there. “Did you think I was going to let you have my kid?”

As if she were watching it happen to someone else in slow
motion, his arm came down and buried the knife in her abdomen. Her body arched
tightly and her mouth fell open as she gasped for air. The ringing in her ears
grew until she could hear nothing else.

He brought the knife up and struck her again. She could
feel it move inside her and she could feel the cold hardness as it tugged and
pulled at her innards. She looked at his face and saw hatred and cruelty in his
eyes as he moved the knife around slowly, decimating everything in its path.
She felt the resistance her flesh put forth to the blade, and the pain and heat
of the loosening and parting as her skin and organs gave way in its wake. She
sucked in air, knowing there was no way she would live through this
devastation, hoping it would be over soon. She could hear nothing but the loud
ringing and her own breath, and felt the burning pain of the knife moving
through her.

Aidan knelt over her and lowered his face to within an
inch of hers. “How dare you, stupid bitch, how dare you.” She looked into his
eyes as she lay dying, his hand still holding the knife steady within her
abdomen. “How dare you think you could do this to me…stupid whore.”

He watched her eyes. “I’ll watch you die, bitch.” Her
body began to tremble and her right hand moved of its own volition toward the
knife protruding from her gut. It didn’t reach its destination but instead fell
heavily onto the floor.

It was then that she felt the pen. Throughout the course
of the day, through the abuse and rape, ripping of clothes, and breaking of
bones, her coat had never been removed. She shoved her hand into the pocket,
feeling the pen she had taken from the car. She looked into Aidan’s eyes and
took a deep breath. As she labored to inhale, she gathered every ounce of strength
she could summon. She reared her arm back, spearing the pen deeply into his
eye.

Aidan surged backward, grasping the protruding pen,
screaming and cursing her. Blood spurted from the wound. She breathed
frantically, trying to gain strength from the oxygen, and started dragging
herself to the door. She made it, and summoning inhuman strength, pulled
herself up and lurched forward down the hall, bumping and staggering until she
was in the living room entryway.

She fell over the back of the recliner and screamed in
pain as the knife dug farther into her body. She fell to her back on the floor,
kicking and pushing off with her feet, desperate to reach the front door.

Aidan shuffled into the living room, his appearance
gruesome as blood gushed from his eye. She screamed as he weaved in and lurched
at her, falling on top of her and grabbing her neck with both hands, squeezing
with superhuman strength.

She fought back, punching into his head and back with all
her might, clawing him with her nails—until her hand fell upon the gun in the
back of his pants. In one swift motion, she pulled the gun out, pressed it to
the side of his head and pulled the trigger.

She felt the enormous blast more than she could hear it,
and after it went off, everything went still. She didn’t move. The pressure he
had exerted on her neck had immediately stopped, but she didn’t move, not
knowing what exactly had happened. A humid stillness and scent of gunpowder
lingered in the air.

Slowly she opened her eyes. She found Aidan lying beside
her, the side of his head blown open. She closed her eyes again, trying to
breathe, and found she had little feeling left in her body. She lay there, eyes
closed, waiting to die.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw the moon. It was
dark, but the moon was shining in the window. She could feel nothing. Her body
felt heavier than lead. She couldn’t move. She remembered that her father was
gone. Her baby too, no doubt. Was she still alive? She slowly turned her head
and saw Aidan’s bloody body next to her. Maybe she was dead too. His eyes
stared at her.

Calmly, preternaturally, she lifted her hand. It
responded and she reached her shaking, blood-covered fingers over and felt for
the phone on his belt. After several painful pulls, it came off. She held it in
front of her face. She looked at the phone, curiously feeling no urgency or
instinct to dial and attempt to save herself, if it was even possible. She
wondered if life would be worth the effort.

She lowered her hand and looked out the window at the moon
again. Why was she still here? She wondered how long it would take for her
heart to stop beating. She thought of her mother and father and of the baby she
had already loved. So much was gone. She considered her life. She thought of
her father again, and his love for her. Tears fell down her temples and onto
the floor. After several minutes, she lifted the phone and dialed 9-1-1. After
that, her world went completely black.

They ran side by side past the Georgetown University Library
to the park on the next block. They didn’t speak, both inside their own heads,
dealing with their individual thoughts. Jackson was worried about her, and she
was trying to deal with her fears.

Rory had eaten the piece of toast he made her after he
refused to let her leave the house on an empty stomach. He didn’t want her
running, as she had barely slept and hadn’t been eating right. The vomiting
hadn’t helped either. But she needed the run as badly as she needed fuel. She
couldn’t get out of her head. Her dream of the prior night mingled with the
details of what she faced now. It wasn’t exactly panic she felt, more like fear
mixed with resignation.

Jackson was cursing himself over what he was feeling. Here
they were, Homeland Security following them on a morning run, and he was
feeling neglected because she wasn’t sharing all her thoughts and feelings with
him. What an asshole he was. She was trying to survive her very serious panic
attacks, a lunatic out to murder her, and he was pouting. He was a possessive
idiot, wanting everything of her to himself. He needed to get over it.

They ran across the open field and rounded onto the north
path of the park. As a park bench came into view, Rory asked if they could sit.
Jackson braced himself, not knowing why she seemed so distant. They sat for a
moment, their hard breaths curling in the cold air. They both kicked the snow
from their sneakers.

She turned to him, placing her feet on the bench, hugging
her knees. He smiled and placed his legs on the outside of hers, elbows on his
knees. “Jackson, I want you to know that it’s okay if you want to back away
from me.”

His mouth dropped open. “What the fuck are you talking
about? I’m not going anywhere.”

“Jackson, this isn’t a game. He wants to kill me and it only
makes it more fun if you’re in the way. That box last night was a message that
he’s serious as hell. He wants me to know he can get to me and you, no matter
who’s covering our asses. You don’t know how awful it can be.”

“Yes I do, I’ve seen the pictures.” She blanched at the
reminder. “I looked at the photos of you and your dad, read the medical
reports, and looked at the evidence.” He was matter-of-fact. “I know exactly
how awful it can be. That’s why I’m staying right beside you.”

She looked at him for a long moment, then looked away.

“Hey, baby, look at me. Come on.” Jackson gently turned her
chin back to him. “I’m in love with you. I’m not leaving you. That’s just the
way it is. I don’t have a choice. It’s the same as being a father to my son or
a son to my mother. I want to be your husband. My heart already took the job,
and it’s made me happier than I knew possible. It’s like I’m home when I didn’t
even know I was abroad.”

Tears streaked down her cheeks. “That’s exactly what this
feels like for me too.”

“Then can you cut the shit please? I don’t want anyone
talking about leaving again. I like being behind your walls with you.” He
kissed her deeply then leaned his forehead on hers. “They’re announcing the
engagement this morning. The release will be sent to all the major news
outlets. Wanna play hooky and stay in bed?”

She snorted. “No, we’re not playing hooky. We have the
meeting about the legislation and I want that over with.”

He wedged his head in the crook of her neck and inhaled her
sweet scent.

She nibbled his ear. “Tell you what. Let’s get that meeting
done and we’ll come back home. We can spend the rest of the day in bed.”

“Deal,” he said quickly, rising and holding his hand out to
her. “Let’s get going. It’s freezing out here and I haven’t read your email
yet. I better find out how badly the gentlewoman from Ohio is going to spank
our asses today.”

“Don’t worry, baby. After I finish nailing your ass, we can
come home and I might let you nail mine.”

Rory and her staff walked into the meeting room on the
second floor. The invitees were already in attendance and looking determined
around the large conference table. Her lips quirked into a half smile.

“Good morning, gentlemen.” She took a seat at the head of
the table, Nicole to her right. Jill, Michael and Liam took seats along the
wall followed by her annoying shadows, the Secret Service.

“I can tell from the looks on your faces that we can
dispense with the pleasantries, so let’s get down to it, shall we?”

Nobody looked particularly happy, except Jackson, who was
trying to hide his smile behind his steepled hands. Across from him, Larry Page
was red and sweaty. Roy Charles looked no better on the opposite end of the
table. Congressmen Howard and Tackler, the chair and vice chair of the Homeland
Committee, looked as if somebody had kicked them. Congressman Duncan, her own
party compatriot, looked at her with open hostility.

Only Congressman Koepler and his aide Jake Schnyder looked
happy. Entertained was probably a better word for it. Jake winked and smiled at
her.

Rory finished her perusal of the table and made a show of
shrugging at Nicole. Nicole shook her head quizzically, as if she couldn’t
imagine the issue.

“Gentlemen, I have presented you with the re-draft of the
proposed legislation. What say you of the edits?”

Larry Page spoke. “Congresswoman, this is not the
legislation presented. This is not acceptable. These changes are not acceptable
at all.” Rory could see the sweat on his upper lip from her position six feet
away.

“Mr. Page, could you be more specific? What amendments do
you find unacceptable, as you say?”

His voice rose. “I find your entire rewrite unacceptable,
Ms. Morgan. This is not the legislation we delivered to you.”

“I see,” she began. “Well, Mr. Page, I found most of your
legislation unacceptable. And now you have the legislation I’m willing to
sponsor for this committee.”

Congressman Howard spoke up. “This legislation completely
vacates most of our requests. Specifically, that dealing with search warrants,
arrests and technology. We’re not getting anything. This is much needed
legislation, Ms. Morgan. The protection of the American people is at stake.”

“I agree, Congressman. And you shall address me as
Congresswoman Morgan as I have been fully sworn to represent the People in
their
House. You would do well to remember that. The protection of the American
people and their rights is exactly what I considered when I re-drafted your
proposal.”

“And you’ve made further requests for funding that were not
included in the original. Violence Against Women Act, mental health, alcohol
and drug addiction services. Just how do you think this germane,
Congresswoman?” Howard continued.

Page interjected. “We had a deal. You were to sponsor
legislation in exchange for your votes on Appropriations. That can still be
undone.”

Threats angered Rory, but she kept her cool. “I beg your
pardon, sir. That was not our deal.”

“Excuse me?” he said, splaying his hands out on the table
incredulously.

Rory folded her hands in front of her. “Our deal was that I
sit on Homeland in exchange for the votes on Appropriations. I am fulfilling my
end of the bargain. Any sponsorship of legislation is extracurricular of that
agreement and thus, is at my discretion. You have forwarded me legislation and
I am showing you exactly what I am willing to do for the committee, on behalf
of the American people. If it is not to your liking, you need not accept my
sponsorship.”

“That budget measure has not yet been passed by the full
House. It could still be changed,” Page threatened.

Rory leaned forward in her seat. “Who will withhold their
votes?”

“Dorn and Duncan can change their record.”

She trained her gaze on Jackson. “Would you change your
vote, Jackson? On the day we announce our intention to be married?” Gasps and
guffaws raced around the room. Everybody looked from her to Jackson and back.

He smiled at her, eager to show his support. “Of course not,
my love.” She smiled back, looking him in the eye.

“I can withdraw my vote,” Duncan’s slimy voice chimed in.
She turned her full attention to the congressman from North Carolina.

She smiled sarcastically. “Yes, Congressman Duncan, you
certainly could. But then you might have a problem with that Department of
Education grant you need for the capital projects in your state.” She looked
down at her notes, her index finger sliding across the page. “Oh yes, here it
is. You were exempted from matching funds from the Department of Education for
the construction of eleven new schools across your state. That’s a lot of
schools, Congressman.” She looked him in the eye. “Mary Jo Jansen and I agreed
last week that the money you require might be better spent in my own district
if your loyalties are further split.”

“That’s preposterous!” Duncan argued, turning as red as
Page. “Roy, she’s totally out of control.”

Now that pissed her off. “Yes, I am totally out of control.”
She turned to Nicole and shook her head, clucking her tongue. “Imagine having
my own little ideas of how to serve our constituents.” She continued to shake
her head, looking around the table. “I’m sorry to tell you, boys, but you’ve
let one get past you putting me on this committee. What you have in front of
you is the only legislation that I will be sponsoring on these topics, no
matter who you can get to change their vote on Appropriations. Included here is
enough money to get your increased number of agents in both the CIA and
Homeland and I’ve even thrown in a provision on burden of proof for attainment
of subpoenas, with two or more exigent circumstances. The rest of it was
garbage and you know it.” She looked around in challenge. “If any of you think
I’d sell out constitutional rights of American citizens, then you have sorely
misjudged me.

“And you’re right, Congressman Howard. I have added a great
many monies to Violence Against Women and drug and alcohol services, and I’ll
do more on other legislation I intend to sponsor as a member of Homeland and
HHS.” She leaned farther forward. “And any eighth grader or member of the House
worth their salt
could summarize the germaneness, sir.”

He actually argued. “This won’t be considered under
suspension of rules, Congresswoman. You’ll get no supermajority on this.”

“Well.” She smiled and looked at Larry Page. “You good folks
head up the Rules Committee. Get the Special Rules on this and make it so no
amendments can be placed on the floor. Hell, have them waive germaneness
altogether if it makes you feel better. I’ll place it in the hopper myself.”
She looked at Jackson. “It’s like I always say, dear; it must be nice to be the
majority.”

He beamed at her. “You do always say that, sweetheart.”

Larry Page turned to Roy Charles. “Isn’t there something
that can be done here, Roy?”

Now that infuriated her, especially coming from the two
party heads, artificial authority who at times seemed answerable to no one. Her
voice became louder.

“Do I need to break it down further, gentlemen?” She looked
around the room. “You can continue to jack each other off about this, but it
won’t change a thing for me. Enough is enough. You won’t use me or my story to
gain illegal search and seizure by any means in this country. Go with this
legislation and you have my full support. Hell, I’ll even do press on it.
Although it does mean I’ll be the poster girl for Big Brother—who, by the way,
hopefully won’t fail me this time. In case you haven’t heard, my former
brother-in-law is back to finish what my dead husband couldn’t get done.”

Pins dropping would have sounded like nuclear explosions.

She stood. “So you see, I don’t really give a good goddamn
if you don’t like it. Threaten me with whatever you can. I’m better off getting
ridden out of here on a rail. And believe me, the whole country will know about
it. Or, if you have half a brain, let’s ease into this and actually accomplish
something together. Those are your choices, gentlemen.”

Rory and her entourage were all quiet until they got back to
her office. As soon as they stepped inside and shut the door, it was
pandemonium.

“Oh my God, that was awesome!” Nicole gasped. The staff
laughed and high-fived.

Jackson was smiling at Rory, who was feeling the
aftereffects. He put his arms around her. “That was the best spanking I ever
got.”

“You don’t think they’ll try to hurt me now, do you?”

“No, baby. Believe me, they’re not going to touch you after
that.”

“I was disrespectful to elder statesmen,” she gasped. “I was
just so angry.”

“Rory, they got what they had coming. Don’t worry about it.
It was a pleasure to watch you put them in their place.”

Jill walked over to the phone and took it off voicemail. It
immediately began ringing off the hook.

Jackson followed her back to her office. “Quit worrying,
what you did was a perfect response to what you were presented with.”

“Well, the people pay me to worry,” she mumbled dryly,
thumbing through the paperwork on her desk.

Jackson spun her around and leaned her across the desk as he
took her lips hard. He rubbed his hips against her.

“You were perfect in there. You stymied them on every avenue
and you got what you wanted. They can’t make another move. I was so proud
you’re mine. Do you know how fucking hot you are? I was so proud you told them
we were getting married.” He plunged his tongue into her mouth again.

Rory moaned. He was always what she needed, her worries
dissolving under his touch. Her arms went around his neck, her hands in his
hair. She pulled him down harder.

“Um, excuse me.” Nicole cleared her throat from the doorway.
They both looked over to find her smiling at them. They laughed as Jackson
pulled her up.