Page 48

"Maybe he can tell me then," I say, sullen and childish but not regretting it.

Temperance goes on, ignoring my grumbling. "The fact that he is asking for a meeting with an operative—it's just not done."

"He's married, right?"

Temperance huffs. "Yeah."

"But, like, a known philanderer."

"Yes, he's been married three times, leaving each for the next."

I nod slowly. "I don't want to meet him," I say with a shrug. "I don’t want to get involved in politics. Never have. And this guy seems pretty toxic. You know Hollywood is a liberal town."

"It would not be public. We'd keep it a secret."

"I still don't want to meet him."

Temperance nods. "I'll let him know your feelings. But I can't guarantee he won't show up here. He is one election away from the presidency."

"You think he'll win?" I ask.

Temperance shrugs, his gaze falling onto Archie, who walks up to his feet and sits on one. "I don’t know. I also try to avoid politics."

I laugh. “That's rich."

He bends down and picks up my dog. The small, white fluff ball in the big man’s arms is cuteness personified, and something inside me melts a little. I'm suddenly not even pissed he showed up unannounced at 6:00 a.m. "You sure you don’t want a cup of coffee?" I ask.

Temperance shakes his head, his attention on Archie as he scratches the little dog behind the ear. "I'll get out of your hair. But expect to hear from me soon." He glances up at me. "And congratulations." He grins.

"For what?"

"Ah, Mary hasn't gotten hold of you yet." Temperance smiles with some secret knowledge. "You'll know why soon."

"Give me my dog," I snap, pulling Archie from him.Holding my dog with that smug smile. No thanks, bozo.

"I'll let you know what Mr. Grand says."

Temperance shows himself out. I make my egg whites and spinach, eating at the kitchen table, then get into workout gear and head to the gym in my building. I've got it to myself and hop on the rowing machine. CNN is playing on the big TV.

Reginald Grand fills the screen—he’s got reptilian eyes set deep into a puffy face. The man is balding with grey, oily skin, and jowls that shake as he speaks. The tv is on mute so I can't hear him but his lips are moving and there is something gross about them. The shot goes wide, and his wife is standing next to him. She is almost as tall as her husband, with brown hair pulled tight to her scalp and her mouth set in a deep frown.Resting bitch face.My heart goes out to her. She’s probably a nice lady but with a face like that it’s hard to tell. There is a bit of the librarian shushing unruly teenagers about her.

I plug my headphones in, and Grand’s voice comes through. "We've got to keep these criminals out of our country. Rapist and murderers are flooding over our borders." He pauses, looking out at the crowd, his lips pursed and chin high. “I am the only one who can stop them.”

I stop rowing to pull the headphones out of my ears and find the controller so I can turn off the TV.I don’t need to listen to that crap.

My grandmother escaped the Nazis and found safety on these shores. Roma are often called gypsies and are thought of as thieves and beggars, but they are a persecuted people who did what they had to in order to survive.Close to 500,000 didn’t survive the Nazis.My grandmother and I don’t get along and I can’t forgive her for the mistakes she made—not that she’s ever asked for my absolution—but she’s hard working. If she ever stole anything, or killed anyone, the crime came from desperation.

I pick up the rowing bar and push back, releasing a breath.I’ve killed out of desperation and duty.Pulling the rowing bar to my chest and leaning back so that my abs engage, I take a fresh breath.I’ll never kill out of hate.

There are some lines I won’t cross.

Mary isall smiles when I show up at her office. She comes around her desk and hugs me. "I've got some great news," she says, motioning for us to sit down by the window, where she's got a couch and two chairs.

"I'm dying with anticipation," I tell her.

She grins. "Well, what is the one role that could make you an even bigger star than you are now?"

"I've had one successful movie," I point out. "So I imagine there are a lot of roles that would help."