Page 61 of Incisive

“I think if we can keep the polls depressed down in Florida so he doesn’t look like he’s got a chance in hell of taking the US Senate seat he might opt to keep running for his House seat for at least another cycle or two before he tries to go after the governor’s mansion instead of the Senate. We’ll have to keep heavy pressure on him and the GOP, though, and spend a lot of money down there that would be better used to bolster our people in more vulnerable races elsewhere.

“Corporate money is really tough for guys like him to come by now, especially when they can’t keep their dumbass racist opinions to themselves. That means he has to target small-dollar grassroots voters and religious PAC money. He might not want to waste his precious resources on an election he can’t win and then lose his House seat on top of everything else. That’s a bifurcated battle he has almost zero hope of winning and would be a huge blow to his ego.”

“But almost zero is still a chance.”

Kev taps his nose with his index finger. “Exactly. It’ll be harder for Ellis to run for governor later if he loses his House seat without a higher office under his belt first. That should be our goal. But as you well know, when one of those assholes manages to get themselves elected to the House, sometimes it takes a couple of terms to unseat them unless we flood the district with money our more vulnerable candidates really need. Do we prove a point, or do we preserve as many seats as possible?”

I ponder the ramifications. “Unless Stella gives him a hard shove to run for POTUS just to piss me off and gets her friends in The Family to back him.”

Kev nods. “There is that. Wouldn’t be the first time personal revenge was the ulterior motive for someone running for office. But the other problem is you might be forced into the uncomfortable position of standing back and watching your sister become intimately acquainted with the consequences of her decisions.”

“How so?”

“I have a feeling she’s about to engage in the ultimate version of ‘fuck around and find out’ behavior. McMurtry is dirty. He hasn’t been caught yet but it’s only a matter of time. There are two different state attorneys general looking into financial fraud allegations about his family’s auto dealerships. Now, that might be nothing more than an inconvenience for him, depending on how their businesses are structured. He might be able to claim he wasn’t involved in the daily operations. Which is bullshit but whatever. Where he’s likely going to eventually end up getting caught is for committing insurance fraud.”

Kev proceeds to detail a list of several state and federal investigations McMurtry’s law firm is the target of in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

“None of that is common knowledge yet, either. Susa’s dad gave Shae a heads-up about it last week after a friend of his close to the Florida AG called him and told him what’s going on. Florida’s state GOP is trying to figure out a way to freeze McMurtry out of running for any higher offices, if they can do that without pissing off his constituents and making him look like a victim of the ‘deep state.’ They’re desperate to set him up to take a fall.

“Unfortunately, McMurtry’s not the only partner at his firm, and it’s not a slam-dunk that the investigations will hit him personally. He’s sneaky and slick and more than a little bit lucky. He might completely skate and be able to claim that he wasn’t involved in the fuckery other than his name being attached to the legal entities in question. If they can’t put a pen in his hand signing stuff, or get him on tape or video admitting to his involvement, they’re going to need an air-tight case against him to bring him down.”

I tip my head back and study the ceiling for a moment. This is all ironic, that this news is being delivered to me by Kev.

His father, Edwin Markos, was a congressman.

Until he was arrested for paying to have several people murdered, including Kev’s ex-wife—Shae’s press secretary at the time, and the woman who was going to be my press secretary—and Kev.

Edwin Markos damn near succeeded in getting Kev killed. It was the thinnest of luck that none of the bullets struck major organs or arteries.

But Kev understands what it’s like to have a family member suddenly flip categories from being toxically annoying into criminally notorious, and not because they’re changing their rapper name, either.

“So now what?” I ask.

“I don’t know. It depends on what McMurtry does and how he uses Stella to do it.Ifhe even marries her. It might not happen, although I bet it does. Too many people have told me the same things over the past several days so I’ll keep my ears open and see what else I can learn. As soon as I hear anything, I’ll let Casey-Marie know so she can pass it on.” He smirks. “I think telling Jordan might be dangerous. He’d march right over to her apartment and bitch slap her himself. Might want to keep Leo out of the loop for now, too.”

I laugh. “You’re not wrong.”

“Then again, Leo might already know.” He shakes with me. “Hey, they’re good man and love you. You did well. Times two.”

“Thanks. And I appreciate it. The heads-up, I mean.”

“No problem.” He shows himself out because it’s not like he doesn’t know his way around the joint. God only knows how much sex he’s had in this very room, and in the Oval Office, with our former president and the First Spouse.

Still…I can’t help but turn his words over in my mind for a few minutes and chew on them. Part of me wants to pick up the phone and yell at Stella but that wouldn’t do a damned bit of good and I know it. If anything it would likely make her smile and dig in even deeper, knowing that she’s getting under my skin.

When it comes to me she makes petty an art form and always has.

Is it personal progress on my part that I’ve learned to—mostly—let that shit go?

From her, I mean. Still trying to wrangle my emotions surrounding my father into submission.

Stella is an adult. If she’s bit off more than she can chew then that’s her problem, not mine, and I refuse to step in and make it my problem.

My parents might not be happy with me if I don’t bail her out should she get snared in an ugly political situation and metaphorically be forced to chew off a limb to extricate herself from it without my assistance, but I refuse to get dragged into a scandal when I’m starting my tenure in the Oval Office.

I’ve had a scandal-free political career thus far. That’s a trend I’m determined to continue.

Also, if Stella thinks I’m going to let her get married here in the White House, she can think again. That’s definitelynothappening.