He nodded. “You had it handled.”
I laughed at how seriously he’d said that. I tried very hard to keep the ugly parts of my life away from my kids. Every so often they trickled in, and I had to hope I wasn’t fucking up their lives.
“Livy, you okay?”
“Yeah, Penny and I got Butterfingers!” She wasn’t even fazed…Is that a good or a bad thing?
We didn’t talk about it on the way to the house, and once we got home both Olivia and Owen dumped their candy so Penn and I could check it all out.
“You can have either one big piece, or two small ones. Then it’s bedtime.”
They nodded and began deciding what they’d choose. Once selected, they ate and ran upstairs to get ready for bed.
“Gid,” Penn called, and I went over to where he was sitting on the couch, staring at his phone. “Benito is speaking in a few.”
That son of a bitch. I turned on the TV and sure enough, on the first news channel they were reporting that Benito would be saying a few words, likely addressing the video that Monica hadmade. It had hit pretty much every news circuit, and there wasn’t a single channel not talking about it.
The twins had just come back downstairs when Benito stepped up to the podium.
“Dad, can we read the new book I got?”
“Yeah, I just want to watch this real quick.”
Owen and Livy didn’t care and went off to the table to look at their books. I wasn’t sure what Benito was going to say, but I was damn curious.
“Good evening, everyone, and Happy Halloween. I’m sorry to break up whatever festivities you had planned but with elections coming in mere days, I wanted to set the record straight so that as everyone goes to the polls, they have a clear understanding.”
“What a douche,” Penn mumbled.
“By now everybody has seen the horrendous video my wife has released. I can’t tell you how shocked and appalled I was by her accusations. Never, in all the years Monica and I were together have I ever laid a hand on her or our children in anger. I love my family; they are the most important people in my life. I don’t know who did those things to Monica, but I won’t rest until I find out. I miss my family, and while I know Monica said nobody took her, I feel she’s under duress and with the help of Commissioner John Corbo—who as many may know is Monica’s cousin—we have launched an investigation and will bring my family home.”
“Monica’s probably freaking out,” I said.
“You can call her after this.”
“I beg all of you not to believe what I am being accused of. I have always loved this great state and everyone in it and truly want to be your governor. So, as you cast your vote on November sixth, remember all the good I’ve done, say to yourself, ‘Is that the Benito I know?’ Thank you.”
He didn’t take any questions, just turned and left.
“I gotta get the twins to bed, can you call Monica?” I asked Penn.
“Sure. Go ahead.”
I felt bad that I wasn’t one hundred percent present while I read the story Owen begged me to read, but Livy nor Owen noticed. When I got downstairs Penn was sitting on the couch, an iced tea in his hand and a glass of bourbon for me resting on the table.
“Did you call her?” I sat beside him and sipped my drink.
“You know I did.”
“And?”
He chuckled. “She was shaken but said that she was going to call her cousin. She believes she can make him believe things were exactly as bad as she said. I told her to use the burner phone we left, and she said she would and we’d hear from her once they spoke.”
I nodded and relaxed against the cushions. “I can’t believe that son of a bitch had the nerve to demand I go talk to him.”
“He’s not gonna stop. I have a feeling it’s going to get a hell of a lot worse.”
I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but I had a feeling Penn was right.
