Page 69 of Booked for Kidnapping

“I think it’s the most sensible thing anyone has said since this has started.” Something about Mr. Hampton’s tone captured my attention. “If the senators and representatives were allowed to have free votes, legislation like that wretched bill would die early. Or it should. Of course, I’ve always been of the belief politicians are morally bankrupt. But for so many to be that morally bankrupt? No, I think Senator Westonhaus at least told you a partial truth. Do you remember why he brought it up?”

I did my best to remember the conversation, regretting I hadn’t been able to record our talk or take notes. “He said there are no parties in the upper government, and while there are factions among the politicians, the game is already set and decided long before it’s actually played.”

“That makes a frightening amount of sense, if you view the whole situation through the lens of a conspiracy theory,” Bradley acknowledged. “It goes against everything it means to be American, however.”

“My conversation with him led me to believe there aren’t really Americans anymore, just pawns of those who were chosen to be among the current rulers of the country. Right up to the presidency. It made me wonder why we even bother to vote, if everything is predetermined.”

“The illusion of freedom,” Bradley informed me. “Just like that bill is a complete eradication of freedoms unless you’re the perfect person in the eyes of bill makers. And the perfect people in the eyes of the bill makers seems to be those who have the wealth, the general influence, and the magical abilities they want. I barely qualify. Your marriage to me will qualify you. But we’ll have to be very careful with our children. The system is meant to keep everyone in their set place. We’d have to contract our children to children of similar levels to make sure they wouldn’t be drafted. And with the draft rules eliminating age, gender, and anything else of importance as exemptions, I give it a single generation before the only people free from the draft are those with a ridiculous amounts of money, influence, and ability to operate contracts. I expect the contract rules will be expanded to allow these families to essentially ‘liberate’ Americans using the contract system.”

“Which is no different from the draft, except instead of a battlefield and being owned by the military, you’re owned by a bunch of rich assholes.”

“Hey,” Bradley complained.

“Where was the lie?” I asked in my sweetest voice.

“Cruel woman. I mean, I’m rich, but I’m not an asshole!”

“You’re not?” I graced him with my sweetest smile.

“Dad, leave.”

“No.” Mr. Hampton chuckled, went to the door, and fetched one of the takeout containers we’d picked up from the Chinese restaurant, setting it on the desk nearby along with a pair of chopsticks. “This is a reward for being assertive. You’ll have to wait to continue any plans to seduce my son until later.”

“Thank you.” I peeked inside to discover orange chicken, not as spicy as what I liked at home, but hot enough to remind me I needed to work up to my favorite treat after forced separation from my favorite food.

“Dad,” Bradley complained.

“Work before play. I feel you’re correct in your general evaluation of the situation; the goal of this bill really seems to be a general restructuring of the United States to be more of a military dictatorship than a democracy—or a democratic republic, which is what the United States should be. It’s not anymore, not really. Too much power has flowed from the hands of the people into the hands of the government. With the loss of the checks and balances system, it’s only a matter of time until the ruling parties of the United States show their true colors. The draft rules seem to indicate it’s probable the government type will shift to a more militant nature. It wouldn’t surprise me if the next phase involves a campaign for patriotism, encouraging the young to want to draft into the military. That way, when the next batch of young voters comes in, they’ll view the legislation as patriotic. That’s a very dangerous prospect.” Bradley’s father sat on the edge of the nearest bed. “What we really need to do is figure out how and why there were two attacks at the same time.”

Right. I’d forgotten there’d been a killing at the same time I’d been kidnapped. “You mean Representative Islanney.”

“Yes. The timing was noteworthy. And it’s sent ripples through the country, as it led everyone to believe the killers are part of an even larger group. We’d all believed they were connected, but the evidence seems to be indicating there isn’t any actual connection.”

“Senator Westonhaus just made a very convenient scapegoat, and my kidnappers possibly wanted the other group to take the fall for what they did,” I muttered.

Bradley’s father nodded. “And considering the ethics of those behind your kidnapping, the bills would severely offend them. They’re out to save and improve lives, not end them. The bill, in its current form, has the potential to end a lot of lives. By targeting Westonhaus and taking you, they’d put pressure on the government and the FBI to dig deeper into the case. That would bring the legislation and all of its consequences into the limelight. And it has.”

“So, the possibility exists these doctors were aware of the legislation, wanted it brought to public scrutiny, and realized they could use me to do it?”

My future father-in-law nodded. “That’s one possibility, yes. Another possibility is that they wanted to draw attention away from you so the real killers wouldn’t eliminate you for getting in the way of their plans.”

“I can’t say I’ve gotten in the way of their plans beyond presenting additional casualties.” I grimaced at the thought the killers wanted to move into terrorist territory rather than dealing primarily in assassinations. “But yes, I’ve come to the conclusion everybody wants to take advantage of me at this point in time.”

Bradley’s smile promised future trouble, likely to begin the instant we could get his father back to his own hotel room.

“What do you mean?” Mr. Hampton asked.

“Well, I saw the news articles about how Westonhaus has decided to use me to keep people interested in his political campaign.”

“Yes, he has been rather relentless about using your disappearance for his benefit. I really don’t think he was directly involved, but he certainly isn’t letting that opportunity slip by him.” Bradley’s father wrinkled his nose. “The boy here swindled more donations for the library out of the assholes, too. He figured if they were going to use your disappearance for their gain, he’d use their greed for the library’s gain. And, as just attacking Westonhaus’s wallet hasn’t been sufficient payback, he’s gone after every representative and senator supporting the campaign.”

I snorted at that. “We’d be able to build a whole new building if they all contributed. I swear, considering the articles, I thought I was running to be the president.”

“Well, you’ll have a great budget once you’re back to work,” my future father-in-law replied with a chuckle.

“My reappearance is going to be a problem, isn’t it?”

“For Westonhaus’s campaign? Possibly. Actually, the media has already started going to work on it. I’ve leaked to my favorite reporters, and I’ve taken a few pictures of you and Bradley together for them to show off, from an anonymous contributor, of course. I waited for you two to be particularly lovey-dovey. That paints Bradley in a really good light, and your determination to return home to him paints you in a good light, and those who were trying to start a fuss over you two not having a real relationship won’t really be able to keep talking without looking like idiots. On that front, you’ve benefited. Westonhaus won’t be able to martyr you to the same extent, and he’s had to make an announcement celebrating your escape. I did not make any mention of your foot, although it’s clear you’re standing on your own. I didn’t take any pictures of your legs below the knees. Quite on purpose. The media was also asked to neglect mention of your foot. We can watch responses from the upper politicians to see if any of them slip.”