Page 17 of Booked for Theft

The whole mess irritated me.

Our first move would be to host our engagement party, and if we were wise, we would invite every politician who had donated to the library. And then, to make it clear we had favor in high places, we would extend an invitation to President Castillo and his wife. In all likelihood, he would not attend.

But in the slim chance the President of the United States opted to attend, Senator Thaddens provided us with an appropriate list of dates, with the nearest happening in two weeks. I gestured with my fork, our signal to stop and discuss, and I stabbed a piece of lamb and gnawed at it in an attempt to contain my growing irritation.

Bradley paused the video.

“Yes, it’s possible to plan an engagement party in two weeks,” Bradley informed me. “It’s not ideal. The date six weeks from now would be the best—and depending on where we host it, we might be able to bug the entire place to see what the politicians decide to talk about.”

Damn. I swallowed, huffed, and went for some of the mercy yogurt to appease the burn. “Let’s go for the one in six weeks. We’ll also plan the actual wedding date at the same time, and we’ll announce that, too. Your mom mentioned that some couples do that, especially when they’re secure in the courtship.”

“If we really want to be bold about it, we can do the informal civil union at the engagement party. My mother looked into it, and it’s been done with couples who wished to pursue children early into their courtship. As it’s common knowledge we both want children, we can close numerous loopholes and prevent the current plans from being able to hurt either of us. And with both of us fully protected, with the laws as currently presented, we’ll be in a better position to do something about it.” Bradley raised a brow at me. “We can then start some family planning and indicate we’ll welcome unexpected surprises but work to have our first child after the public ceremony.”

Knowing us, we’d last a few months before we started suggesting our birth controls should be destroyed. However, until I could safeguard our children, we’d probably take care in private. “I don’t know if I want to have children with the government in this state, Bradley.”

“I know. I agree with you. But if we play to expectations, we’ll put on a show—and we’ll get Dr. Mansfield to slip about wanting to give you a few extra months before a pregnancy. As it is, she’s been hamming up your physical condition at my mother’s request to help us dodge the inquiries. That adopted spleen of yours is getting us good mileage.”

“Being kidnapped and undergoing a major operation and coming back severely underweight helps our cause, too.” I shook my head at the insanity. “And while Senator Thaddens didn’t make mention of my weight, every other politician I have visited with has come armed with chocolate or anything that might help me gain a little weight.” I pointed in the direction of my office. “I have a stash worthy of a Roman empress now.”

“You really do. I noticed one of them had found chocolate imbued with the essence of hot peppers.”

“I am saving those for a special occasion. I will probably hide them somewhere in my wedding dress for when I must deal with people. And since some of those people will surely be politicians, I’m going to need that chocolate.”

“I’ve already talked to my mother about making certain when we do have our wedding, your favorite foods are present. Will I need to talk to the Indian restaurant about your dish?”

I nodded. “Will you survive if we have this at least once a week?”

“With your Chinese at least one other day of the week?”

I nodded again.

“I’ll probably survive.” Bradley picked up his glass of milk and toasted me with it. “The milk hasn’t risen up to kill me yet, and we’ve been at the table for longer than twenty minutes.”

I eyed the milk. “You’re not drinking goat milk again, are you?”

He snickered. “While that was a fun prank on you, it’s real milk. I’m not having any of the symptoms yet.”

“Things are looking up. All right. We’ll go with hosting the engagement party in six weeks. We’ll announce it two weeks from now, after we have made arrangements for the venue.”

“We’ll host it in the Hamptons. Six weeks is plenty of time to prepare the place for unwanted visitors and make certain the entire place is bugged.” Bradley reached over and pressed the play button.

Senator Thaddens spent ten minutes instructing us on how to behave, what to say, and what to do when hosting the engagement party to make it appear as though I had zero actual interest in running for office—at least for those in power.

With a little luck, the right media connections, and patience, the voters would see what they wanted to see. While a woman had yet to become the President of the United States, were one to be elected, she would have to rise far beyond the other candidates in all ways.

The voters loved my willingness to serve the public, my reputation, and even my magic. In the blink of an eye, I’d transformed exsanguinators from demons to angels, miracle workers in the medical field. More importantly, I’d showcased a willingness to get my hands bloody for the sake of another.

Every now and then, someone in Senator Maybelle’s family muttered and cursed over my theft of her blood.

Their lack of regard for the victims of the shootings never failed to astound me. Worse, it stirred the ire of the voters.

I narrowed my eyes.

Bradley paused the video. “You’ve thought of something. What?”

“You know that person in Senator Maybelle’s family that keeps bringing up how I hadn’t gotten a dead woman’s consent before making use of her blood?”

“Oh, yeah. They struck again this morning. It was front page news in several papers. Slow news day,” he informed me, shaking his head. “Why?”

“What if this person is trying to help my cause?”

His eyes widened. “You know, you might have a point. Every time I think things have gotten quiet, they start making another fuss, concocting some new angle. The letter of complaint is always anonymous, but the writer indicates they’re a member of Senator Maybelle’s family—and someone in the media confirms that this is the case. Every time a letter shows up, the media republishes articles about your heroism, your medical struggles, and your kidnapping. And part of the article sequence includes how my mother registered you as a candidate to become the President of the United States. It often results in President Castillo making an offhanded comment praising your bravery, determination, and willingness to sacrifice for others.”

“But who in her family would do that? I’ve met more than a few of them, and they’re like her in a lot of ways.”

“That’s a good question, one I don’t have an answer to. But it’s a good place for us to start looking. Maybe we should summon everyone here for a dinner party and start having a conversation about this.”

As our home was the only place safe from bugs, I nodded. “We will disguise it as engagement party planning, and we’ll make it look authentic through having all the women go to a bridal shop for apparel. You men can go wherever men go for this sort of thing.”

“Our tailor. It’s a good idea. Tomorrow, after we get new phones, we’ll contact everyone and get this show on the road. But first, let’s see what other advice Senator Thaddens has for us in this video.”

I nodded. “And then we’ll put this away and sleep on it for tonight. I have a feeling he has many an hour of heartache and thinking for us to do.”

“We’re going to be moving furniture a lot,” Bradley complained.

“It’ll be all right. I need the exercise anyway. Just press play. Let’s see how deep this rabbit hole goes.”