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“Are you sure?” she asked. “Because it might be just what sets them off even more.”
“Ryker, you’re talking like these are products instead of people’s lives. You can’t gamble on a theory,” Bennett stated, firmly.
“Bennett, I wouldn’t tell you how to fight a war. Hell, I can load a gun and shoot pretty well, but that doesn’t make me an expert. But I do know what I’m talking about. I know there is a difference here, but my gut tells me, they are grasping at straws. They are hoping to rattle Reesa, so she loses the election. I am betting that Mombo knows one of the candidates very well. And that candidate would be the downfall of Tabiq. Since we don’t know which one, we have no choice but to make sure Reesa stays in power,” I said.
Reesa turned to Bennett. “I trust you. What do you think about your brother's idea?” she asked, nervously.
Bennett let out a long exhale before saying, “We have one shot to get this right.” He looked at me and said, “You’re sure about this? Because you know damn well what will happen if you’re wrong.”
Yeah. Meri’s life will be hell because I know she’ll never leave here, not even if her life depends on it.
“I do. Let’s get to work and make sure this election is a landslide and Reesa gets another five years in office,” I replied.
“Okay. What do you need me to do?” Bennett asked.
“First of all, we need to make sure security is tight at any speaking engagements she has. Secondly, I need you to make sure I have a room at the resort because it looks like I’m extending my stay.”
“You’re staying? What about your job back home? Won't you be fired?” Reesa asked.
“I’m the boss. I’ll deal with what is going on back home when I get there. For now, you and I need to work on getting your campaign off the ground.”
Reesa nodded, but I could tell, something was off. Bennett picked up on it as well, and asked, “Is everything okay? You don’t look as though you’re up to finishing this meeting.”
She got up and said, “Can you excuse me for a few minutes? I’ll be back shortly.”
When she was out of the room, I turned to Bennett and whispered, “I think she’s calling Meri, because she definitely isn’t feeling well.”
“We need to learn what is wrong with her.”
“Agreed. If she looks this exhausted at one of her speeches, she’ll appear to be weak. That could cost her votes,” I said.
“Are you going to ask Meri again?”
I didn’t want to, but I had no choice but to. “Yes. But unless I learn something that I think you need to know, I'm going to keep the information to myself.”
“That’s fair. Now, let’s talk business, while she’s busy.”
For the next several hours I worked with Reesa and Bennett to line up each of the speaking engagements we’d discussed. The next two weeks were going to be very hectic for her. I’d never challenged Bennett on anything as important as this. I just hoped and prayed that my gut was right.
After hours of talking schedules, Bennett and I headed back to the resort. He turned to me and said, “You got a lot on your mind. Anything I can help with?”
“Debating what I am going to say to Meri.”
“You mean about Reesa’s health?” he asked.
“That too, but just what we spoke about today. I don’t want her to panic, and at the same time, she’s not stupid. She’ll pick up on the fact that I’m hiding something from her.”Something I said I’d never do.
“That is the problem with getting too close to the person you’resupposedto be protecting,” he said. There was something different in his tone. I shot him a quick glance, but his expression was as I’d come to expect, unreadable.
“You sound like you’re talking from experience,” I replied.
“I am.”
Getting him to open up to us and share his personal life had always been difficult, but I think he and I have made a lot of progress since I’d been here. I wasn’t going to stop pushing. I might be helping Reesa with her election, but I hadn’t forgotten why I had come here. This trip might be the only chance I get to understand Bennett.
“Care to elaborate?” I prodded.
“Yeah. The difference is I married the one I was protecting. What are your plans for you and Meri?”
