42. Jaclyn

Chapter 42

Jaclyn

T here's a knock at the door, and Alex kisses my temple, whispering, "I'll be right back, I promise."

He slides my legs off his lap and answers the door to a tall man, with dark hair wearing all black, who I can only assume is Ned. As he enters, Alex whispers something to him, and he blows out a long, exaggerated breath, shaking his head. Once Ned spots me on the couch, he crosses the room and takes a seat on the coffee table in front of me, elbows on his knees and hands steepled. I do my best to rein in my emotions, but the tears still track down my cheeks.

Ned's voice is quiet and reassuring when he speaks to me. "Ms. Taylor, I'm Ned Collins. All of this has to be incredibly scary for you. Rest assured, I'm here to help. I've worked with more than half of Washington, including your family, and when someone is in a bit of a pickle, they call me. I know it's a lot to take in, but consider me your personal genie; your wish is my command."

"He's dead," I croak.

With a sad smile, Ned nods in solidarity and reaches out his hand. I take it and he envelopes mine with both of his. "I heard. There are a few options for us at this point since resurrection isn't my specialty." My lip tilts at his attempt at humor. He releases my hand and sits back, ticking his pointer, middle, then ring finger as he rattles them off. "We can move Christopher and stage his death elsewhere; call the police and tell them the truth; or my personal favorite, have him go missing for a month until a random person finds him in the Alaskan tundra."

"What happens with each option?" Alex chimes in. His tone is void of all emotion and I'm not sure what to make of it.

Ned glances over his shoulder at Alex, then back to me. Bouncing his gaze between us gives me confidence that this is really a joint decision—I don't have to do this alone, and neither does Alex. "If we make his death an accident somewhere elsewhere, the country will mourn, but ultimately, everything will go back to normal. If he goes missing, his name will be in the news for weeks, maybe even months. So, as fun as that one is, you'll be on edge until the body is found. And if we call the police, well, you risk being a murder suspect. Though you're not guilty… You're not guilty, right?" I nod. "It won't matter. Even the idea that you could be will put off voters. "

"We should move him. Give him a dignified death," Alex replies confidently, but I know him. He doesn't sound sure of himself, looking to me for strength.

"Yes, we should move him," I agree, and Alex gives me a small lopsided smile.

"I'll warn you; the country believes you're married to Christopher. So, there's a good chance you could be appointed as the new Senator of Florida until the next election. You and the other Mr. Blake will never be together."

Alex's jaw is tight, eyes full of pain. He's lost his brother, and now he's about to lose me. As he rubs the back of his neck, he lets out a short, humorless laugh. "Well, princess, welcome to the Senate."

"No." I shake my head vigorously. "I don't want it. I mean… I do, but not like this. If I'm serving our country, I want it to be because the voters wanted me."

Ned chuckles. "No wonder Finn and Mickey like you. There is one more option, but it's risky, and we would need President Blake and President Taylor's buy-in. Both of them need to support it for it to work, but it means you two could be together like a fucking romance novel."

"We're piling lies on top of lies here," I sigh and wave my hand dismissively. "So, sure, what is this risky option?"

I pull my robe tightly around me as Ned says the words I never expected. "Alex dies."

"What?" Alex and I bark in unison .

"Alex dies," he repeats. "We move Chris and put together an incident report that Alex died in some heroic effort. Pick whatever feels more on-brand. Saving a child from being hit by a bus? Falling to his death when climbing Mount Kilimanjaro? I don't care what story you go with, but we kill Alex. Then, we bury Chris as Alex."

"How does that solve anything?" My brows pinch, unable to follow his logic. He studies me for a minute until it hits me. My eyes widen with hope. "Alex runs for President."

"Not quite." Ned huffs a laugh. "There are people I work for that will never allow that to happen. So, if you want to do this, Alex continues the charade he began at your wedding. You remain the dutiful wife of the Floridian Senator. But Christopher Blake will never be President."

"Why not?" I inquire. "Alex would be an amazing president, even if he's pretending to be his brother."

"I wouldn't. And you've thought about this a bit too much, Ned," Alex grits out, arms folded over his chest.

"Nah, I came up with this one on the fly." Ned winks. "My mind is just sick and twisty from schlepping dead bodies today."

Dead bodies? Plural?

"What about Jaclyn? Out of all the options, when does she get a seat at the table?" Alex's eyes burn into me, not with the anger or sadness from earlier, but with love. "This should be her choice, she deserves"—he swallows thickly—"she deserves better than being a senator's wife. "

"As adorable as that is, with Chris dead, the Gallaghers will probably back an extreme candidate to win the next presidential election. It's my understanding that you're both privy to their insistence that Jaclyn will take the White House in 2028 as a moderate?"

"Why does everyone want me to run?" I stand and move toward the window. It isn't a pretty view, mostly office buildings and traffic, but I need my space to think; if only for a minute.

Can I do this?

"I don't want it. I'll arrange Chris' vacancy," Alex announces. "Jaclyn can have Florida."

I spin in place. "This is your chance to make big changes there. You always talk about how you can do so much more good in the Senate than the White House. Florida needs you, just like Texas does."

A hint of smirk pulls at his lips. "They need you ."

"Alex," I breathe, "I'm not ready."

"What about Texas?" Ned offers, looking at his phone. Alex and I keep our focus trained on him. "If we fake his death, Texas will be up for grabs. I'm no political scientist, but based on what I'm reading here, they'll call for a special election. Throw your name in the hat?"

"I don't want Florida," Alex seethes through gritted teeth. "I'll step down. "

"Then do it. What you do or don't do with Christopher's seat doesn't concern me." Ned waves him off dismissively before addressing me, "Ms. Taylor, this is your call. I am beholden to no specific person, so if your parents, or even the Gallaghers, don't agree, they can eat glass. Figuratively, but also literally for the right price. Right now, I work for you… Within reason, of course."

Alex crosses the room and wraps me in his arms, kissing the top of my head and speaking into my hair, "I've had enough loss for one day. I can't lose you. I'll be Chris, if you want, but in the end, this is your choice." He keeps his voice low. "I'll happily retire from politics if it means I get to see you as Madame President."

"I won't let you throw away your career. I've told you, I'm not ready," I sigh and tilt my chin to look up at him. Alex's brown-hazel eyes don't leave mine, and part of me lets the world around us fade away until it's just us in this moment.

Ned stands and loudly brushes at his thighs. "Okay, lovebirds, if we're set on moving the body, I'll arrange another room for you to stay in and hash out what happens after."

Ignoring Ned, I tell Alex, "You can't do this. It's not worth it. We'll bury Chris, and I'll live my best widow life. I can't let you throw away everything you've worked for on top of this."

"I won't lose you, Jaclyn. I can't. Chris is gone. He's fucking gone. I'm not"—Alex chokes on a sob—"I refuse to lose the love of my life on the same day that I lost my brother. I won't survive it." Alex breaks his gaze from me to tell Ned, "I'll do it. Arrange my death, we bury Chris as me, and Jaclyn will run in the Texas special election, if she wants it."

"Ms. Taylor? Is that what you want?" Ned cautiously asks.

I shake my head, chewing on my lower lip. "What if I lose Texas? Then, what? All of these lies will be for nothing."

"You won't lose, you're ready, princess. You've always been ready. Let me do this for you?"

Alex's eyes are so earnest that I can't help believing him. "I'll need a lot more rapid-fires."

"Oh, fuck," Ned groans. "Don't tell me you're adding arson. You know that's an extra charge, right?"

"No," I chuckle softly, not letting Alex out of my sight. "If Alex thinks I'm ready, we'll do it."

Ned's face morphs into a wide, genuine smile. "Well, consider it done. How is it that I'm able to satisfy four clients before I've had lunch? The stars must be aligned. I should find some astrology chick to confirm tomorrow's plans are equally compatible… First, I'll reach out to both of your parents to iron out a few details and make sure everything is set to move Christopher."

"What about Chris?" Alex asks Ned. "We need to make sure he has a proper burial. "

"And he will. I'll leave the story up to you and your parents, but I'll take care in moving his body, and once you agree on how you want him to die as Alex officially, I'll stage it. I still think you should go with the Alaskan tundra."

"You enjoy this far too much, you know," Alex rebuts.

Ned shrugs. "It's my job. But what are we going to do about you two?" He gestures between us. "Legally, you're not even married to Chris."

"Then, it's about time my wife and I made it official."