Stolen Lies (Fates of the Bound 2)

“I could push something through Unity. Some bit of legislation favorable to your interests?”

“You do that for me already. It was one of the perks of pushing through Lila and Shiloh.”

The prime minister sipped his wine. “Let me explain the big picture, Bea. Oskar Kruger has the potential to mend fences between the Allied Lands and the Holy Roman Empire. Perhaps he might even stop this war for a century or two. If I get him for Head Councilman Abbot, then the Allied Lands will have quite the bargaining chip with the emperor. As an ancillary benefit, America would rise above the rest of the commonwealth. I could trade that child for more independence for us all, and the boy could return to his father. Everyone wins.”

“You rise. You win. It seems you aim to rule the Allied Lands one day.”

“Abbot will step down soon. Why shouldn’t I try for the council? I hear Paris is nice this time of year.”

“You want to pave your way to the council by helping Peter Kruger? The man’s a terrorist, Henri, and he tried to kill your daughter. Do you really want to help him and his spawn have a happily ever after?”

“Alleged terrorist,” Lila offered before shrinking under the combined weight of her parents’ stares. She looked away, her eyes following a pale member of the militia who squelched toward the ballroom’s entrance. Olivia crinkled her nose at his drenched uniform and muddy boots. She barely listened, then waved him away with a firm shake of the head.

Unless Lila was very much mistaken, Olivia had disagreed with the man’s plea to double the militia’s presence.

How very sloppy.

“That’s none of my concern.” Her mother shrugged as Lila turned back to her parents’ conversation. “There’s nothing you can offer me at the moment, Henri. Besides, a senator’s role is to smooth the paths of the matrons, not dictate them. Prime minister or not, your role is the same. Don’t be crass.”

“Don’t be petulant just because I asked for a favor. I didn’t know Wolf Industries needed the capital from Oskar’s sale.”

“I don’t, but I’m not going to give the government something for nothing. Tell it to me straight. What’s your best offer?”

Lemaire’s mouth twitched. “One million.”

“One? The boy could one day take the German throne one day and play emperor, and yet you offer one million?”

“I had to try money first.” He shrugged.

“What’s second?”

“The Ashburys have decided to close Unity Memorial and their associated clinics. The hospital’s become too unwieldy to make a profit with the demands I set in their contract. I’ll soon solicit proposals for another family to take over what they leave behind. Imagine Randolph General on a wider scale and in the nation’s capital.”

The chairwoman gauged Lemaire’s face. “I’d need a lot of land to

make it work, Henri.”

“Give me Oskar, and I’ll get you the land and the contract.”

Lila stared openly at her parents. Her father could lose his position and his mark for making such an offer. On the other hand, taking over a hospital in Unity could launch the Randolphs onto the national stage, offering a foothold into the other three American states. The Randolphs wouldn’t just be a powerhouse in Saxony, they might become one of the top families in the country. Her mother had always dreamed of sitting on Unity’s High Council of Judges. She’d worked diligently over the last ten years to get there.

“You insult me as a woman, a judge, and a CEO with those words.”

The prime minister caught her wrist before she could turn away. “I’m sorry, Bea. I’m desperate.”

“Desperate enough to display a shocking disregard for the law? And in front of our daughter, no less? I don’t need for you to cheat for me, Henri. I can win that contract and procure the land on my own merits. Or do you think I’m incapable?”

“You’re more than capable.”

The chairwoman looked down at her wrist.

Lemaire dropped his hold.

Lila looked away in embarrassment. She’d never seen her father engage in any sort of impropriety before, save the work he and Shaw brought her. Now this? Would her father offer a similar deal to the winning matron?

Had he tried already?

Most matrons would consider turning him into the senate disciplinary committee for such a transgression. A few might take the deal, though.