Heartless People

ONE

Every unpunished murder takes away something from the security of every mans life.
—Daniel Webster

LAUREN

I simply wanted to close my eyes. We had spent all damn day at that goddamned park, and now we had to spend the evening smiling for more political cameras. But that wasn't even the least of my
problems. I wasn't sure what was coming, but I knew it was coming straight from hell.

I didn't want to deal with this. I didn't want spend my days and nights trying to uncover the mystery of Camila's mother. I didn't want this photo I held in my hands to be real, because now I would have
to tell my wife why I'd been hiding the truth from her. She had searched for answers only to come up empty handed. This was another thing that I'd have to apologize for; I had Veronica delete everything she'd found so that she couldn't get her hands on it. Camila thought she was working with Veronica , but instead, she was doing everything she could to hide information from Camila.

Shes going to fucking kill me. I sighed.

Eventually, she came to the conclusion that Vance had been lying to her. Sadly, he wasn't. I hated when liars started telling the truth; it was bad for business. Camila's mother was alive, very much so, in fact. We'd discovered that she was in the South of France right before she entered the US.

"So, I have to tell her," I said, as I pinched the bridge of my nose. The question was how. She was going to kill my sorry ass.

"Remind her that I was simply following orders. I'd prefer not to die tonight," Veronica said as she frowned and adjusted her tie for this nights gala.

"Even that won't save you." Not that I let her around Camila alone anyway. She could take her, and she wouldn't try anything, but I enjoyed threatening her whenever she came too close to my wife.

The only feelings Veronica should have had for Camila were fear and respect.

We both stood silently in the security room. This was the calm before the storm, the break before the final wave.

"Have Dinah meet me at the gala," I told him walking out of the room and into the study.

Fixing my cufflinks as I walked, I made sure to nod at the help as I walked past. Rule Thirty-Three: Respect the help, they know more than they let on.
None of them would say anything, but it was still a rule to live by.

Entering the living room, I found my beautiful wife, her dark hair in perfectly curled waves, and brown eyes glued to the letter she finished up writing before handing it to Daniel, who stood in the corner of the room, almost as her shadow.

The rest of the family sat around the television like figures waiting to be painted. The only ones who looked out of place were Mina's parents, and our new political strategist, Olivia Sung. She and the Senator remained standing, as if they were afraid our furniture would eat them alive, while Mrs. Colemen sat by her daughter and squeezed her hand.

Why were they so worried? We would win by a landslide.

Camila  nodded to Daniel as she rose gracefully from her chair and moved over to me. Veronica , with her shady brown hair brushed, and black suit pressed, entered and made her way to Lucy. She kissed her brown cheek before leaning on the arm of the couch
beside her.

My eyes focused on Camila and the way her sliver dress clung to every inch of her body. Her olive skin begged for me to kiss it, and I longed to slowly peel her dress off of herbefore she cut off my hands.

"You look beyond the realm of beautiful."

"Thank you," she said. "Now, what are you hiding from me, Lauren? You've been acting odd for weeks. I've done the wife thing and I've given you time, but you're starting to piss me off," she finished fixing the bracelets on her arm.