Bella emerged looking refreshed, her face dripping with water and her eye makeup slightly smeared. She sat facing Nadine on the couch. “I guess I’ll just say it. I went to see Alyssa Jackson.”

  “You did what?”

  “She was campaigning in Sumter, and I went.” Bella held up her hands. “I know, I know. It was reckless, but I was really upset. And I just had to know.”

  “Had to know what?” Nadine’s heart was still pounding.

  “The truth about what happened. The whole truth.” Bella took a breath. “I found out that Alyssa was going to be at a specific diner for breakfast, so I went and waited for her there. Then I went up to her and whispered that I knew you, and she pulled me aside. That’s when I confronted her.”

  “You confronted Alyssa Jackson? By yourself?”

  “She didn’t admit anything, but for a few seconds, she lost her shit. And I just knew.” Bella looked Nadine in the eyes. “She made the deal, not you. Alyssa was the mastermind and the one who carried it out. You’re innocent. You always were.”

  Nadine shuddered at the word innocent. She saw in Bella’s face that there was no point in denying it, and she realized she no longer wanted to. “You’re right. Alyssa made the deal by herself.”

  “I knew it! Did you even know what she was doing?”

  “No. I didn’t know anything. We received a sudden injection of cash when we needed it the most—an apparent surge of first-time donors—but Alyssa never told me where the money came from.”

  Nadine thought back to those dark days after Iowa. “After she came in third in the Iowa caucus, Alyssa was a wreck. She’d slump in her seat on the bus, stare blankly ahead. She couldn’t even get excited for debate prep, which she normally loved. She had this hopeless look in her eyes. I’d never seen her like that.”

  Bella nodded. “I remember hearing her say in speeches that she’d never lost an election in her life.”

  “That’s right.” Alyssa was many things, but a loser wasn’t one of them. “We spent two days in New Hampshire, then came back to Washington for a Senate vote. Afterward, I stayed in the city while she went to her apartment in Virginia to think about whether or not to quit the race. Supposedly.”

  Nadine pulled at a loose thread at the hem of her T-shirt. “Now I know she went to see Jack Ritter. She covered her hair with a scarf, put on sunglasses, and took a bus to his house. Can you imagine? Alyssa Jackson on a bus with the masses, hiding her face like some amateur spy.”

  “Wait. Wouldn’t there be footage of her on the bus?”

  Nadine nodded. “Sure, but no one knew where or when to look. Remember, Jack told the feds I met him at his office. The time he gave was hours before the actual meeting. Plus, Alyssa left her phone at home along with her car, so there was no electronic record of her leaving the apartment. She was smart.”

  “Smart like a sociopath.”

  “Perhaps. Anyway, within a couple of days, out of nowhere, she was back to the old Alyssa. Our polling hadn’t improved, but she had a spark in her eye. She said we were going all in on New Hampshire, that there had been a flood of online donations.”

  “But it was really money from Atlas.”

  “Yes. But we never would have guessed it. The amounts coming in were small—under two hundred dollars, so the campaign wouldn’t have to itemize them in reports. But there were thousands of them. None of us knew why it was happening, just that we could start spending money again.” Nadine shook her head. “I suppose on some level I didn’t want to know. Maybe that’s why I never asked.”

  “But you didn’t know. Maybe you never asked, but that’s not a federal offense.”

  “No, it’s not. Anyway, the rest you know. We bought TV ads and radio spots, paid canvassers, and Alyssa won New Hampshire. The donors came back—real ones this time. We had enough momentum to power through Super Tuesday, and after that, the nomination was hers to lose.”

  “When did you find out something was wrong?”

  “Alyssa came to me one night, a few days after the convention.” Speaking the truth out loud took her back in time. She could see Alyssa’s sky-blue blouse, paired with the sweatpants she’d changed into at the hotel. Her pale cheeks were streaked with tears and crumbs of waterproof mascara. “She told me she was in trouble, that federal investigators were asking questions about the money that came in after Iowa.”

  “Is that when you agreed to take the fall?”

  “Not then, no. At first, I acted as her lawyer. I told her to tell me everything. She kept crying, saying, ‘You’ll hate me, you’ll hate me.’ I finally convinced her that if it was that bad, she couldn’t afford to keep it from me.”

  “Okay. So how did you react?”

  “Not well. I started yelling at her. I knew right away that what she had done was bad, really bad. The feds were contacting the alleged donors, who all said they’d never donated to Alyssa. But they did have one thing in common. They all had health insurance through Atlas.”

  “You knew she was screwed.”

  “We knew someone was screwed. But we didn’t know whether Ritter would flip on Alyssa. There was really no reason for him to keep quiet. He had already been indicted, and he could get a shorter sentence by testifying against Alyssa.”

  Bella frowned. “But he ended up implicating you. How did that happen?”

  “I found a way to speak to him alone—which wasn’t easy, by the way. The feds were watching his every move.”

  “Oh yeah? How?”

  “He had a meeting off-site, and I pretended to be part of the catering staff. No one looked twice at a brown-skinned woman carrying bags of ice, using the service elevator. Then I hid in the VIP men’s room.”

  Bella laughed. “You’re kidding.”

  “I wish. Anyway, he said he hadn’t told the feds anything yet, but he was going to talk unless Alyssa helped him. I begged him to give me a week to think of something.”

  “And that’s when you came up with the story.”

  Nadine nodded. “Alyssa and I spent a full day and night in her hotel room trying to figure a way out. But no matter what we came up with, when we gamed it out, the result was always the same. Alyssa behind bars, Rob Gunn in the White House. Fucking Rob Gunn. If Alyssa went down, that monster was going to become the most powerful man in the world. Unless we gave them someone else to blame.”

  “Whose idea was it?” Bella asked softly.

  “It was hers. She begged me for hours, talking about all the terrible things that would happen if Rob Gunn won the election.” In prison, Nadine had replayed that night in her mind countless times.

  “Well, she wasn’t wrong about that.”

  “No. I knew people would die. We both knew. It wasn’t an exaggeration. Anyway, Alyssa promised to use her position to ensure leniency for Jack—and the other Atlas employee, the one from IT—if he went along with it.”

  “And he agreed.”

  “Yes. He told the investigators I came to his office to make the deal. The security footage from that day was mysteriously missing, but Jack’s secretary claimed to remember seeing me—after he reminded her, of course.”

  “But couldn’t they prove that you stayed in DC that day? What about your cell phone?”

  “I said I’d left my phone in Washington. We agreed to say that I went there early in the morning so there wouldn’t have been any activity on the phone. Alyssa thought of everything. And once Jack implicated me and I confessed, the feds didn’t dig much deeper. After all, why would anyone confess to a federal crime that they didn’t do?”

  “God, Nadine.” Bella’s voice broke. “Everyone thinks you’re evil, but what you did…what you gave up for this country…it was selfless. Nobody else would have the strength to do what you did.”

  “I don’t know that I’d call it strength.” Nadine hesitated. This was the hardest part to explain. “I did it for those reasons. I really did. I wanted to save my country from a terrible fate. But I was also in a low place. My only family lived in the Philippines, and I didn’t have any close friends. I just worked all day and night, killing myself for Alyssa’s career. And I was in love with my boss who just toyed with me, who made me feel like…”

  “Like what?” Bella asked.

  Nadine shook her head. “Part of me felt like it didn’t matter if I went to prison, that I didn’t have anything to lose. Then, after I confessed, the whole country thought I was a selfish, terrible person, and I started to believe it too. Like it may as well have been true. Prison was almost a relief because I was safe from the reporters and the death threats. But the way inmates are treated makes you feel less than human. It’s hard to undo. Even now, I don’t feel like I deserve to tell anyone the truth.”

  “But you do.” Bella took Nadine’s hand.

  “I’m beginning to understand that. And it’s because of you.” She stroked Bella’s fingers. “Do you remember my very first day at the store when you brought me that soda and doughnut?”

  Bella smiled. “Of course.”

  “You were kind to me, despite everything you thought I’d done. You treated me with compassion. When I met you, I started healing. It was slow and subtle, and most days I didn’t notice, but your friendship made me a whole person again.”

  Eyes watering, Bella squeezed her hand.

  Nadine took a deep breath. “I’ve made mistakes. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t do the crime that everyone thinks I did, but I lied under oath. I kept the truth from the American public. I’m not a saint. But you made me realize that by taking the blame for everything, I’m not only punishing myself, I’m hurting the country. And I’m hurting you too. You deserve the truth so that you can make your own choices. I’m in love with you, Bella. I can’t offer you the kind of life you deserve, but if you want to be with me, I want to be with you too.”

  Bella threw her arms around Nadine, pulling her close. “Yes, yes, yes.”

  Their lips met in a kiss full of love and promise. When they finally pulled back, Bella’s eyes were shining. “I’m so happy.”

  In that moment, Nadine knew it would all be okay. Despite all her flaws and her fuckups, she made Bella happy. She was enough.

  There were new fears in place of the old ones, such as what Alyssa might do if she saw Bella as a threat—but whatever happened, they’d be together.

  Chapter 29

  Nadine groaned, stretched her arms upward, then leaned from one side to the other. Her shoulders ached from a long day in the stockroom, unpacking boxes from the latest delivery. Thankfully, the store closed in twenty minutes. Then she and Bella would count the cash and get the hell out of there till Thursday. In the two weeks since they’d became a couple, Bella had managed to get them scheduled for the same shifts on most days. Thanks to her smart planning, they both had two days off in a row.

  The doors swung open, and Bella breezed into the stockroom, looking radiant despite the huge yogurt stain on her polo. “Hi.” She looked around with a conspiratorial grin, then leaned in for a kiss.

  “Not much longer,” Nadine said as they broke apart. “Thank God.”

  “I know. I’m so sick of this place. Especially Jason. He’s driving me up the wall.”

  “What did he do now?”

  “He’s on shoplifting patrol again.” Bella rolled her eyes. “Oh! But one thing was funny. He thought some teenage girl was stealing, so he ordered her to empty her purse at the register. She dumped out a pile of tampons and condoms. He turned bright red.”

  Nadine chuckled. “I’d like to have seen that.”

  “We can watch it on the security cameras later. Well, I’d better get back to the front. See you in a few minutes.”

  Just as they leaned in for another kiss, someone opened the doors. They jumped back to see Kenny gaping at them, his eyes like dinner plates.

  “Kenny!” Bella said. “We were just, um—” She waved her hand helplessly.

  Kenny blanched, but he kept his composure. “I wanted to ask if I could leave a few minutes early to pick up my…” He seemed to draw a blank.

  “That’s fine,” Bella said at the same time Kenny said, “my grandmother.”

  “Oh, sure. I’ll see you on Thursday.”

  “Thanks.” Kenny turned and mumbled “Jesus” as he stumbled out the door.

  Nadine waited until the doors closed. “Did our choirboy just take the Lord’s name in vain?”

  Bella shrugged. “Maybe it was a prayer.”

  * * *

  At closing time, Nadine made her way to the front of the store. Bella was studying the wires hooked up to the sound system. She yanked one out, and the pop ballad that had been blasting from the ceiling abruptly ceased.

  “Are we having another dance party?” Nadine smiled, recalling the dance Bella had done a few months ago to cheer her up.

  “Nah. I just couldn’t take another second of that soul-destroying song.”

  Bella turned to open the safe. She passed the cash to Nadine and began to count the money in her register drawer.

  Nadine counted silently until she caught motion from the corner of her eye. She looked up to see Bella making finger guns. “Uh…?”

  Bella grinned. “I’m right on the money.”

  “Excellent.”

  “See, here’s me”—she walked her two fingers across the counter and stood them on top of a stack of cash—“and here’s the money.”

  They both looked up at the sound of a sharp knock on the glass door.

  Bella shouted, “We’re closed!” as she turned to look. Then she gasped.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Nadine followed Bella’s fearful gaze.

  Alyssa Jackson stood at the door, dressed in a full pantsuit and heels, flanked by a single bodyguard. She rapped on the glass again.

  Nadine stared at her former boss, unable to move or speak.

  Bella’s panicked rambling filled in the silence. “Holy crap. What do we do? Should we open the door? Should we call the police? Crap, crap, crap.” She fumbled for her phone.

  The word police jolted Nadine from her stupor. “No police, and we don’t want a scene. Just let her in.”

  Bella gripped her phone. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Look, she’s not here to kill us. She’s a US senator. And we need to get her off the sidewalk before someone recognizes her. Here, I’ll open the door.”

  “No!” Bella said. “I’ll do it. Don’t move.”

  Nadine tilted her head, confused.

  “Stay here with the cash.” Bella pointed to the stacks on the counter. “Don’t move away from it. Promise me.”

  “Okay.” Nadine doubted Alyssa was there to rob them, but she didn’t argue.

  As soon as Bella clicked the lock open, Alyssa barged in, heading straight for Nadine. Bella hurried behind her.

  Alyssa whirled around. “Back off. I need to speak to Nadine.”

  “It’s okay,” Nadine said to Bella. “Really.”

  Bella glanced between them, worrying her lip, then slowly backed away until she stood near the entrance, next to the bodyguard.

  Alyssa regarded Nadine with eyes of ice. “Hello.”

  Nadine hadn’t seen Alyssa in person for over two years. Her hair and makeup were as flawless as ever, but she looked older somehow. Maybe the smudged-over frown lines were deeper.

  Alyssa waved her hand at Nadine’s dusty polo. “You look…well.”

  Nadine bit back laughter. “I’m sure.”

  “I’m here because I need to know what’s going on. That woman over there”—Alyssa flicked her fingers at Bella—“accosted me in South Carolina. She said you told her—”

  “—the truth. Yes, she knows what happened.”

  “What the fuck? What do you think you’re doing?”

  Nadine’s pulse raced, but she stood her ground. “Bella is my friend. I owed her the truth.”

  Alyssa shot a disdainful glance at Bella, who was out of earshot but watching intently. “You’re friends with that disrespectful little hick?”

  “She’s not a hick. She’s smart and talented, and she cares about me. Certainly more than you ever did.”

  Alyssa stepped in closer. “Of course I care about you.” Her voice softened. “After what you did for me, we have a bond that can never be broken. But you know I have to keep my distance. I mean, what exactly do you want from me?”

  “I don’t…” Just as Nadine was about to say she didn’t want anything, she realized that wasn’t true. “I want you to announce that it was you who made the deal with Atlas. That I had nothing to do with it.”

  Alyssa’s eyes narrowed as she looked Nadine up and down. “Give me your phone.”

  “What? Why? Oh.” Alyssa must think she was recording her. So much for their special bond. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it, and set it down.

  Alyssa plucked it from the counter. “Wow, this thing is old.” She flipped through the apps, powered it down, and put it back on the counter. “If you start running your mouth, everything you went through will be for nothing. Have you thought about that?”

  “The public would know the truth. That’s not nothing.” Nadine paused to consider her next words. “I’m not out to hurt you, but what you did was wrong. People deserve to know who’s running for president.”

  Alyssa visibly stiffened. “I’m running to help people. I’m going to take action on poverty, on immigration. All the things you care about. All the things we used to talk about.”

  “But you’re not the only option anymore. You’re not the nominee yet. The other candidates want the same things, and they’re not corrupt.”

  “Those losers?” Alyssa scoffed. “They could never beat Rob Gunn. I’m the only one who has a prayer. That’s why I took the money last time; I knew I was the only candidate who could win.” She clasped her hands. “Please, Nadine. Don’t do this. Don’t throw everything away.”