Even though she was dying of curiosity to peek inside it, Eleanor put the notebook in her purse and kept on scanning. Later, when she was certain that Bella was asleep, she would lock the office door, get comfortable in Simmons’s chair, and learn his most treasured secrets.
Or so she hoped.
She wouldn’t be surprised if what he had in there were the addresses of his mistresses and his favorite hookers. If she found nude photos of him, she was going to puke.
37
Kalugal
Jacki opened the sliding door to the backyard and stepped out. “Jin and Mey are on their way. Are you going to stay out here?”
Kalugal put his book down and patted the spot next to him on the outdoor sofa. “Come sit with me.”
Smiling, she did as he asked and put her head on his shoulder. “It’s so nice out here. The trees make all the difference. Out on the mountainside, it was so hot because there was no shade, but here it’s cool and comfortable.” She looked up at the lush canopy above them. “The village is steeped in greenery to camouflage it. How is Kian hiding the construction work over there, though? Someone might see it from the air.”
“I need to ask him about that. He is so concerned with security, and yet he uses a Chinese contractor. I guess there is no way to keep the village as completely hidden as he wishes to.”
She looked up at him. “What do you have against the Chinese?”
Kalugal snorted. “Where do I start. They are slowly but surely becoming a superpower, and once they supersede the United States, they will take over the world. What boggles the mind is that no one is paying attention to what they are doing. And if anyone is, they are not doing anything about it.”
“Except for having a billion and a half people and growing, how do they plan to do that?”
“Any way they can. The thing is, they don’t answer to anyone, morality and scruples don’t concern them, and they can do as they please with that huge population of theirs.”
Jacki smiled. “You are just worried that they are going to beat you to it.”
“Absolutely. Their social credit program is pure genius.”
“Yeah, I remember you telling me about it. What’s going on with that?”
“It’s being implemented in more and more places across China, and they are selling it to other totalitarian regimes. They don’t have a free press to hound them about it, and people are afraid to step up and say anything negative about their government. Especially now that almost everything is monitored. It’s like living under a magnifying glass.”
Jacki sighed. “We are lucky to be living in a democracy.”
“It’s far from perfect and getting worse instead of better. Free speech has become a joke in this country, and if everyone is forced to have the same opinion, how different is it from China? That’s what keeps me awake at night. The ground is fertile for China’s credit system to spread over here.”
“Isn’t that a little hypocritical of you? After all, you plan to do the same thing.”
Kalugal frowned. Apparently, he hadn’t done a good job explaining his plan to Jacki. "Not at all. Under my rule, people will be free to express their opinions. I want to control the politicians and cut out the evildoers’ resources. I’m not going to limit people’s liberties. I’m going to free the oppressed.”
“It all sounds very noble, but I still think it’s never good for one person to hold so much power. It’s corruptive and corrosive. And even if you do the best you can, it won’t be enough. Many minds are always better than one.”
“What’s the alternative?”
Jacki looked away. “Annani has managed to create a good system. I know that what works for a small community of people cannot work on a global scale, but she could help you figure something out. She’s as old as human civilization itself, and she’s seen practically everything. Having her and Kian and Sari on your team would be a game-changer. You could form a coalition.”
Kalugal chuckled. “From what I’ve seen so far, my cousin is not doing a great job of listening to his own council’s advice. He’s making decisions without asking for anyone’s input. Do you think he would do a better job of running the world than me?”
“No way. But Kian is held accountable to the council and to his mother. If he messes up and goes too far out of line, someone can intervene and stop him. Your plan doesn’t include a built-in safety mechanism, and that’s why it’s dangerous. I think it was very wise of Annani to split the clan and have Sari and Kian run its two arms independently, or semi-independently. That way, neither of them holds too much power.”
Kalugal smoothed his hand over his short beard. “Frankly, I would have loved Annani’s advice, but I can’t tell her my plan because she’ll try to stop me.” He cast Jacki a stern look. “You promised to keep my secrets. I hope that promise is still good.”
“Of course.” She sounded offended. “I will never betray your trust. I’m doing precisely what you asked me to do. I’m your sounding board.”
“Forgive me.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “For a moment there, I wasn’t sure. You seem so convinced that I can’t do it, or that I shouldn’t.”
“I might be just a simple woman, but I know that you’re overestimating your abilities. I’m trying to get you to consider a different path. Your heart is in the right place, but as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
38
Edna
“How about I make us lunch?” Rufsur offered.
Edna raised a brow. “You can cook?”
“Not well. Atzil cooks for everyone back home, so I don’t get many opportunities to develop my culinary skills. But I can grill, and I know how to put a frozen pizza in the oven.”
“Can you make a sandwich?”
He smiled. “I can do that as well. What’s your pleasure?”
Knowing Rufsur, he expected her to say that it was him. Regrettably, she was going to disappoint him. “I don’t have any steaks or hamburgers in the freezer, or frozen pizzas, so the options are limited.”
“Sandwiches it is.” Rufsur opened the fridge and started pulling things out. “You just take a seat at the counter, and I’ll do everything.”
This was unexpected and surprisingly pleasant. Outside of restaurants, Edna never had anyone prepare food for her. And when the cook was so yummy to look at, she really didn’t care if what he made was edible.
Unfortunately, her view of him was blocked by the open refrigerator door. Only part of his butt was sticking out, but it was still very nice to look at.
“I wish you had beer,” he muttered.
“I’ll make sure to stock up for your next visit.”
Pulling back, he closed the fridge door and glanced at her. “So I’m welcome back?”
“How can I resist a man who makes me lunch?”
“And I thought that my lovemaking prowess was my ticket back. If I had known, I would have made you sandwiches instead.”