^^Above, chapter title credit: Song by Manic Street Preachers.^^

{Raina}

They say there's a calm before the storm, and I know right now, it's exactly that. I don't have the super-sense like Geoff, but I can feel it in the air, making the air crackle. Especially on the drive to the city, the small space of the car closing all our emotions in. Geoff's eyes keep drifting out the window, and I seem to have picked up the habit of gnawing at my cuticles.

"I guess it's safe to assume Ridley doesn't even have a concession speech written," Geoff says, finally breaking the silence.

"Probably not," I say, even though I'd rather not talk about this. "Especially if Felicia's got anything to say about it."

Geoff snorts derisively. "She wouldn't know a political office if it bit her from behind."

"Well, she does have her powers of persuasion." I shrug. "And these days, a lot of politicians are men."

"Good point," Geoff concedes. "But it's cutthroat. There's no telling how long she'd last."

"Why did Ridley even pick a candidate for deputy mayor? He hasn't won yet."

"She's his advisor now, whatever the hell that means." Geoff runs his hand over his face. "Probably feeding him all the dirt on his opponent."

"Isn't that illegal?" I ask.

"Only if they catch him, unfortunately."

I bite my lip and turn towards the window, digging my fingers into my knee. I think of what we've all been put through at Ridley's hands, and wonder how he ever managed to gain followers. And I wonder too what would happen if, although the possibility's small, he managed to secure the votes and win the election.

"What happens if he does win?" I break the silence this time.

"Don't think like that," Geoff says. "He won't."

"You seem so sure, Geoff. But it's a mystery how he even got into the race in the first place. I didn't even think it could happen, but it did."

"Raina..." Geoff runs his hand over his face. "Don't—"

"You can't keep denying it," I snap suddenly, irritated by his evasiveness. "The two of you are going to have to go head-to-head sooner or later. Probably sooner."

"He'll blow up the whole city. I don't want you—"

"It doesn't matter. I've wanted to give Ridley a piece of my mind since El died. This'll be my chance to do it. Probably my only chance."

"Right," Geoff sighs. "I'm sorry you got caught up in all of this, Raina."

"You don't have to apologize." I take his hand and kiss his knuckles. "I chose this. I chose you. Now I'm not going to let it get away."

He says nothing. Instead he cups my cheek and holds my eyes for a second before leaning forward to kiss me.

≈

Ridley's election party is at the Gramercy Park Hotel, and the second we walk in, I can tell why he picked it. The lobby alone is impressive – deep red carpets, dark wood walls, and an excessively glittery chandelier, dripping with crystals. A couple well-dressed waiters direct us to the Rose Bar, where an impressive crowd's already assembled. Geoff scans the room and stops, grabbing my arm and giving it a squeeze.

"Look." He nods. "There's Ridley."

I follow his eyes and sure enough, I see him. Tall, thin, hair greased up into an ostentatious pompadour, and looking as smug as ever. Next to him, in a tight red dress and earrings that must have cost a couple thousand each, is Samantha. As she reaches up to grasp his arm, I see a large diamond glinting from her ring finger.

"You never told me they got engaged." I narrow my eyes, first in Ridley's direction and then in Geoff's.

"I didn't know," he says, and I can tell just by his tone of voice he's telling the truth.

"Who is he talking to?" I ask as we approach, not recognizing the older man standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

"Gary Troutman," Geoff answers, his face taking on a pained expression.

Ridley spots us soon enough, as hard as we try to not get noticed. With a faked friendly grin plastered on, he waves us over. Grudgingly, I let Geoff pull me towards him.

"You made it," he says, his voice betraying nothing. "You two are looking well."

"So are you," Geoff says, sounding like every word hurts coming out.

I squeeze his elbow warningly and then turn my smile on them. "Ridley. Feeling hopeful, I see."

"At least I got somebody supporting me," he says, shooting a glare at Geoff as he takes my hand and brushes his lips across my knuckles. "Good to see you, Raina."

You don't know how wrong you are.

He introduces us to Samantha and her uncle, who insists we call him Gary. "Mr. Troutman" is way too official, according to him. But in every attempt to seem humble, it just makes him look like a sycophant. Geoff explains to me that Daniel, his dad, used to know Gary fairly well. They even went to college together.

"How is Dan these days, Geoffrey?" Gary asks when Ridley peels off to go meet with his campaign chief. "Haven't heard anything from him in a while."

"He died," Geoff says, without missing a beat. "Cancer."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Dan was always a good friend of mine."

Geoff doesn't reply, but his reaction is enough for me to know that's not true.

"So can I buy you kids a drink?" Gary says, sensing the conversation's turned sensitive. "What'll you have? I know my Sammie's a particular fan of the strawberry daiquiri."

We glance over at the bar, where Samantha's leaning up against it and talking to the bartender. He's clearly distracted – his elevator eyes are enough of an indication.

"Are you sure it's the drinks she likes?" Geoff asks.

I elbow him in the ribs. "Geoff!"

Gary laughs, clapping Geoff on the shoulder. "I like this guy. Where'd you find him, sweetheart?"

I'm about to reply when Ridley appears back at the front of the room, tapping the microphone for quiet. Gradually the noise dies down, and he begins to speak.

"Thank you all for coming out here tonight. We've all worked hard to get here, and believe me, I've seen it. And soon, when the polls close, you'll see the beginning of a new chapter. My advance thanks, for helping me write it."

Smattering of applause, not joined by me or by Geoff, and Ridley looks over at Samantha, now standing up straight.

"For those of you that don't know, I'd like to introduce my future wife Samantha, who has made all of this possible."

She teeters up there on her eight-inch heels, and Ridley slides his arm around her, beaming. More applause, and Geoff leans down to speak in my ear.

"Matt's here."

I turn on my heel – much more sensible than Samantha's – and follow him from the room. I haven't seen Matt since the baby shower. Now that he's a proud father, everything will be different. Becoming a parent changed a lot of things.

Geoff sees him before he sees us, leaning on the concierge's desk and flirting with the black girl sitting there. I notice his easy smile and his relaxed manner, and it's suddenly no mystery how Tori said yes. Any girl would be lucky to have him.

"Matt!" Geoff says, interrupting him.

Matt's head pops up. "Hey, Geoff, Raina. Fancy seeing you here."

"This is not the time for games, Matt," Geoff hisses as he pulls him away. I give the girl behind the desk an apologetic smile.

"Lighten up, man, I was just making conversation." Matt bumps Geoff, knocking him off-balance.

"Listen." Geoff stops, catching the front of Matt's suit coat in one fist. "I want you to run some surveillance. We're keeping an eye out for the Blob, Krakatoa, anyone like that. You let me know right away, got that?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Matt crosses his arms, glaring down at Geoff. "Say, why're you so crabby tonight? Ridley's probably not gonna win anyway."

"It's not about him not winning," I say before Geoff can speak, although I see his lip curl as he opens his mouth. "It's about what's going to happen when he loses."

"You mean...try to blow up the whole city?" Matt raises an eyebrow.

"Just about," I say with a shrug. We hadn't mentioned it at all, besides our agreement to divide and conquer. But I knew Geoff was leaving Pascal and Felicia to me. When I'm done with them, they'll never want to show their faces around here again.

≈

Howard Eckles arrives at a quarter to midnight. The polls are nearly about to close, and Geoff tells me that they don't even have to be, because he knows Clinton won. But as soon as we see Eckles, more than half a foot above everybody else, our feelings of confidence vanish. His expression is grim, and he looks like he's about to deliver some bad news.

"Geoff," he says, shaking his hand and then turning to me. "Raina."

"Hi, Howard." I give him my hand, but he bypasses it and pulls me into a hug, my cheek pressed into his chest.

Geoff clears his throat loudly, making him release me and step away. Eckles pulls at his collar and then his necktie, his cheeks and neck flushed.

"So you're looking glum." I catch his gaze and hold it. "Everything okay?"

"Green's not gonna like what he sees," he says, scratching at his jaw. "Salinger's got a win in the bag."

"Try telling him that."

"Yeah. Might want to save that little heartbreaker for later."

"Are you two done with the cozy catch-up?" Geoff says, rather rudely. "We're about to be blown to hell here."

"Relax, big guy." Eckles doesn't seemed fazed at all. "I was just leaving."

When he's gone, I pull Geoff in close, my hand tightly around his wrist. "That was unnecessary, Geoff. Completely unnecessary."

"You think I like it when he looks at you like that? It's okay for me to think you're sexy in that dress, but him..."

"Just put it aside until this is over." I make him look at me, so he can't pull away. "For me. Please."

Geoff nods, and then unexpectedly he pulls me towards him and kisses me possessively. His hand flattens on the small of my back, and then slides down to grip the back of my thigh. Then he pulls away, his expression smug. I turn my head just in time to see Eckles watching us. I bite my lip as Geoff's hands leave me, and turn my eyes to the floor. I don't like that I'm the wedge between them, nor do I like the pressure of having to make a choice. I shouldn't have to.

≈

The results come in, twenty minutes after midnight. I'm nursing a beer that I'd reluctantly let Ridley buy me. That makes every sip taste worse. Samantha's gabbing on about how her father never bought her the right brands for her birthday, so that was why she always asked "Uncle Gary" for everything. He spoiled her rotten, as far as I can tell.

My eyes happen to drift away from the circle of women in front of me to the television above the bar. That's when I see the headline: Ian Salinger elected Mayor of New York City.

"Oh, Christ," I mutter under my breath, abandoning my beer to scout out Geoff.

He's nowhere in the bar, and nowhere in the vicinity when I poke my head out into the hallway. We've only got a short time before Ridley sees the results, and then God knows what'll happen then. In the next second, I see Matt crossing the lobby, coming out of the men's bathroom.

"Matt!" I begin to hurry towards him just as his head turns in my direction.

"Hey, Raina," he says, his expression wavering between confused and concerned. "You okay?"

"I can't find Geoff."

His brow furrows. "He wasn't with you?"

I only shake my head.

"Okay. Stay calm. Don't leave the hotel, okay? I'll check outside. Got it?"

"Yeah," I say, and right before he turns to leave, I catch his sleeve. "Ridley's going to be pissed, isn't he?"

Matt doesn't even have to ask me to know what I mean. He just nods, the confirmation in his face. "Stay here, okay?"

Then he pushes out the revolving door and into the street. I pace the lobby and wait for him to come back, but when ten minutes pass and he doesn't, I figure he's going to be a while. Taking one last glance at the revolving door, I make a beeline for the bathroom. When I get there, I lean up against the sink, gripping the rim tightly. I can't believe we're going to have to weather another onslaught by Ridley, this time not knowing where our enemies are coming from.

That's when one of them comes out of a stall behind me. I see her glowing purple eyes and her long wavy hair in the mirror, a second before she spins me around and clocks me in the jaw. Instantly, everything goes black.

≈

I wake up slowly, shivering. At first I think I'm outside, but there's a bright light shining in my face and an open window nearby. I try to move my arm to push my hair out of my eyes, but I can't. When I look down, I see it duct-taped to the back of a chair. It's the same for my other arm. There's more tape around my middle, attaching me to the chair, and around my ankles.

"Had your beauty sleep?" says Felicia's voice from behind the light. "I was wondering when you'd finally wake up."

"Were you? Just so you could use your Queen Bitch tactics on me?" I snap. "What do you want, Felicia?"

"Me? I just want to pick your brain a little. See what makes you tick."

"I thought you saw me as a hick from the sticks that married for money."

"I underestimated you," she says. "You've got three extremely influential men wrapped around your finger, and one of them is my cousin. Howard's never actually cared for anyone. Until you showed up."

"We both know it can't work." I lift my chin, hiding the fear that she could turn that on its head and use it against me. "I'm married, and besides, he and my husband don't get along."

"That doesn't change the fact that they'd close ranks just to protect you." Felicia steps closer, and I see her eyes glinting in the dark. "I may not understand everything Howard does, but I know when it comes to you, everything stops. Why don't you let him in? Just for a minute?"

"Because he would want more," I say, and that provokes the reaction I was expecting from her – she curls her lip in disgust. "I can't give him that, not without the risk of losing Geoff."

"Then tell me something else." She comes closer, so now we're less than an arm's length apart. I can feel her powers radiating off her, like an electric current. "What's your secret? How do you keep them coming back, and wanting more?"

"I don't act unapproachable. Or unattainable. And I don't throw myself at them."

She snarls something unintelligible as she backhands me across the face. I spit the blood out of my mouth and turn back to her.

"You know beating me to a pulp isn't going to answer your questions."

"I don't like doing this," she snaps. "I would be out stopping your husband and his cronies, but Ridley asked me to stay here. And interrogate you."

"I'm sorry I was such an inconvenience."

In response she hits me again, this time on the cheekbone. I blink hard, trying to think through the pain.

"Don't you ever wonder, Felicia, what life would have been like if you'd used your powers for good? I can see you want to. Maybe you'd actually like it more if you did."

"You don't know anything about what I want," she growls, grabbing my shoulders and tipping my chair back. I can feel the legs slipping, and any second it's going to fall. "You've sabotaged every single plan of ours. Every one."

"Sometimes unwittingly," I point out.

She lets me go and the chair bangs back down. "Key word, sometimes. I know you meant to stop us all along."

"That's because Ridley's crazy. He's a psychopath." I test my bonds, but they're still tight. "Having someone like him in charge of a city of seven million people would be catastrophic."

"That's what you think. We've caught your mouthpiece, Raina. Don't think we don't know you've been behind this the whole time."

I shake my head, thoroughly confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

She steps out of the circle of light, looking off somewhere to her left. "Bring him in here," she orders.

I hear a scuffle on the darkness, and with the light shining in my face it's impossible to see it. I don't have to wait long, though. Pascal's huge form looms in front of me, dragging a smaller figure behind him. He throws it down and kicks it into the light, and when I see who it is, I gasp.

Lying in front of me, beaten bloody and stripped to the waist, is Hugo Thomas.