Broken Together (19 page)

“I
intend to strengthen our economy, improve democracy, end government corruption,
end Russia’s meddling in our domestic and foreign affairs, join NATO, and join the
EU,” Maxim replied.

Brady
whistled. “How are you going to accomplish that?”

Maxim’s
eyes locked on mine. “By collecting on a promise.”

My
heart collided with my toes. “
What?
”

“We’ll
discuss this later,” Maxim answered dismissively. “I would prefer to enjoy the
meal you so thoughtfully prepared.”

I
glanced at his uneaten lasagna and mine. “Okay. What would you like to discuss
then?”

He
relaxed into his seat with a disarming smile. “How was Portugal?”

Like
that would evoke a pleasant conversation. I stabbed my lasagna with my fork.
“Portugal was nice.”

“Surely
you can do better than that,” Maxim countered with a chuckle.

I
forced a shrug. “I enjoyed visiting their palaces.”

“You
should see Mariyinsky Palace, the presidential palace in Kyiv,” Oni
interjected.

Maxim’s
gaze remained squarely on me. “Would you like to live in a palace?” he inquired
softly.

“Please
don’t,” I whispered fearfully.

“Every
president needs a first lady.” He studied me over the top of his wine.

“She’s
already engaged,” Jase gritted. He stood, menacingly.

“Engaged
is not the same as married,” Maxim rebutted coolly. “I’m simply ensuring she’s
aware of her options.”

“Stop
trying to get everyone riled up,” I chided. “Jase, please sit. We are not
discussing this.”

Reluctantly,
he sat.

“Is
there anything special you’d like to do before school begins?” I asked Oni. I
figured that was a pretty safe topic.

“I’d
like to familiarize myself with the university campus, see some of the
monuments, and visit the Capitol,” she answered hesitantly.

I
breathed a small sigh of relief when the tension eased. “I’ll call my friend
Patrick to see if he can give you a VIP tour of the Capitol next week. We can
visit the campus this weekend. Have you received your dorm assignment yet?”

Oni
nodded. “They offered me a studio apartment in Beacon Hall.”

“You
might want to show her how to access the metro and the bus from George Mason,”
Kadyn suggested.

“That’s
a really good idea.” I reached for my wine. I was trying to ignore the fact
that Maxim was watching me so intently.

We
pushed through dinner, as nerve-wracking as that was. Brady and Oni offered to clear
the table and wash the dishes afterwards. I asked everyone else to sit in the
family room while I brewed coffee and served dessert.

Lev’s
eyes widened when I handed him a plate. “What is this?”

“Chocolate
and pistachio cake.” The miniature cakes glistened with a dark chocolate glaze,
edible gold shavings, and gold leaves. This was, hands down, the most exquisite
dessert I’d ever made.

“A
dessert fit for a king,” Maxim announced decidedly. He patted the couch. “Please,
Kristine, sit next to me.”

Jase
scowled when I complied.

I’d
promised Maxim anything… well, anything but sex… when he agreed to help me find
Kadyn in Mexico. I was anxious to know how that promise could possibly factor
into his bid for the presidency. “Maxim,” I began hesitantly.

He
reached for my hand after setting his dessert aside. “Kristine, I want you to
know this is not what I intended to ask of you.” He eyed Rafael’s engagement
ring and sighed.

My
heart clenched when his eyes met mine.

He
peered deep into my eyes. “You’re aware of the difficultly we’ve experienced in
extending the Odessa-Brody pipeline.”

“Yes.”
I studied the issue before traveling to Ukraine. I glanced at Kadyn and Jase
and made an effort to explain. “The Ukrainian government has been trying to
extend this pipeline to Plock, Poland so they can transport oil from the
Caspian Sea into the EU. This would strengthen their economy and reduce EU
dependence on Russian fuel.”

“This
project has proven difficult to fund,” Maxim noted bitterly. “Now I know why.”

“With
the amount of money Yanukovych was embezzling, there weren’t enough funds to
complete the project,” I surmised.

Lev
braced his elbows against his knees. “Putin paid Yanukovych to connect the
Odessa-Brody pipeline to the Druzhba pipeline. They reversed the flow of oil so
the Odessa-Brody pipeline now transports Russian oil to Mediterranean countries.”

“But
that would only strengthen Russia’s economy and hurt Ukraine,” I objected. I
hadn’t heard the flow of oil had been reversed.

“Precisely,”
Maxim agreed. “I want to disconnect the Odessa-Brody pipeline from the Druzhba
pipeline, reverse the flow of oil, and complete the extension into Plock so we
can transport oil from the Caspian Sea into the EU as was originally intended.”

“Putin
will fight you every step of the way,” I stated speculatively.

Kadyn
cracked open another Sprite. “How does Kri factor into this?”

“Kristine
knows Senator Rockefeller, the great-grandson of an oil tycoon. She has
connections in the U.S. Senate, she believes in this cause, and she knows how
to lobby Congress,” Maxim said, swiftly connecting the dots.

My
jaw dropped. “You want the U.S. to help fund this project.”

Maxim
nodded.

“How
much?” I held my breath.

Maxim
fingered the gold leaf on his cake. “Seven hundred eighty million dollars.”

I
turned the idea in my head. “That’s a lot less expensive than I thought it
would be.”

He
eyed me thoughtfully. “The terrain is relatively flat.”

“Why
would the United States fund another country’s pipeline?” Brady inquired before
polishing off his cake.

“Not
only would this cripple Russia’s economy, thereby reducing the threat they pose
to the United States, but this would reduce EU dependence on Russian oil so
Putin can’t force them to side with him in international politics. He wields
fuel like a weapon, cutting oil and gas supplies off when political leaders
don’t do what he wants,” I answered easily.

Maxim
smiled. “You are the perfect person for this job.”

“Konstantin
and I want to help,” Oni insisted. She was sitting in the chair across from
Lev.

“Konstantin
and Oni can serve as your support staff. They can conduct research and craft
the bill, but I want you to take the lead with Congress,” Maxim amended.

My
eyes remained fixed on his face. “How soon do I have to accomplish this?”

“Sixty
days,” he answered apologetically. “I need to incorporate this into my
campaign, and the election is in ninety days.”

I
took a deep breath and blew it out. “We can’t introduce this as a bill, Maxim. Even
the most pressing bills don’t pass Congress within sixty days. We’ve got to
identify another bill that is really close to passing and attach this as a
rider.”

“You’re
already working and attending school full time,” Jase reminded me. He’d been
following the conversation closely.

“I’ll
invite the congressmen out to lunch or take them out to dinner. Those types of
meetings are far more productive than lobbying on the Hill.” I was already generating
a mental list of all the congressmen I wanted to meet with.

“So
you’ll do it?” Maxim pressed. “You’ll help me secure the funds?”

“I
want to speak with Rafael before I commit to this,” I hedged. “Oni, do you mind
brewing another pot of coffee while I call him?” I rose from the couch.

Maxim’s
eyes darkened. “I’d like to hear your thoughts on how we might strengthen security
along our eastern border,” he said, shifting his attention to Kadyn.

Jase
followed me upstairs. “Kristine, what he’s asking… it’s too much.”

“Too
much? Maxim saved Kadyn’s life… and mine. That counts for something, Jase.
Besides, this doesn’t just benefit Ukraine. This benefits the EU and the United
States. I want to help Maxim free Ukraine and put Putin in his place.”

 “You
want to punish Putin for what the SVR did to you,” he countered softly.

I
released a long overdue breath. “Maybe,” I confessed. “I’d like to reduce his
power and influence… limit his ability to hurt others the way he hurt me.”

He
stopped just inside the doorway to my bedroom. “This is going to make you an
even bigger target.”

I
grabbed my cell phone off the nightstand. “I’ll be flying under the radar for
the most part.” I thumbed through my recent calls and tapped on Rafael’s name.

Jase
shook his head. He pulled the door closed as he stepped into the hallway.

Rafael’s
voice drew me back to the phone. “How’s it going?”

“Oh,
just ducky,” I answered in a saccharine sweet voice. “Maxim’s called in his
favor, and I promised to run it by you before committing.”

“Well?”
he pried impatiently.

I
bit my lip while trying to suppress a nervous laugh. “Maxim is running for
president, and he’s asked me to serve as the First Lady of Ukraine.”

“What?”
Rafael exploded across the phone line.

My
eyes squeezed shut. “Actually, it’s not quite that bad… although he was hinting
around about that.”

“Kristine,”
Rafael growled. “What exactly did Maxim ask?”

“He
wants me to lobby Congress so he can secure funds to extend the Odessa-Brody
pipeline into Plock. He feels he can win the election if he secures that
funding.”

“Wait,”
Rafael interjected. “He’s really running for president?”

I
blew out a breath. “Yes. The Ukrainian President fled the country after
embezzling billions of dollars’ worth of public funds. They’re holding a
special election, and The People’s Front has asked Maxim to run.”

The
line grew quiet.

“Rafael?”

“I
can’t believe he’s running for president.”

“Do
you mind if I help him with this? There’s so much good that could come from
this… for his country and mine. I really want to help him secure that funding,
Rafael. Please? I want to help.”

He
sighed. Loudly. “He’s not asking you to serve as first lady?”

I
laughed. “No. He was just trying to get everyone riled up when he said that.
Maxim isn’t in love with me. He’s in love with his country. He’s asking me to
secure the funding so he can win the presidency, strengthen their economy, and
lift his people out of poverty.”

“How
are you going to find time to do this?” he queried reluctantly.

I
paced across the room. “I’m not in this alone. Konstantin and Oni are going to
help. I can juggle this with school and work. I’ll meet with the congressmen
over dinner and lunch.”

“Could
you be any more ambitious?” Rafael bemoaned. “Let me talk to Jase.”

I
tugged on the door. Jase nearly fell on the floor. “Rafael wants to talk to
you.” I handed him the phone.

I
stepped inside the bathroom so I could freshen up. Jase handed me the phone
when I returned. “Well?” I inquired of Rafael.

“You
can help Maxim secure funding on one condition…”

“Oh,
God, not another condition,” I blurted. “Why? Why does everyone have conditions?”

He
ignored my rant. “If Jase determines you’re being monitored or followed by the
SVR, you end this.”

I
met Jase’s piercing gaze. “Fine. If Jase discovers we’re being followed, I’ll
stop lobbying Congress.”

Jase’s
eyes narrowed. He didn’t believe me.

“Text
me when Maxim leaves,” Rafael reminded me.

I
glanced at the clock on my phone. It was two o’clock in the morning in
Portugal. “Okay,” I agreed. “I love you.”

“I
love you too,” Rafael answered softly.

Maxim
and Kadyn were hunched over a hand drawn map of Ukraine when Jase and I
returned to the family room. Maxim motioned for me to join them.

Kadyn
scrutinized the map. “Where’s the pipeline going?”

Maxim
sketched Poland to the left of Ukraine before drawing two lines across his
country. “The pipeline begins here, at Odessa. Currently, it ends here, at the
Druzhba Pipeline. I want to disconnect the Odessa-Brody pipeline from Druzhba
and extend it up to here.” He lengthened the first line until it crossed into
Poland. “Poland plans to extend it from their border up to Plock.”

Kadyn
studied the diagram. “You’re going to need an early warning system, surface to
air missiles, and an anti-ballistic missile system to protect this pipeline.”

Maxim
and Lev exchanged glances. “We have surface to air missiles and an ABM system,
but the ABM system is only capable of tracking fifty targets at once.”

Kadyn
hid his surprise. “What’s the deployment time?”