Read Online Rook (Political Royalty Book 2) by Evelyn Adams - Free Book Online Page A

career, using my God-given talents to better serve my countrymen and women.” Shep kept his gaze fixed on the screen. Around him, he could almost feel the rest of his team holding their collective breath. “We are not going to let small-minded men like Mr. Estevan drag us back into the kitchen and nurseries and away from the careers we’ve built for ourselves. We will not go back.”
    “It’s a hashtag,” said Justin, glancing down at his phone. “Someone just posted it on her Twitter feed. #wewillnotgoback.”
    “How will it play?” asked Abby, with uncharacteristic forcefulness.
    “It’s too soon to tell. Equal rights is one thing. Abandoning your children for your career and rampant feminism is another.”
    “Come on,” said Travis. “You can’t believe that.”
    “I’m not saying I agree with it. Hell, I don’t want kids at all, let alone a man to try to tell me what to do,” said Haven, holding a hand up in front of her.
    He shouldn’t hear her words as a challenge. Nothing good could come of it, but that didn’t mean he could stop.
    “All I’m saying is that I think it could go either way with voters. We’re not as evolved as we like to think we are and issues of family cut deep. It will read that way for some people, and we can use it.”
    “More dads are becoming primary caregivers,” said Justin.
    “True, and maybe that’s one of the angles we push.” Haven turned to face Abby. “Dig up some statistics on stay-at-home dads and those employed part-time, too, please. Ride research until they get you what you need.”
    “It’s trending,” said Travis. “Twitter’s exploding, but it’s not just the we will not go back hashtag. There’s another one. #whatworksforourfamily. It’s a long one, but it’s getting almost as much traffic.
    “This changes things, doesn’t it?” asked Justin.
    Haven nodded and then turned to face Shep, meeting his gaze for the first time since they’d started talking. He saw a flash of something in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced with an icy calm.
    “Call Mrs. Walker. We’re going to need her and the girls on the trail for the next couple of days.”
    She turned and walked away without waiting to see if he’d protest.
    ––––––––
    M ATT TURNED HIS back on the stage set up in the middle of the college gymnasium and dialed the number for his sister for the fourth time that week. It rang through to her voicemail, the way it had every time before, but this time he had a hard time ignoring the worry creeping in. He expected her to be busy either with partying or studying—although with Becca, studying was more likely—but she always called him back eventually.
    Not that he called all that often. Talking to Walker a couple of weeks ago made him miss her. Since the bus would be swinging past Tucson, stumping for the Arizona primary, he thought he’d take a chance and see if she could meet him for dinner one night. None of that would work if he couldn’t get her on the damn phone.
    “This is it,” he said under his breath. “Last time I’m calling. Either call me back or I’m going to have to drive up there to find you and that’s gonna just piss both of us off. Come on, Becs, call me back so I can stop feeling like a worried parent.” Since his parents’ divorce and his dad’s downhill slide, his sister felt like his only family. At least the only one that extended beyond just obligation.
    He slipped the phone into his pocket and forced his attention back to the stage. Matt had heard the senator give his spiel so many times he could practically recite it in his sleep. Food security, domestic security, infrastructure, moving America forward. Yadda yadda yadda. It played on a loop in his head. The only new bit was the piece about families.
    Walker added it after Collins and Estevan lost their collective shit on TV and started a Twitter war that showed amazing staying power despite the season finale of the X Files and Orange is