A Primary Decision

by Dr. Kevin Leman

  Bill still didn’t take Sarah seriously, she felt. He didn’t understand why she had taken the career track she did. It would have been easy for her to finish university as the social butterfly hub and to marry one of the blue-chip male admirers who eagerly trailed in her wake. But she hadn’t wanted any of them.

  Instead she’d chosen to get serious about law. A stint in pro bono work had given her a passion for assisting the underprivileged. One thing had led to another. She’d signed away her voting rights to Worthington Shares and started earning a salary, leaving her father scratching his head. With a generous trust fund, she didn’t need the salary, he said. He didn’t know she gave nearly all of it to charitable causes.

  Her mother, who had spent her life making her family happy and smoothing their pathways in life, just wanted Sarah to be happy. And married, of course.

  Her oldest brother was always in protective mode, poised to face down any giant on his sister’s behalf. With that thought, some of her fiery temper about the phone call dissipated. Will was just being Will. He couldn’t help it.

  And her middle brother? Sean was off globe-trotting, doing his own thing as usual, but happier than she’d ever seen him. Likely that had everything to do with Elizabeth, the quirky scientist he’d fallen in love with.

  But the entire Worthington family agreed on one thing. The AG appointment by the president of the US—and its timing—had stunned them. Even Sarah, who had quietly dreamed of attaining the position someday, had been shocked by her boss’s sudden announcement that the president wanted her. Even now, she still wrestled with the motive behind the nomination.

  How much, if anything, did the president’s choice have to do with her relentless fight on behalf of the DOJ’s Criminal Division to put the former CEO of American Frontier, Eric Sandstrom, behind bars?

  Sandstrom had contributed in a big way to the president’s first run at the White House and had promised significant funds toward his reelection campaign in the coming year. Was the president simply trying to clear a determined Worthington out of his way before she embarrassed him? Or had she truly earned the opportunity to become the nation’s attorney general, even over those more qualified? Clearly, her boss, a veteran in the DOJ, had expected such an appointment to come to him.

  Or did the sudden move have more to do with American Frontier and the story Jason Carson, Sandstrom’s lackey, had leaked to the media? And with whatever behind-the-scenes deal Carson had made with the president to keep himself squeaky clean while Sandstrom went to jail? Those questions haunted Sarah in her waking hours.

  Her thoughts flicked to the potential future. If she was confirmed as the chief People’s Lawyer, she’d have considerable authority over the lives and well-being of every person in the United States through the large-scale decisions she’d be making. It was a job she took very seriously. Even more, she felt confident the skills she’d acquired through her work in the legal system and later through the Department of Justice would assist her in doing that job well.

  But the past continued to tug at her. She would have to leave all of her individual cases at the DOJ behind. The candidate stepping into her job was more than competent. No worries there. The transition would be seamless. But Sarah’s hands would be tied on the American Frontier and Polar Bear bombing investigation. The White House staff had strongly suggested she recuse herself from any cases involving AF, since her brother was now CEO. That meant she could no longer aggressively pursue the truth about the bombing with her contacts.

  Thankfully, she could count on Darcy and Jon. They’d keep her in the loop on anything they discovered.

  She paused momentarily outside the impressive white building to clear the day’s tension. Her gaze swept the skyline of the city that housed the most powerful cogs in the wheels of America’s government.

  She recalled again Will’s statement, “This isn’t just about you, you know.”

  A shiver coursed through her. She was used to him abruptly ending phone calls. But his hesitancy unsettled her.

  Sarah had never seen Will be hesitant about anything until he’d backed out of the New York Senate race. The reminder of Carson hanging around the shadows to the side of the stage when Will made his announcement still incensed her. It had been extremely frustrating for Sarah, who could wrestle the truth out of nearly anyone, not to be able to get immediate answers for why Carson was present. Will had remained closemouthed until she’d at last learned about the photos through Jon’s revelation.

  Even after that debacle, life had turned out all right for Will. He now had his dream job—though not in the timing any of them would have expected—as the CEO of American Frontier.

  His acceptance of the position had publicly pitted brother and sister against each other, keeping the media buzzing. Her job for the DOJ’s Criminal Division was to sue the very company her brother was CEO for. But the Worthingtons attacked that problem the same way they did everything—head-on. The two siblings had shared a brief press conference. Their frank honesty and unified approach had taken the sting out of the media’s coverage and caused both AF and the DOJ to come out looking stronger.

  So why was Will hesitant now? Was he just worried about his baby sister as she stepped into her new position, afraid she couldn’t take the daily heat? Or was something else going on? Will rarely backed away from confrontation.

  With those quandaries, her attorney instinct and determination kicked into high gear. With cool, calm assessment, she again studied the landscape of D.C. This would soon be her town, her responsibility.

  Spotting her limo, she strode confidently toward it.

  2

  NEW YORK CITY

  Drew Simons, Will’s mentor and trusted advisor, waited outside the boardroom.

  “So?” Drew asked simply.

  Will didn’t have to explain. Drew just knew. He’d known all day Will was concerned about his sister’s Judiciary Committee hearing. Will had found Drew’s keen eyes on him often, evaluating him. “All she said was that it was intense. But she’s not giving up.”

  Drew nodded.

  Will scanned the hallway. It was empty. “Drew, by pursuing my dream, have I made it harder for my sister to pursue hers?”

  “You’re talking about the media having a field day?” Drew shrugged. “You’ve dealt with lots of those before. And you’re already over the biggest hump.”

  The media firestorm had been fierce and extremely draining for Will when he assumed the CEO position of American Frontier. Drew had been a bulwark in that storm as Will navigated the tumultuous waters to pull the company back from the brink. Because of a shared press conference, Will and Sarah—the president’s nominee for attorney general—had both emerged as solid voices of reason and shining examples of transparency in the public eye.

  Now Sarah was in the most intense, final stage of the vetting process. Will’s protective edge kicked in. He didn’t want his little sister—or his family—to get hurt in the process.

  “What if . . .” He spread his hands in a helpless gesture.

  Drew looked him straight in the eyes. “You can allow what-ifs to control you. Or you can do what you do best. Move relentlessly ahead on the path you’ve been called to walk.”

  Will sighed. “But at what cost?”

  “Everything good and worthy comes with a cost. You know that in business. The same is true in any arena of life.” Drew paused. “I’ve said before that truth will always win out. Things that are hidden will be revealed. Will, are you sure you don’t want to be in the driver’s seat? Doesn’t Sarah deserve to know . . . everything?”

  “But Dad doesn’t want—”

  “I know he’s worried about what his little girl will think if she finds out the truth. How she’ll respond emotionally.” Drew’s keen blue-gray eyes fastened on Will’s. “But she’s far stronger than he or any of you think.” A smile flickered. “And a lot smarter too.”

  A SECURE LOCATION

  He was waiting for the call. When it
came, he picked up immediately.

  “Still on?” the authoritative voice on the other side of the secure line barked.

  “Yes.”

  “Our job just got harder—and more dangerous.”

  “Indeed.”

  “But we can’t back down now. Too much is at stake.”

  “Agreed.”

  There was no further response. Just a click as the man on the other line hung up.

  WASHINGTON, D.C.

  Sarah had barely stepped into her limo to head to the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown before the next call came. She didn’t need her attorney instincts to predict the caller. Indeed it was Bill Worthington, checking in on his little girl.

  “So how did your day go, princess?” he asked in the bass rumble that had been so intimidating in her childhood.

  And there it was again. Her father could never think of her as anything other than the social butterfly of their home and, later, of Harvard. That Sarah was a formidable force in her own right didn’t seem to enter his consciousness. She swallowed back her irritation.

  “It was . . . intense.” The instant she said the word, she was annoyed with herself. She’d used the same word with Will. Had the day completely stripped her of any creativity?

  “It will only get tougher from here. Sure you’re ready?”

  She should have known better than to pick up the call when she was tired and already irritated with Will. Father and son were cut from the same cloth.

  “Yes,” she announced. “I’m ready. But I can’t talk right now. I’ll have to call you later.”

  “Okay, princess. Just know . . .” He hesitated. “I love you. I will always love you, no matter what happens. No matter what you decide.”

  “I know that,” she said.

  “All right then. We’ll talk later.”

  She ended the call and sank back against the soft leather of the limo seat. She did know her father loved her. He loved all his kids and provided for them in every way possible. But when she was growing up, he hadn’t really been present with them. Instead, he’d been present in meetings and travels for Worthington Shares. It had been her mother, Ava, who held down the family fort.

  All that had seemed to change, though, when Sean went missing for a while. Perhaps it had been an early midlife crisis—a time for Sean to figure out who he was and where he was going. To find out how he really felt about Elizabeth. Or maybe Sean had just tired of the constant clash with their father and the way he focused on Will with laser-like regularity. Sean, elusive since childhood, had continued to sidestep any of Sarah’s direct questions about his time away. It was most infuriating.

  But after Sean’s return, she’d seen a puzzling difference in his and their father’s relationship. The two still didn’t always agree. She didn’t think they ever would. But there was now an attitude of respect, as if Sean had finally attained adult status in their father’s eyes. Sarah had even glimpsed her father standing with his arm around Sean or patting him on the back for bringing a new NGO on board. The affection was groundbreaking between two men who had, for over three decades, either ignored each other or gone head-to-head.

  There had never been a lack of affection between Sarah and her father. As the baby of the family and the only girl, she had claimed more than her share of his attention as a child. What she’d never had, though, was his respect. She couldn’t seem to earn it, no matter what she did.

  Even at Harvard Law, when she became editor of the prestigious Law Review, her father only said, “I’m glad you’ve finally found something to do that doesn’t come with Visa receipts.”

  She had winced. Up until that point in her life, she’d thought nothing of flying to Beverly Hills or LA for some power shopping over a weekend and racking up five figures on the account her father covered. He’d never chided her for her rampant spending, other than to deliver an eye roll every once in a while.

  But that comment had helped her focus on getting serious about life. Pro bono work every Saturday while she was in law school had firmed her resolve to do all she could to make the planet a better place to live. She became passionate about justice and people’s rights, especially for those who didn’t have the tools or means to fight for themselves.

  At 24, she graduated from Harvard Law, took a position as an assistant DA in New York City, and worked there for nearly four years. Right after her twenty-eighth birthday, she took a career government position as the deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. To do so, she’d given up all her legal obligations to Worthington Shares. Her father had been in India when she’d made it official. She’d had to fend off multiple apoplectic calls from him afterward.

  When she’d finally chosen to face the music and pick up his call, a heated Bill Worthington said, “This makes no sense. You’re not making sense. You know you don’t have to work. Your mother never did. You’re taken care of for the rest of your life. And you know that if you feel like you have to work, you can have almost any job you want at Worthington Shares. So why exactly are you doing this?”

  “Because I need to do this. For me,” she replied. She hadn’t explained further, even when her father pressed her.

  To be sure, there were times she wished she hadn’t made that decision, but she never admitted it to her family. Nor did she let on to her father that there was any trouble in paradise, even on the nights she crawled home, exhausted both from the long hours and from trying to prove her worth as a human being, aside from being a Worthington.

  She had a feeling, though, that somehow Drew knew. From time to time his eyes would linger on her, as if assessing how she was doing. He still did the same today, each time he saw her. But with Drew, she never felt censure, only that someone was carefully watching her back and would stand up for her as needed. It was a comforting thought.

  John Barnhill, her boss, had been anti–blue blood from day one. She’d caught an earful of his diatribe against her to a co-worker on her first day of work. She’d arrived a quarter hour early and was waiting outside the door of his office.

  “I don’t like ’em, don’t trust ’em, and don’t want ’em working for me or anywhere in my vicinity,” he’d railed.

  He was caustic about people “like her” not wanting to get their hands dirty and was angry he was stuck with her. And as a political appointee in a Republican administration, he wasn’t crazy about a woman from a high-profile Democrat family working for him, causing trouble. He’d made all that clear to her within an hour of her arrival.

  His railings and drive to see her fail so he could get rid of her only made her more determined to work hard—harder than anyone else—to earn his respect. And through the years, she had. In spite of the rocky beginning, John Barnhill had grown to trust Sarah and her instincts, despite her family connections and wealth.

  When John had been told the president wanted her as the next AG—a position John had his sights on himself—his respect for Sarah had kept him closemouthed. The only thing he’d said was, “Good luck with that can of worms.” It was the closest he’d ever come to admitting publicly any whiff of discontent with the Republican president.

  John Barnhill was a tough nut to crack, but she’d done it. Yet she still couldn’t crack the toughest of all—her father. She thought of his words, “It will only get tougher from here. Sure you’re ready?”

  Now she murmured the words she most wished to hear from him: “I know you can do it. I believe in you.”

  Yes, she had her father’s love. But she longed for his respect.

  Sarah wasn’t cut from the same cloth as her mother—happy just to be hitched to her husband’s star, the glamorous woman by his side, the director of the family’s activities, and the reigning present-day Jacqueline Kennedy in the circles of New York’s rich and famous. Within Sarah was the drive to do more and be more. She had grown up with an intricate window into the strategy of corporate growth and how it was accomplished. She had seen firsthand how societ
y worked—to the good and detriment of others. She’d rubbed shoulders with people of all occupations, circles, and income brackets in dozens of countries. Through her travels and work with the underprivileged, she’d developed a compassionate heart to help those in poor and difficult circumstances. Her passion to see justice and a safer world for all had propelled her into her current career of law.

  But she wasn’t naïve enough to think that the American justice system was perfect. She’d seen the brokenness of it. Such as the fact that government-paid workers could get away with only a hand slap and a lesser retirement after being caught in embezzling, extortion, and fraud. Or that Eric Sandstrom, the former CEO of the company now grappling with the worst oil fiasco in history, couldn’t be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. As a result of his foolhardy actions in not pursuing the proper channels of research, millions of people and animals around the globe were being impacted by the oil seeping from the Arctic into the earth’s ocean systems. As Chairman Phelps had rightfully said, it was an ecological disaster.

  Sarah knew she should be satisfied. At least Sandstrom was behind bars. He hadn’t walked off scot-free to vacation somewhere in the Galápagos Islands. But if she’d learned anything over her years at the DOJ, and from her friend Darcy, it was that many things weren’t as they appeared. People’s motives were usually self-seeking. Eric Sandstrom had been led like a lamb to the slaughter. He hadn’t even attempted to fight his jail sentence.

  Why had it been relatively easy? That question still bothered her.