The Secret Weapon by Bridget Denise Bundy Page B

give me. Once Dominic takes it, he should die, right?”
    “Yes,” Malie answered with a nod.
    She thought about it for a moment. She tried to find the good in the plan and concluded there was nothing good about it. Then Coraset considered her escape if she in fact agreed to infiltrate the harem. How would she leave?
    She asked Malie, “How do I get out of there after he dies?”
    “I doubt if the Erato family will allow Dominic’s harem to remain. Once he’s gone, they should let you go.”
    “But you’re not sure if that will happen,” Coraset asked.
    “No, I’m not completely sure,” Malie admitted.
    “What exactly are you expecting Sergei Erato to do if he becomes Chancellor? Is he even involved in this plan?”
    “Sergei is not involved. He has no idea what we’re doing. But once he’s in power, he’ll change the current government. We’ll become a democratic nation like the United States.”
    “Malie, you make this plan sound so easy to pull off, but it won’t be. You’re trying to change an entire government, and there are people who prefer for it to stay like it is.”
    “ The Senator will be able-”
    “ You will meet resistance. It won’t go down the way you think.”
    “ That’s all I need to know is whether you are willing to do the job.”
    The stakes were too high. If Coraset got caught, she’d be put to death. The Elite Guard will kill her immediately. Was it worth the risk? The only thing she could gain from accomplishing the mission was getting out of Erato and living outside the dominant society, living beyond the rules and the political iron hand.
    But on the other hand, Coraset couldn’t think of one bad thing in her life because of the totalitarian state. She was working . She didn’t have any demands made on her. She wasn’t being bothered by anyone. She had a roof over her head, clothes to wear, and food to eat.
    Even though, Barbados sounded wonderful, she decided not to get involved. Whatever political environment Xavier and Malie was trying to attain wasn’t worth her life. She was the only one going into the fire. Coraset didn’t see any positives coming from trying to kill the Chancellor of Erato.
    “Malie, I know you and Xavier are dedicated to helping society. I get it, but I’m not going to do this. You have to find someone else.”
    They stared at one another, but Malie was the first to turn away. Her expression showed her clear unhappiness with Coraset’s decision.
    “Brecco said you wouldn’t do it.”
    Coraset didn’t answer.
    “You’re not leaving me any choice, and I hate going this far with you. I was hoping to avoid it.” Malie stood and signaled for one of the soldiers from her protection team.
    He stepped out into the path in their view from behind a tall wall of vines and flowers. The soldier had on the same black camouflage uniform, and he held a pistol in his hand.
    Coraset didn’t move from where she sat. She asked, “ What is this? Are you going to kill me now?”
    “No, but I will have your stepfather pulled from the labs he works in, and I will see to it that he goes to prison for stealing highly classified documents.”
    “You’ll have to do more than just make up lies in the computer to hang him with those charges. ”
    “ I can tip off Federation Constabularies that he has lab reports belonging to Erato in his apartment. Taking his work home is forbidden, Coraset, and he could get in a lot of trouble. They might even sentence him to death.”
    “You would do that to him because I refuse to help? He believes in this so called cause you and Xavier have created.”
    “ We’re willing to make whatever sacrifices there is to exact that cause including sacrificing Brecco.”
    “Sacrifices,” Coras et scoffed. “You and Xavier aren’t making any. It’s me and my stepfather you’re asking to step into the fire.”
    Malie asked ignoring her last statement, “What is your answer, Coraset?”
    She approached Malie in a calm manner