Page 81 of Secrets We Fight

“This kind of situation is highly unprofessional. It compromises your safety.”

I tried to sit up straighter, but it only caused a pain to shoot through my chest. “Dad, I get it. I really do. But love isn’t something you can control. Rhett is damn good at what he does, and if he cares about me, it only makes him more determined to protect me.”

Dad paced in front of the window. “It could cloud his judgment and put you in danger.”

“Your other son did that,” I spat. “Rhett wasn’t even at the wedding. In fact, if he had been, I bet you I wouldn’t have even been shot. He wouldn’t have been across the room waiting for me to say I was ready to leave. He would have been at the bar with me. He would have been inches away, not feet. That guy wouldn’t have even gotten close to me. That was what happened in Atlantic City the first time.”

“Shit.” Dad blew out a breath. “The first time. Fucking Finn.”

“I trust Rhett with my life, and I believe in him. Love doesn’t make you weak; it makes you stronger. It gives you a reason to fight harder, and I know deep in my heart, Rhett would do anything to protect me. Didn’t he come to you after the state dinner? He could have easily let the information go up the chain of command or whatever, but instead, he went above and beyond to try to get ahead of it because he was worried about me. And for good reason, considering I was almost killed.”

Dad sighed, his shoulders sagging with the weight of the situation. “I’ll need to have a serious talk with Agent Davis and reevaluate his position on your detail.”

I nodded, relieved my father was at least willing to consider my perspective. “Thank you, Dad. I know you have to do what’s best, but please, don’t take him away from me. I … I love him.”

“You do?”

I didn’t hesitate to reply, “With my entire heart.”

My father gave me a small smile. “I’ll do my best, Fallon, but I can’t guarantee he’ll be on your detail again. We have to do what’s best for your safety.”

“Rhett isn’t the problem,” I argued. “It’s Finn.”

“I know, and I’m dealing with him.”

“How? I thought that was done when we were called into the Oval Office.”

“So did I, but instead of paying his debts as promised, he gambled it all.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course, he did.”

“It’s being dealt with again, but this time, my team will make sure the debts are paid.”

“And he gets off just like that?”

“No. We’re selling his condo here in Boston, and he’s moving into the White House. He’ll get help for his addiction and will more or less be on house arrest for the foreseeable future.”

“House arrest in the White House.” I laughed sarcastically. “What a fucking joke.”

“I’m doing the best I can, Fallon. The media are already looking into what happened and why I’m at St. Thomas.”

“And you can’t tell them the truth?”

“I could, but if I want to run again, it’s probably not best they know my son was shot because his brother failed to pay off a loan shark.”

“Yeah, well, don’t expect me to be in the public eye pretending like everything is cool between me and Finn.”

“I won’t. He’s going to be on a short leash for a very long time.”

“Great.” I rested my head against the mattress. “Now can you work on getting Rhett his job back?”

“I’ll try, but I came here because you were shot, and I’ve been worried about you. Are you doing okay? Do you need anything?”

“Just Rhett,” I wanted to say, but instead I shook my head and told him, “No. The nurses are doing an excellent job.”

26

RHETT