Page 51 of State of Affairs (First Family 1)

“No worries. I’ll listen for them, but they’re probably out cold after the amazing day they had. Thank you again for that.”

“It was entirely my pleasure and all thanks to Shelby. I’ll text you when I’m back.”

“Okay.”

She went back downstairs, knocked on Scotty’s door and poked her head in. “I have to go out for work. Eli is here if you need anything.”

“I’m fine. Just watching the end of the Caps game.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Are you allowed to just leave?”

“I guess we’re gonna find out.” She dared anyone to try to stop her. The lives of Gigi’s loved ones were on the line, and if her presence would help to save them, she was going.

Downstairs, she encountered Nate still at the door. “Good evening, Mrs. Cappuano. May I help you with something?”

“No, thanks, I’m all set. If you could just let me out, I’d appreciate it.”

“I’m, ah, under orders…”

“So am I. Please step aside.”

After a long moment of staring at each other, neither of them blinking, he finally did as she’d directed. Sam made haste down the ramp and was in her car and pulling away in a matter of seconds. She headed for the checkpoint and didn’t slow down as she zoomed through the exit lane.

She let out a happy laugh as she made her escape and headed for the 14th Street Bridge and Northern Virginia. Maybe there’d be hell to pay with Nick and the Secret Service, but she was determined to keep her life as close to what it had looked like on Wednesday as she possibly could. With that in mind, she turned on her emergency lights and pressed the accelerator almost to the floor. Her phone rang with a call from Captain Malone that she took on the Bluetooth. “Hey.”

“You heard about Dominguez’s family?”

“I did, and I’m on my way.”

“Oh, good. We were worried the Secret Service might try to stop you from leaving.”

“They tried and failed.” Sam couldn’t think about how pissed Nick would be that she’d left without a detail. She’d contend with the fallout after she’d done what she could to stop Dominguez’s nightmare from compounding exponentially. “What’re you hearing from the scene?”

“Fairfax County SWAT is in place and prepared to go in, but they want you to try first. Ezra specifically asked to speak to you.”

“Any idea why?”

“The thinking is that he’s well aware of who you are as Gigi’s boss and now the first lady. He’s wanting attention from a high-profile officer.”

“Well, we’ll give it to him and hopefully talk him into letting his hostages go.” A memory of being held hostage herself, first by Clarence Reese and then by Lieutenant Stahl, made her break into a cold sweat. Reese had shot himself only feet away from her after a standoff in which she’d nearly talked him into handing over the gun before SWAT burst into the diner where she was being held. The situation with Stahl had been a lot worse for her, but she didn’t have the bandwidth to revisit that awful day.

Hostage situations were the worst, and she prayed for Gigi’s sake—and that of her family members—that they’d be able to peacefully resolve this one. Sam’s cell phone rang with a call from Nick.

“Hey, I know you’re pissed, but I got a life-or-death call—not my life or death—that I’ll tell you about later. Everything is fine, but I have to go.”

“This isn’t cool, Samantha.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

“See that you do.”

When he ended the call without telling her he loved her or to be careful, her anxiety spiked the way it did anytime they were at odds. As she pulled onto the street where Gigi’s mother lived, Sam had to stay focused on the task at hand before she dealt with the consequences waiting for her at home.

The street was full of public safety vehicles with red and blue lights flashing. She parked and pressed the button on the door to open the trunk. After retrieving her bulletproof vest, she donned it as she walked toward the epicenter of the activity.

Gonzo saw her coming and waved her over to where he was consulting with Fairfax County SWAT team members.