Page 23 of State of Retribution (First Family #9)

S urrounded by his closest advisers in his private office next to the Oval, Nick watched the live coverage of the rescue mission in Juneau that’d determine whether the people inside the building had survived the mudslide.

His emotions were all over the place after hearing that Sam had had yet another near miss on the job.

He’d prefer to be watching this alone, especially if the news was bad.

But Terry, Derek, Christina and Harry had asked to be with him, along with White House photographer Adrian Fenty, who’d record the moment for history.

Normally, Nick welcomed having his friends around, but he wasn’t himself at the moment. All he could think about was what it would feel like to hear that Sam had been killed in the line of duty.

And while he knew it was a masochistic exercise, it was one he indulged in after every close call.

Imagining the worst helped him prepare for the reality, should it ever occur, or that’s what he told himself, anyway.

He’d relaxed somewhat since she’d had the Secret Service detail, secure in their ability to protect the most important person in his life.

But today’s events had exposed vulnerabilities that would keep him awake at night for reasons that had nothing to do with his insomnia.

Those vulnerabilities fueled his nightmares.

This was the downside of loving someone so much that your very life and well-being depended upon her coming home in one piece at the end of every day.

Agent McFarland had nearly given his life for her today, and Nick would be forever grateful to him and Vernon and the others who worked so hard to keep her safe.

But the close call was yet another reminder that no system was foolproof.

“Nick?”

Terry’s voice stirred him out of his dark thoughts.

“They’re about to breach the door to the gym.”

Nick sat up straighter and took a sip from his glass of the bourbon he’d poured for himself and the others.

Christina had declined, due to her pregnancy, but she’d joked about wanting to sniff the bottle to calm her nerves as they waited to find out if close to three hundred and fifty people had survived or perished.

“I try to imagine what this must be like for the parents,” Derek said. “But I can’t go there.”

“It’s got to be unbearable,” Christina said.

The mud was so thick that cell phone signals couldn’t permeate it to connect with phones inside.

An entire structure had been constructed around the main doors to the gym to protect rescuers as they burrowed their way through mud that was twenty feet deep in places.

“Here we go,” Harry said as the tension in the room increased by the second.

Rescuers used a battering ram to open the door and enter the building.

Five endless minutes passed before they got the word: Everyone was alive.

His friends shouted their excitement, and Harry danced a jig with Christina, who was in tears.

“Thank God,” Derek said as they watched the first of the children rush through the door and into the waiting arms of euphoric parents.

Nick wept as he watched the reunions of children and parents, aware of Fenty recording his reaction and not caring that the whole world would see him in tears over the happy conclusion to a horrific incident.

Archie got the news about Sam’s agent being shot from Sergeant Walters.

He’d asked Walters to keep him in the loop about what was happening at work.

He was shocked and scared for his friend after hearing that someone had taken a shot at her days after the thwarted drone attack.

It was a relief to know the agent was expected to survive his injuries.

“Is everything okay?” Harlowe asked him.

She’d awakened from her nap while he checked his phone and saw the text from Walters.

“Yeah.”

“I can tell you’re upset about something. What is it?”

“Sam was shot at. A Secret Service agent was hit.”

“Oh no. Are they okay?”

“Sam is banged up. The agent was more seriously injured but is expected to survive.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I can’t believe someone would have the nerve to shoot at the first lady. It must be dangerous for her to do her job when everyone knows who she is.”

“It was always dangerous. It’s a thousand times more so now, but she’s determined to keep doing the work she loves while her husband is in office.”

“That’s admirable.”

“It is, but I worry about her.”

“You guys are close?”

“We’re friends.” He glanced at her and caught her watching him with eyes that seemed to see right through him. “Once upon a time, it was more than that, but that was brief.”

“Ah,” she said, smiling, “I see how it is.”

“We were never more than friends with benefits. She was hooked on the guy she’s now married to, although I didn’t know that at the time. I just knew she wasn’t available for anything more than what it was.”

“Is it hard to work with someone you used to be with?”

“Nah, we keep it real. We work together a lot, so there was no point in letting it get awkward. I consider her a good friend, and I know she feels the same about me. We both respect that the other is excellent at their job.”

“So you’re saying you’re excellent at your job?”

“It’s the one thing I’m truly good at. Sam would say the same thing about herself. It’s not just what we do. It’s who we are. We respect that in each other.”

“What exactly is it that you do?”

“My team investigates the digital side of cases—computers, phones, networks, video. That kind of thing.”

“How many people work for you?”

“Eighteen.”

“Wow. That’s impressive.”

“I guess. I could use twice as many, but thankfully, they’re all great and get the job done.”

“You must be missing a lot being out of work.”

“Nothing they can’t handle, and I’m talking to them. Don’t worry about that. I haven’t taken time off in years.”

“Why not?”

“Nothing better to do than work.”

Her brows did that adorable furrowing thing that he was becoming addicted to. “Well, that’s not good. Your life is out of balance.”

“Seriously out of balance.”

“You should do yoga. It helps to ground and center you.”

He turned up his nose.

She laughed. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”

“If you say so.”

“I say so. I’ll take you as soon as I feel better.”

“I may give it a shot if it means I get to hang out with you.”

The small smile gave him was a reminder of the connection they’d formed before she went missing.

His phone vibrated with a text from Erica. “Erica is on the way from the airport with your parents. Are you feeling up to seeing them?”

“I… I guess so. I should comb my hair.”

“Let me help you up.”

As she gripped the hands he offered, she grimaced from the pain after being still for so long. “Ugh, everything hurts.”

He wanted to do harm to the person or people who’d done this to her. He wanted them to experience every ounce of pain and discomfort that she was feeling. “Take it slow, sweetheart. There’s no rush.”

“I hate being so feeble.”

“You’re not feeble. You’re injured. Big difference. Your body is working hard to heal, and you’ll feel like your old self again very soon.”

“I don’t know who my old self was.”

“You’ll figure that out in due time. Don’t stress about it now. Just focus on resting and healing.”

“I’m scared of seeing my parents. I don’t know why.”

“Do you want me to tell them not to come?”

“No, I don’t think so. I should probably see them. But I’m scared.”

“I’ll be right there with you, and Erica will be, too. Nothing will harm you on my watch. I promise you that.”

She curled her hands around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. “You bring me so much comfort. I don’t understand that either. It’s just true.”

“That means a lot to me. I want to help you through this.”

“You are helping me. More than you know. When your memory is gone, finding someone you can trust is everything.”

“I’m honored to be the one you trust.”

At the door to the bathroom, she shocked the shit out of him when she went up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. As if she hadn’t just rocked his existence with one second of pure sweetness, she went into the room and closed the door.

Holy shit. A simple kiss to the cheek had completely undone him.

No other woman had ever gotten to him the way she did, and it’d been like that from the start.

He used to scoff when people said they took one look at another person and knew they were going to change their lives.

Until it happened to him at Joe and Deb’s party.

One look. One smile. One word. That’s all it had taken.

Every minute they’d spent together had been better than the one before.

Their conversation had flowed effortlessly.

They’d laughed, poked fun at each other, covered serious stuff and shared childhood memories.

So many details he wished he could remember now, but they’d melded into the background of their growing connection.

How he wished he’d sounded the alarm right away when she stopped responding to him. He’d always regret that he hadn’t.

The door opened, and there she was, her face glowing from whatever potion she’d used on it, the scent reminding him of when he first met her. She wore clothing that fit her and had captured her hair in a clip that put her lovely face on full display.

“How do I look?”

“You’re beautiful.”

She eyed him skeptically. “I did what I could to hide the bruises, but you can still see them.”

“You’re beautiful. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”

She rolled her eyes. “If you say so.”

He extended an arm to her. “I say so.”

She curled her hand around his arm and walked slowly with him back to the sofa.

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

“I could eat a little something, maybe.”

“Cheese, crackers, grapes?”

“That sounds yummy.”

“Coming right up.” He took her water glass with him to refill it and got her snack ready. In an effort to recapture some of their earlier silliness, he slung a dish towel over his arm and carried the glass and plate to the living room. “Madam, your snack.”