Page 154 of State of the Union (First Family 3)

In that massive, bustling airport, there was only her, only them. They stood there for the longest time, holding each other as people moved around them, grumbling about them blocking the corridor. He couldn’t care less if they were annoying others.

Eli finally pulled back to look down at her and was touched by the tears on her face that he brushed away. “You’re so tall!”

Laughing, she said, “I had a growth spurt.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“So are you, even more so than you were before.”

“I can’t believe you’re here. Tell me I’m not dreaming this.”

“If this is a dream, I’m going to be really pissed off when I wake up.”

Eli laughed and framed her face with his hands. He stared at her for a long, breathless moment before he kissed her. In deference to where they were, it was a soft, sweet kiss, but it was their first kiss in more than three years and perhaps the best kiss of his entire life. “I still love you,” he whispered when he pulled back from her.

“I still love you, too.”

He hugged her again, even tighter than the first time, wanting to weep with the sweet relief of having her back in his arms and his life. “Let’s go home.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

In preparation for Gonzo and Jeannie interviewing Shane Ramsey, Sam printed out photos of Ling Woo alive and dead. She lingered on the autopsy photo, filled with rage over what had been done to such a vibrant young woman. Maybe she would’ve been the one to cure cancer, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. So much promise snuffed out. Was it because Shane Ramsey couldn’t accept that she’d rejected him?

Sam wanted it to be that simple, but other things nagged at her. What was his connection to Kaitlyn, Audrey and Moira?

She put through a call to Kaitlyn. “This is Lieutenant Holland.”

“Oh. Hi. Is there news in my case?”

“Possibly. Do you know a guy named Shane Ramsey by any chance?”

After a pause, Kaitlyn said, “I don’t think so.”

“Would you mind if I sent you a photo of him?”

“Sure.”

“Give me your email.”

Sam sent the photo she’d pulled from Shane’s Instagram account with Archie’s help. And yes, she knew stuff like that was easy, and she ought to be able to do it herself, but whatever.

Kaitlyn gasped. “He works at the place where I get my oil changed. He flirted with me, but I didn’t encourage him and don’t know his last name.”

Sam’s backbone buzzed. “If we can make this case, I may need you to testify to him flirting with you and your lack of encouragement.”

“If it means he gets put away forever, sign me up.”

“I’ll be in touch.” Sam ended that call and dialed Wes’s number. “Did Audrey know a guy named Shane?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Where did she take her car when it needed service?”

“She had a place in Columbia Heights that she liked.”

More backbone buzzing. After confirming the address of the shop was the same place Ramsey worked, Sam said, “Did she ever mention anything about the shop that made her uncomfortable?”

“Not that I can… Wait. After the last time she went, she said she wasn’t going back there because a worker looked at her funny and gave her the creeps.”