“No, Cam said quickly. Her voice stil became hoarse when she talked
for more than a few minutes, and swal owing was an exercise in
masochism. But she didnt want to remind Blair of the injuries shed
sustained during an armed confrontation that shed promised she wouldnt
take part in.
Abruptly, Blair stopped walking and stepped slightly away. “Why
do we constantly have to cover old ground? You know I can always tel
when youre trying to protect me from something.
Cam winced. “Sorry. Youre right. I need more practice at
disclosure.
“Apparently. Blair sighed. “I suppose we both do. Its just that the very
things I
love about you make me crazy,
too.
“Dit o. Cam laughed and then started to cough. It hurt, and she couldnt
hide it. The finger marks on her throat had faded, but the bruising
inside persisted. “Damn. The cold air is get ing to me.
“I told you not to come out here, Blair snapped. “Damn it, Cameron. She
hated
it when Cam hurt. She hated feeling helpless under any circumstances,
but it was worse when it was Cam and she couldnt do anything. She
picked up her pace. “Lets get you inside. Il make some tea or
something.
“Tea? Cam rasped, trying desperately not to laugh
again. Blairs glower could not hide her smile. “Wel
, something.
They climbed through the dunes toward the multi-level glass and wood
house where theyd been staying for the past few weeks, the two Secret
Service agents keeping pace behind them. Blair stif ened at the sight of
a woman hurrying down to meet them.
“Hi, Paula, she greeted her new chief of security. Paula Stark was an
athletic, dark haired, dark-eyed woman close to her own age. She had
proven herself capable of protecting Blair in dire circumstances more
than once, and Blair trusted her. More than that, she cared for her.
That kind of af ection probably wasnt wise; she was not supposed to
form personal at achments to her security agents. But Blair never did
anything simply because it was prudent. She spent more time with the
four members of her first team than she did with anyone else in her life,
and she couldnt help but care about them. Just the same, she
preferred not to see Paula right now. It could only mean one thing. Her
brief respite had come to an end. “Whats up?
“Your father wants to talk to you. Paula nodded to Cam.
“Commander.
“Chief, Cam said. Technical y, she wasnt the commander anymore,
since shed been replaced as Blairs chief of security by
Stark, but she couldnt seem to get any of the agents to stop cal ing her
that. She wanted to ask if there was a problem, but she was trying to
be respectful of Starks new position. Security chiefs were circumspect
by nature and rarely shared any more information than necessary
with anyone, including the protectees and their families. Especial y
with the protectees and their families.
Part of a security agents job was to make the lives of those they guarded
seem as normal as possible under the most abnormal of circumstances.
“Is my father al right? Blair asked as they reached the rear deck of the
house.
“I have no reason to think otherwise, Stark said in her of icial voice.
“Lucinda Washburn put the cal through. She said there was no urgency,
but the president would like to speak to you at your earliest
convenience.
Blair rol ed her eyes. At your earliest convenience was Lucinda-speak
for cal immediately. Lucinda Washburn was President Andrew Powel s
chief of staf , as wel as his lifelong friend and adviser. No one was
closer to him, not even Blair. Lucinda had helped him win the
governorship of Massachuset s, the vice presidency, and final y the
presidency. She was an astute politician and managed far more than
the day-to-day workings of the White House staf . If someone wanted
the ear of the president, they needed to court Lucinda Washburn first.
“Lucinda wants something. Blair glanced at Cam, who smiled rueful y.
Lucinda did not make social cal s. She also was not the presidents
secretary, which meant that she probably had an agenda of her own.
“Give me a few minutes to have a cup of cof ee, Paula, and then Il cal
her back.
“Il be in the command center. Paula kept her voice neutral and her
face expressionless. The makeshift command center was actual y part
of the first floor of the smal er guest house that sat partway between the
main house and the beach. Her scaled-down security team stayed there
when they were of shift. Right now there were only three other agents
with herGreg Wozinski, Patrice Hara, and Felicia Davis. There was
also one other inhabitant, her FBI agent lover Renée Savard, who was
recuperating from a bul et wound. She and Cam had sustained their
injuries during the same action. “Please cal me when youre ready, and
Il scramble a line for you.
Blair halted with her hand on the handle of the back door and regarded
Paula quizzical y. “Is something wrong?
“No
maam.
“Am I supposed to guess why you suddenly sound like an
android?
Paula smiled. “Sorry. I was asleep when the cal came in and I havent
had time to recharge my bat eries. Im running on auxiliary backup
packs.
“Ha ha. Come inside and have some cof ee,
then.
Paula checked in with a quick glance at Cam, who signaled for her to
fol ow them into the house.
“Im going to grab a quick shower, Cam said, heading in the direction
of the staircase leading to the second floor. “Be right down.
Blair led Paula through to the kitchen, while Patrice Hara took up a
position just inside the rear door and Greg Wozinski walked through
to the front of the house. “Hows Renée doing? she asked casual y as
she began to assemble the morning cof ee.
“Restless. Paula set led into a chair at the rectangular oak table in the
center of the room.
“Tel me about it. Blair turned on the automatic cof ee pot, put a ket le of
water on for tea, and sat down next to her. “Renée is just like
Camneither of them is happy unless theyre working. She touched
Paulas wrist lightly. “You should understand that. Youre al the same,
real y.
There had been a time when the slightest touch from Blair would have
made Paula blush. She could not believe that eight months had passed
since the few il -advised hours shed spent in the intimate company of
the first daughter. The lapse was one of a potential y career destroying
magnitude, and although she regret ed her irresponsible behavior, she
did not regret the private moments they had shared. Now, it seemed
like the interlude had taken place in another
lifetime, when she had been another woman. In the few scant months
since then, shed seen Cameron Roberts almost die, Blair narrowly
escape assassination, and the nation that the entire world had
considered unassailable become the victim of terrorism. She didnt
blush.
“I do understand. But the doctor said she needed another few days
before she could start walking, and the inactivity is wearing on her.
Blair knew the problem was more than just inactivity. Renée, along with
many of the New York based FBI and Secret Service field agents,
had been in the World Trade Center at the time the towers had
been hit. Shed seen the devastation and horror firsthand. “Its going to
take some time, Paula. Shel heal.
Paulas eyes revealed what she couldnt say. Wouldnt say, out of respect
for her lovers privacy. “I know.
“She has the one thing she needs most of al , Blair said
gently. “You.
“Oh, man, Paula said softly. “I hope thats enough. She wished she
could feel certain, but she feared that something in Renées soul had
been irreparably broken and neither time nor love would heal it.
Blair stood. “Trust me, it is. She set a mug of tea at an empty place for
Cam. “I
think right now the people we care about might be al that
matter.
“Iuhhow are you doing? Paula asked as Blair poured their cof
ees.
Everyone knew how private Blair was, and it wasnt real y her place
to ask personal questions. But since September 11, the world as they
knew it was gone and some of the old rules no longer seemed to apply.
Paula understood the necessity for viewing the subjects she protected as
critical y valuable individuals, while at the same time avoiding any
kind of personal involvement, even friendship. But theyd al been
through so much together that the usual professional detachment
seemed impossible, especial y when Blair had been the
object of a nearly successful assassination at empt in her own heavily-
fortified home. What was once considered inconceivable now fel within
the realm of the probable. It could happen again, and Paula had to see
that it didnt.
“Sometimes I stil cant believe that any of it real y happened, Blair said
quietly.
“I know. Paula took a deep breath. She was stil trying to understand her
new role as Blair s security chief and what the boundaries were. Most
of the time when she wasnt certain, she fol owed her heart. That
probably wasnt the way the commander did things, but she would never
be the commander. “We werent prepared for what happened in the
Aerie, but we wil be now. They failed, which just shows you how
good your security was, even against the unexpected. Now it wil be
even bet er because we know the game has changed.
The
game
has
changed.
Blair suppressed a shudder. Yes, the rules of engagement had
definitely changed, and she was an unwil ing player in a game
where the stakes were higher than shed ever imagined. She glanced
toward the door as Cam walked in. Her black hair was wet and slicked
back, making the sharp planes of her face stand out even more. Even
in a loose black T-shirt and blue jeans, her body looked taut and
fighting ready. Blair could tel from the set of her jaw that shed heard
the last part of the conversation; she had that intense, hard
expression she always got when the subject of Blairs vulnerability came
up.
“Im not worried. Blair said, “We have the winning
team.
Cam leaned down and brushed a kiss over her cheek, then regarded
the tea with a raised eyebrow. “Is that for me?
“Yes, Blair said with exaggerated seriousness. “And theres honey
on the counter. Put some in. It wil help your throat.
“I think cof ee wil do
fine.
“Cameron.
Blairs
eyes
glit ered
dangerously.
“But tea is probably bet er, Cam amended as she retrieved the jar of
honey. Paula watched the exchange with apparent interest, then looked
quickly away as
Cam gave her a pointed stare. She rose without finishing her cof ee. “Il
be in the
command
center.
“Wait, Paula. Blair kept her gaze on Cam, thinking how much she loved
going to sleep with her every night and waking up with her in the
morning and having her around during the day. Just being with her. Not
being guarded by her, not being worried over. Just being in her
company. But this week had been an anomaly, and they both knew it.
Softly, she said, “Ready?
Cam
nodded.
“Paula, Blair said. “I think we bet er make that
cal .
Chapter Two
I just sent a transport plane to Lexington for you. In her usual
rapid-fire fashion, Lucinda Washburn continued, “It should be there in
two hours. Come on over to the of ice when you get in.
“Hi, Luce, Blair said sarcastical y. “Hows your day
going?
“About the way theyve al been going for the last
month.
Blair was surprised by the weariness in Lucindas voice. She couldnt
remember ever seeing her tired. In fact, she wasnt certain shed ever
known Lucinda to actual y sleep. “Is everything al right?
“As al right as can be expected. A smal , impatient sigh filtered down
the phone line. “Come home. Wel talk.
Home. The White House would never feel like home to Blair, because it
wasnt, even though her father and Lucinda were there. True, she had
no other family home. Her father had sold the house she had grown up
in when her mother died. Blair was twelve at the time, and after
that she had lived in the governors mansion or whatever other
house came with her fathers political position. Lucinda had always
been like family. Shed been a close friend of both Blairs parents before
Blairs mother died, and shed been a constant figure in Blairs life ever
since. Not a mother figure, but strong and capable and comforting, for al
her demands. But Blairs home was her loft in Manhat an, and that
had been nearly destroyed in an at ack that had come at the same time as
the devastation at the World Trade Center. She didnt have a home now,
and the memories of terror and death chil ed her. She glanced at Cam,
who watched her pensively. Cam. Cam was home.
Blair pushed the images of loss away. “It wil take us a while to
arrange transportation to the airport.
“I can get State Troopers to escort
you.
“God, no, Blair said with barely suppressed horror. “Ive got al the
protection I
need. Just tel the pilot he may have to
wait.
“Al right then. Il see you this
afternoon.
Blair ended the cal and handed the phone back to Paula. “Were
leaving.
“Il let the teams know, Paula
said.
“Il cal Tanner and arrange for drivers. Cam hesitated, casting a