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Oath Of hOnOr
Acclaim for Radcly
2010 RWA / FF&P Prism award winner
strong, must read novel that will linger in the minds of readers long
after the last page is turned.��
Foreword Review Book of the Year finalist and IPPY silver medalist
hands. The characters are hot, the sex scenes explicit and explosive,
and the book is moved along by an interesting plot with well drawn
secondary characters. The real star of this show is the attraction
between the two characters, both of whom resist and then fall head
over heels.��
Lambda Literary Finalist
�stories [that] are diverse in tone, style, and subject, making for
more variety than in many, similar anthologies�well written, each
containing a satisfying, surprising twist. Best Lesbian Romance series
editor Radclyffe has assembled a respectable crop of 17 authors for this
year�s offering.��
In Benjamin Franklin Award finalist
writes romance with such heart and her down-to-earth characters not
only come to life but leap off the page until you feel like you know
them. What Jenna and Gard feel for each other is not only a spark but
an inferno and, as a reader, you will be washed away in this tumultuous
romance until you can do nothing but succumb to it.��
2010 Prism award winner and ForeWord Review Book of the Year
Award finalist
worlds of these three women shimmer between reality and dreams�A
strong, must read novel that will linger in the minds of readers long
after the last page is turned.��
Lambda Literary Award winner
of steamy stories about women who just couldn�t wait. It�s sex when
desire overrides reason, and it�s incredibly hot!��
Lambda Literary Award winner
�weaves an intricate tapestry about passion and commitment between
lovers. The story explores the fragile nature of trust and the sanctuary
provided by loving relationships.��
Lambda Literary Award Finalist
written, fast-paced story with twists and turns and keeps us guessing
until the final explosive ending.��
Lambda Literary Award finalist
wonderful love scenes, which are both tender and hot.��
Applause for L.L. Raand�s
Midnight Hunters Series
�Raand has built a complex world inhabited by werewolves, vampires,
and other paranormal beings�Raand has given her readers a complex
plot filled with wonderful characters as well as insight into the hierarchy
of Sylvan�s pack and vampire clans. There are many plot twists and
turns, as well as erotic sex scenes in this riveting novel that keep the
pages flying until its satisfying conclusion.��
�Once again, I am amazed at the storytelling ability of L.L. Raand aka
Radclyffe. In
that will leave you squirming in your seat with an impeccable multi-
character storyline all streaming together to form one great read.�
�
�
some truly erotic sex scenes, the story always takes precedence. This is
a great read which is not easily put down nor easily forgotten.��
�Are you sick of the same old hetero vampire / werewolf story plastered
in every bookstore and at every movie theater? Well, I�ve got the
cure to your werewolf fever.
hope is, a long-running series of fantasy erotica for L.L. Raand (aka
Radclyffe).��
�Any reader familiar with Radclyffe�s writing will recognize the
author�s style within
most definitely a new direction. The author delivers an excellent
story here, one that is engrossing from the very beginning. Raand has
pieced together an intricate world, and provided just enough details for
the reader to become enmeshed in the new world. The action moves
quickly throughout the book and it�s hard to put down.��
By Radcly
Romances
Innocent Hearts
Fated Love
Promising Hearts
Turn Back Time
Love�s Melody Lost
When Dreams Tremble
Love�s Tender Warriors
The Lonely Hearts Club
Tomorrow�s Promise
Night Call
Love�s Masquerade
Secrets in the Stone
shadowland
Desire by Starlight
Passion�s Bright Fury
Honor Series
Justice Series
Above All, Honor
A Matter of Trust (prequel)
Honor Bound
Shield of Justice
Love & Honor
In Pursuit of Justice
Honor Guards
Justice in the Shadows
Honor Reclaimed
Justice Served
Honor Under Siege
Justice for All
Word of Honor
The Provincetown Tales
Safe Harbor
Winds of Fortune
Beyond the Breakwater
Returning Tides
Distant Shores, Silent Thunder
Sheltering Dunes
Storms of Change
First Responders Novels
Trauma Alert
Firestorm
Oath of Honor
Short Fiction
Erotic Interludes:
Erotic Interludes 2:
Erotic Interludes 3:
Erotic Interludes 4:
Erotic Interludes 5:
Romantic Interludes 1:
Romantic Interludes 2:
Breathless:
Women of the Dark Streets
By L.L. Raand
Midnight Hunters
The Midnight Hunt
Blood Hunt
Night Hunt
Visit us at www.boldstrokesbooks.com
Oath Of hOnOr
RADCLY
2012
oath of honor
� 2012 By Radclyffe. all Rights ReseRved.
isBN 13: 978-1-60282-712-7
This ElEcTronic Book is PuBlishEd By
Bold sTrokEs Books, inc.
P.o. Box 249
VallEy Falls, ny 12185
FirsT EdiTion: July 2012
This is a Work oF FicTion. naMEs, characTErs, PlacEs, and
incidEnTs arE ThE ProducT oF ThE auThor�s iMaGinaTion or
arE usEd FicTiTiously. any rEsEMBlancE To acTual PErsons,
liVinG or dEad, BusinEss EsTaBlishMEnTs, EVEnTs, or localEs
is EnTirEly coincidEnTal.
This Book, or ParTs ThErEoF, May noT BE rEProducEd in any
ForM WiThouT PErMission.
cRedits
EdiTors: ruTh sTErnGlanTz and sTacia sEaMan
ProducTion dEsiGn: sTacia sEaMan
coVEr dEsiGn By shEri (GraPhicarTisT2020@hoTMail.coM)
Acknowledgments
Some characters live on in the back of an author�s mind, waiting for the
right story to come along in which to make an appearance. The First
Responders series is a group of stories linked by the theme of featuring
those who serve on the �front lines�: firefighters, law enforcement
agents, medics, soldiers, environmental engineers, and many others.
When I conceived of the idea of writing about the First Doctor, the
physician assigned to the president of the United States, I instantly
thought of the characters I had created in the Honor series as natural
cast members, and thus this crossover novel was born. This is a stand-
alone spin-off from the Honor series, with a new central main pairing,
but I think those of you who know the Honor series will be happy to see
a few old friends. Old friends or new, I hope you enjoy!
Thanks go to Sandy Lowe, for shouldering a gargantuan task with
energy, enthusiasm, and remarkable calm; to author Nell Stark for close
reading and expert advice; to Ruth Sternglantz for editing with insight
and dedication; to Stacia Seaman, for being the one I count on in the
final stretch; and to my first readers Connie, Eva, Jenny, and Paula for
reading the early drafts and never failing to encourage.
Sheri shines, and the covers are always proof of that. Thanks for a great
one.
And to Lee, who never falters�
Radclyffe, 2012
chapter One
Wes glanced at her watch as she turned off the coast road onto
the narrow causeway leading to Whitley Island. 1142. With
luck, she wouldn�t be late. Luck wasn�t something she usually relied on.
She believed in schedules and ran her life by the clock. Unfortunately,
death had a way of interrupting even the most finely tuned schedules.
Until thirty-six hours ago, she�d been looking forward to spending
her upcoming annual leave with her mother and sisters over Christmas,
not dealing with a new job, no place to live, and no idea of what the
next day would bring. She definitely hadn�t planned on attending the
wedding of the year.
All that had changed when she�d gotten a call informing her she
was at the top of a very short list for a job most people in the navy,
let alone the nation, had never even heard of. The anonymity of the
position didn�t bother her�in fact, she preferred working alone and
was happy contributing behind the scenes. The next rung in her planned
career ladder had been a professorship at the Uniformed Services
University where she was stationed. She�d joined the navy because
she�d needed the scholarship to go to medical school, and while she
liked the structure, she was an academic at heart. She wanted to teach,
take care of her patients, and let others wage war. She hadn�t been sure
she wanted a job that was going to throw her into close contact with the
most powerful people in the world on a daily basis. She�d asked for a
day to think it over�they�d given her four hours.
Heading into an unknown situation without the proper preparation
made her wary. Order, discipline, and perseverance had brought her
� 13 �
RADCLY
from her working-class neighborhood in South Philadelphia to the
United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and finally to the National
Military Medical Center in Bethesda. Knowing what she faced�in the
ER, in the field, in life�kept her cool and in control. If she never relied
on anyone or anything to run interference for her, she had no one to
hold accountable for the outcome except herself.
She�d called her best friend Emory for advice�not just because
she�d known Emory since they�d shared a cadaver at Penn, but because
Emory knew intimately the landscape and the people Wes would be
spending every moment of her life with for the next year, or maybe the
next five.
�Are you kidding, Wes?� Emory had said when Wes reached her
en route to the island. �It�s an amazing opportunity. God, you�ll have
a front-and-center for events that might change the future of the whole
world. And you�ll be doing what you�re trained to do.�
�But I�m a teacher, not a clinician,� she�d protested.
�Uh, excuse me�don�t you teach trauma care to military medical
personnel?�
�Yes, but��
�And didn�t you spend ten months supervising a field hospital��
�Yes, but��
�And��
�Emory,� Wes said patiently, �I suck at politics.�
�Huh.� Emory fell silent for a moment. �This is true.�
�So��
�Should I mention honor and duty and��
Wes sighed. �No. I already considered that.�
�And?�
And she�d said yes to this new job because to do otherwise
seemed impossible. She�d rarely been faced with impossible decisions,
and she wasn�t sure yet how she felt about a situation she didn�t
control. Nevertheless, she�d called her boss, Rear Admiral Cal Wright,
and said she was honored to accept, and he�d passed the word up the
chain of command. Her final security interview wasn�t scheduled until
tomorrow, but she�d been told to liaise with her new unit today. Several
teleconferenced interviews and a lot of rushed paperwork later, here
she was.
Short of any more surprises, she�d be moving her hastily packed
� 14 �
belongings to a government-provided apartment within walking
distance of the White House as soon as she could arrange movers. Until
then, she�d be in a hotel. She was used to moving at short notice, but
she usually knew what she faced.
1155. In five minutes, she�d find out.
She slowed her rental car as a red pickup truck pulling a battered
fishing boat on a rickety trailer edged onto the narrow two-lane in front
of her. She could just make out a hard-packed-dirt boat ramp half-hidden
in a narrow strip of pines separating the winding coast road from the
pristine shore on the ocean side of the island. The pickup headed in the
opposite direction, probably bound for the huge marina she�d passed
a half mile back. The marina boatslips, marine offices, and waterside
cabins that ringed a narrow-necked inlet were the only commercial
development she�d seen since leaving the mainland.
Mentally she ran down the stats she�d received by e-mail that
morning. Whitley Island was privately owned and home to one of the
largest private military contractors in the nation. Tanner Whitley had
inherited Whitley Industries on the death of her father over a decade
before, and she�d expanded into government security as American
geopolitics exploded globally. Personal info on Whitley was scant.
She lived with a female naval officer, and from what Wes had seen
of the island, industrialization had not followed Tanner Whitley home.
The few visible private residences were separated by large tracts of
untouched evergreen forests and set well back from the undulating
shoreline along the Atlantic. The place was wild and beautiful, even
snow-covered and frozen under the December winter.
As she�d been driving, the already scant signs of habitation
gradually disappeared. When she reached the northern end of the island,
the narrow road ended in a cul-de-sac bordering a wooded property.
The drive leading up to a pair of closed ten-foot-high wrought-iron
gates set into a natural stone wall was congested with signs of high-
level security. Unmarked black SUVs with smoked windows lined the
turnaround. A man and a woman, both in dark suits, monochromatic
shirts, and dark glasses, stood side by side in front of the gates.
Squiggly radio feeds running from behind their left ears and
steely expressions pegged them as security. The discreet lapel pins,
conservative suits, and all-American good looks said federal agents.
These weren�t rent-a-cops or gun-for-hire mercenaries. The man was
� 15 �
RADCLY
six foot four and on the lean side. Wes would have pegged him for
a runner, except the broad shoulders and solid thighs that stretched
his not-off-the-rack suit said serious weight training. The woman was
maybe five-six or seven and looked toned and fit, but next to him, she
looked downright delicate. Wes doubted she was. Her tailored jacket
and pants, crisp white opened-collared shirt, and low-heeled black
boots screamed style while being completely functional. Definitely
professionals. Considering the event�Secret Service.
Neither of them moved as Wes parked behind a long line of
empty vehicles, exited, and walked toward them, but she knew they
were following her every step. She couldn�t see their eyes behind the
unnecessary shades. The sky was blanketed in a thick cover of gray
clouds, and she doubted either of them had any trouble seeing in the
flat midday light. Being able to observe without being observed was a
power play. It probably worked on civilians.
�I�m Captain Wesley Masters,� she said when she stopped a few
feet away from them, stating the obvious, as the insignia on her dress
blues, visible under her open topcoat, clearly indicated her rank. �I�m
here to liaise with the Medical Unit.�
�We know all the members of the WHMU,� the woman said in
a surprisingly full, smooth alto. No intonation. Not aggressive, not
challenging, not interested. Just the facts, thank you, ma�am. �You�re
not on it.�
Up close, Wes could see that what she had taken for glossy dark
hair was actually a deep burgundy�as if the midnight sky was flaming.
Barely tamed curls fell to below the crisp white collar and fanned
artfully around what appeared to be a sharply drawn but distinctive
face. She�d put the eyes at blue on a guess, but the opaque shades made
it impossible to tell. The agent had a body under those clothes, despite
the suit being cut, intentionally Wes would bet, to blunt her figure. The
tailored lines couldn�t hide the curves of her breasts and thighs�she
was fit and flinty and quite attractively female. The guy with her still
hadn�t said anything. The redhead was in charge.
�Your intel is out-of-date, then,� Wes said, and the agent stiffened
perceptibly. �You might want to check with your boss.� She turned her
wrist slightly. 1159. One minute. �If you could do that promptly, I�d
appreciate it.�
� 16 �
One perfectly sculpted brow arched above the flat rim of the dark
shades. �ID, please.�
Wes slid her hand into the pocket of her topcoat and handed over
her military ID card. She smiled. �Here you are.�
The male agent�s lips lifted in a faint smile. The woman�s face
remained blank. Beautiful and remote. Wes waited while the agent
spoke softly into her wrist mic. A few seconds later, the agent held out
her ID.
�You�re cleared to enter, Captain.�
The man turned to open the gate. Wes slid her ID back into her
pocket. �Thank you, Agent��
�Daniels, ma�am,� Agent Daniels said formally. �An agent will
meet you just inside the gate to escort you.�
�Thank you,� Wes said. �I�m sure I can find��
�It�s protocol. Captain.�
�Understood.� Wes stepped through the gates and they swung
closed behind her. She had a lot to learn, and she was out of her element
on every level. Hopefully the WHMU personnel would be a little more
welcoming than Agent Daniels.
v
�She the one?� Gary Brown asked as the gates swung closed
behind the naval officer.
�Looks like it.� Evyn scanned the approach road and the dense
underbrush growing right up to the shoulders. The advance team had
been on-site for four days and had locked down the north half of the
island. Fire roads and beach-access lanes that might provide curious
onlookers and those with more serious agendas a way to get close
to Whitley Manor had been barricaded and were being patrolled by
agents, on foot and ATV. A two-mile no-fly zone had been established
around the island. As protective details went, this one was fairly close to
ideal. One access road, no surrounding buildings with line of sight, and
the only other approach by sea. They had the Coast Guard patrolling
that. There was even an expansive lawn big enough and clear enough
to accommodate Marine One, so no motorcade route to secure. The
nearest hospital was a short helo ride away. All in all, today looked
� 17 �
RADCLY
routine, but that wasn�t a word in her vocabulary. Complacency bred
error. And she didn�t make mistakes.
�That was pretty fast,� Gary said. �Getting her on board.
O�Shaughnessy hasn�t even been dead two days.�
�It�s not like they could leave the spot open,� Evyn said darkly.
Except why the hell the powers that be had gone outside to bring
in a complete novice was beyond her. They already had a field-
tested, experienced battle surgeon who could have stepped into
O�Shaughnessy�s shoes without a ripple in routine. Instead, they
dropped an unknown into their lap. Hell, they hadn�t even been briefed
she was going to show up today.
�Is Pete pissed he got passed over?� Gary asked.
�You know Pete. He�s a team player. But that job should�ve been
his.� Evyn could be mad for Pete if he wasn�t going to be mad for
himself. After all, that�s what friends were for, and even though they�d
only worked together two years, they were tight. They shared a near-
maniacal need to win at everything, which had been obvious the first
time they�d played cards on an overnight flight to some now-forgotten
destination. She came by her competitiveness growing up in a family of
super-achievers, he by being the first American-born child in a family
of immigrants. Pete had to be disappointed he didn�t get the job, but he
didn�t let on. So she�d be disappointed and pissed off for him. �Who
knows what strings got pulled? It�s a political appointment�probably
someone somewhere knows someone who owed somebody a favor.�
�Happens all the time on the Beltway,� Gary said.
�Yeah, I know.� She rarely paid attention to politics�who had
time? And if this appointment hadn�t affected her so personally and her
job so intimately, she wouldn�t have cared.
�Younger than I thought she�d be,� Gary commented casually.
�Kind of�interesting.�
Evyn didn�t react to his not-so-subtle probing. Hell. She
couldn�t argue. The captain was younger�and way hotter�than
O�Shaughnessy. She still couldn�t take in that O�Shaughnessy was
dead. He�d only been in his early fifties and a good-looking fifty, still
fit and trim. Ran five miles every day. Didn�t smoke, hardly drank.
Who would have expected him to drop dead in the gym? She�d figured
his replacement would be closer to his age, not almost two decades
younger, like Captain Wesley Masters. The navy doctor was a lot
� 18 �
more than interesting too. She was five feet ten inches or so of sinewy
grace, capped off by golden brown hair shot through with sunlight
and wheat and cut a bit rough-and-tumble around her face and throat.
The effect was a little casual and a lot sexy. And her eyes, even on a
gray, overcast day, were heather green. Spring-kissed. Gorgeous. Evyn
grimaced. She�d rather have to dislike someone who wasn�t so damn
good looking, but she�d manage.
�You know,� Gary said, �it�s probably not her fault she got tapped
for the post.�
�Never said it was,� Evyn said sharply. Of course Gary would
pick up on the slightest sign of attraction�the guy was a sponge when
it came to reading people. Never missed anything. She had to stay
on her toes all the time or he�d be watching the X-rated fantasies she
occasionally played in her head to pass the time standing post.
�Just saying,� he went on, �since we have to work together and
all. Might be smart to play nice.�
�You don�t have to worry about that. I can work with her just fine.
As long as no one expects us all to be one big happy family.�
�Kind of works better when we are, considering��
Evyn folded her arms across her chest and made another visual
sweep of the area. �Then they should have given Pete the job. After all,
he earned it.�
v
The Secret Service agent who escorted Wes to the building was
silent as they strode up the meandering flagstone walkway between
snow-filled sunken pools. The manor house rose suddenly from the
late-morning mist, a sweeping three-story stone edifice sitting high
above cascading dunes that fell away to the ocean�s edge. A white-
pillared wraparound veranda, which she imagined was the perfect place
for summer entertaining, was empty now except for security posted
at regular intervals along its perimeter. The muted rumble of voices
carried through the carved wooden front doors as the agent opened
them for her.
�Thank you,� Wes said, stepping inside.
A white-jacketed valet appeared instantly at her side. �May I take
your coat, Captain?�
� 19 �
RADCLY
She shrugged out of it, said, �Yes, thank you,� and handed it
over.She continued down a wide hallway, following the murmur of
conversation into a great room with soaring ceilings and one entire
wall of glass that afforded a view of the island and ocean. The sliding
glass doors to the veranda were closed now, but in the summer the sea
breezes would fill the space. She glanced around, taking stock of the
guests. She was surprised to see�or rather,
in attendance. Some of the quietly milling crowd was in uniform, but
many wore civilian clothes. She didn�t know much about the president�s
daughter, other than what most of the world knew�Blair Powell had
been by her father�s side on the campaign trail and, since his election,
often stood in for him at political events where an official presence
was required but the president himself was not needed. Blair was the
unofficial first lady of the nation, and the nation loved her.
She was also a lesbian, and today was her wedding day.
� 20 �
chapter twO
Blair stepped into the hall with her father just as Cam and Cam�s
mother came out of the room opposite. Cam looked even
more handsome than ever�which was saying a lot. Blair�s stomach
tightened as their eyes met. She�d seen Cam just the night before when
they�d had a late-night supper with Tanner and Adrienne at Whitley
Manor. She and Cam had slept apart the night before the wedding,
agreeing the tradition added to the specialness of the occasion. Twelve
hours or twelve days made no difference�every time they met after
being apart, she was struck with the force of their connection. The air
around her came alive and her heart beat faster. Cam�s gaze held hers
for an instant, as firmly and certainly as a caress, before moving to her
father.�Sir.� Cam nodded to the president.
Blair�s father said, �Morning, Cameron,� and moved a few feet
away to greet Cam�s mother.
�Hello, darling,� Blair said softly, sliding her hand down Cam�s
arm to clasp her fingers. They were warm and strong, fitting hers
perfectly. Like Cam.
�Hi, baby,� Cam murmured, stepping close.
�Any second thoughts?� Blair asked playfully, but some tiny part
of her was still amazed Cam wanted her, body and soul, forever. Her
head might have little niggling insecurities. But her heart never did.
Cam always made her feel completely and totally loved.
�Not a one.� Cam answered with absolute conviction and gave
her a look that said she wanted to kiss her. For a fleeting second, Blair
� 21 �
RADCLY
wondered if it wasn�t too late to elope. When Cam got that smoky look
in her eyes, all Blair wanted was Cam inside her. She supposed there
was no way off the island without being noticed, though, and tried
not to sigh in frustration. Cam�s eyes sparkled with amusement and a
promise. Blair smiled. Cam knew her too well.
�Okay�it was just a passing thought,� Blair said. �I really am
looking forward to this.�
�You look beautiful.� Cam lifted her hand to kiss her fingers.
�So do you.� Blair was surprised to hear her voice shaking. The
wedding was important for a lot of reasons, not all of them personal.
She loved Cam and wanted to say so to the whole world. She wanted
to wear Cam�s ring and put hers on Cam�s hand. But more was at stake
today than just their private celebration. Even today, she was not just
any woman. All her life she�d been her father�s daughter, and she
wouldn�t change that no matter how hard the public scrutiny had been
at times or how often she�d chafed under the restrictions. He was the
president of the United States and his daughter was about to marry
another woman�with his blessing. Their wedding was historic. Blair
squeezed Cam�s hand, putting everything but Cam from her mind. �Just
to be clear, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.�
�I�m yours, forever. Count on it.�
�I do.�
�I do too,� Cam said.
�I�ll see you downstairs, then, and we can say it again for the
whole world to hear.� Blair released Cam�s hand and rejoined her
father. �Ready, Daddy?�
�Absolutely,� her father said.
Blair glanced back at Cam and raised her brow. �Commander?�
�Anything you say, Ms. Powell,� Cam called after her.
Her steps as light as her heart, Blair laughed.
v
�Wes!�
Wes spun around, caught sight of Emory Constantine hurrying
toward her, and opened her arms. �Hi, Em.�
�Hi yourself!� Emory�s arms went around her neck and warm lips
brushed her cheek. Emory hugged her hard.
� 22 �
�It�s great to see you,� Wes said gruffly, her throat tightening.
Why was it so hard to keep in touch with the most important people
in her life? She hadn�t seen Emory for months, about as long as it had
been since she�d been home. She missed Emory like family. Emory
respected, people she talked with every day. But no one she shared
with. Emory, and her mother and her sisters, were the ones she trusted.
�You look beautiful.�
Wes stepped back, keeping Emory�s hands in hers. Emory�s
shimmering blue dress brought out the highlights in her dark eyes and
glossy shoulder-length black hair. She was, as always, utterly stunning
while radiating complete confidence and self-assurance. Some people
probably thought her ease, even when surrounded by some of the
most influential people in the world, came from being lauded on the
covers of
Emory had been certain about everything as long as Wes had known
her. Emory never lost sight of what she wanted, where she was headed,
what she would accomplish. Wes loved her single-mindedness and total
confidence. Emory had always said the same thing about her, but Wes
suspected she only looked self-assured on the outside as a result of her
height and her athletic build and the lessons she�d learned early in life�
never show fear, never show weakness, and never, ever be ashamed of
who she was. Poverty had a way of creating dignity; at least it had in
her house. But she knew it was camouflage. Even all these years later,
she still wondered where she fit in the world and was always aware of
what she had to do to secure her place. Her work was her lifeline�her
security and her satisfaction.
Emory brushed her hand over the fruit salad above Wes�s heart, her
fingertips making the ribbons and medals sway against the immaculate
blue material a shade darker than Emory�s dress. �Look who�s talking.
You�re downright dashing in this uniform, Captain. I fear I might
swoon.�
Wes laughed, and a sandy-haired, sharp-eyed woman in a dark
suit and coffee-colored shirt coughed discreetly at Emory�s elbow, her
body language possessive without being proprietary. �I�m standing
right here, babe.�
Emory�s face lit up with an expression Wes had never seen there
before. Pure joy. Emory grabbed the lanky newcomer around the waist
� 23 �
RADCLY
and pulled her close. �Wes, this is Dana. She�s my��Emory glanced at
Dana, an eyebrow raised��fianc�e?�
Dana laughed, a deep throaty chuckle. �Proposal accepted.� She
held out her hand to Wes. �Dana Barnett. I�m with Emory.�
�Yes,� Wes said. �I believe I�ve heard your name mentioned a
time or two�hundred.�
Dana grinned. �Same.�
�Wes,� Emory said, �I didn�t expect to see you here. I thought you
had interviews and all that.�
�Circumstances are a little pressured,� Wes said obliquely. Emory
was her best friend, but her new job demanded discretion of the highest
order. �Things are moving a bit faster than normal.�
Emory�s expression grew somber. �I was so sorry to hear about
Leonard. What a tragedy.�
�It was.� Wes hadn�t known Leonard O�Shaughnessy personally,
but even though she dealt with death on a daily basis, sometimes the
seeming unfairness of life defied rationalization. A sudden twist of fate
could send so many lives, including her own, careening down paths
never anticipated. She shook off the cloud of sadness. �My orders were
to report promptly, so��
Emory laughed. �Do they have any idea who they appointed? Dr.
Punctuality herself.�
�Probably not,� Wes said, hoping someone somewhere had
actually looked at her file, or this might be a very short posting.
�Well, it�s wonderful to see you, and now that you�ll be�� Emory
broke off as a hushed �Oh!� escaped the crowd.
Wes followed her gaze. At the far end of the room, the wedding
party descended the stairs. Oddly, no cameras flashed.
She�d been to a lot of weddings, including some extraordinarily
elaborate ones. She would�ve expected the wedding of the daughter
of the president of the United States to be a State affair. But then she
thought about Blair Powell�despite her well-known public persona,
there was very little about her private life in the public domain. Blair
rarely gave interviews and avoided media glitz and paparazzi. Her
romantic relationship with Cameron Roberts had created quite a bit of
controversy in the national media news, but Blair had had very little to
say other than to acknowledge the truth of the rumors. She might be
� 24 �
the public face of the presidential family, but her personal life was a
mystery.
The gathering today was small, considering the importance of the
event, and Wes bet everyone there, with the exception of security, was
a personal friend of the first family or Cameron Roberts�s family. There
were few foreign dignitaries, no Hollywood stars, no political pundits.
Only ordinary people gathered to celebrate the special day of someone
they loved.
For a moment, Wes felt like an intruder. She was used to
boundaries�clear, solid ones. She was about to witness an extremely
personal moment in the lives of strangers, without even the excuse of
professional involvement to excuse her presence. Then she recognized
a face at the far side of the room from the briefing documents she�d
been given earlier. Dr. Peter Chang, the acting head of the White House
Medical Unit. A bulky black leather bag sat by his right leg�a bag
that carried a defibrillator, emergency resuscitation equipment, surgical
instruments, and drugs. This gathering might appear to be an ordinary
wedding, but it wasn�t. Nothing about any event with the president in
attendance was ordinary.
Chang was present along with a flight nurse and a physician�s
assistant to ensure the safety and welfare of the president of the United
States�the duty Wes would be assuming within a matter of days. As
the chief of the White House Medical Unit�her new posting�her
charge was to ensure the health and welfare of every employee, visitor,
and dignitary within the White House and grounds. But above all, her
number one responsibility was to the president of the United States. In
a crisis situation, he was her only patient, earning her the title of First
Doctor of the United States. She�d have to get used to witnessing private
moments as well as world-changing ones, since she would never be far
from his side again. Where he went, she went.
Right now, President Andrew Powell looked like every other
proud father she�d ever witnessed. He wore a dark blue suit, snowy
white shirt, and red tie. His face still held a hint of summer tan, and his
thick blond hair made him appear younger than his fifty years. Blair,
her arm linked with her father�s as they descended the staircase, had
the same midnight blue eyes, although her hair was a deeper gold.
Her full-length cream-colored dress, with its square-cut bodice and
� 25 �
RADCLY
figure-hugging design, accentuated her svelte, athletic body. Her arms
were sleek and muscular, her carriage confident and graceful. She was
beautiful. Cameron Roberts was just behind her, holding the hand of
a beautiful woman who looked very much like her. Marcea Casells,
Roberts�s mother. Roberts�tall, thick black hair brushed back from her
face, intense charcoal eyes�was dressed formally in a gray morning
coat, silver-gray pleated tuxedo shirt, and dark trousers with a satin
stripe down the side. Her gaze followed Blair as if no one else was in
the room.
At the bottom of the staircase, Blair and her father turned toward
an area ringed with arrangements of wildflowers and white roses in
front of the glass doors opening out onto the veranda. An army chaplain
awaited them. The president moved a few steps away from his daughter,
allowing Cameron Roberts to take her place by Blair�s side. The guests
filled the seats set up in one half of the room.
Wes made her way around the perimeter toward Peter Chang. She
wasn�t officially the head of the medical unit yet. Until her final security
clearance, she was in limbo. She hadn�t felt quite so displaced since the
day her mother met her at the bus stop after school one late June day
when she was eight and said they were moving in with her grandmother.
They couldn�t afford to live in the house she�d grown up in any longer.
Wes pushed the uneasy feeling aside. She wasn�t eight anymore, and
she had learned since then that destiny was hers to determine.
Chang nodded to her when she stepped up beside him. He�d
obviously been briefed too, but there was no time for conversation. The
chaplain�s deep voice filled the room.
The president�s daughter and Cameron Roberts faced each other,
hands lightly clasped, eyes locked.
A willowy blonde stepped to Blair�s side, and Blair lifted a
� 26 �
gleaming gold band from her palm. She lifted Cam�s left hand and slid
the ring securely on her third finger.
Cameron Roberts�s gaze never wavered from Blair�s face, her
voice ringing strong and clear.
Roberts accepted the matching ring from a young dark-haired
woman who leaned on a plain wood cane, and slipped it onto Blair�s
finger.
An anticipatory breath shuddered through the crowd. Six
uniformed officers, the Guard of Honor, stepped in sync to form a path
from the proceedings area, facing one another in a line, white-gloved
hands on shining saber hilts.
The three male and three female officers drew their swords with
a slick of steel, their blades raised and touching to form the Arch of
Sabers.
The couple kissed, the crowd clapped, and Wes turned to Peter
Chang.
�I guess you know who I am.�
Chang held out his hand. �Welcome to the hot zone, Captain.�
� 27 �
RADCLY
chapter three
didn�t think Dr. Peter Chang was using it in the usual medical
sense, meaning an area of contamination�typically bacterial or viral
or chemical. In combat, the term referred to the region under fire. When
teaching battlefield evacuation, Wes stressed that the hot zone was the
area where the injured were still in the line of fire, and those charged to
secure their safety would be too. Working in the hot zone was a way of
life for a battlefield surgeon, and though her career path had been one
of teaching, she�d done her tour at the front.
She hadn�t had much time to think about the tactical aspects of her
new job, and she wasn�t sure who she should talk to about the specifics.
One thing any team leader learned quickly was to keep their inexperience
to themselves. She wasn�t too proud to ask for help when she needed to
know something, but she didn�t plan to walk into her first day on the job
acting like a rookie, either. No one needed to explain the critical nature
of her assignment; she had only to look around the room. The president
of the United States, his chief of staff, his military liaison, his daughter,
her newly wedded partner, several ranking members of the cabinet, at
least one member of the Joint Chiefs, the national security advisor, and
the president�s security chief were all gathered in one room. A strike
against this location would effectively paralyze the government of the
most powerful nation in the world. It wasn�t her job to worry about the
security of the nation, only the health, welfare, and safety of its leader.
Right now, that leader was dancing with his daughter, as any
father of the bride would. Ushers and valets in crisp white jackets and
black tuxedo pants had magically secreted the chairs somewhere out
� 28 �
of sight. A four-piece band had set up adjacent to where the vows had
been exchanged and was playing soft jazz. Waiters passed through the
crowd with flutes of champagne on silver trays. The atmosphere was
boisterous and relaxed. Wes didn�t feel relaxed.
She might not have officially begun her duty, but she was all but
signed-on-the-dotted-line, making every individual in this room her
responsibility whether she carried the black field-trauma bag today or
not. She wasn�t here to socialize. She wasn�t exactly sure why she was
here, but as long as she was, she intended to work if necessary.
�What�s the evacuation route to the nearest medical facility?� she
asked Peter.
�There�s a EC145 Eurocopter standing by. The closest level one
trauma center is about a twenty-minute ride.�
�Who flies it?�
�One of the marine pilots out of Andrews. He and our flight nurse
are in the building.�
�And you�re in charge today?�
�Yes. We draw up the duty roster monthly, depending upon
POTUS�s itinerary and events scheduled at the House.� Peter�s
expression grew somber. �Len was supposed to have this detail.�
She wondered if Chang and the previous medical chief had been
close friends, although their personal relationship didn�t really matter.
The death of a colleague, especially someone you worked with every
day, was painful, and no words of sympathy were ever adequate. �I was
sorry to hear of his death.�
Peter nodded, watching the crowd. �Yeah. We all were.�
�I�ve seen the team roster.� Wes had been provided dossiers on
all the members of the team�three docs, three flight nurses, three
PAs. Not a huge group considering they covered the clinic for White
House staffers, visitors, and guests, oversaw routine and urgent care
for the president�s and vice president�s families,
president on all scheduled and OTR trips. �That makes for some pretty
intense scheduling.�
�It can get hectic.�
�We can pull personnel from Bethesda if we need to?�
Peter shifted slightly and met her gaze. �You can do pretty much
anything you want to do, Captain. It�s your show.�
She searched his eyes, looking for resentment or resistance or
� 29 �
RADCLY
challenge. He was in his late thirties, about her height, clean-shaven
with a wiry build, and dressed in a navy suit, a plain pale blue shirt, and
a thin black tie. His straight, glossy dark hair was precisely parted on
the right side, and a thick shock fell over his forehead. His eyes were
chocolate brown, steady and calm. Understated, composed, with a hint
of reserve�he didn�t know her, and she was now his boss. She�d need
his cooperation, if not assistance, to make the transition a smooth one
and to ensure the team continued to function at top efficiency. Too much
was at stake for anything less. Taking a chance that professionalism
would trump personal issues, she exposed her underbelly. �Who do I
answer to, unofficially?�
The guy whose job she�d probably taken smiled. �Pretty much no
one, except the president�s chief of staff. Lucinda Washburn runs his
schedule, which means she runs pretty much everything. If you need
something that affects the president, ask her. Next in line is the head of
his personal protection detail, Tom Turner.� Peter scanned the room.
�He�s around here somewhere�tall, thin African American, about
forty. He�ll provide our weekly itinerary and general assignments,
updated every morning at briefing.�
At the mention of the Secret Service detail, Wes thought of Agent
Daniels. She�d struck Wes as being a little humorless and a short step
away from unfriendly�a lot like some of the military police she
knew. Maybe that was just an occupational trait in closed groups with
little regard for outsiders. �Where exactly do we fall in the chain of
command?�
Peter waggled his hand. �We have to liaise with the Secret Service
pretty intimately, because when he moves, they move, and we go with
them.��Separate but equal?�
He shrugged. �That�s not exactly how they see it but, technically,
yes. If a situation impacts his physical security, they carry the ball. If it
has to do with his medical safety, we do.�
�And if we disagree?�
He smiled for the barest second. �Depends on who has the biggest
bark.��Or bite?�
�That too.�
� 30 �
Wes sighed inwardly. She hated politics. What the hell had she
been thinking?
v
Evyn made her way along the veranda to the rear of the house,
where they�d set up their command post. After four hours outside in
the wind and cold, she was ready for a cup of coffee or ten. She had
no idea how much longer they�d be stuck out here in the ass-end of
nowhere, but she was pretty sure she�d be outside again before they
left. Departure time was fluid, depending on how long the postnuptial
celebrations went on. It didn�t matter much to her. Other than being
outside in the damn cold, she didn�t care how long she worked. The
more she worked, the more overtime she made and the less free time
she had to figure out how to fill until her next shift. There was only so
much after-work socializing she could do with the other members of
the detail, only so many movies she could watch while rattling around
her apartment in Alexandria, and only so much clubbing she could take
in search of a few hours� company.
There had been less and less of the last diversion lately. Sometimes
the effort just didn�t seem worth the payoff. She enjoyed the physical
anticipation as she got dressed to go out and drove to one DC club or
another. The tingle in her belly while she spent a few hours nursing a
drink and scanning the room for possibilities kept her mind occupied
too. Anything that got her adrenaline surging felt good, and it was
hard to complain about sex in any fashion, but more and more when
the night was done and she drove home alone after leaving some near
stranger�s bed at oh-dark-thirty, she felt dissatisfied. Physically sated
maybe, but with the nagging feeling whatever she�d been hoping to
find, she hadn�t.
So on those more and more frequent nights when she was at loose
ends, the best thing that could happen would be a text telling her the
duty roster had changed once again and she had to report for an extra
shift, or POTUS had decided on an early-morning run and they needed
more bodies to go with him. She never minded.
A couple of her fellow agents were married, and they griped and
grumbled about the frequent changes in the rotation, although not
� 31 �
RADCLY
so loud anyone higher up could hear them. After all, they did have
the premier protection detail. What could be more important than
safeguarding POTUS? Some of them tried to have a normal life after
hours. She wasn�t one of them and never expected to be. She�d always
wanted to do exactly what she was doing�she craved the stress and
challenge and satisfaction of her work. Except for the damn cold.
Nodding to the agent huddled in his topcoat on the porch of the
truly awesome house, she stamped her feet on the deck to clear the
snow from her boots and pushed through the door into the big kitchen
that took up half the rear of the house. Caterers and waiters and busboys
bustled around, replacing half-empty champagne glasses with full
ones, pulling trays of hot hors d�oeuvres from the oven, and sliding
cold canap�s from the refrigerator. A huge coffee urn sat on a sideboard
with a stack of what looked like honest-to-God china cups next to it.
No way was she drinking out of one of those. She grabbed one of the
paper takeaway cups pushed back under one of the cabinets and filled
it to the brim with hot black coffee. Carefully making her way around
the party staff, she eased through the door into the dining room, where
several agents observed video feeds from external cameras, watched
computer monitors displaying overhead satellite images, and manned
the radio COM center. Several greeted her, and she flicked a finger in
their direction.
She shed her coat, tucked it into the closet at the far end of the
room, and meandered down the hall toward the noisy celebration. The
coffee was hot and strong and she sipped it appreciatively. Her fingers
and toes started to warm. Maybe there was life beyond December
after all. She stopped in an archway with a view of the great room and
automatically scanned the space looking for the other agents. Finding
them posted strategically around the perimeter, and satisfied all was as
it should be, she leaned a shoulder against the archway and relaxed.
She knew everyone at the gathering, either personally, by sight,
or from reviewing the guest list at the morning briefing. The only
person out of place was the woman standing directly across the room
from her. Captain Wesley Masters. Evyn would have noticed her
under any circumstances�and who wouldn�t? Her face was a striking
combination of elegant angles and sweeping planes, her eyes that vivid
sparkling green, her toned body showcased in the immaculate uniform.
Uniforms really didn�t do much for her, since she was surrounded by
� 32 �
people wearing them all the time, but just the same, Masters looked
good in hers. Very good. Lean hips, medium breasts, narrow waist, and
slightly broader shoulders. Evyn didn�t have to work hard to conjure
up a fantasy of wrapping her legs around those tight hips and twisting
her hands in those thick, sun-kissed locks. Instantly, she banished the
image. Masters was not fantasy material. She was all too real and was
probably going to be a pain in the ass.
POTUS was about to embark on his reelection campaign, which
meant constant traveling, insane hours, unpredictable changes in the
itinerary, and very real threats at every stop. It was game time, and no
one, including the green medical officer across the room, was going
to have the luxury of time to adjust to the new circumstances. Masters
would have to hit the ground running, and hopefully she�d be able to
absorb everything she needed to know in record time.
�Have you met the new WHMU chief yet?� a rumbling voice
asked from beside her.
She turned toward Tom Turner, her boss and head of PPD. �Saw
her when she came in. Surprise, surprise.�
Tom winced. �You know how it is. Decisions get made, people
forget to share.�
�Uh-huh.� Politics�same old BS. �Kind of rushed to just drop
her in like this, don�t you think? We never even had a briefing.�
�I�m sure the other members of her team will brief her on the
medical end of things,� Tom went on.
Evyn sipped her coffee, watching Masters move away from Pete
until she was standing alone at the edge of the crowd. Her face was
composed, unreadable really, as she carefully focused on first one
individual in the crowd then another, as if she was memorizing their
faces. Maybe she was.
�She�s never worked with a security detail before,� Tom said.
�She�s going to need indoctrination.�
�And pretty damn fast too,� Evyn said absently, fascinated by
the intense, absorbed expression on Masters�s face. The fantasy in her
head changed from the hot, anonymous body pressing down between
her thighs to a glimpse of a captivatingly beautiful face leaning over
her, fierce concentration in her green, green eyes. She imagined how it
would feel to be the focus of all that intensity, and something fluttered
under her rib cage. Her heart rate jumped and raced. Pulling her eyes
� 33 �
RADCLY
away from the navy captain, she tried to capture the last few words Tom
had said. No luck. �I�m sorry?�
�I�m assigning you as her unit liaison.�
Evyn stiffened. �I�m sorry? Me?�
�She�ll need basic training to know how the unit runs, how we
communicate, protocols for various threat situations, and obviously,
we�ll need to evaluate how she�s going to handle different types of
medical threats and emergencies.�
�And you expect me to be the one getting all this done?�
Tom smiled. �You�re not complaining about a week or so off
regular rotation, are you? Ought to be a slam dunk.�
Evyn slid her eyes back to Wes Masters, who was no longer
looking at the crowd. She was looking directly at Evyn, her expression
assessing, thoughtful, inscrutable.
The fluttering in Evyn�s belly coalesced into a hard, unsettling
pulse of arousal. What the hell? She felt like prey instead of the predator,
a definite role reversal and not a comfortable one. She held Masters�s
gaze and threw back a little heat of her own. Masters smiled, shook her
head ever so slightly, and looked away.
The instant Masters was no longer studying her, Evyn wanted
those green eyes back on her. Her skin burned from just a glance. She
wouldn�t try to imagine what a real touch would do to her�not while
she was in public. That little fantasy would have to wait.
� 34 �
chapter fOur
Captain Masters.� The president�s chief of staff, an imposing,
auburn-haired woman in her early fifties dressed in a deep
green Versace suit, appeared next to Wes.
�Ms. Washburn,� Wes replied, extending her hand. Among a room
full of power players, this woman seemed surrounded by an aura of
command befitting a four-star general. Wes resisted the urge to come to
attention. �It�s a pleasure to meet you.�
�Likewise. I�m glad you were able to join us today.�
�It�s an honor.� Wes had been ordered to attend, but this was a
very special event and she felt privileged to witness it.
�I realize we�re dropping you into the deep end, with very little
notice, but circumstances being what they are, there was no choice. The
president will be traveling extensively very shortly, and we must have
the White House Medical Unit fully staffed and at peak efficiency.�
Lucinda sipped from a glass of sparkling water and regarded Wes
steadily. Taking her measure.
�I�ll do my best to get up to speed as quickly as possible.�
�No doubt. Tom Turner, the special agent in charge of the
president�s security detail, will discuss interfacing with your unit.�
�I�ll look forward to it. I still have a clearance interview, but I was
planning to report for duty as soon as that was completed.�
�Actually,� Lucinda said, �I can expedite that. The sooner you
officially assume your post, the sooner we can assure a smooth and
rapid transition. You drove out?�
�Yes,� Wes said, unclear on the urgency of the transition,
but recognizing an order when she heard it. �I flew in and rented a
vehicle.�
� 35 �
RADCLY
�Excellent. We�ll have one of the staffers drive it back. You�ll fly
back with us on Marine One.�
�Today?� Wes wasn�t completely successful in keeping the surprise
from her voice. She hadn�t packed for an extended trip, although she had
brought along her regulation uniform for the flight back to Maryland
the next morning.
Lucinda smiled. �This afternoon, this evening, whenever Eagle
decides to return to base. Problem?�
�Not at all,� Wes said quickly. She�d just need to find a hotel in
DC. The details she�d handle in the morning.
�Until then, enjoy yourself.� With a nod, Lucinda turned to a man
who had been patiently waiting nearby for a word with her. She greeted
him by name and moved away, leaving Wes alone again.
Wes searched the opposite side of the room where she�d last
seen Agent Daniels. She was gone, Wes noted, with a twinge of
disappointment she couldn�t explain any more than she could explain
the brief and disconcerting glance they�d shared a few moments before.
She�d been observing the guests, searching for clues to allegiances and
hierarchy, studying the people the way she would study a map for an
upcoming campaign. These were the players on the new stage of her
life, and she needed to know where she fit.
When she�d first noticed the Secret Service agent, Daniels had
been talking to another agent, her body language somewhere between
annoyed and aggravated. Wes couldn�t hear their conversation, but
from what she could glean from Daniels�s expression and the tension
in her body, Daniels was unhappy about something. As she�d been
watching her, Daniels had focused on her as if she could feel Wes�s
attention. Daniels was obviously aware that Wes had been studying her,
and shot her a cocky look that held a hint of invitation, taking Wes off
guard. Wes had seen the look a time or two, but never quite in this
context. Forgetting to hide her reaction, she�d smiled at the audacity
and declined the obvious invitation to come and find out more, if she
dared.She wasn�t a coward, but neither was she fool enough to rush in
where angels feared to tread. Agent Daniels was a beautiful puzzle she
planned to leave safely unsolved.
The music changed to a waltz, and the president�s daughter and
her spouse moved toward the dance floor. Other guests joined them.
� 36 �
Feeling conspicuously out of place, Wes made her way to a nearby exit
and retreated down a deserted hall in search of a quiet place to make
arrangements for her trip to DC.
v
Blair deposited an empty champagne glass on the tray of a passing
waiter and turned to find Cam watching her. The look in Cam�s eyes
was contemplative, dark and serious. Blair moved through the crowd
and grasped Cam�s hand. �Dance with me.�
Cam smiled. �I�d love to.�
They found a quiet corner, and Blair wrapped her arms around
Cam�s neck, settling her face into the curve of Cam�s shoulder. She fit
her body into the long, tight planes of Cam�s as she had thousands of
times before and marveled that the sensation could still feel so new and
exciting. And today, so very, very right. �I love you.�
Cam brushed her mouth over Blair�s temple. �I love you too.
Today, maybe more than ever, and I never would have thought that
possible.�
Tears welled in Blair�s eyes, and with anyone else, she would have
been horrified, but she just turned her face against Cam�s shoulder until
the overwhelming surge of emotion passed. �I�m sorry we can�t have a
proper honeymoon.�
Cam chuckled, sweeping one hand through Blair�s hair and settling
her fingers against the back of Blair�s neck. �I don�t need a honeymoon,
Blair. Every second with you is my pleasure.�
Blair surreptitiously nipped Cam�s neck. �If you think sweet talk
is going to get you anywhere, you�re right.�
�Good to know.�
�This year is going to be crazy. With the war, the economy, and the
conservatives screaming for a return to tradition, my father��
�Andrew is going to be reelected.� Cam�s fingers played gently up
and down the back of Blair�s neck, a soothing, comforting rhythm laced
with unswervable strength.
�I know he is. But this campaign is going to be more of a dogfight
than it was the first time around, and I need to be there.�
�Of course.�
�I hate being away from you.�
� 37 �
RADCLY
�I know. I hate it when my job pulls me away.�
�You�re awfully calm,� Blair said, nuzzling Cam�s neck. She
kissed her throat softly. �What are you not telling me?�
The chuckle reverberated in Cam�s chest again. Blair loved the
feel of Cam�s hands on her, the heat of Cam�s body warming the cold
places no other had ever touched. Desire welled within her, and she slid
her hand inside Cam�s jacket and brushed her fingers over Cam�s chest.
Cam�s intake of breath was so swift and sharp, an arrow of sweet need
struck inside her. Dangerous. She could forget what she was thinking,
where she was, everything except wanting more. �Cam?�
Cam tightened her fingers on Blair�s nape. She�d been hoping to
avoid this conversation for a few more hours, but she�d never learned
how to keep anything from Blair. The longer they were together, the
worse she got at it. �I�m going to take a leave of absence so I can��
�You are not.�
�Andrew�s reelection is just as important to me as it is to you,�
Cam said. �I�m going with you.�
Blair took note of Cam�s calm tone. Unruffled, unshakeable. The
way she sounded when she was determined on a course she knew Blair
would object to. Blair kept her voice down, barely.
�You are a deputy director of Homeland Security. Your job is
critical. It�s who you are, it�s what you do. You�re not taking time off
to drag around the country on planes and trains and God knows what
while my father gives reelection speeches, eating at fast food chains at
four a.m. and fielding mud balls from hecklers in the audience.� Blair
poked a finger into Cam�s chest. �You�d die of boredom in a week.�
�I�m not going to be working crossword puzzles while all of this is
going on,� Cam said. �Lucinda will find something for me to do.�
Blair braced her palm against Cam�s chest and pushed back until
she could meet Cam�s eyes. �You already talked to her about this?�
Cam nodded.
�This might be the shortest marriage in history.�
�As long as we make it through our wedding night.� Then Cam�s
beautiful, sexy mouth curved upward, and Blair wanted to kiss her,
which only made her angrier.
�Damn it, Cameron.�
�I had to know what my options were before I could say anything
to you. I had a feeling you might disagree��
� 38 �
�Oh really? You did? How perceptive of you.� Blair kissed her,
not caring that half the room might be watching. �I could kill you.�
�If that�s any indication of your methods, I�ll��
�We�re not done talking about this.�
�We will.� Cam kissed her back, slow enough and hard enough
to drown Blair�s anger. �But I want to be with you. Only and always
you.�Blair sighed, surrendering to the need that never lessened, and
rested her cheek against Cam�s shoulder. �I guess it�s a good thing I
married you, then.�
v
Evyn had half an hour before she was due to relieve Gary on the
gate. She found a quiet corner by a bank of windows in a long hallway
at the rear of the house. Below her, the ocean roiled against the shore.
The slashing whitecaps looked nothing like the warm crystalline waves
that broke along the south Florida coast. These surges were gray and
cold and hard, as merciless as the wind buffeting the dunes, freezing the
blood�icing the bones.
�Stunning, isn�t it?� Wesley Masters said from beside Evyn.
Evyn glimpsed Masters�s face in profile, as starkly beautiful
and commanding as the ocean below them, and she was anything but
chilled�a flash of heat enveloped her and she had to catch her breath
to stifle a gasp. Even a simple greeting was beyond her.
�Sorry,� Masters said, stepping away. �I�m intruding.�
�No,� Evyn said quickly. �You�re not at all. I was just�� She was
at a loss to explain, having been caught in a contemplative moment
that was so atypical of her she was embarrassed. Most of her daily
conversation was with her fellow agents, talking about sports and office
gossip and the latest movies�anything to pass the time before those
intense moments when all that mattered was the constant search for
danger, when a split-second�s delay could be disastrous. In the off time,
when the pressure was relieved, all she wanted was to let down her
guard even a little�no demands, no obligations, no one to ask more
than she could give. She waved a hand toward the window. �I was
just�well, daydreaming.�
Wes turned toward her, that intent expression in her eyes. �Were
� 39 �
RADCLY
you?� She looked deep into Evyn�s eyes for another second, as if she
might find the memory of her imaginings still swimming beneath the
surface. Then she turned to look back out at the ocean. �I�ve always
thought the ocean held all the mysteries of life. I could watch it
forever.�
�Is that why you joined the navy?� Evyn asked, speaking softly
so as not to shatter the strange sensation of having stepped slightly
outside her life. She wanted to preserve this sheltered moment as long
as possible and had no idea why.
Wes laughed shortly. �I suppose�that and I bought into the idea
of traveling the world while doing the work I wanted. All that seems so
whimsical now.�
�You don�t strike me as the whimsical type.�
�No, I was always practical,� Wes said, although there had been
a time, long ago, before her father died�before everything changed�
when she�d dreamed without boundaries. �I knew growing up I�d need
to join the armed forces if I wanted an education. I chose the navy
because of the sea.�
�But you stayed in. You didn�t have to.�
�No, I could have left after I fulfilled my educational obligations,
but the navy needs doctors and teachers, and I was comfortable.�
�Is that what you do mostly, teach?� Evyn came back to earth as
the sinking feeling in her stomach spread. Masters was not only green,
she wasn�t even a front-line medic.
�Yes,� Wes said. �I�m an associate professor at the Uniformed
Services University.�
Evyn watched the frothing water climb higher on the sands,
encroaching on the dunes, and digested that little detail. A professor.
The choice of Wes Masters to replace O�Shaughnessy made even
less sense, but then most government decisions were based on some
complex rubric of politics, power maneuvering, and personal agendas.
She should never have expected any of it to make sense. She looked at
Masters, who was contemplating her again. �This duty is going to be a
lot different than what you�re used to.�
A muscle bunched in Masters�s jaw, but her expression remained
calm, appraising. �I�m aware of that, Agent. I can assure you, I�ll be up
to the task.�
� 40 �
�Oh, I�m certain of that,� Evyn said. �Unless something changes,
it�s my job to see that you are.�
Wes frowned. �I�m sorry? I don�t understand.�
�I don�t really understand, either,� Evyn said. �I don�t understand
why Peter Chang�� She broke off, sucked in a breath. She was about
to lose her cool and complain about Peter being passed over to the last
person who should know she had issues. She never made mistakes like
that. �I�ve been assigned to orient you to the interface between the
Presidential Protective Detail and the White House Medical Unit.�
�I see.�
Evyn sighed. Maybe it was the cold�three years, and she still
wasn�t used to the damn winters. Maybe it was the lack of sleep over
the last few days. Maybe it was the unsettling, unwavering focus in
Wes�s eyes. But something was making her behave like a stranger to
herself as well as an ass. �Look, I�m sorry, Captain. The weather seems
to be affecting my mood. I�m usually not quite so surly�well, not after
my first cup of coffee.�
�No apologies necessary. And it�s Wes,� Wes said, seemingly
willing to accept the change in subject. �Not a Northern girl?�
Evyn snorted. �Miami, born and bred.�
�Ah,� Wes said. �The winter can do funny things to your
perceptions sometimes. Just remember, spring always follows.�
�I�ll try to keep that in mind when my ass is freezing off,� Evyn
muttered.
�If you think that�s in danger of happening, you should come in
out of the cold.�
�I�ll take that under advisement,� Evyn said lightly, wondering
if the warmth in Wes�s gaze just might make the cold a little more
bearable. A warning twinge flagged that as a dangerous line of thought,
and she wisely squelched it. �We brief daily at zero seven hundred in
PPD command center in the Old Executive Office Building. You should
plan to be there as soon as you�re officially on board. I imagine all
the bullshi�paperwork and getting moved and such will take a few
days.��Actually, no. I�ll be in DC tomorrow. I�m riding back on Marine
One today.�
Evyn narrowed her eyes. What the hell? Why hadn�t Tom said
� 41 �
RADCLY
anything? She hated being out of the loop when anything affecting her
job was at issue. �On whose authority?�
Wes�s face shuttered closed. �Lucinda Washburn�s.�
Evyn bit back a comment�Lucinda�s word was law at the House.
Maybe Tom could shed some light on why the rush to get Masters to
DC. �Good. You should make the briefing tomorrow, then.�
�I�ll do that. Then I have to meet my team.�
�You can do that after we review our schedule for the orientation,�
Evyn said. �Unless we have an away trip or you have a medical
emergency, you�ll be detailed to me until further notice.�
�Thank you, Agent. I�ll report to you in the morning, then.�
Wes turned and walked away and Evyn looked back out the
window. Wes obviously was used to calling the shots, but PPD was
running this show. She�d just have to get used to it. Twilight enveloped
the island, turning the ocean black. The sensation of having slipped out
of time faded and the normal chaos of Evyn�s life crowded back in. She
welcomed the tension and the wariness, feelings she understood.
� 42 �
chapter five
The wedding celebration wound down around 2000 hours, and
after the good-byes had been said, Wes followed the group
returning to Andrews with the president. While the president boarded
Marine One along with Lucinda Washburn, his security chief, staff, and
med unit, Wes ducked under the rotors and clambered up the stairs into
the body of a nearby VH-60N Whitehawk helicopter, one of several
helos identical to Marine One idling on a large expanse of cleared
land behind Whitley Manor. On the flight back, the decoy helos would
fly alongside Marine One in a complex aerial shell game of shifting
positions to obscure which aircraft carried the president, in the event
of an attack.
Wes glanced around, saluted a vice admiral already seated in the
single seat directly behind the cockpit, and took one of the three seats
on the bench along the wall. Two marines in full dress uniform boarded
and sat beside her, followed by Evyn Daniels and the male agent who�d
been at the gate with her earlier. As soon as they were strapped in, the
helicopter lifted away, making conversation impossible. Evyn, in the
jump seat directly across the narrow aisle from Wes, pulled a small
electronic device from the pocket of her black trench coat and started
to scroll.
Looking out the window next to Evyn, Wes watched the lights
of Whitley Island growing fainter and finally disappearing beneath the
low-lying cloud cover as the convoy headed out over water. Wes shifted
her gaze from the night to Evyn, whose profile was softened by the
dim glow of the cabin lights. Her burgundy hair fell forward over her
� 43 �
RADCLY
cheek in loose, thick waves, and she absently pushed them away as she
focused on the small screen in her hand. The movement was wholly
unconscious and lent her an air of vulnerability Wes suspected she
would disavow. A small frown line bisected the smooth skin between
her arched reddish brown brows. She had that on-the-job look and was
probably getting some kind of status report. She hadn�t looked at Wes
once. Annoyed that she didn�t register on Evyn�s radar and annoyed at
herself for caring, Wes wondered which woman she�d met that day was
the real Evyn Daniels.
USSS SA Evyn Daniels was obviously competent, dedicated, and
all business�that much had been established with their first encounter
at the gate. But Evyn was more than just a suit with a gun and badge.
For a few moments when they�d stood at the windows overlooking the
shore, they�d talked of things that went beyond aimless party chatter.
They�d shared something of themselves, something Wes usually only
did with family and close friends. With everyone else, she discussed
cases and assignments�safe, common ground. She�d been the one to
strike up the conversation with Evyn, also unlike her. But she�d been
drawn to the faraway look on Evyn�s face as she�d stood alone against
a backdrop of sea and sand�looking remote and somehow sad. And
very beautiful. Evyn had been easy to talk to, showing glimmers of
humor and warmth, at least until the subject of Peter Chang had come
up. Then Evyn had revealed a well of anger she�d quickly suppressed.
When Wes had shifted the conversation to safe ground and the subject
of business, she�d instantly missed their brief but unexpectedly intense
connection.
Evyn�s slip when Chang was mentioned made it pretty clear she
didn�t think Wes was the right person for her new job. Ordinarily Wes
didn�t concern herself with what anyone other than her commanding
officers felt about her and her performance, but it bothered her that
Evyn didn�t believe she had earned the post. What Evyn thought
mattered, personally and professionally, so she was going to have to
prove to Evyn she was capable of the job. After all these years, she�d
thought she was past that. She hadn�t needed or wanted to prove herself
to anyone in a long time.
The day had been full of surprises, mostly unwelcome ones. She
hadn�t felt so displaced since she�d left home for the Naval Academy
and had been cut loose from her strongest support system as abruptly as
� 44 �
a blade across her throat. At first, she�d missed her mother�s unwavering
belief in her and her sisters� humor so much she�d thought she might
break. She hadn�t broken. She�d reached inside herself and found their
voices alive and strong in her heart. She�d adapted, she�d adjusted, and
she�d triumphed. Now she was back in unknown waters, with no place
to live, a new command, and, apparently, the need to prove herself to
Evyn Daniels.
v
Evyn�s push was waiting at the House when the motorcade from
Andrews pulled into the south drive. Tom had texted they�d debrief in
the morning. As soon as POTUS was on his way into the residence,
she was done. She headed toward the west gate and the Ellipse where
she�d parked her car. Up ahead, she recognized Masters walking toward
Pennsylvania Avenue. She hesitated, giving her time to get ahead of
her. In the next second, she sped up, refusing to think about why.
�Hey,� Evyn called, catching up to Wes at the corner. �You need
a ride?�
Masters looked at her, clearly surprised, making Evyn feel like a
bigger jerk for even thinking about leaving her to fend for herself in the
middle of the night. But Wes made her so damn uncomfortable�she
didn�t know what she was doing. �I�ve got a car.� Now there was a
fairly brainless statement. �Let me take you.�
�Thanks,� Masters said. �I�m okay. I�ll grab a cab. I�m just going
across town to a hotel.�
�It�s almost twenty-three thirty, Captain. Not a great time of night
to get a cab in this part of town, and definitely no time to be out and
about alone.�
Masters laughed. �It�s Wes, remember? Do you think I need
protection?�
Glad for the cover of dark to hide the flush that heated her cheeks,
Evyn said, �I�m positive you don�t. But I can�t see any reason for you
to freeze your ass off out here.�
�It�s twenty-five degrees,� Wes pointed out. �Not that cold.�
Evyn snorted and watched her breath frost in the air. Obviously,
Wes was from somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line. �It�s about
fifty degrees colder than I like it.�
� 45 �
RADCLY
Wes laughed harder, a deep, mellow sound that warmed Evyn�s
stomach in a totally unexpected and not unwelcome way.
�What are you doing up here, if you hate the winter so much?�
Wes asked.
Evyn jammed her hands into the pockets of her coat. The
conversation was verging on the personal, and she was out of her
element in more ways than the weather. She didn�t even talk about this
sort of thing when she was trying to connect with a woman for the
night. And this was twice in one day with Wes. She shrugged. �This is
the detail I wanted, so the weather is part of the job.�
�The president is something of a skier too, isn�t he?�
�POTUS, his daughter�regular snow bunnies. It�s unnatural.�
God, she hated those ski trips, not that she�d ever let on.
�Obviously, you love your job.�
�Yeah,� Evyn said, meaning it, but Wes didn�t need to know that.
Wes didn�t need to know anything at all about her. Time to shut down
the information highway.
�Are you hungry?� Wes asked.
�Uh�yeah, for me, it�s dinnertime.�
�Well, I left my quarters at zero six hundred this morning, and the
only thing I�ve had all day is coffee and little things that look like food
but are really just a tease.�
Evyn grinned. �Hors d�oeuvres. I don�t even think they count as
food.��How about dinner somewhere, then?�
�I could eat.� Evyn had the sudden sensation she was walking
into a landmine, but Wes was just smiling at her. Friendly. Just a simple
meal between coworkers. Safe enough. �Okay. Sure.�
�Good. You know the area. You pick the place, Agent.�
�It�s Evyn.�
�Okay. Evyn.�
�Come on, I can�t feel my feet.� Evyn led the way to her �57
T-Bird, keying the alarm as they approached.
�Nice car,� Wes said.
�The last of the classic design. I inherited it from my older
brother.�
Wes shot her a concerned look.
� 46 �
�Not that way�Aaron is fine. He just decided the T-Bird wasn�t
dignified enough for a feeb.�
�He�s FBI?�
Evyn climbed behind the wheel and started the engine, waiting for
Wes to belt up before backing out. �Yeah. The shame of our family, but
we still love him.�
�Ah, let me guess. Government service is a family thing?�
�You could say that.� Evyn hesitated, impressed by and a little
wary of Wes�s ability to hear more than she said. She�d have to be
careful around her. �My father�s ATF, my aunt�s IRS, my younger
brother�s ICE, and the next oldest went army. We�ve got a few more
agencies covered with the cousins.�
�That�s a heavy legacy to inherit.�
�Not so much.� Evyn shrugged and turned onto Pennsylvania
Avenue, passing by the House, leaving the glowing lights behind,
and headed north toward Dupont Circle. The streets were dark, nearly
deserted. �Wasn�t hard for me�I always knew what I wanted to do.�
�And you love it.�
�Yeah I do, except��
��for the cold.�
Laughing, Evyn looked over and tripped into Wes�s eyes. Under
the streetlights, the green of her eyes darkened to the deep hues of a
hidden glade in the heart of the forest. Splinters of moonlight carved
out the elegant arch of her cheekbones and pooled in the hollow of her
throat. Jesus. She was beautiful. Fixing back on the street, she said
tightly, �You want fancy, or plain, simple, and good?�
�I don�t need frills,� Wes said. �But good, yeah. That matters.�
�Not one for show, is that it?� Casual, she could do casual. And
distant. She needed distance. She had to train her, for Chrissake, and
don�t forget Peter. What the fuck was wrong with her?
�The only thing I care about,� Wes said as Evyn turned up
Connecticut, �is getting the job done.�
�So how come you�re teaching and not�you know, doing?� When
silence ensued, she glanced over and figured from the rigid set of Wes�s
jaw she probably could have phrased that a little more diplomatically.
Well, she�d wanted distance. Now she had it. How come it didn�t feel
so good? �Sorry. I take it that was an insult of some kind?�
� 47 �
RADCLY
Wes blew out a breath and eased back in her seat. �No, it�s not
an insult. I�m not ashamed to spend most of my time teaching. I do
my share in covering the ER in rotation, but I have a certain knack
for teaching and I like it. The way things have been going the last few
years, more troops see combat. War has changed. New weapons and
new ways of fighting mean new types of injuries. If our medics aren�t
fully prepared for the kinds of battlefield causalities they�ll face, troops
die. I figure this is the best way for me to see that doesn�t happen.�
�I get that,� Evyn said softly.
�What you do is totally different,� Wes said. �For you, it�s a lot
more personal.�
�Personal?� Evyn gripped the wheel harder, uncomfortable with
the shift of focus back to her. Her hold on the whole night was slipping.
She should be on her way home to Alexandria to get some much-
needed sleep. Or maybe she just needed some human contact of the
sexual variety�too late for a club, but she still had a few women in her
little black book who would take her call no matter how late. Instead
of either safe option, she was on her way out to eat with a woman who
lured her into unfamiliar territory so smoothly she never noticed until
she was floundering for direction. �I, ah, don�t know about personal.
I�m doing my job. It�s what I�m trained to do.�
�True,� Wes said, �but what you do in a split second has an
immediate and critical impact. Whatever effect I might have is at a
distance�months, possibly years later�when a young medical student
or resident saves a life because of something I taught them.�
�And that�s enough for you?� Evyn couldn�t help asking, although
she knew she should be searching for some vacuous topic like the
Redskins� standing in the playoffs. She pulled to the curb in front of
Circa and swiveled on the seat to face Wes across the narrow divide.
�Just taking on faith that down the line, somewhere, sometime�?�
�For me, it�s the long game. I�m not looking for immediate
gratification.�
�Yeah, well.� Evyn cut the engine. �I don�t look much past the
moment. Not in my nature.�
�I guess that makes us different,� Wes said quietly.
�Like night and day.�
� 48 �
chapter six
Senator Franklin Russo glanced at the brass clock on his desk.
Nine p.m. Headlights flickered through the trees along the
approach road to his Idaho mountain retreat, alerting him to a vehicle
arriving. Hooker was punctual. He expected that of those who worked
for him. That and absolute, unquestioning loyalty.
The doorbell rang and a moment later a soft knock sounded on his
study door.
�Come in.�
The door swung open, and his personal aide Derek Sullivan, a
thin young blond in khaki pants and a starched striped shirt, said, �Mr.
Hooker is here, sir.�
�Good. Have him come in.�
A heavyset middle-aged man with a thick brown mustache flecked
with gray strode in. His snow-crusted work boots left muddy streaks on
the wide pine plank floors. His broad, rough face was ruddy from the
subzero temperatures.
�Close the door, Derek,� Franklin said, �and see that we�re not
disturbed.�
�Yes, sir.� Derek backed out and pulled the door shut.
�Hooker,� Franklin said, �what do you have to report?� He didn�t
offer Hooker a seat. The man was a hired gun, muscle. Necessary, but
not part of his inner circle. He paid him well, and that was all that
mattered.
�I�ve got a contact with the connections we need in DC,� Hooker
said. �It won�t be cheap.�
� 49 �
RADCLY
�Money is not a factor,� Franklin said, �but discretion is.�
�You don�t need to worry about that. He doesn�t know who I�m
working for. He doesn�t want to know.�
�All the better.� Franklin leaned back in his leather swivel chair
and steepled his hands in front of his chest, regarding Hooker carefully.
His presidential campaign was gaining strength in the heartland, but
Andrew Powell was a popular incumbent. He needed to cast doubt
on Powell�s ability to lead the country through increasingly troubled
times. He needed insurance. This man promised it to him. �What about
obtaining the material?�
�He�ll set me up.� Hooker shrugged. �But we might have to get in
bed with the militia to accomplish the actual acquisition.�
Franklin shook his head. �I don�t like exposing ourselves to
hotheads, and after the fiasco at Matheson�s compound, the whole
bunch of them are going to be under surveillance. I can�t afford to be
linked to them.�
�That�s what you hired me for�I�ll run interference and make
sure nothing blows back on you.�
Hooker smiled, a slow just-short-of-ugly smile that set off warning
blips on Franklin�s radar. If Hooker hoped to put him in his debt, he was
wrong. Throughout his rapid rise to power in the senate and on the
path to winning the presidential nomination, he�d had to make deals
and promise paybacks, but he was always careful not to give anyone
leverage on him. He never let anyone other than Nora Fleming know
the whole of his plans. Nora Fleming was more than his campaign
manager. She was the only one who shared his vision�not his wife,
not his children, not his staff. As the leader of the Patriot Party, he was
running for president on a platform of reinstating traditional American
values of family, morality, and religion. His family was an essential
element of his image�but Nora was his true support.
�Just remember�plausible deniability,� Franklin said. �We need
a lot of distance between my campaign and the activities of these
radicals.�
�Not to worry. The inside man at Eugen Corp��
Franklin held up his hand. �I don�t want to know names or details.
Just get it done.�
�Of course.�
�And when it�s over, everyone involved needs to disappear.�
� 50 �
Hooker winced as if Franklin had breached some unspoken rule
about what could be spoken out loud. Franklin almost laughed. As if
his security wasn�t the best in the world. Even Andrew Powell�s inner
sanctum wasn�t as secure as he thought.
�The only way to ensure secrecy is by guaranteeing silence,�
Franklin said softly. �I don�t care how you do it.�
�I�ll take care of it,� Hooker finally said. �And the targets?�
�I want the country to know Andrew Powell is not only soft on
terrorism and foreign affairs, his whole government is soft. When
the people see he can�t protect them, even within our own borders,
they�ll make the right and logical choice at the polls.� Franklin lifted a
shoulder. �I want a public forum, with media coverage.�
�Civilian casualties could backfire. Look at what happened in
Oklahoma.�
�The threat alone will be enough. And if there are casualties��
Franklin waved a hand. �McVeigh and Nichols were amateurs.
Hotheads. That�s exactly the reason I don�t want to get involved with
another one of these militia groups.�
�You still need foot soldiers�more than that, you need followers
who are willing to sacrifice for the cause. You don�t have much
choice.�
�Then I want absolute containment. No breaches. No leaks.
Nothing that ties us to them or the events.�
�I understand.� Hooker�s eyes went flat. �You don�t need to
worry.�
�If we time this right,� Franklin said, �Powell�s standing will
plummet before his campaign even gets started. The groundswell of
negative publicity will bury him.�
�I�ll keep you informed.�
�Contact me by phone when you have more for me. Good night.�
Hooker let himself out, and Franklin turned off his desk light,
letting the room fall into shadow. Through half-closed eyes, he watched
the dim glow of Hooker�s taillights recede down the mountain into
the darkness. He was forced to consort with unsavory characters in
order to achieve his goals. That didn�t bother him. His was the path
of righteousness. Someone needed to take back control of the nation,
to redirect America�s course and restore her to greatness and power.
Someone needed to remind Americans of the true path. Andrew Powell
� 51 �
RADCLY
needed to be removed from office. His daughter, who Powell flaunted
in the face of God-fearing people, was a sinner, even more so for her
insistence on pushing her unholy relationship in the faces of good
Americans. Blair Powell was becoming a national icon, and that too
must end. He wouldn�t rest until both were gone.
v
�So,� Evyn said, pushing her empty dishes aside and drawing her
coffee cup nearer, �do you come from a family of doctors?�
Wes carefully placed her fork beside her plate and reached for
her espresso. They�d spent most of the meal talking about the job�the
daily briefings between PPD and the WHMU, coordinating schedules,
protocol when POTUS traveled, security and medical preparation for
potential threats�safe topics. This one wasn�t so safe, and she was
a little surprised that Evyn, who had maintained a cool professional
distance all night, breached the neutral zone into something personal.
�Sorry,� Evyn said with no inflection, �is that a sensitive
subject?�
Wes shook her head. �No, it isn�t. Sorry. I was just thinking.� She
waited while the server cleared their places. �I�m the middle child,
more or less, of four, and the first in my family to go to college. My
mother and father were blue-collar workers. My mother in the garment
industry, my father on the docks. He died in an accident when I was
six.� �Hey, I�m sorry. If this is��
�No, that�s okay. I have a great family. I grew up in my
grandmother�s house in South Philadelphia with my mother and my
sisters. It was pretty crowded, but it was�� She thought about the
shared bedrooms, the squabbles over the bathroom in the morning, the
big wooden table in the sunny kitchen smelling of home-cooked food,
counters crowded with dishes and everyone jostling for a place at the
table. �It was noisy and warm and full of life.� She smiled. �It was
great.� She looked up from her espresso. Evyn was staring at her as if
she were a stranger. She wondered what she had just revealed and then
realized it didn�t matter. She had nothing to hide.
�You miss them,� Evyn said softly.
� 52 �
�Every day.� Wes�s chest tightened, as much from the tenderness
in Evyn�s eyes as from the memories.
Evyn sipped her coffee. �Okay�not following in the family mold
like me. Why did you want to be a doctor?�
Wes laughed. �You know, I practiced that answer a hundred times
when I was applying to medical school, knowing I would be asked about
it over and over again. I never did have a very good answer. I just knew
I wanted to touch people. Make a difference somehow.� She looked
out across the empty restaurant. They were the last ones at a table, but
the servers hadn�t rushed them and none were in sight now. They were
alone. She hadn�t been alone with a woman in longer than she could
remember. She didn�t date�given her circumstances it wasn�t that easy.
She might not necessarily agree with all the navy�s regulations, but
she followed them. Most women she might have connected with were
below her rank and off-limits. She sometimes thought that might be a
convenient excuse, but then, what did that matter. If she was fooling
anyone, it was only herself. No harm, no foul. And those rare nights
when she was restless and vaguely unsettled, she went for a run until
she was tired enough to sleep.
Wes caught herself up short. This wasn�t a date, even if the whole
evening was something out of the ordinary. Evyn was still watching
her. What had Evyn asked? Oh, the �why a doctor?� question. She
almost gave a stock reply, but the intensity of Evyn�s gaze derailed her.
�Maybe I thought if I made a difference in someone else�s life, it would
make mine mean more.�
�Sounds like you got your wish, then. You�re about to have a
patient whose health affects the whole world.� Evyn paused. �Does
that make the job harder?�
�No,� Wes said instantly. �If and when the time comes he�s my
patient�and hopefully that day never comes�I�ll be taking care of
Andrew Powell, not the president.�
�His office doesn�t intimidate you?�
�No, but Lucinda Washburn does,� Wes said, laughing.
�You and everyone else.� Evyn grinned.
�What about you? You said you always knew what you wanted to
do?� For a few seconds, Wes thought Evyn wouldn�t answer. Sometimes
Evyn�s face closed so quickly it was like watching shutters slam against
� 53 �
RADCLY
a window in a storm. Then Evyn�s posture relaxed and she smiled, and
the shutters opened once again and sunlight streamed through. �Well,
come on. In my family? Like there was really anything else to consider.
Don�t we all want to grow up like our heroes?�
�So who was yours?�
�Oh, my father, no question. He�s big and blustery and solid and
brave. I didn�t get to be big, but I hope�� Even in the dim candlelight,
her blush was apparent. �Never mind.�
�You hope you�re solid and brave?�
�Geez, forget I said that, will you?�
�I�ll pretend I�ve forgotten, if you�d like.�
�Okay,� Evyn said, blowing out a breath. �Change of subject.�
�Fair enough.�
�So�what about�besides your mother and grandmother and
sisters. Anyone else�close?�
�My grandmother passed on at the grand old age of ninety-six,�
Wes said, sorting through the obscure question and deciding Evyn was
asking whether she was single or not. While trying to formulate an
answer, she was saved by her phone signaling a text message. At this
hour, it had to be important. �Excuse me.�
She fished her phone out of her pocket and checked the message.
�Someone keeps late hours. I�ve just been informed by the duty officer
at the House to report at zero eight hundred tomorrow.�
�WST.�
�I�m sorry?� Wes shoved her phone back in her pocket.
�Washburn Standard Time. Which means pretty much any time.�
�Well, I guess I�m going to get the last of my security clearance
taken care of.�
�Formality. You wouldn�t be here if there was any question.� Evyn
rose. �I guess that�s our signal to get moving.�
�I suppose,� Wes said, rising with a twinge of regret. She shrugged
into her topcoat while Evyn sorted through bills and left money for the
bill on the table. Out of habit, Wes reached over, lifted Evyn�s black
raincoat from the hook beside their booth, and held it open for her.
Evyn hesitated, then turned and slid her arms into the coat.
�Thanks,� Evyn said.
�You�re welcome.�
Evyn turned, her eyes finding Wes�s. It was way too late to pretend
� 54 �
they were just grabbing dinner, and with any other woman she wouldn�t
hesitate. But then Wes wasn�t like any other woman she�d ever met. She
should have kept her mouth shut, but words popped out. �Nightcap?�
Wes glanced left into the bar, mostly empty now, shortly before
closing. She was oddly not tired, even though she�d been on the move
for eighteen hours. She�d spent more time with Evyn than she had with
anyone in months and hadn�t even noticed the time passing. Maybe she
should take that as a sign. She shook her head. �I�d like to, but I�ve got
a really early morning tomorrow.�
Evyn smiled crookedly. Saved. She should take that as a sign.
�Yeah, me too.� She started walking toward the door. �Where are you
staying?�
Wes angled beside her, pushed the door open, and held it as Evyn
passed through. �The Marriott across town.�
�A hotel? You shouldn�t be staying in a hotel. O�Shaughnessy had
an apartment that came with the job.�
Wes smiled at Evyn�s indignation on her account. �I wasn�t
supposed to be here tonight at all, but Lucinda Washburn wanted me
on-site. So here I am.�
�Well, what she wants is law.�
�I gathered.� Wes fell into step as they walked toward the T-Bird
down the block. �I don�t usually get my orders at zero one hundred.�
Evyn laughed, opened the driver�s door, and slid in. Wes skirted
around the other side and settled in the passenger seat. �You�ll have to
get used to that.�
�The text orders, or the no-notice thing?� Wes clipped her seat belt
and stretched her legs out under the dash.
Evyn started the car and pulled out. �Both. When she wants
something done, it means now or five minutes ago.�
�Sounds like it�s pretty much twenty-four seven call. Feels like
being a resident again.�
�And here you thought you were getting this fancy title and a
cushy job,� Evyn teased.
Wes laughed. �I was hoping for a big corner office and a lot of
fanfare.�
�I�ll just bet.� Evyn glanced at her. �What were you really
expecting?�
�Truthfully? I don�t have a clue. Until a day and a half ago, I
� 55 �
RADCLY
thought my next posting would be another academic position. All I
know about this one is that I�m going to get to see the world, just like
the recruiters always promised me.�
�Don�t get your hopes up.� Evyn snorted. �It�s a campaign year,
remember? You�re going to see so many cornfields and listen to so
many boring speeches you�re going to wish you were anywhere else
doing anything else.�
�Thanks for the inspirational speech. I can�t wait.�
�Sorry. I�ve been on the campaign trail in an election year. Prepare
to be perpetually tired, poorly fed, and probably verbally abused.�
�Got it. I imagine it�s pretty tense for you.�
�No more so than usual,� Evyn said flatly.
�Right.� Wes was getting used to the way Evyn deflected anything
personal. Obviously, the Secret Service never showed weakness. Or
maybe that was just Evyn. Wes wondered just how much that shield of
invulnerability cost her and if she ever let down her defenses.
Evyn slowed at an intersection, turned right, and looked over at
Wes. �It�s tough, but exhilarating too, you know? Being right there.
Being part of something big.�
�I think I understand. I�m used to being behind the scenes.
Observing.�
�That�s all about to change, Captain.�
Wes stared at Evyn�s profile, aglow in the moonlight. �I think it
already has.�
� 56 �
chapter seven
Here you go,� Evyn said, lifting Wes�s overnight bag out of
the trunk.
�Thanks.� Wes took it from her and slung the strap over her
right shoulder. The T-Bird idled in the turnaround of the Marriott. The
marquee lights over the entrance had been dimmed, leaving them in
fractured shadow. The sliding glass doors behind them whooshed open,
and a voice called, �Need help with bags?�
�I�ve got it, thanks,� Wes said without turning around. Evyn stood
a foot away, one hand resting on the edge of the open trunk lid. Wes
searched for something more to say, but she didn�t know where to start.
The last few hours had been different than any time she�d ever spent with
anyone. She�d had hundreds of meals with colleagues, in the hospital,
on board ship, in the field. When those conversations ended, she moved
on, rarely giving the oft-times pleasant but superficial encounters
another thought. But she didn�t want this evening to end. Her reaction
was so foreign she couldn�t sort out wishes from reality. How could she
be uncomfortable and feel so energized at the same time?
She wasn�t a spontaneous person�she was a planner, always
prepared for any contingency, always following the most efficient
path. She�d always known what she needed to do to achieve her goals.
She�d learned from watching her mother deal with challenges head-
on, working hard, never bowing before adversity or buckling under
seemingly insurmountable odds. As long as she could remember, she�d
looked forward, she�d worked toward the future. She didn�t have a
lot of practice living in the moment. �Thanks for the ride. And the�
dinner.�
� 57 �
RADCLY
�No problem.� No subtle suggestion as to what came next
resonated in Evyn�s tone, but her gaze never strayed from Wes�s.
�I�ll see you tomorrow, then,� Wes said, still not moving. Evyn
hadn�t moved either. Wes�s skin tingled as if charged with current ready
to snap. There was more�a next move she couldn�t grasp, words just
out of reach. Her nerves vibrated at the sensation of a bubble closing
down around them, isolating them, a fragile gossamer barrier that held
them suspended in their own world. She wondered if she turned and
walked away if the bubble would burst and they would never again
share an unguarded moment. She didn�t want that to happen. She didn�t
have any choice. Tomorrow, everything would change. She had no
choice but to fall back on what had always worked, on the one thing
she could depend upon. Doing her duty, fulfilling her obligations. �I�ll
report to you after my interview.�
�Unless POTUS goes off schedule, I�ll be in the command center.
Text me. I�ll find you.�
�Yes, I�ll do that.� Wes backed up and the shimmering enclosure
shattered. Evyn slammed the trunk closed. They were agent and doctor
again. �Good night.�
��Night,� Evyn called, walking around to the driver�s door. She
slid in without another glance.
Wes turned and walked toward the waiting bellman.
�You have that, Captain?� the bellman said, pointing to her bag.
�Yes,� Wes replied as the sound of the T-Bird�s powerful engine
faded behind her. �Everything�s under control.�
v
Evyn made quick time through the nearly empty streets to I-495
and down to her condo in Alexandria, VA. She pulled into her slot in
the residents� parking garage, grabbed her go bag, and took the stairs up
to her third-floor, one-bedroom unit. When she let herself in, she was
greeted with a plaintive and highly offended cry. �I haven�t been gone
that long, and I know you�re not starving, so you might as well forget
the theatrics.�
A sinuous gray shadow eased around the counter that separated the
big living room from the galley-style kitchen. Ricochet jumped up onto
the back of the sofa and proceeded to ignore her. She dropped her bag
� 58 �
by the closet holding the stacked washer-dryer, passed behind the couch
on her way to the kitchen, and scooped up the cat. He didn�t like it when
she was away, but he liked attention too much to feign indifference and
immediately began to rumble, a rollicking purr that vibrated into her
chest. Absently, she rubbed her cheek against the top of his head and
pulled the refrigerator door open. She extracted a bottle of Turbo Dog,
popped the top on an old-style Coke bottle opener screwed to the wall
underneath the adjacent cabinet, and took a long swallow. She checked
the floor�his water and food bowls were full. She poked his lean belly.
�Definitely not starving.�
He kneaded her shoulder through her shirt as she ambled back
into the living area and flopped on the couch. She didn�t bother with
the lights�she knew her way around the place in the semi-darkness.
Propping her feet on the scarred and scraped oak coffee table she�d
been carting around since college, she stared out the glass balcony
doors and sipped her beer. Usually she watched a little aimless TV until
she unwound enough to fall asleep, but tonight she had something else
to occupy her�Wes Masters lingered in her mind.
�So,� she said to Ricochet, �I met the new chief medical officer
today. Very spit-and-polish shiny. Ought to be interesting to see how
she fits in at the House.� Ricochet curled up in a ball on her lap and
proceeded to lick his paws. She traced a finger around the back of each
ear and he continued to purr. �I�m supposed to bring her up to speed
on protocol.�
Ricochet paused in his washings, one paw elevated, and blinked
at her.�Yeah, yeah. I know. Not what I want to be doing.� Evyn set the
bottle on the wooden arm of the sofa and turned it slowly. Dinner had
probably been a mistake. She�d gone on impulse because she didn�t
have anything better to do, and after a long day of travel and intermittent
boredom, broken by moments of intense alertness, she�d still had energy
to burn. And Wes Masters was intriguing. Why was she here, who was
she really? Understandable curiosity there, and she never could pass up
a good mystery. But the going out to dinner with her? What was that
all about? She hadn�t shared a meal with anyone other than fellow PPD
agents in two years. She hadn�t had a dinner date, or a movie date, or any
other kind of date in a long time. She�d had encounters, conversations
in bars, a little bit of sex�enough to keep her from thinking about the
� 59 �
RADCLY
fact that she didn�t really have a personal life�until tonight. Probably
not the smartest thing to do, sharing personal stuff before she�d had a
chance to assess her professionally. She should�ve said no.
�Why the hell did she even ask?� Evyn muttered. Ricochet didn�t
answer. �It�s not like we have anything in common, and chances are
we�re going to run into the old �whose responsibilities take precedence
in event of emergency� pretty fast. I can�t see her bending on much of
anything.�
Ricochet rolled onto his back, reminding her of priorities.
�I can be flexible,� she said grumpily, rubbing his soft belly. �I�m
just not, usually. Stick with what you know, right? Right?�
She didn�t make mistakes with women because she never varied
her pattern. Now she had, and she ought to be sorry. She wasn�t, and
that was worrisome.
v
Wes woke before the alarm she�d set for 0600 and lay awake,
waiting for the backup wake-up call she�d requested from the hotel
operator when she�d finally hit the rack at 0200. She hadn�t slept well,
but she wasn�t tired. She was used to broken sleep and catching what
she could at odd hours. She still covered the ER often enough to keep
in shape for the demands of emergency medicine. Good thing, because
it sounded like her schedule was going to be anything but regular from
now on. A buzz of excitement shot through her. She loved teaching, but
she was looking forward to having boots on the ground again. Actually
practicing what she preached, although her number one goal where
her new job was concerned was to be certain she didn�t have to. She
couldn�t wait to get a look at the WHMU emergency protocols. Maybe
she�d been tapped for this job because her specialty was triage and
emergency management. Whatever the reason, she�d find out pretty
soon.The bedside phone rang and she picked it up. �Good morning,� a
mechanical voice said, �this is your wake-up call��
Wes set the phone back in the cradle and swung out of bed. Evyn�s
face surfaced in her mind, and she wondered if Evyn was still sleeping
or if she was on her way to the House. She wondered how she�d slept
and if she�d thought about their evening. She didn�t stop to ask herself
� 60 �
why she�d awakened thinking about a woman for the first time in her
life. Instead, she resolutely put thoughts of Evyn aside and hit the
shower.
Thirty minutes later, dressed in her regulation khakis, Wes grabbed
a cup of Starbucks takeout coffee in the hotel lobby and took a cab to
the White House. She walked around the Ellipse, familiarizing herself
with the terrain. She�d never been inside the White House before but
assumed the fastest way to wherever she needed to go would be via
the West Wing, where the bulk of the offices were located. At 0730,
she approached the northwest gate and gave her name to the officer
on duty. �I have an appointment at zero eight hundred hours with Ms.
Washburn.�
�One moment, please.� The White House Uniformed Division
officer turned away and scanned a screen. A minute later he said, �You�re
cleared to enter. You�ll want the elevator on your right. A staffer will
meet you and take you up.�
�Thank you.�
Inside, Wes noted the sign for the emergency medical clinic in the
Old Executive Office Building and walked past the hall to her new base
until she found the elevators. She repeated her name and destination to
the staffer in the elevator, and when she exited, another staffer escorted
her to a waiting area. She sat and waited.
At 0805, a young intern approached. He looked to be about twenty-
two, buttoned down, slightly frazzled, with a friendly smile. �Captain
Masters?�
Wes stood. �That�s right.�
�Ms. Washburn sends her apologies for keeping you waiting.
She�s ready to see you now.�
�Thank you.� She followed him through an archway, down a hall,
and into another small waiting area. He tapped on the heavy, carved
walnut door and responded to something that only he could hear. He
pushed open the door, and Wes entered Lucinda Washburn�s office. The
south lawn was visible opposite her through French doors framed by
floor-to-ceiling white brocade drapes. The Oriental carpet under her feet
looked expensive and old. A closed door on her left probably led into
the Oval Office. Wes stood at parade rest in front of Ms. Washburn�s
desk while the chief of staff signed off on a call.
Lucinda replaced the handset, stood, and held out her hand. �Good
� 61 �
RADCLY
to see you again, Captain. Hang your coat up over there, and have a
seat.�Wes shrugged out of her topcoat and added it to several other
winter coats on a wrought-iron coat tree just inside the door. She took
one of the two leather chairs facing the desk and waited.
�Do you have any objections to taking a polygraph?�
�No, ma�am,� Wes said, seeing that they were about to get directly
down to business.
�Good. That�s really the last of the formal security items.� She
shrugged. �Protocol only. Your record has already been reviewed.�
Wes said nothing. She wouldn�t be sitting there if her service
record and probably everything that came in her life before that hadn�t
already been scrutinized in intimate detail.
�Have any questions?�
�No, ma�am.�
Lucinda smiled. �I am not in the military, so you can dispense with
the formalities. And feel free to speak. None of this is on the record.�
�May I ask how I came to be considered for the position?�
�Of course.� Lucinda gestured to a coffee urn and a row of plain
white mugs sitting on a linen-draped sideboard. �Coffee?�
�Yes, please.�
While Lucinda poured, she talked. �Obviously, Dr.
O�Shaughnessy�s death was unexpected. The position is a critical
one, and with POTUS about to embark on a series of national and
international movements, we need the White House Medical Unit to
be at full staff.�
�I understand.� Wes waited for the rest of the story. The White
House medical staff usually came from the military, and there were
plenty of military physicians available. But she�d been short-listed. Not
just short-listed but fast-tracked.
Lucinda handed her a cup of coffee and angled the adjacent chair
to face Wes. When she sat, their knees were a few inches apart. �As you
can imagine,� Lucinda said calmly, �an election year is a volatile time
for the nation and disruptive to both parties. Emotions run high.�
�If there�s something I need to know about the president�s health,
I assume it will be in his records, but if not, then I need to know�off
the record.�
Lucinda�s eyes glinted as if she was pleased with Wes�s statement.
� 62 �
�This isn�t television. There�s nothing we�re hiding about the president�s
health. He has some food allergies which you will note in his chart,
an old ligamentous injury to his right knee, and some annoying, but
I�m told not dangerous, floaters in his right eye. Other than that, he is
remarkably fit and healthy.�
�Excellent. I will be reviewing his records today.�
�We have excellent security,� Lucinda went on, �and the president
and I have total faith in his detail. In an election year, we always see an
escalation in death threats.�
Wes nodded. �I�ll need to know the nature of the threats, the
analysis of the threat level, and what the Secret Service containment
policies are.�
�You see,� Lucinda said, smiling more broadly now, �you�ve
just proved my point. We need someone in charge who knows how to
approach these kinds of issues in a scientific fashion.�
�Any physician should be able��
�But not with the facility of someone whose job it has been to
set up treatment, triage, and interventional protocols under battlefield
conditions. That is a fairly unique skill.�
�Do you expect an attack on POTUS?�
Lucinda sipped her coffee and finally said softly, �It isn�t a question
of
we all work under, Captain Masters. As long as we believe that, we will
be prepared for anything.�
�I understand.� Wes decided to push her luck. �And the current
staff? Isn�t it customary to advance members from within?�
Lucinda shrugged. �There is nothing customary in the White
House, Captain. The guard changes every four to eight years, and many
of the personnel change at the same time. The rules, if there are any,
are almost totally dependent upon who occupies these rooms.� Lucinda
regarded her for a long moment, and Wes sat under her dissecting gaze
calmly. �The White House Military Office is your counterpart, and they
felt no internal candidate was qualified for the unique demands of this
position at this point in time.�
�I can assure you, Ms. Washburn,� Wes said, �I am prepared.�
�I�m very, very glad to hear that.� Lucinda set her cup aside, and
her expression took on the kind of intense focus Wes recognized from
the field when an engagement was imminent.
� 63 �
RADCLY
Lucinda Washburn was about to tell her the real reason she�d been
hired. Everything else was reasonable, but that about-to-do-battle glint
in Lucinda�s eyes said there was more.
�Need-to-know, Captain,� Lucinda said softly.
�Yes, ma�am.�
�We have a security breach, as yet unidentified, but we suspect
the individual has intimate access to the president. You�ll be with those
closest to him every day.�
�I�m not a security agent, I�m a doctor.�
Lucinda smiled. �And as such, a trained observer.�
Wes asked, �Who are the likely suspects?�
Lucinda drew a long breath and listed the limited pool of individuals
with close, continuous access to the president. Evyn Daniels was one
of them. Wes thought back to the hours they�d spent together the night
before. If she�d had this information then, maybe she wouldn�t have
suggested dinner, even though she couldn�t imagine Evyn betraying her
country. But then, she didn�t really know her at all. All she had to go on
were nebulous feelings, and feelings had no place in her job.
�I�ll be read in on any security updates?� Wes asked.
�Yes�need-to-know.� Lucinda stood, indicating the interview
was over. �Questions?�
�No, ma�am. I do have a request.�
�Go ahead,� Lucinda said, a note of curiosity in her tone.
�I�d like to see the autopsy file on Dr. O�Shaughnessy.�
Lucinda�s jaw tightened. �You�ll have that today, Captain. As soon
as the last of the paperwork is completed.�
�Thank you.�
Lucinda Washburn leaned across her desk and pushed a button on
her phone. A voice came over the speaker. �Yes, ma�am?�
�Would you please let the agents know Captain Masters is
ready?�
�Certainly.�
Lucinda turned. �We�ll get the polygraph out of the way, and that
should be the end of the formalities.�
�Yes, ma�am.� Wes rose. �As I said, I�ll be reviewing the president�s
chart today. I would like to examine him at his earliest convenience.�
�Really?� Lucinda studied her. �Why? Everything is in his
records.�
� 64 �
�That may be, but if I�m going to be his doctor, I need to perform
a baseline physical examination and make my own assessment.�
�You don�t trust your predecessor?�
�I don�t know him,� Wes said. �But in any case, I wouldn�t presume
to take care of someone I had never examined. It�s not good medicine.�
She hesitated, seeing the consternation in Lucinda Washburn�s eyes.
She imagined the president was incredibly busy, and finding time to
meet with her would probably be incredibly inconvenient. �In my
experience, high-profile patients often get poor care. Physicians and
everyone else involved are reluctant to inconvenience them. Things
get overlooked. That�s not fair to any patient, but it certainly is not
appropriate for the president of the United States. In light of everything
you�ve told me, it�s imperative I judge his status for myself.�
�I understand. I�ll see that it�s scheduled as soon as possible.�
Lucinda extended her hand and Wes took it. �Welcome to the House,
Captain.�
� 65 �
RADCLY
chapter eight
Evyn hadn�t slept much in the last few days, and she needed a
coffee refill to keep her focused during the routine after-review
of the wedding detail and the rest of the uneventful morning briefing.
Trying not to look distracted, she sloshed milk into her Starbucks
venti cup, added the always-good coffee the valets kept fresh in their
command center, and settled back at the conference table with the other
members of the day shift. She wasn�t herself and couldn�t figure out
what was off. Usually a brisk shower, a fast fantasy, and a hard orgasm
cleared her head for the day, but this morning, she�d opened her eyes
and immediately replayed the evening with Wes�and the details that
came to mind had nothing to do with the job. She kept stumbling over
the way Wes concentrated on her when they talked, as if they had all
night, the way Wes smiled at something Evyn said, her eyes glowing.
And her mouth�God, she had a killer mouth�full lips, broad smile, a
tiny lift on the right side that gave her a hot, sexy, rakish look. Evyn�s
stomach tightened into a hard knot and a quick pulse beat between her
thighs. She sucked in a breath. Whoa. Bad timing�where was that rush
two hours ago when she could have taken care of it? She slugged her
coffee, burned her tongue, and choked.
When she looked over, Gary was staring at her with laughter in
his eyes. She tossed him a
always claimed he could read her mind, but she assured him he was
wrong, remarking if he could, he�d be walking around with a perpetual
boner and he should be so lucky.
Agents rose and started to leave the room, the midnight shift
� 66 �
heading home and the rest to their posts. Evyn grabbed her black trench
coat and coffee.
�Evyn,� Tom Turner said. �Hang on a minute, will you.�
�Sure.� Evyn dropped her coat onto a chair and tossed the empty
paper cup into a nearby wastebasket. Gary hesitated, glanced at Tom,
and followed the rest out, muttering, �Catch you later,� as he left.
When the room was empty, Tom closed the door and gestured for
her to sit.
Her antennae went up. She couldn�t think of anything she�d done
that could be problematic. She wasn�t the most senior member of PPD,
but over the last year she�d sort of become Tom�s unofficial sounding
board. She�d sat in the right front seat of the follow-up car a time
or two, and had taken the lead when POTUS traveled. That level of
responsibility told her she was doing okay, or at least she thought she
had been. She waited for Tom to start, banishing a mild case of nerves,
a wholly atypical reaction for her.
�Are you set to bring Masters up to speed?� Tom sat across from
her and leaned back in his chair.
�She�s still clearing security but should be done sometime today.
I�ll meet with her later and set up a schedule.� Evyn�s pulse jittered at
the mention of Wes�s name, also unusual. She rarely showed a bump in
her blood pressure or her pulse, even during simulated actions. She�d
been preparing for this job since she was a kid, and she�d taught herself
not to react when something hurt, or scared her, or excited her. She kept
her cool. She wanted to be ice in an emergency. She usually was. But
just a reference to Wes Masters had her composure melting around the
edges. That couldn�t be good. She needed to clamp a lid on that.
�I had a call from Averill Jensen before the briefing this morning,�
Tom said.
Evyn tensed at the mention of the president�s security adviser.
The USSS answered only to the Director of Homeland Security�on
paper�but Jensen had sweeping authority in security matters. �About
We�Captain Masters?�
�Indirectly.�
Evyn couldn�t believe there was an issue with Wes Masters. She�d
only just met Wes, but she�d spent time with her, more personal time
than she�d spent with anyone in years, except the agents who�d just left
� 67 �
RADCLY
this room. And they hadn�t just talked about business. They�d talked
about life. Wes was solid. She was dedicated and focused, all the way
through. Evyn clamped her molars together and kept her mouth shut.
She needed to listen, and to do her job. Right now, the best thing she
could do for Wes Masters was find out what the hell was going on.
�They went outside to bring her in,� Tom said, �and on the face of
it, that�s not that unusual. What�s unusual is that with O�Shaughnessy�s
sudden death, they didn�t move someone up from inside as interim
director while they put the nominees through the selection process.�
�I know.� Just a few hours with Wes had blunted some of Evyn�s
anger that Peter had been passed over, but she still didn�t think it was
right. Wes wasn�t at fault for that, at least not as far as she knew. �Did
somebody pull strings to get her appointed? Pressure someone? Is that
it?� �No.� Tom�s smooth brow wrinkled, which for him was akin to
shouting. He was the epitome of control. He just didn�t get rattled,
especially if he was angry or frustrated. Something serious was going
on if Tom was unsettled. �Masters was brought in
qualified outsider. There seems to be some concern that we have a leak
inside.�
�A leak?� Evyn took a second to let that sink in. �You mean
someone in the
�Communications analysts have been pulling snippets from
surveillance tapes�routine Internet sweeps�that suggest potentially
hostile groups might know plans we haven�t made public.�
�Jesus,� Evyn said. �And they think it�s in the medical unit?�
�They don�t know�could be anywhere�the medical unit, the
West Wing, our group��
�Us? Oh, come on, that�s just not possible. At the very least,
someone is talking who shouldn�t be because they�re damn idiots�
which excludes all of us. Worst-case scenario, someone is working with
domestic or foreign hostiles. And
Tom stared at her. �You believe it and I believe it, but that doesn�t
mean everyone else does. Let�s not forget Robert Hanssen. He went
undetected for decades.�
�We�re not the FBI,� Evyn said dismissively.
is looking at
� 68 �
prolonged after-dinner conversation? She remembered every word that
had passed between them, and she couldn�t remember Wes bringing
up anything probative. All the same, the invitation had come out of
nowhere. Her heart plummeted. �Hell.�
�I doubt that�not her job description. All the same, we can�t really
be sure what we haven�t been told.� He grimaced, clearly not happy.
�Given the threat level, Masters has to be aware of the situation.�
�Well, we better be sure she�s ready to carry the ball,� Evyn said.
�That�s your job. In the meantime, we need to button down
everything on our end. I want you to watch communications carefully.
Make sure our analysts are looking for anything, no matter how small,
that gets picked up from sources under surveillance.�
She nodded sharply. �You got it.�
�She�s due for a polygraph. Pick her up and take her over. Sit in
on it.��I�m not certified��
�I know�Preston will run it. You can play backup.�
�Yes, sir.�
�And for now, all of this is just between us.�
�Yes, sir,� Evyn said softly. She didn�t want to believe that anyone
inside the White House could be compromising the president by
inadvertently mishandling information. But to do it willfully? To her,
there was no greater sin. Wes couldn�t think her capable of that, could
she?
v
Wes left Lucinda�s office and walked out into the waiting area.
Evyn Daniels stood with a stone-faced man in a dark suit who regarded
her with unsmiling eyes. Wes looked at Evyn. �Good morning, Agent
Daniels.�
�Captain,� Evyn said politely, nothing but professional friendliness
in her eyes. �This is Agent Preston.�
Wes quickly squelched a wave of disappointment at the formal
tone. Business as usual. Last night was a thing of the past, and after
what Lucinda had just told her, business as usual was all there could be
for her with anyone on the job. She wasn�t here to make friends. She
nodded to Preston. �You�ll be doing the testing?�
� 69 �
RADCLY
�That�s right,� Preston said. �If you come this way, we�ll tell you
about it once we get settled.�
Wes followed them down the hall and into a small room with
several windows that looked out over another expanse of lawn studded
with rose bushes. The room was crowded with a conference table, eight
chairs, and a row of bookshelves underneath the window. A file cabinet
stood in one corner and a polygraph machine rested in the center of
the table. She sat down across from it. Evyn and Preston sat facing the
machine.
�The way this works,� Preston said, �is that the test is given in two
parts�part one will cover some basic informational questions. Then
we�ll move on to part two with more focused questions. Have you ever
had a polygraph?�
�No.�
�Is there anything you want us to know now before we start the
test?��I assume you�re referring to anything which I feel would
disqualify me for this position?�
Preston answered before Evyn. �We find it�s best not to try
to outthink or rationalize whether or not there is a right or wrong
answer.�
Evyn added, �Just answer each question to the best of your ability.
If there�s something in the past you think may hamper or confuse your
answers, you should tell us. That will actually help us interpret the test
to your benefit.�
�There isn�t.� Wes hadn�t expected to see Evyn until later, and
this wasn�t the way she had hoped their next encounter would come
about, but Evyn was here to do her job and so was she. In a way, she
was relieved. There could be no ambiguity about what was happening
between them. Nothing. Only business.
�All right,� Preston said. �We�re going to go through some basic
questions first.�
Wes knew the basics of the polygraph. She understood that
some questions were designed to elicit a yes-or-no answer, and those
responses formed the baseline comparators for other answers. She also
knew it was best not to try to figure out which questions were the critical
comparators. �I�m ready.�
Preston made some notes while Evyn connected the galvanic
� 70 �
skin recorder to Wes�s right arm. Wes was aware of sweating slightly.
Unusual for her. Even under the tensest conditions, she rarely perspired.
She wasn�t concerned about the test, but she couldn�t shake the lingering
connection she felt to Evyn Daniels, and the disorienting effect of her
presence.
�All right, Dr. Masters,� Preston said, making a mark on a
scrolling roll of paper. �We�re going to begin. Is your name Captain
Wesley Masters?�
�Yes.�
Preston alternated asking her routine questions�her term of
service, her duty stations, her field experience�interspersed with
pointed questions.
�Have you ever been arrested?�
�No.�
�Have you ever used illegal drugs, recreationally or in conjunction
with an assignment?�
�No.�
�Have you ever met with foreign nationals hostile to the U.S.?�
�No.�
�Have you ever met with known terrorists?�
�No.�
�The Ku Klux Klan, the American Nazi Party, the American
Christian Army?�
�No. No. No.�
She answered no so many times she began to feel as if she was
revealing she had no life outside her job. But then, she didn�t.
Finally, Preston turned off the machine and Evyn sat back. She
gave Wes the slightest smile, and for some reason, Wes�s uneasiness
disappeared.
�We�ll let you know the results as soon as they�ve been analyzed,�
Preston said.
Wes rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck. �Good, thank
you. I wonder if you could tell me how to get to the medical offices
from here.�
�I�ll take you,� Evyn said.
�And someplace to eat?�
Evyn glanced at her watch. �It�s almost sixteen hundred. I�ll show
you a good place to get a late lunch.�
� 71 �
RADCLY
�I don�t have much time,� Wes said, not wanting a repeat of the
intimacy of the night before. She needed a buffer between them if the
disappointment she�d experienced earlier was any indication of how
strongly Evyn affected her.
�I�m sure your team can wait another forty-five minutes. POTUS
isn�t scheduled to leave the House today. Whatever activity there is in
the clinic is already being handled by your staff. Lunch first. Then I�ll
take you over to meet your staff.�
�Thank you,� Wes said, realizing when she had been given an
order in the form of a suggestion. She�d have to get used to that, since
Evyn was in charge. And since part of Lucinda Washburn�s unspoken
message had been to assess those on the list, she�d best get on with her
job. �Lunch it is.�
� 72 �
chapter nine
Cam leaned against the doorway to Blair�s studio in the house
they�d purchased not far from Tanner and Adrienne�s on
Whitley Point. In the middle of winter this far north, sunset came
early, and the late-day sun slanted low on the horizon. Diffuse golden
light cast a halo around Blair�s face as she concentrated on the canvas
propped up on the easel in front of her. Her paint-spattered jeans rode
low on her hips, and her faded black T-shirt with a silk-screened Andy
Warhol slid up and down over the hollow of her spine as she captured
the colors of the sea in gray, and green, and blue. A strip of skin two
inches wide just above the waistband of her Luckys winked into
view and disappeared to the rhythm of her brushstrokes in a hypnotic
cadence that captured Cam�s attention and made her throat go dry.
She knew that spot�the sweet softness of the skin, the delicate ripple
of bone beneath supple muscle, the breathy moans when her fingers
dipped and stroked. She�d rested her hand in just that spot while they�d
danced at their wedding.
She smiled. They hadn�t really celebrated privately yet. By the
time they�d said good-bye to the last of their guests, thanked Tanner
and Adrienne for opening their home and putting up with the weeks of
heightened security, and made it back to their place down island, they�d
fallen into bed exhausted. After sleeping far later than usual, they�d
both needed to unwind. Blair wanted to paint. Cam needed to move.
Now she wanted nothing more than to be right where she was, looking
at her wife.
� 73 �
RADCLY
�Have a good run?� Blair asked, touching a dab of purple to the
swell of a wave.
�The beach is a bitch. I�d forgotten how much harder it is to run
on sand.�
�Tire you out?� Blair wiped her brush on a cloth and set it in a tray
next to the easel and turned, her gaze slowly sliding from Cam�s face
down her body.
�Just getting started.�
Blair smiled slowly. �You�re all sweaty.�
�Sorry about that.� Cam fanned her fingers over the center of her
chest, and Blair�s eyes flared with heat, making her nipples tighten and
pressure surge in her groin. �Stark made me promise I�d let her join me
when her leg healed.�
�Oh, I can just see that�I know she hates to run. You�ve been
torturing her again by playing to her need to best the boss.�
�Ex-boss. And all Secret Service agents are competitive by nature.
I didn�t have to play her at all.�
Laughing, Blair crossed the room with the easy grace of a trained
martial artist. She gripped the bottom of Cam�s T-shirt and jerked it up
and over Cam�s head, tossing it onto the floor behind them. She leaned
against Cam�s body, pinning her against the doorjamb. �Well, I like you
sweaty and you�re going to need a shower anyhow�I�m going to get
paint all over you.�
Cam circled Blair�s waist and gripped her ass, snugging Blair�s
hips into the vee of her pelvis. �Is it washable paint?�
�I might have to work on it.� Blair nipped at Cam�s chin and kissed
her, molding her mouth to Cam�s, teasing the seam of her lips with the
tip of her tongue. �Rub a little here and there.�
�Make sure you get a lot on me, then.� Cam pulled her closer,
enjoying the heat spreading through her belly, the rising beat of arousal,
the anticipation of the pleasure to come. Blair�s hands covered her
breasts, thumbs lightly brushing her nipples, and she tilted her head
back, giving Blair room to scrape her teeth down her throat. �Your
mouth is so hot�God, Blair.�
�You taste so good,� Blair mumbled as she nipped and kissed her
way to the hollow of Cam�s throat. She licked the salty skin there and
moaned softly.
� 74 �
Cam pulled the tie holding Blair�s hair back, letting her thick
waves fall free. She tangled her fingers in them, cupping the back of
Blair�s head, guiding Blair�s mouth lower, to the curve of her breast.
Blair�s teeth closed over her nipple and Cam jerked. They were alone in
that part of the house, but several of Blair�s security agents were in the
kitchen�and she was losing her grip more with every stroke of Blair�s
tongue. �Shower soon?�
�Mmm, in a minute,� Blair whispered, licking a warm path down
the underside of Cam�s breast.
�Blair,� Cam warned, her thighs starting to shake.
Blair laughed, pressing the flat of her hand to the center of Cam�s
belly, making slow, tight circles, knowing the motion would work Cam
up even faster.
�You looked beautiful,� Cam whispered, �standing over there in
the sunlight.�
Blair stilled, then raised her head, her blue eyes dark and
questioning. �You always catch me off guard, Cam. You mean that,
don�t you.�
�Every time I see you, I fall in love again.�
�I believe you when you say those things. You make my heart
melt.�Cam framed Blair�s face and kissed her softly. Her body demanded
Blair�s hands, Blair�s mouth, Blair�s fingers, but her heart wanted
nothing more than to hold Blair close with her last breath. �I love you.
You�re all I want.�
�Cam.� Blair�s fingers trembled against Cam�s skin. �I never
thought I�d have this. You undo me.�
The tears shimmering on Blair�s lashes were Cam�s undoing. She
only wanted her love to make Blair smile. �Don�t worry�I�ll never
tell.�Laughing, the hint of vulnerability erased by joy, Blair closed her
eyes and rested her cheek against Cam�s shoulder. �Good. I�d hate for
my badass reputation to suffer.�
Cam skimmed her hand under Blair�s T-shirt and stroked her back.
�Want to take that shower with me?�
Blair fingers skated lower, brushing softly between Cam�s thighs.
�Want me to finish what I started?�
� 75 �
RADCLY
�Oh yeah. Several times.�
Laughing, Blair took Cam�s hand and dragged her down the hall.
�I�ll see what I can do.�
v
�Five Guys?� Wes said when Evyn stopped in front of the red-
and-white checkered burger joint.
�What? You don�t like burgers? Are you a vegetarian?�
�No.� Wes shook her head. �I think my coronaries can take it. A
burger would be great.�
�Well, these are great burgers.� Evyn reached for the door but Wes
was there first, pushing it open and waiting for her to pass. �You know
that�s very retro, right?�
�What?� Wes let the door close behind them and followed Evyn
to the counter.
�Holding the door for a woman.�
�Does it bother you?�
�Do you always do it?�
�If I don�t have to knock someone down to get there first.�
Evyn laughed. �Chivalry just comes naturally to you?�
�I don�t know. Is that what you call it?�
Evyn almost said
Wes really didn�t know her actions were both charming and unusual,
and that made what might have been annoying in someone else just
plain attractive. �I guess you take the officer-and-a-gentleman thing
seriously.�
�I do.�
�So you don�t just rely on the uniform to turn heads?�
�Never did, really,� Wes answered easily. The glint in Evyn�s
eyes made it hard to resist her good-natured teasing. �I�m not the head-
turning type.�
�Come again?� Evyn stared. Did the woman really not know how
hot she was?
�What?�
�Never mind.� Evyn took a mental step back. Fifteen minutes
alone with Wes and they were already dancing around personal issues
� 76 �
again. Maybe even flirting. Without her even realizing it. Without
meaning to. Wes slid right through her usual barriers, and she couldn�t
have that. Especially not here, on the job, and especially not with Wes.
�We don�t have much time, so if you know what you want��
�I�m good to order,� Wes said, visibly drawing back.
Evyn supposed she�d been rude, but better that than familiar. So
what if the cool curtain that fell between them chilled her more than the
miserable weather outside.
They ordered, grabbed a table by the window, and waited for their
number to be called. She started to rise when the server called their
order, but Wes got to her feet.
�I�ll get it. Ketchup on your fries?�
�What else?�
�Vinegar,� Wes said.
�Blasphemy.�
�You should try it.�
Evyn leaned back in her chair and stared up at Wes, who stood
looking down, amusement dancing in her eyes. Every single thing
about her was attractive�the sharp profile, the long tight body, the
devastating mouth. And she was close enough to being on the job to
know what it meant to have no life to speak of�a schedule that changed
at a moment�s notice, travel plans she couldn�t share, colleagues who
knew her better than family. Or maybe who were her family. Wes
Masters might just be the most interesting woman she�d ever met, and
that was a big, big problem. She�d had a very brief and very ill-advised
affair with another agent right after she�d been assigned to DC. They�d
split up when her ex�s ex returned from an assignment overseas and
wasn�t so ex any longer. Unfortunately, Evyn kept running into said ex
on the job. That was painful at first and then just embarrassing. Then
and there she�d decided to keep life simple�a total separation of work
and play. Wes was upsetting her game plan. Add to that the whole
breach in security issue, and the inadvisable became the impossible.
�I�ll stick to the sure thing,� Evyn said. �Ketchup, that is.�
�Okay.� Wes looked at her a second longer before disappearing to
retrieve their food.
�Smooth�really smooth, Daniels.� Evyn shredded her paper
napkin and wondered what the hell Wes had just seen in her eyes.
� 77 �
RADCLY
�This is kind of scary,� Wes said, pointing to the grease-stained
brown paper bag filled with french fries as she sat down a minute
later.�Never took you for a coward.� Evyn grabbed her double burger
with cheese and bag of fries.
Wes just laughed and carefully tore the bag open. Fat golden fries
spilled out. She plucked one up, dipped it in a little plastic container of
vinegar, and ate it. �Good.�
�Told you,� Evyn said as she plowed through her food. �After
this I�ll take you over to the clinic�it�s in the OEOB.� At Wes�s raised
eyebrow she added, �Old Executive Office Building. You can sort out
your schedule and whatnot today in terms of coverage. Tomorrow,
you�ll report to me at zero eight hundred.�
�All right,� Wes said, carefully rolling up the remains of the paper
bag that had held her fries. �I need to take shifts in the clinic as soon as
possible. I want to see how things work�how the team meshes.�
�I understand. We�ll have at least one away exercise. The rest of
the sims we should be able to do at Beltsville.�
�Come again?�
�Our training center.�
�Gotcha. Assuming the polygraph results are okay.�
Evyn lifted a shoulder. �I doubt there�ll be any problem there. It
had to be done, but you wouldn�t have gotten this far if there was a
question.� She hesitated. �Those things are always tough.�
�It�s okay�I expected it to be intrusive. So I have no secrets
left�I never really had many to begin with.� Wes smiled but there was
a hint of bitterness in her eyes.
Evyn wished Tom hadn�t wanted her there�she didn�t want to
learn about Wes�s life in a windowless room while she was hooked up
to a machine that was set to gauge whether she was lying. She wanted
to hear about Wes�s family and her aspirations and the places she�d
been over dinner and a bottle of wine. She wanted to know more about
her, and there was that big, big problem staring her in the face again.
�Have you been assigned permanent quarters?� Evyn asked,
steering the conversation onto safer ground.
�I don�t know.� Wes flicked the temporary ID she�d gotten at the
gate that morning. �I�m not exactly official yet.�
�We�ll take care of that this afternoon.�
� 78 �
�Thanks. I appreciate��
�The sooner we get you settled,� Evyn said, gathering up her trash
and standing, �the sooner we can see how you�ll do in the field.�
�Sure.�
�Let�s get back.�
Evyn turned away from the intensity of Wes�s gaze. She�d have to
learn to look at Wes without wanting to fall into those damn gorgeous
green eyes.
� 79 �
RADCLY
chapter ten
Cam settled Blair into the crook of her arm and dragged the
sheet over them. Blair�s hair was still damp from the shower,
and she ran her fingers through the loose tangles while Blair traced lazy
circles on her belly. The heat of Blair�s body against her skin stirred the
blood in her depths�again. �This is better than spending time traveling
somewhere for a honeymoon.�
Blair raised her head and rested her chin on Cam�s chest, her
expression grave. �Anytime I get to spend every day with you is a
honeymoon as far as I�m concerned.�
�I know. For me too.� The times they were alone, or as alone as
they could be, with no schedules, no responsibilities, were rare. And
she was about to ruin it.
�Lucinda called this morning just as I was about to go out for my
run.�Blair stiffened, her fingers stilling. �Lucinda never calls unless
there�s a problem.�
�She wants me temporarily assigned to White House security.�
�Secret Service? Replacing Tom?�
�No,� Cam said. �I�ll report directly to Averill Jensen.�
�I know they ramp up the detail when he�s traveling, but there�s
more to this, isn�t there? Something is going on. That�s why you�re
coming with me on the campaign trail.�
Cam pushed up against the pillows so she could look down into
Blair�s face. She wanted Blair to read her eyes, as only Blair could.
�Yes and no.�
Blair slapped Cam�s stomach, a sharp little slap that was part
� 80 �
annoyance, but still damn sexy. �Don�t use government-speak with me.
Just tell me what�s going on.�
�Lucinda thinks we might have a leak, someplace close to Andrew.
She wants me to find out who it is.�
�She wants you to go undercover because we have a spy?� Blair
pulled away and sat cross-legged facing Cam. She kept her fingertips
resting on Cam�s bare belly. The sheet pooled at her waist. Her breasts
rose firmly on her subtly muscled chest. Her eyes sparked. �Why you?
What she�s asking you to do is dangerous. Are you going to have backup
inside? What if whoever it is finds out you�re��
�You buy there might be a leak?�
�If Lucinda says there�s a leak, there�s a leak. How close, really?
She must have given you some idea.�
�Close. Military aides, medical staff, security detail. Someone
with intimate knowledge of Andrew�s movements well in advance of
anything even his staffers and the communications department know.�
�I can�t believe it. I know every one of them.� Blair�s face clouded.
�Of course, I knew James Benjamin Harker too, and he stalked me for
years.�
Cam slid her fingers around the back of Blair�s neck and soothed
the tight bands of muscle with long slow caresses. �Hey. Your father is
the most well-protected man in the world. Nothing is going to happen
to him.�
�Every time he steps outside that building, he�s a target. God, even
when he�s inside, he�s a target. Someone tried to fly a plane into the
White House, Cam.�
�I know. And so does everyone whose duty it is to protect him, and
believe me, they�re the best. You know that. He doesn�t go anywhere that
every contingency isn�t prepared for. And in the worst-case scenario, he
has a full medical team standing by. Hell, there�s an operating room on
Air Force One.�
�I know, I know. It�s just�to everyone else in the world he�s
POTUS, the most powerful man in the world. To me, he�s my father.�
Cam pulled Blair down into her arms and kissed her. Blair had
lost her mother when she was a child. Andrew and she had been a team
since then, Blair at his side as he�d risen from the governor�s mansion
to the White House. He was her father, her friend, and her greatest
supporter. �I know, baby. I know.�
� 81 �
RADCLY
�I�m glad Lucinda has you on this. I know he�ll be even safer. She
needs you there.� Blair gripped Cam�s shoulders and pulled Cam over
on top of her. �But right now, so do I.�
�Ah, Blair,� Cam whispered, �you have me, anytime.
Anywhere.�
Cam kissed Blair�s eyes, her mouth, her throat. Blair was restless
beneath her, her legs clasping the backs of Cam�s thighs, pulling their
bodies tighter, fusing them. Cam slid her hand between their bodies
and caressed Blair�s breasts until her nipples tightened and her breasts
tensed.
�Oh God, Cam,� Blair whispered. �Inside me. I need you.�
�Soon,� Cam whispered, inching down, skating her mouth over
Blair�s breast, kissing her nipple, biting lightly. Blair arched, a small
cry escaping, and Cam�s head pounded. She wanted her, hungered
for her. Blair was the strongest woman she�d ever known, and she let
herself be vulnerable beneath Cam�s hands, beneath her mouth. She
opened herself, gave herself, and Cam had never felt so humbled. She
kissed the center of Blair�s abdomen, moving lower, slowly, covering
every inch of skin with her fingers and her lips.
�Oh, you feel so good,� Blair gasped. �I want you so bad when
you make me wait.�
�I need all of you. So much.�
Blair�s fingers came into her hair, caressing her, guiding her lower.
�You do. You always do.�
Cam eased Blair�s thighs apart, kissing the soft skin first on one
side, then the other, moving inward, nipping lightly, kissing the spots
her teeth had teased. Blair�s hips lifted to her, inviting her deeper. She
lost all sense of time, of place, of anything other than Blair. Blair�s
hands on her shoulders, Blair�s skin beneath her mouth, Blair closing
around her fingers. Blair was everything�air, sun, joy, eternity.
�Now,� Blair whispered. �Now.�
Carefully, gently, Cam drew Blair�s clitoris between her lips,
closing her mouth over her, slipping inside until she filled her. She
pressed inward even as she sucked her deeper. Blood pulsed, muscles
quivered, and Blair was everywhere�in her mind and blood and soul.
�There�� Blair swelled in her mouth.
She guided her higher, stroking, sucking, drawing her ever closer
� 82 �
until Blair�s thighs tightened into steel bands. Blair jerked hard against
Cam�s mouth, a choked cry torn from her throat. Blair�s orgasm rushed
around her fingers, pulsed against her lips, filling her with wonder.
�Oh my God,� Blair gasped.
Cam kissed her one last time and settled her cheek against the
inside of Blair�s thigh, softly caressing her belly. �I love you.�
�You make me so happy.�
�That�s everything.�
�Almost.� Blair�s fingers twisted in Cam�s hair and tugged.
�Almost everything�but not quite. Come up here.�
v
Hooker slid into a booth in the rear of the Chicago O�Hare Chili�s
and waited for the server to take his drink order before saying anything
to the man seated across from him. Anyone watching them in the dimly
lit restaurant, and no one was, would be unlikely to remember two guys
on a layover, in rumpled clothes, faces obscured by shadows. When
they were alone, he said, �This is getting expensive.�
�Safer.�
�Right. Next time make it someplace warmer.�
�If it�s inconvenient, I�m happy to quit.�
Hooker snorted. �I�ll just bet you are. But that�s not the way it
works. You�ve already gotten your down payment.�
�Don�t worry. I�m loyal to the cause.�
Hooker shrugged. He didn�t know what motivated the guy, and he
didn�t care. All he cared about was getting his part of the job done, and
he needed this guy to do it. �Tell me what you have for me.�
�A few changes to the upcoming schedule.�
�Delays?� Hooker frowned. �We�ve already got a timetable��
�I don�t want to know anything about what you�re planning.�
�Don�t worry, you won�t.� Hooker leaned back while the waitress
slid a beer across the tabletop. �All right. Give it to me. Anything
else?��There�s been a change in personnel at the White House. The
medical unit has a new chief.�
�Not unexpected. What do we know about him?�
� 83 �
RADCLY
�Her.�
�What do you mean?�
�Brought her in from outside.�
�Oh. Okay.� Hooker didn�t like surprises, especially when they
affected one of the key players. �What do we know about
�Not very much yet. Seems to be a straightforward appointment�
navy captain. Nothing unusual.�
�She could be useful. See if we can get close.�
�The place is like a fishbowl. We can�t just go poking around.�
�And we can�t have a wild card in a game we�ve already
started.�
�I�ll do what I can. They�re calling my flight. Here.�
A folded ten was pushed across the tabletop, and Hooker swept it
up in his palm and shoved the bill into his pocket. He fingered the small
memory disk free and pushed it farther down so he wouldn�t accidently
dislodge it along with the money. �What�s on it?�
�The contact info. I�d rather you didn�t contact me��
�When we need something, you�ll know.�
Alone, Hooker finished his drink, pulled the ten from his pocket,
and left it on the table. Grabbing the check the waitress had left, he
headed for the register by the door. Russo might be right�this thing
was so big they couldn�t afford to leave any witnesses.
v
�So what�s the agenda,� Wes asked as she and Evyn walked back
to the House, �for boot camp?�
Evyn smiled. �You won�t have to run an obstacle course.�
�Good to know.�
�We need to see how you�ll mesh with our team in different threat
scenarios. Everyone else in the WHMU has been on board at least
eighteen months. Not only are you the new guy, you�re the new chief.
You�ll be with POTUS around the clock most of the time he�s away.�
�I understand.� Wes paused at a corner for the light to change.
�I don�t suppose you�re going to tell me what the sims are first, are
you.��No.�
� 84 �
�Even though you probably practice the same simulations at
regular intervals anyhow.�
�You�re quick.� Evyn shot her a searching glance. �Piss you off?�
�What? Being treated like a squid?�
�Let me guess�that�s like the lowest of the low at Annapolis?�
Wes nodded. She�d played the game, paid her dues, and earned her
rank. She might be out of her element here, but she was no squid. Yeah,
she was annoyed, but she�d also learned not to be thrown off center by
her emotions. �Not really.�
�Good,� Evyn said, not sounding totally convinced. �We�re on the
same side, after all.�
Wes stopped walking, and Evyn turned to her, her brows drawing
together in a question. �There�s something you should know�
something all the interviews and polygraphs in the world aren�t going
to tell you.�
�Okay.�
�Run your simulations, analyze the polygraph, psychoanalyze me
if that�s what will make everyone feel better, but I would never put a
patient�s life at risk. If I�m not right for this job�one hundred percent
qualified, I won�t need anyone to tell me. I�ll know. I�ll walk away.�
�That makes you very unusual, Captain Masters,� Evyn said
softly. Passersby streamed by on either side of them. Their breath
puffed out in the cold air, mingling and misting and drifting away in
small white clouds. Evyn�s gaze held hers. �No ego investment?�
Wes shook her head. �Plenty. If I can�t do something well, I won�t
do it.��A perfectionist.�
�I hope not�that�s an impossible goal. A realist, maybe.�
Evyn smiled. �I guess our lives don�t leave room for much else.�
�No.� A pang of unexpected sadness raced through Wes�s chest,
and for some reason, she thought of her family. She�d grown up with
love�surrounded by warmth and joy and support, even though she�d
also been on her own a lot. She still had that love and support, but there
were times, late at night or first thing in the morning, when she ached
for something she couldn�t name. Or was afraid to. �Do you regret�I
won�t say the sacrifices, because I don�t think of it that way. But you
know�the job?�
� 85 �
RADCLY
�No,� Evyn said quickly. �You?�
�No. And I guess we should get to it.�
�Yes.� Evyn resumed walking.
Wes worked on getting grounded in what was important. She
wasn�t used to being thrown off track by people. Even her friends had
never been successful at pulling her away from her responsibilities.
Emory was always pushing her to go out to parties and clubs when
they�d been at school together, but she�d been all about the grades.
Emory�d been a serious student too, and no party girl, but she�d never
worried quite as much as Wes. She�d dated. At least casually. Wes had
never cared about that. Still didn�t.
�First stop is getting your permanent ID,� Evyn said.
They showed their IDs to the officer at the west gate, and Evyn
took her to the personnel office. The clerk handed Wes a laminated ID
card depicting her photograph, name, and rank.
�Where in the OEOB is the clinic?� Wes asked Evyn when they
left personnel.
�Down this hall.� Evyn glanced at her watch. �Almost seventeen
thirty. Probably only the night shift is here, but you can see them and
check out your office.�
�Thanks. I appreciate the walk around.� Wes mentally noted the
twists and turns as she matched Evyn�s long strides. At the end of a
deserted hall with white walls, gray tiles, and rows of closed doors
on either side, Evyn took a right into another corridor lit by glaring
overhead fluorescents. A small waiting area on one side was crammed
with black metal folding chairs. Opposite that, four rooms with the
letters A through D over their doors stood open and empty. Examination
rooms. Beyond those, she could see into a large office with a desk piled
high with charts. Probably the headquarters of the Admitting Officer of
the Day.
�Well,� Evyn said, �this is it.�
�I can take it from here�I imagine you need to get back.�
�I was done at fifteen hundred.�
�Oh,� Wes said, flashing back to their dinner of the night before.
For one second she considered asking Evyn if she had plans for the
evening and just as quickly came to her senses. She had work to do�a
lot of it. And Evyn�well, anything with Evyn was best kept simple.
Tomorrow Evyn would be evaluating her. �Have a good night, then.�
� 86 �
�Right.� Evyn paused, then smiled briskly. �You too. See you in
the morning.�
Wes watched her walk away until she realized what she was doing.
Abruptly, she averted her gaze and went in search of her team. Why
was simple suddenly so hard?
� 87 �
RADCLY
chapter eleven
Evyn shoved her hands in the pockets of her trench coat, hunched
her shoulders against the wind, and hurried around the Ellipse
to where she�d parked her car. That morning she�d been running late
and grabbed the closest street spot she could find, but it felt like a mile
now. A light snow had begun to fall, and she brushed the loose powder
from her windshield with the sleeve of her coat. Snowflakes melted
on her face and neck. She swore she could feel icy snowmelt trickling
down her back, although she didn�t actually think it was snowing hard
enough for that to be happening. Shivering, she jumped into the front
seat, started the engine, and turned the heat on high. Cold air blasted
in her face, and she lunged to redirect the vents away from the driver�s
seat. The windows frosted over more with every exhalation, and a
cloud of steam rolled up around the outside of the windows to envelop
her, making her feel as if she might step out of the car and find herself
in another world somewhere. Not that far a stretch�seeing as how
this world certainly seemed turned upside down in the last forty-eight
hours. She�d spent more alone time with Wes Masters than she�d spent
with any woman, other than fellow agents, in the last year. She�d spent
even more time thinking about her�like right now�than any of the
women she�d slept with. Evyn flicked melting snow from her hair and
considered going back inside to look for Wes�the storm was picking
up and Wes didn�t have a car. How would she get back�damn, she was
doing it again, behaving like a player in someone else�s life.
Captain Wes Masters did not need rescuing�and she was nobody�s
savior.
� 88 �
Uncomfortable with her own discomfort, Evyn pulled her cell
phone out and punched the icon for contacts. She flicked a fingertip
over the screen, scrolling through the list, surprised at the number of
names she could no longer put with faces and how many more there
were than she�d thought. What had she been doing the last eight years?
She could name every one of her postings and list each of her on-the-
job accomplishments, but she could barely remember half the women
she had known at least well enough to get a phone number.
On the verge of closing the phone to escape any more forced
retrospection, she spied a name she did recognize. She even knew her
address. Quickly, before she could subject herself to the third degree as
to exactly what she was doing, she highlighted the number and pressed
Send. Pulling her coat even closer around herself as the heater warred
with Mother Nature, she waited.
�Hello?�
�Hi, Louise? This is Evyn Daniels.�
A second�s pause made Evyn�s stomach drop. Then, �Evyn? God,
it�s been what, a year?�
Evyn felt her face heat in the cold car. �Maybe not that long,� she
said quickly. �I�ve been traveling a lot. Out of town on business. I�m
sorry I didn�t��
�Hey, that�s no problem. I�ve been really busy myself. I landed a
spot in one of the repertory theaters here in DC and I�ve been working
steadily.�
Evyn searched her memory for some hint of what Louise had told
her about her acting career, but all she could remember is where they�d
met�a spinoff party from one of the bigger lesbian circuit events�and
where they�d ended up. In bed in Louise�s apartment, urgent and sweaty
and desperate for fulfillment. The night had morphed into three days,
and then Evyn was back on rotation and life went on. And she�d never
called, never even looked back. Until now. Feeling a bit like a jerk, she
said, �I was wondering�I know it�s short notice�but about tonight.
Maybe we could��
�Tonight?� She heard soft laughter. �Have you looked out the
window? This is supposed to keep up all night. My super-exciting plans
for the evening are to make some hot cider, sit in front of the television
with Netflix and a bowl of popcorn, and turn in early.�
� 89 �
RADCLY
�I guess I can�t persuade you to change those exciting plans?�
�You might, if the evening included dinner, but the weath��
�I�m already out. Dinner sounds like a good place to start.� Evyn
winced at her really bad come-on line. When had she gotten so shallow?
She turned her wipers on and watched the thin blades bend and scrape
while pushing against the half inch of heavy new snow. The snow was
coming down harder now and the sidewalks were empty. Cars crawled
by, their headlights dull cataracts behind a curtain of snow. In an hour,
the city would be gridlocked. She ought to sack out in the down room
in the OEOB instead of going anywhere. At least she�d get to work in
the morning. �How about I pick you up in forty-five minutes. You pick
the place.�
�I�ve got an even better idea�if you�re really going to come over
here, then let�s stay in. I�ll cook.�
�Oh, that�s no fair. I don�t want you to have to work.� Hell, Louise
was too nice and she
�I don�t mind, if you don�t mind something simple.�
�Well, sure, but�� Evyn didn�t want to drive home�not because
of the storm, but because she didn�t want to face brainless TV and an
uninspired frozen dinner or the warmed-up pizza she�d had three days
before. So she opted for company�nothing wrong with that on the
surface, or there wouldn�t have been if an evening with Louise wasn�t
just a way to keep her from sitting around thinking about Wes. And that
was enough to push her to say, �Yes. Okay, great. I�d like that. I�ll grab
some wine�is that all right?�
�Perfect. I�ll see you soon, and be careful out there.�
�Always,� Evyn said, knowing even as the words left her mouth
she was bluffing. Careful wasn�t really part of her modus operandi. She
was a risk taker, the first to volunteer, the first to rise to a challenge.
She wasn�t being careful around Wes Masters, and she wasn�t thinking
about where she was headed. Not smart at all. Good thing she knew
better than to let her private affairs bleed over into work. None of that
had changed, and she didn�t intend it to. Wes Masters was off-limits
and staying that way.
v
� 90 �
A thirty-something brunette in a crisp white shirt and sharply
creased navy blue trousers walked out of the AOD�s office with a
stethoscope slung around her neck and stopped when she saw Wes.
Saluting, she said, �Captain, I�m First Lieutenant Jennifer Pattee, a
nurse with the WHMU.�
�Lieutenant,� Wes said, returning the salute. She was in uniform,
the lieutenant wasn�t, suggesting the WHMU was geared toward
medicine and not military customs. She had no problem with that.
�Captain Wes Masters.�
�Yes, ma�am.� The dark-haired woman smiled tentatively.
�Welcome aboard, ma�am.�
�Thank you. Are you the AOD?�
�Yes, ma�am. There�s also a nurse, Major Mark Beecher, on duty.
He just went to grab us some dinner.�
�Just the two of you?�
�No, ma�am. Colonel Dunbar is the MD on call�he�s backup and
in the on-call suite right now.�
�Quiet down here.�
The lieutenant smiled, more widely this time. �Activity varies,
ma�am. During the day, when the House is filled with visitors, staff,
and legislators coming and going from the Hill, we get quite a lot of
activity. In addition, there are several hundred full-time House staffers
rotating around the clock, and we render medical care to all of them. Of
course, during a State visit�� She broke off abruptly. �Sorry, I�m sure
you know all this.�
Wes made a decision on the spot. She�d learned early in life to
take lessons from everyone, anywhere she could. On the front line, rank
often lost its significance. She was in command of the WHMU, but that
didn�t mean she couldn�t utilize every resource possible. �Actually, no.
I haven�t been read in on routine around here.�
�Well then, I�m sure Peter�Commander Chang�or Colonel
Dunbar will brief you. Commander Chang is off rotation right now. He
had duty at the wedding.�
�Yes, I met the commander briefly. If I�m not on-site,� Wes said,
�you and the others can reach me by voice or text anytime. I just wanted
to get the lay of the land tonight. I won�t be taking call for a few days
yet.�
� 91 �
RADCLY
�Care for a tour, then, Captain?�
�I would.�
�This is the clinic area, obviously.� Jennifer pivoted and swept her
arm to take in the hallway. �As you can see, four exam rooms, a fully
stocked treatment room, and the admitting office over here.�
Wes followed the lieutenant from room to room, noting the
treatment room with state-of-the-art monitors, instruments, anesthesia
carts, and OR table. Enough to perform emergency surgery. �Are we
approved for general anesthesia here?�
�Yes, ma�am. One person on every shift is anesthesia certified. We
can handle any medical or surgical emergency that comes our way.�
After they completed the circuit of the clinic area, Jennifer took
Wes to a conference room that doubled as a lounge and poured them
both steaming cups of coffee from a large stainless-steel urn.
�Thanks.� Wes pulled out a chair at the long wooden table and
Jennifer sat opposite her. �What�s the protocol for evacuation?�
�If we needed to transport the president, Marine One would fly
him to Bethesda. We also use George Washington and Howard.�
�I want to review the protocols for medical and surgical
emergencies. Are they available on a hard drive?�
�On the computer in Dr. O�Shaughnessy�s�sorry, in your
office.�
Wes nodded. �I haven�t had the official tour�is that down here
too?��No.� Jennifer colored. �Sorry. That�s in the West Wing.�
�Then I�ll find it tomorrow.�
Wes rose, disposed of her coffee cup, and picked up her coat. �I
appreciate the introduction. How do I reach everyone to schedule a
meeting?�
�All of our pagers, phone numbers, and addresses will be in your
office. If there�s anything you need, I�d be happy to help you.�
�I appreciate that, Lieutenant. I�m sure you have more important
duties.�
�The unit is my duty, ma�am. I�m happy to help.�
�Thanks.�
Jennifer held her gaze, her dark eyes warmer than they had been
earlier. �My pleasure, ma�am.�
� 92 �
�Well,� Wes said, �I�ll see you tomorrow.�
Jennifer saluted.
Wes returned the salute. �We can dispense with the formalities
among ourselves, Lieutenant.�
�Very good. Good night, Captain.�
�Good night.�
Wes followed the course she had taken with Evyn back to the
exit. The night was dark, cold, and snowy. Buttoning her overcoat, she
wondered briefly if Evyn was somewhere cursing the stormy weather.
Wes didn�t mind the snow�especially as it was falling. The pristine
coating of white made the world look somehow innocent and hopeful,
as if every possibility existed just around the corner. She walked toward
Pennsylvania Avenue to find a cab, snowflakes melting on her face.
An unfamiliar ache centered in her chest, different from the occasional
bouts of restless uncertainty she usually shrugged off with work or a
workout. Tonight the storm�s beauty stirred a surge of melancholy, a
wish for something she couldn�t define. Uncertainty was a strange and
disquieting sensation. She�d always been able to see exactly what the
future held for her. She waved a cab down and jogged toward the idling
vehicle, determined to throw off the odd mood.
Once inside, she gave him her hotel address and checked her
phone. One message.
�Hey, Wes. It�s Emory. Are you in DC? Call me.�
Wes braced her feet as the cab slid around a corner, and punched
in Emory�s number. �Hello, Em? It�s Wes.�
�Hey. Where are you?�
�Right now, in a cab headed to my hotel in DC.�
�You got there just in time for the storm.� Emory laughed. �Listen,
Dana is there now on assignment and I�m coming down soon. Let�s get
together.�
�I�m not sure what my schedule is yet��
�Aren�t you the boss? Make sure you�re off.�
Wes laughed. �I think that might be a title in name only.
Apparently, I have some on-the-job training to do first.�
�Really? What�s that about?�
�Just routine stuff.�
�Huh, top-secret stuff, right?� Emory laughed again.
�You got it.�
� 93 �
RADCLY
�Well, I want to see you. It�s been way too long.� A moment of
silence, then, �I realized the other day how much I�ve missed you.�
Wes�s throat tightened. �Me too. I�ll do my best to make it
happen.�
�I�ll text you the when and where, when I confirm with Dana. I
thought we�d do dinner and try this great jazz club I read about. Bring
a date if��
�If you don�t mind a third wheel, I think I�ll be stag.�
�Dana knows quite a few single women in DC.�
�Uh, no. I�m fine.�
Emory sighed. �You�re sure?�
�Very.�
�Let me know if you change your mind. It�s never too late for a
little romance.�
�For now I�ve got all I can handle with this new assignment. But
I�ll do my best to see you when you�re here.�
�Make it so, Captain Masters. See you soon.�
��Bye, Em.�
Wes slid her phone back into her pocket and turned to watch
the storm outside. The streets held only cabs and official-looking
government vehicles�black stretch limos, SUVs, and Town Cars
bearing emblems and flags of various embassies. She thought about
what Emory had said about Dana. Emory had found love, but as much
as she and Emory had shared, they were fundamentally different.
Emory was brilliant�brilliant and driven�but she also came from an
old, privileged family in Newport, Rhode Island. While Wes had been
scrabbling for scholarships, Emory had already been part of the social
and political world she would eventually join. Wes didn�t begrudge her
a single thing�Emory had earned all her acclaim. But her outlook was
far more optimistic than Wes�s had ever been.
Emory was wrong this time�sometimes it was too late for some
things. Wes had never regretted the choices she�d made or the direction
her life had taken. She still didn�t. She just wished she could shake the
constant sense that something was missing. She knew that wasn�t true.
v
� 94 �
�This was fabulous,� Evyn said, carrying her plate and an armful
of dishes into Louise�s small but expensively appointed kitchen. �I
can�t imagine what you�d come up with when you actually have time to
plan a meal. Thanks again.�
Louise stacked the dishes on top of the dishwasher, rinsed her
hands, and dried them on a bright red towel. She turned, her hips
against the counter, and grasped Evyn�s hand, pulling her forward until
they were toe to toe, their bodies nearly brushing. �You�ll have to come
by again when I can really do it up.�
Evyn�s skin tingled from the heat of Louise�s body so close to
her own. She watched Louise�s mouth move as she spoke, captivated
by the moist, lush surface of her lips. Her lips were full and red and,
as she recalled, very kissable. She raised her gaze and saw that Louise
had been watching her, probably reading her mind. She grinned and
Louise�s smile widened.
Louise was attractive�shoulder-length pale blond hair, straight
and perfectly styled, unlike Wes�s windblown canvas of golden browns
and summer highlights. Louise�s eyes were mahogany, completely
different than the intense green of Wes�s. They looked nothing alike�
Louise was sultry and sensuous, Wes was intensely sexual, physically
commanding. And why was she thinking about Wes when another
woman was sending her come-and-get-it signals?
She wasn�t just off her game, she was completely without one.
True, she hadn�t really thought about any kind of date in weeks, maybe
a few months, but it�s not something you would forget. Bicycle riding
and all that. She kissed Louise softly. �If that�s an invitation to return,
I accept.�
�Good. But you�re not leaving just yet.� Louise tugged Evyn�s
shirt free from her pants and slid her hand underneath to skate her
fingers over Evyn�s belly.
Evyn�s muscles contracted into a tight knot beneath the teasing
caress. Her breath caught. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, a
voice warned her off, but she ignored it. She was single, after all, and
this was what she knew. Louise scratched her nails rhythmically up and
down the center of Evyn�s abs and then dipped her fingers beneath the
waistband of Evyn�s pants. Evyn gripped the edge of the counter, her
thighs trembling, and kissed her again.
After all, why not?
� 95 �
RADCLY
chapter twelve
Wes woke up a little after 0500 and turned on the television.
The city had received over six inches of snow during the
night, and the mayor had declared a snow emergency. All federal offices
were closed, but she didn�t think that extended to the White House. She
ordered a large pot of coffee and an American breakfast and showered
while waiting for it to come up. She�d had an aide send her clothes
down from her previous quarters, and they�d been waiting for her last
night when she�d returned. She�d have the rest moved down when she
had time.
In keeping with the less formal WHMU protocol, she dressed in
tailored black pants, a thin black leather belt, low black boots, and an
off-white open-collared shirt. At 0600 she flagged down a cab in front
of the hotel and instructed the driver to drop her off at the northwest
gate. �You work there?� asked the cabbie, a friendly young woman
with red-rimmed eyes. Judging by the empty coffee cups and fast-food
wrappers in the front seat, she�d been driving all night.
�Yes,� Wes said. �Long night?�
�Yeah, but the money is good so I�m not complaining.� The
cabbie maneuvered down the single cleared lane in the middle of a
two-way street, swerving around abandoned cars and piles of snow.
Fortunately, the streets were nearly deserted�snow-covered cars
clogged intersections and narrow side streets. The trip usually took
fifteen minutes. Today was closer to forty-five, but she was still early
for her meeting with Evyn when the cabbie let her out.
� 96 �
�Thanks,� Wes called. �Have a safe one.�
�You too.�
The cab�s wheels spun, then caught, and the vehicle sluiced away.
Wes nodded to the officer at the gate and showed her ID. �Can you
point me to my office?�
�Ground floor, halfway down on the left.�
�Thanks.�
Wes hung her coat on the wooden rack inside the door, sat in
the leather swivel chair behind the desk, and took stock. The room
previously occupied by Len O�Shaughnessy had been cleared of
personal effects and now resembled every duty office she�d ever
seen�the bookcases and desk were wood, not metal, but even so, they
had an institutional look to them. The nicely framed prints on the wall
were generic renditions of American historical events that had taken
place in the region surrounding the capital. The titles in the bookcases
were standard medical classics�Harrison�s
labeled with black script: trauma protocol, acute surgical conditions,
medical emergencies, toxic exposure, poisoning, and so on down the
line of emergency situations. She�d have to review them all.
The computer was running and she booted up. O�Shaughnessy�s
password had already been swept. Her name appeared with a prompt
to enter a password. She chose one, repeated it as directed, and was in.
She clicked a desktop icon for an e-mail program, and a list of e-mails
appeared in the in-box. Generic messages appeared from various White
House departments�the press corps, communications�and, at the
very bottom, one from edaniels@uswh.org. She looked at the recipient
and smiled at the wmasters@uswh.org. Apparently someone was taking
care of the details. Hopefully they�d arrange for quarters for her soon.
She opened Evyn�s message.
Wes checked her watch. She still had time, but none of the other
e-mails looked important. Since the WHMU was set to run without her
� 97 �
RADCLY
until she officially took charge and entered the rotation, she had nothing
else to do.
A rush of unexpected pleasure warmed her. She closed the mail
program, grabbed her coat, and went in search of the ready room,
Evyn�s slow smile playing through her mind.
v
Evyn poured a cup of coffee and dropped onto a sofa opposite
a widescreen TV in the ready room where she and the other agents
hung out between shifts or while waiting for Eagle to go out. She had
the place to herself and was glad of it. She wasn�t feeling talkative
and definitely didn�t want to spar with Gary about where she�d spent
the night or what she�d been doing. She hadn�t had time to go home
after waking up at Louise�s to discover the city buried under snow.
Fortunately, she�d had a change of clothes in her car�she always
did�although the blue long-sleeved polo shirt and dark khakis weren�t
what she usually wore to work. Gary�d take one look at her and know
she hadn�t been home�he knew by now what she packed in her go
bag. She closed her eyes and tuned out the news anchor, leaving her
alone with her thoughts. That was a mistake. Her internal third degree
was almost as bad as Gary�s would have been. She hadn�t had a one-
night stand in months, although maybe one-night stand wasn�t accurate
since it wasn�t the first time she�d been with Louise. The whole evening
had come out of nowhere, and she wasn�t usually impulsive when it
came to women. When she wanted company, she found it, but it was
always planned. Not last night. Why had she stayed when her mind
was only half in the moment? Louise didn�t know her well enough to
notice. At least she hoped Louise couldn�t tell she�d drifted away a few
times, very nearly starting to think of someone else before she�d caught
herself. Hell. That was just low. She�d never done that before and didn�t
want a repeat.
The door opened and Wes Masters walked in, looking just as
good out of her uniform as she had in it. She walked as if she was
still wearing her dress blues�confidently, her expression unhurried,
untroubled, and sure. Looking just as good as she had for the briefest
� 98 �
moment last night when Evyn had imagined how that tight body would
feel covering hers.
�Morning, Doc,� Evyn said, feigning a cool she didn�t feel,
conscious of her own slightly rumpled appearance. At least her clothes
were clean. Still, a niggle of unease burrowed in her belly, and she
wondered if Wes could tell she�d come straight from a bed that wasn�t
hers. Not a one-night stand
date, even�and she�d made plans to see Louise again later in the
month, schedules permitting. Evyn�s skin prickled at the thought. She
didn�t do repeats�well, she hadn�t in a good long time�but Louise
had been fun, sexy and passionate, and completely undemanding. When
she�d said she had tickets to a holiday show and invited her to go, Evyn
couldn�t think of a single reason not to say yes. So she had.
�Have any trouble getting in this morning?� Wes asked.
Looking up with a start, Evyn stood, wondering how long she�d
been daydreaming and if anything showed in her face. �No. You?�
�Got a cab. No problem.� A faintly puzzled look crossed Wes�s
face and was quickly gone.
�Ready?� Evyn heard the curt tone in her voice and consciously
relaxed her shoulders. Wes was too sharp not to pick up on her tension,
and she didn�t intend for Wes Masters to have an inkling of what was
going on in her head.
�Absolutely. Can�t wait to get started.�
Evyn laughed at Wes�s dry tone. The uneasy churning in her
stomach disappeared and she smiled. �I�ll just bet.� She walked to the
door and locked it. �Take your jacket off.�
Watching Evyn sort through a gear box she�d placed on the table,
Wes shrugged out of her jacket. �Shirt too?�
�Ah, no,� Evyn said, busying herself untangling the lines for the
earpiece and wrist mic Wes would need to wear. She hadn�t thought
of Wes naked for all of five minutes, and she�d really like to make it
ten�years�or so before she had to squelch another image of Wes�s
tight body sliding over hers. Her thighs twitched. Hell. She held up the
radio. �This clips on the back of your pants. Turn around.�
Wes complied. �I�ll be on your channel?�
�That�s right.�
Evyn secured the radio with the minimal amount of contact
� 99 �
RADCLY
possible. Even clothed, Wes had a great body. Unclothed, she�d be
incredible. She smelled really good too�kind of woodsy and crisp,
like the breeze on Whitley Island before the storm had rolled in. Clean,
sharp, exciting. Evyn stepped away before her skin burst into flames.
�That�s it. You can dre�put your jacket on.�
�That�s it?�
�You need something else?� Evyn asked around the knot in her
throat. Maybe she ought to move up her date with Louise. This hair-
trigger arousal thing was new and damn annoying. A little regular sex
might put a lid on it. �Ah�any questions?�
�Nope. The sooner we get started, the sooner we�ll be done,
right?�
�That�s the theory.� Evyn searched for a hint of resentment or
anger or resistance but found only the cool, confident tones she�d come
to associate with Wes�s approach to everything. Her body cooled off
and her head started working again. Game time. �Let�s go test it.�
�Where are we headed?� Wes asked, matching Evyn stride
for stride as they left the ready room. A trio of black SUVs waited
outside.
�The James J. Rowley Training Center�but we just call it
Beltsville.�
�What are we��
�If you�re not in the president�s vehicle, you�ll be one behind it,�
Evyn said as they climbed into the rear of the second car. �Ordinarily
you�d have your own field-trauma kit, but you can use our FAT kit
today.�
�If I�m expected to use this equipment for any reason today,� Wes
said, �I�d like to see what�s in it before we leave.�
�You�ll have what you need if anything comes up. You can
customize your own later.�
Evyn settled next to the big guy Wes had seen at Whitley Manor.
He extended his hand. �Morning, Doc. I�m Gary Brown.�
�Wes Masters.� Wes shook hands and settled across from him and
Evyn. The cloak-and-dagger treatment was already starting to get old
and she�d just started. She understood she needed to know how PPD
operated, but she didn�t see why she needed to be in the dark. �So, will
I have to pass the physical before I get to play with the big kids?�
� 100 �
Gary coughed and looked out the smoked-glass windows. To
Wes�s surprise, Evyn colored faintly.
�Can you?� Evyn asked.
As a matter of fact, she�d just had her annual re-quals and part of
that had been a fitness eval, but that had to be in her records. Which
Evyn had undoubtedly seen. �Well, I do spend an awful lot of my time
at a desk, but pushing papers around can be pretty tiring.�
Evyn grinned as if Wes�s sarcasm pleased her. �No sit-ups for you
today, Doc, but I hope you can run.�
� 101 �
RADCLY
chapter thirteen
The first blast rocked the vehicle about forty-five minutes into
the trip. All Wes could see out the window was a tree-lined
road and a brilliant flash of orange somewhere ahead of them before
a cloud of dust�or smoke�enveloped the SUV. The vehicle swerved
hard right and she bounced against the door frame. Pain shot down her
left arm. She grabbed for the medical kit at her feet with her other hand
and held on.
�What�s the situation?� she shouted over a series of deafening
roars. The road beneath the heavy chassis vibrated.
�Rocket attack,� Gary yelled back.
Evyn pressed her fingers to her earpiece. Her mouth was moving,
but Wes couldn�t make out the words. She jolted forward as the SUV
jerked to a stop.
�Out, and stay with me,� Evyn said, pushing the rear door open.
Gary went out the opposite door and Wes scrambled after Evyn,
the FAT kit clenched in her fist. Acrid air stung her eyes and burned her
throat. Her ears rang. She expected to find craters in the blacktop and
wished for a flak jacket and helmet. Her heart pounded in her throat.
Everything she knew about battle training flashed through her mind.
She followed Evyn�s path exactly, thinking about IEDs and severed
limbs and crippling burns. Another flash overhead, another bang. Her
pulse shot up and her belly writhed.
That couldn�t be live ammo, these people weren�t that crazy, but
she ducked all the same at the sound of weapons fire. The lead car was
stopped crosswise on the road, smoke coming from under its hood. Two
� 102 �
men and a woman crowded around the rear door of the limo. Evyn ran
to them and Wes pushed forward, nudging Evyn aside to get a look in
the interior.
�POTUS is unconscious.� A heavyset Asian man pointed to a man
she didn�t recognize�the president�s stand-in�sprawled half-off the
rear seat.
More explosions, more noise. Wes couldn�t make out most of what
was coming over her radio, and she shut the chaos out of her mind. Her
only job right now was stabilizing her patient.
�Don�t move him,� Wes ordered, climbing into the back.
�We have to�we�re not secure,� the agent said.
�Not yet.� Wes flipped the locks on the FAT kit and surveyed the
contents. Two seconds later she spied the cervical collar and pulled it
out. �Hold this.�
�I got it,� Evyn said, crouching next to Wes�s left shoulder.
Wes handed Evyn the collar, yanked out her earpiece, and fitted
the stethoscope to her ears. She checked for bilateral breath sounds,
made sure his airway was clear, and did a fast visual survey of the
victim. No other injuries. �I�ll take the collar now, thanks.�
She secured the collar and said, �Okay�let�s go. You��she
pointed to the big agent��stabilize his head and neck while we move
him. Evyn, get three others on torso and limbs.�
�We know the drill.� Evyn backed out of the vehicle and Wes
followed, keeping below the top line of the SUV to take advantage of
what little cover she had.
Agents crowded around, Wes hoisted her med kit, and the evac
team took off running.
v
Wes gathered up her gear from the floor in the back of the
ambulance and stowed it in the med kit. Her shoulder ached and her
eyes were gritty, but her head buzzed pleasantly with the adrenaline
rush that followed every trauma alert. The �president� was in the OR
fifteen minutes after injury�or would have been if this weren�t a drill.
He�d been delivered stable and ready for emergency intervention. A
by-the-book field evac�just the way she�d written it.
�You about ready?� Evyn said from behind her.
� 103 �
RADCLY
Wes closed the FAT kit. �All set.� She hefted it, winced, and
shifted it to her other hand.
�What�s wrong?�
�Hmm? Oh, nothing. Jammed my shoulder a bit. It�s noth��
Evyn climbed into the rig and pointed to the narrow stretcher
against the wall. �Sit.�
�I�m fine.� Wes laughed. �I�m the doctor, remem��
�And I�m team leader. Sit.�
Wes shut it and sat. No point getting into a pissing contest over
who was in charge just yet. She kept quiet as Evyn helped her ease her
jacket off and unclipped her radio.
�Can you unbutton your shirt?� Evyn asked, her gaze fixed
somewhere past Wes�s left shoulder.
�Sure.� Wes loosened the top half of her shirt one-handed and
tugged it free from her pants. She wore a tight silk tank beneath it and
was suddenly aware of her nipples tightening. Great. �It�s a bit cold in
here�can we do this fast?�
�Where does it hurt?� Evyn ordered herself not to look down. The
aisle was narrow, and she was practically kneeling between Wes�s legs.
If she leaned forward another inch their breasts would touch.
�Left shoulder joint. It�s just stiff�nothing��
�We�re going to do this, so you can just suck it up,� Evyn said.
�Fine.�
Ever so carefully, Evyn drew the collar of Wes�s shirt aside with
two fingers, careful not to touch skin, until she could see her shoulder.
�Big bruise.�
�Feels like it.�
Evyn rocked back on her heels as far as space would allow. �I�m
going to range it. Tell me if it hurts.�
�Go ahead.� Wes watched Evyn�s face while Evyn gently cupped
her elbow and manipulated her shoulder. Evyn�s eyes were storm-cloud
blue, but her touch was sure and steady. A streak of dirt over her cheek
made her look unexpectedly vulnerable, and Wes brushed it away
before she had time to stop herself. Evyn flinched and Wes dropped her
hand. �Shoulder�s okay. Sore, but no worse than at rest.�
�You�ll need to ice it,� Evyn said.
�I will. Thanks.�
Evyn looked away. �You�re welcome.�
� 104 �
�That was a pretty impressive sim.�
�You didn�t seem too bothered by it.� Evyn pushed to her feet and
moved back to give Wes room to dress. She resisted the urge to ask her
if she needed help. She didn�t want to touch her again. Not at all.
Wes looked up at her. �Did you expect me to be?�
�Well, seeing as how you�re a paper pusher and all.� Evyn grinned,
realized she was falling into the habit of bantering with Wes, and skidded
away from the friendly exchange. Relaxing her guard around Wes was
just too easy, and she couldn�t afford to get familiar with her. Even if
she wasn�t supposed to be training her, there was the little matter of
Wes probably being on Lucinda Washburn�s private security payroll
just now. Hell, for all she knew, Wes was evaluating
that just throw cold water on her libido. �I�ll meet you at the cars. We�re
done for today.�
v
They didn�t speak on the trip back to the House, and Evyn
disappeared as soon as they disembarked. Wes couldn�t figure out what
had put that cold distance in Evyn�s eyes after the warmth that had been
there just minutes before, and the more she thought about it, the more
frustrated she became. She shouldn�t care�didn�t
the idea of sitting around her hotel room until the next day waiting for
her next exercise held no appeal, she went back to her office and spent
the rest of the afternoon setting up a schedule to review various protocols
with the team members. When she�d gotten everything organized to her
satisfaction, she turned to the last detail on her list and made a call.
�This is Captain Masters,� she said when a young man answered.
�Is Ms. Washburn available?�
�One moment, Captain,� he said pleasantly and put her on hold.
Lucinda answered. �What can I do for you, Captain?�
�I wanted to follow up on my request to schedule the president for
a baseline physical examination.�
�Yes, I have that on my list. Can you hold for a moment?�
�Of course.�
A minute passed, and Lucinda returned. �Are you free right
now?��Certainly.�
� 105 �
RADCLY
�Five minutes in the clinic?� Lucinda said.
�I�ll be waiting.� Wes hurried to the clinic and commandeered
the PA, a man she knew by name but hadn�t formally met yet, to assist.
�Hernandez, you�ve got the duty. Set up a room for a complete physical,
will you? The president is on his way.�
Hernandez, a navy corpsman, snapped to attention. �Yes, ma�am.
And welcome aboard, ma�am.�
�Thanks.�
Three minutes later, the president arrived, followed by a military
aide carrying nuclear codes in a secure briefcase. Wes saluted.
�Thank you for interrupting your schedule, sir.�
The president returned her salute and extended his hand. �Good to
meet you, Doctor.�
She indicated an exam room. �Right in here, sir. This shouldn�t
take very long.�
The military aide took a post just outside the door, his expression
neutral. Hernandez had laid out equipment on the counter next to the
exam table and had draped an ironed white gown on the end of the
chair. He stood at attention to the left of the door.
�I�ll leave you to change,� Wes said and stepped out to wait until
Hernandez signaled the president was ready. Two minutes later he called
her in, and she quickly worked her way through the exam, checking
vital signs, listening to heart and lungs, testing reflexes. Everything was
fine, which she had anticipated.
�All set, sir,� she said when she�d finished. She stepped out while
Hernandez assisted the president, and returned when Hernandez called
her. �What�s your verdict, Doctor?� the president asked as he knotted
his tie.�We�ll want routine bloods again in four months and an EKG in
six. But you�re cleared for duty.�
Andrew Powell smiled. �Glad to hear it. How are you finding the
post so far?�
�I�m honored, sir.�
�I promise it�s not always this quiet.�
She laughed. �In medicine, sir, quiet is not bad.�
�True about my job too. What are you doing for the holidays?�
�I have the duty, sir.�
� 106 �
The president opened the exam-room door and paused. �Well, be
sure and make the staff Christmas party.�
�I will. Thank you, sir.�
�I�m sure I�ll be seeing you again soon,� he said.
�Yes, sir. Happy holidays, sir.�
�Happy holidays, Captain Masters.�
Wes stayed in the hall until he disappeared. Today she�d been part
of a simulated rocket attack aimed at destroying this man and what he
symbolized to the nation and the world. The idea that someone close
to him might be a traitor made the urgency of her job even more acute.
She understood�at least rationally�a little bit better why Evyn didn�t
yet trust her, and as much as she resisted the idea, she couldn�t totally
trust Evyn either.
� 107 �
RADCLY
chapter fOurteen
Evyn woke with Ricochet draped on her left ear. �Get off.�
Ricochet stretched, shifted, and settled around her forehead
like a fur hat. His belly reminded her of feathers dancing on her skin.
Feathers. Fingertips. Wes�s thumb tracing over her cheek. A shot of
adrenaline spiking her pulse, her clit instantly hard. Her eyes jolted
open. �Hell.�
She stared at the ceiling. Flat gray light. The weatherman had said
more snow was coming. More freezing cold. She wasn�t cold now. She
kicked the covers off. Ricochet complained and stalked haughtily to
the bottom of the bed. Evyn touched her cheek and her clit did that
twitching thing it had done yesterday when Wes had touched her. Wes
made her so freaking hot�didn�t mean a thing, though. Just good old
reflexes. Never mind the way Wes had looked at her when she�d been
moving her shoulder around�so serious, so
her�looked into her, and okay, that freaked her out too. She�d grown
up in a houseful of men she wanted to be just like�tough, competitive
men who taught her to win. And any fear or uncertainty�and, God
forbid, tears�that cropped up along the way, she hid. And eventually
she didn�t need to hide those things because she didn�t feel them any
longer.
Except when Wes touched her, she felt the doors opening and light
leaking into the closed rooms where she kept her secrets. Not good.
Didn�t matter, though. She had a handle on it. She slid her hand down
her belly. Had a hand on it too. She was hard all right, and wet, and
damn if she couldn�t get Wes�s scent out of her head. So she closed
her eyes and let the green of Wes�s gaze and the piercing winter-bright
scent of her fill her mind as she came.
� 108 �
v
�Morning,� Wes said when she found Evyn in the ready room at
0730. A box, empty save for a lone white powdered doughnut, sat in
the middle of the round table. Evyn was dressed for fieldwork again�
khakis and a blue polo shirt with the USSS logo on the chest.
�Hi,� Evyn said, rising abruptly and dumping the remains of her
coffee in the sink. �Ready?�
�Another sim? Sure.�
�Nope. Today we go live.� Evyn raised her left wrist and said,
�Team One, ready to move out.�
Wes followed her out into the hall, waiting for Evyn to fill her
in on what was happening. They�d reached the south exit before she
finally asked, �Isn�t it customary to brief me?�
�There is no customary.� Evyn reached the door first and held
it open. �The only thing you can count on in this detail is that plans
always change. Today�s already have.�
�Am I the only medic?�
�You�ll have the usual backup in the follow car.�
Wes caught the door and followed Evyn outside. A limo idled with
the three black SUVs on the circular drive. Gary waited by the open
rear door of the first vehicle, sunglasses on, earbud just visible behind
his left ear. He nodded briefly to Evyn, and Wes thought she saw his
eyebrow quirk before his stony expression returned. Several other men
and a woman stood waiting by the other vehicles, and the profiles of
additional agents were visible inside each one. She hadn�t expected
so many people to be involved in a training scenario but said nothing.
Evyn obviously wasn�t planning to answer any of her questions.
�We�ll be in the first follow car,� Evyn said. �Eagle is on his
way.�Wes hesitated. �I thought this was a training scenario.�
Evyn met her gaze, no trace of humor in her eyes. �Did I give you
that impression? This is as real as it gets.�
Wes adjusted her expectations and reassessed the situation. �Then
shouldn�t I ride with the president?�
Evyn opened the rear door of the SUV directly behind the limo and
gestured for Wes to climb in. �Under most circumstances, no. You�re
� 109 �
RADCLY
part of the secure package now�we need you out of the kill zone. You
can�t treat Eagle if you�re dead.�
�Makes sense,� Wes muttered. She accepted the reasoning behind
safeguarding the first responder, but in light of the sim the day before,
she didn�t like it. If the vehicles were separated or the president�s
vehicle took a direct hit, she wanted to be closer than she would be in
a follow car.
Evyn must have read her displeasure, because she said, �If a threat
arises, we�ll do our jobs and you�ll stay out of the way until needed.�
�I know the protocol, Agent Daniels.�
�Then we�re all happy.� Evyn pulled out her handheld and started
flicking through screens. Conversation over.
Wes settled onto the black leather bench seat and watched out
the window as a group emerged from the White House. She caught a
fleeting glimpse of President Powell, flanked by four agents, striding
briskly toward the limo. Seconds later, they pulled away and exited
the South Grounds onto E Street. The streets had been plowed and
snowbanks lined the curbs. Somewhere in front of them, motorcycle
engines rumbled, probably a police escort clearing the way. Across
from her, Evyn texted.
Wes wondered what would happen next, and when. The thrum of
anxiety in her belly was probably something she was going to live with
indefinitely. Every trip the president took outside the White House was
akin to a military engagement. Danger was always imminent. Stress
and uncertainty didn�t bother her, as long as she knew she was prepared.
And she planned to be.
Forty minutes later, the motorcade pulled off the highway onto
a wide drive and stopped in front of a row of large stone buildings.
Car doors slammed, and Wes saw the group from the first car moving
inside. Evyn opened the door and said, �You�ll stay here with one of the
military aides. If you�re needed, he�ll inform you. I hope you brought
something to read.�
�It never occurred to me I�d need it.�
Evyn laughed. �Oh, you�ll have plenty of time to kill on this
assignment. I recommend an e-reader. Travels easily and holds up
well.��I�ll make a note of that.�
Evyn closed the door and disappeared inside along with several
� 110 �
other agents. Wes settled back to wait, watching out the window. No foot
traffic. An occasional car passed along the drive. She wasn�t sure where
they were. The uncertainty heightened all her senses. Her pulse was a
little faster than usual, and tension in the back of her neck indicated her
blood pressure was probably slightly higher than normal too�nothing
to worry about as long as the tension didn�t escalate into anxiety, which
blunted response time. A certain degree of stress augmented essential
reflexes. She felt on edge but sharp. The way she needed to be.
An hour passed before the main doors of the building opened and
Evyn walked out, followed by the president and a phalanx of agents.
A blur of motion cut across Wes�s field of vision, shouts erupted, the
loud crack of gunfire shattered the quiet. Evyn crumpled, the president
staggered, and Wes grabbed her FAT kit and bolted from the SUV
along with a sea of agents from the other cars. Agents converged on the
president, others swarmed a young man holding a pistol and dragged
him to the ground. Wes raced up the sidewalk, scanning the injured,
automatically triaging. Only those who would die without immediate
attention could be treated. Those who would die despite emergency
care and those who would survive without it were passed over.
Evyn lay on her back, eyes closed, the collar of her shirt soaked
in blood. Neck or chest wound�likely fatal without urgent treatment.
Another agent, a man she didn�t recognize, curled on his side, clutching
his abdomen. A second potential fatality. The agents with the president
pushed past her toward the vehicle she�d just vacated. The president
seemed to be moving under his own power�injury status unknown.
Without medical treatment, Evyn and the other agent would likely die.
Wes stared at Evyn�she was still breathing, but for how long?
Ignoring her instincts, ignoring all her training, she ran for the SUV
with the president inside and jumped into the back. The doors slammed
shut, tires screeched, and they jolted forward. The president was supine
on the rear seat, and the duty nurse already had an oxygen mask on his
face. Bracing one arm against the side of the speeding vehicle, Wes
dragged the FAT kit closer. �Status?�
�GSW to the leg,� Thompson, the nurse, replied.
�You,� Wes said to the closest agent, pulling gauze from the field
trauma kit, �hold this over the wound, press hard.�
�Yes, ma�am.�
� 111 �
RADCLY
�Get us to the nearest trauma center.� She didn�t wait for an
answer. After grabbing a stethoscope, she pushed closer and slid a hand
behind the president�s back to check for any wounds she couldn�t see.
Nothing else. The leg wound was the only injury, but in that area, if he
didn�t bleed out, he could lose his leg. She found an intravenous pack
in the kit and tossed it to another agent. �Hold this up.�
�Got it.�
She quickly connected intravenous tubing to the bag, opened the
line and let the fluid run down, and clamped it off. With scissors, she cut
the president�s coat and shirt sleeve up to the level of his shoulder and
wrapped a tourniquet around his arm. As she unwrapped a large-bore
intravenous catheter, an agent gripped her wrist.
�I think you can hold up there, Doc.� He grinned. �Dave here is
afraid of needles and we wouldn�t want him to faint on us.�
Thompson removed the O2 mask, and the agent playing the
president grinned at her. He could pass for Andrew Powell at a distance,
but this close, she could see he was younger and a little heavier. �How
are you feeling,
�I�m doing great, Doc. So are you.� The presidential double pushed
up on the seat and swatted at the man holding the compression dressing
on his groin. �Let up there, will you? My toes are falling asleep.�
The agent holding the gauze laughed, said something into his
microphone, and the vehicle slowed. �Nice work, Doc. We�d be arriving
at the trauma center about now with the president stabilized.�
�What about the two we left behind?� Wes asked, thinking of
Evyn and the blood running down her throat. Everything in her rebelled
against leaving a dying patient in the field.
His grin faded. �They�re not your concern.�
�Understood.� Methodically, Wes packed up her kit, the image of
Evyn bleeding to death on the sidewalk burning in her mind. The next
time she had to leave her behind might not be an exercise. She wasn�t
sure how to square that with her conscience, or her ethics, or her heart.
v
�Nice job, Doc.� Vince, the agent who had assisted Wes during
the resuscitation of the �president,� veered off toward the ready room,
leaving Wes alone.
� 112 �
�Thanks,� Wes called after him. She headed for the locker room
to store her gear. After the exercise had ended, their SUV had turned
around and followed the limo back to DC. She hadn�t seen Evyn since
she�d left her on the sidewalk, but if Evyn wanted her for anything else,
she�d no doubt find her.
The locker room was empty, except for a navy blue polo shirt and
khakis folded neatly on a bench in the center of the room. The shower
ran in the adjoining room. Those clothes were most likely Evyn�s. She�d
seen a few other female agents in the halls, and they�d all been dressed
the way Evyn usually was�in jackets and pants. She wanted Evyn�s
take on the morning�s scenario, and she didn�t want to spend the rest of
the day with the mental image of Evyn bleeding out on the street. She
knew it was all a fabrication, but on some instinctual, primitive level,
she couldn�t shake the uneasy feeling she�d let her die.
Wes leaned against the lockers and reran the incident again.
She�d been doing that all the way back in the SUV while the agents
relaxed, cracked jokes, and gossiped. Someone had speculated on
where Evyn had spent the night of the storm, noting she�d turned up for
work wearing her emergency change of clothes and they hadn�t had an
emergency. Wes tried to tune out the good-natured griping about some
people having all the luck. If Evyn had spent the night with someone,
it was no business of hers. She blocked the chatter the way she did the
constant hum of voices during a trauma alert and concentrated on what
she had done earlier, and why. She still wasn�t happy with the choice
she�d made, despite knowing she�d made the only choice open to her.
And would make it again.
�You planning on taking a shower?� Evyn walked in with a white
towel wrapped around her torso, covering her to mid-thigh. She pointed
to a closet. �In there.�
�No, I�m fine. I wasn�t out there long enough to work up a
sweat.�
�I wish I had.� Evyn opened a locker across from the pile of
clothes on the bench and stowed a bath kit on the top shelf. �I froze my
ass off lying on that sidewalk, and it was wet.�
�And of course, there was the blood.�
�Since it wasn�t real, it wasn�t even warm.� Evyn glanced at Wes
over her bare shoulder, loosened the towel, and let it drop to the floor.
�You sound a little pissed.�
� 113 �
RADCLY
Wes jerked her gaze up to Evyn�s face, but not before she�d taken
in the entire naked panorama of Evyn�s back and backside. Smooth
skin, toned muscles, all blending into inviting tanned curves. �Not
exactly pissed. Just not sure of the point.�
�I thought the point was obvious�GSW is still the most likely
form of assault on POTUS.� Evyn slid black panties from an open
nylon bag inside the locker and pulled them on. They were cut high on
the sides, accentuating the expanse of honed thigh from hip to knee.
�And do you really think if I�d been briefed beforehand, I
would have reacted any differently?� Wes shook her head. �I�m sure
you practice that scenario regularly�knowing what is coming�and
without the benefit of simulated blood.�
�You�re right�we do. Dozens of times, for months, before we
ever ride in a vehicle on PPD.� Evyn grasped the khakis, pulled them
on, and slipped the polo shirt over her naked chest. �You haven�t.�
Wes watched. Evyn didn�t seem to mind, and pretending she
wasn�t watching would only make her interest even more apparent.
Evyn was beautiful and looking at a beautiful woman came naturally.
Pretending she didn�t want to would be unnatural, and she wasn�t any
good at pretending. That�s what bothered her about the morning. She
had done the right thing and her instincts screamed otherwise. �Had it
been real, you would have died out there.�
�This is where I say something like, �That�s my job. You shouldn�t
worry about it.�� Evyn regarded her across the small room. �Do you
believe that?�
�Yes, and I respect your bravery.�
Evyn waved her off with a snort and tucked her shirt into her
pants. She zipped and buttoned and sat down to fish socks and shoes
out of her locker. �It�s not a matter of bravery, it�s a matter of training.
When you�ve done it enough times, you don�t think about it. Isn�t that
the way it is for you?�
Wes moved down the row of lockers, wanting to see Evyn�s face as
they talked. �Yes, that�s exactly how it is for me. Only
I don�t leave a seriously injured patient in the field when my attention
could make the difference between life and death.�
�You see,� Evyn said lightly, �that�s the whole point. Your training
might get in the way, and we can�t let that happen, can we?�
�You�re purposely being obtuse.�
� 114 �
Evyn grinned. �Is that painful? It sounds painful.�
Wes smothered a laugh. Evyn was very, very good at deflecting the
conversation from topics that touched on the personal. �Any emergency
physician could have handled that situation this morning. And any ER
doc��
�But that is the point, isn�t it, Dr. Masters?� Evyn stood, zipped
her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. �You aren�t just any doctor
anymore, you are the First Doctor. Your training isn�t going to prepare
you for what you need to do, because you are not going to deal with
mass casualties as long as you are the First Doctor. You�re going to
deal with one patient. No matter what else happens, you only have one
patient.�
Wes swallowed back a snarl. Cool reason was the only way to get
through a head as hard as Evyn�s. �Let�s just say, theoretically, that my
primary patient sustains a superficial wound to the shoulder. He could
easily be transported safely to a level one trauma center and receive
simple field care en route. All of you are trained in CPR and emergency
medical management, right?�
Evyn nodded. �That�s true. But what happens if on the way, he
develops a drug reaction, or a second wound is discovered, a more
serious one. That happened with Reagan after Hinckley�s assassination
attempt. What if he crashes and you aren�t there?�
�You�d rather I let one of you die despite how unlikely the worst-
case scenario is?�
�Bingo.� Evyn pointed a finger at her. �That�s it in a nutshell. We
have to assume the worst-case scenario every time and act accordingly.
And if you don�t believe that, then you don�t belong in your job.�
�I guess you�re going to decide that, aren�t you?�
�Not all by myself,� Evyn said, her voice losing its faintly teasing
edge. �You admitted yourself, you�re an academic�and it isn�t a
classroom out there.�
�That�s what this is really all about.� Wes took a slow breath. �You
don�t think I should have this job, do you?�
�I didn�t say that.�
�Peter Chang would be your choice.�
Evyn colored. �Not my call. That doesn�t figure in the equation
and never did.�
�If the medical team feels the same way, it�s a problem. I can�t
� 115 �
RADCLY
allow such a vital unit to be destabilized due to politics and personal
loyalties.�
�Look, those people are all military. They�ll follow orders.� Evyn
sighed. �We�re on the same side here, Wes. I just need to know you
have a clear idea of what the game looks like before you get to play.�
�Fair enough.� Wes couldn�t argue against being prepared. Evyn
held all the cards, and for the most part, she agreed with Evyn�s call.
�What�s in store for the next inning?�
Evyn just smiled and shook her head.
v
Evyn shrugged into her windbreaker, grabbed her go bag, and
headed out. She thought about stopping by Wes�s office but vetoed the
idea immediately. Her job was to see Wes got a crash course in the
way PPD operated, and she wasn�t about to apologize for the way she
did it. If Wes was pissed about the way the sim had gone down�well,
she�d just have to stay pissed. Not like they had to be best friends or
anything.
�Evyn!�
Evyn spun around at the sound of the familiar voice. Speaking of
friends. �Hey, Pete! You�re back!�
�Yep.� Pete wore a bulky down parka, and his straight black hair
was covered by a dark watch cap. He pulled off his cap and ran slender
fingers through his hair. �I picked a good time to take a few days�
leave.�
�Yeah�you missed the worst of the storm. You working
tonight?�
He nodded. �Anything happening?�
�No, it�s been quiet. Emily is shift leader tonight. She�ll fill you in,
but he�s not scheduled for anything.�
�Good. I could use a little time to catch up on paperwork.� He
looked around and moved closer. �How�s the new chief settling in?�
Evyn thought about Wes leaning against the lockers while she
dressed, and the way Wes�s gaze occasionally glided over her body.
She liked the direct way Wes had looked at her, as if she�d appreciated
what she saw and wasn�t going to hide the fact. There�d been nothing
flirtatious or suggestive in Wes�s behavior, but Wes had noticed her,
� 116 �
and remembering the flicker of heat in Wes�s eyes made Evyn�s nipples
harden. Glad to be wearing a coat, she said casually, �A little soon to
tell. She�s got the creds for the job.�
�I know,� Pete said. �I met her briefly at the wedding. She seems
nice enough.�
Nice. That wasn�t exactly the word she would use to describe Wes
Masters. Intense, focused, honest, uncompromising. She supposed those
things made Wes nice, but they also made her incredibly attractive. And
if that wasn�t enough, she was gorgeous. The morning�s fantasy popped
back into her head. Okay�kill that picture right now. �How do you feel
about her getting the job?�
Pete shrugged. �I don�t mind not having to deal with the
politics.�
�That�s very political of you.� Evyn nudged his shoulder with
hers. �I don�t know. I guess we�ll just see how it works out.�
�Yeah. I guess we will.� Evyn waved good-bye and pushed out
into the flat gray afternoon. As much as she liked Pete, she didn�t want
to see Wes fail. Right now, what she really wanted was to see Wes
again. When she was around her, she felt electrified. All of her senses
were so charged, she thought she might start humming. She hadn�t been
this keyed up during the night she�d spent with Louise. That had her
worried. Whatever the strange effect Wes had on her, it was something
she�d never experienced before. Reason enough to keep a safe distance.
Fantasies, though, were harmless.
� 117 �
RADCLY
chapter fifteen
Lucinda dropped her pen on her desk as the door from the Oval
Office opened and Andrew walked in, a little after eight a.m.
She stood. �Mr. President. I��
Andrew closed the door. �I�m alone, Luce. Don�t get up.�
Lucinda came around the front of her desk and gestured to the
chairs on her way to the coffee credenza. �I thought you were in a
budget meeting.�
�I was, but we�re not going to move on anything at this point.
Richard wants to wait until after the Iowa caucuses. He thinks we may
have more support than the numbers are showing right now.�
�Well, Richard is the campaign manager and he knows numbers,�
Lucinda said, pouring them each a cup of coffee. She handed one to
Andrew. �I think as soon as Russo starts showing his true colors, we�ll
see a huge swing from the independents in our direction.�
�That would be the best-case scenario,� Andrew said, accepting
the cup as he leaned back in the chair, balancing the saucer on his knee.
�Blair called this morning.�
�Ah,� Lucinda said, sitting beside him. �I briefed Cameron on the
situation.�
�Mmm, I gathered. Blair was a bit peeved she hadn�t been read
in.� Lucinda smiled and sipped the coffee. �Just a little bit peeved?
She is mellowing.�
Andrew laughed. �I don�t think I�d use that word, but she�s
beginning to accept some of the politics.�
�Do you think that�s age, or is she just bowing to the inevitable?�
� 118 �
�Blair?� Andrew smiled, his voice warming. �You�ve known her
all her life. Do you think she�ll ever bow to anything?�
Lucinda pictured the wild teenager, and the angry young woman
of just a few years ago, and the incredible, strong, focused adult Blair
had become. �No, she will always take things by the throat. It�s one of
the things I love about her.�
�Me too,� Andrew said softly. �That�s what I wanted to talk to
you about.�
Lucinda set her coffee cup on the edge of her desk and turned to
face him fully. He was still as handsome as he had been when she�d
joined him during his race for the governor�s mansion almost two
decades before. Clear-eyed and strong, with an inner kindness that had
not been blunted by politics. �What�s worrying you?�
�I tried to talk her out of coming along.�
�I thought you might. I take it she disagreed?�
�Vociferously.� Andrew sighed and loosened his tie. �I couldn�t
deny that her presence has always made a difference in my election
campaigns. The public loves her, and she grabs the attention of the
younger voters. They rally around her because she�s so smart and strong
and doesn�t care who knows how she feels.�
�She�s her father�s daughter in that.�
�No small amount of that comes from you.�
�And her mother,� Lucinda said softly.
�Yes. And her mother.�
�Blair won�t run from danger, and unless we change our plans
to bring Cameron inside, there�s no way we�ll convince Blair to stay
home.�
�We could do this without Cam,� Andrew said. �I�m not happy
about involving her either.�
�Andrew,� Lucinda said, �Cam is the perfect person to investigate
the source of these leaks. She has no political affiliations, other than
her loyalty to you. We can trust her completely. And she�s very, very
good.��Jensen briefed me this morning. Although the threat level remains
unchanged, the soft intel we�re getting shows a heightened probability
for hostile action.�
Anxiety squeezed Lucinda�s throat, but she kept her voice even.
They�d faced the worst together�his wife�s death, attempts on Blair�s
life, threats against the nation abroad and at home. She would never
� 119 �
RADCLY
let her fear for him show. �All the more reason to start looking hard at
those around you.�
He stretched his arm out between their chairs and she took his
hand, closing her fingers around his broad, strong palm. He squeezed
gently.�I knew you�d say that,� Andrew said. �And I know you�re right.
I know you�ll make sure nothing happens to her.�
�Blair will be safe,� Lucinda said firmly. No matter what she had to
do, she would see that was true. �And so will you. You just concentrate
on winning this election.�
The president laughed. �Yes, ma�am.�
v
A tap sounded on Wes�s partially open office door and she clicked
closed the autopsy report on Len O�Shaughnessy. �Yes?�
The door swung open and Peter Chang appeared in the doorway.
She knew from the duty roster he�d been on the night before. She also
knew from her early-morning review of the night�s logs there�d been
no major emergencies. One of the chefs had sliced his hand and needed
stitches, a delivery man was evaluated for a wrenched shoulder, and a
staffer in the press room had come down for something to help with her
stomach flu and learned she was pregnant.
�Commander, come in,� Wes said.
�I just wanted to say hello,� Peter said. �If you�re busy, I don�t
want to interrupt.�
�Just trying to get a handle on the operation. Have a seat.�
Peter pulled a straight-backed wooden chair from against the
wall in front of her desk and sat down. He was dressed in a tan blazer,
light brown button-down cotton shirt, and khaki pants. His tie was thin
and black with no pattern. Conservative. As close to a uniform as he
could get without wearing one. Wes sympathized. She felt vaguely
uncomfortable working out of uniform, especially when she passed
military personnel and officers from the Uniformed Division of the
Secret Service at every junction. Without the symbols of her rank that
had come to define her, she felt displaced, a lot like she did in this
strangely skewed new medical terrain.
�Anything I can help you with?� Peter said.
� 120 �
�You can tell me if you think there are any protocols that need
updating or reviewing.�
He shifted ever so slightly in his seat, a tell indicating her question
had caught him off guard and made him a little uneasy. She couldn�t
imagine why the question would make him uncomfortable, but her
radar pinged�something was off.
�I can�t think of anything,� Peter finally said. �I know Len�Dr.
O�Shaughnessy�reviewed everything himself. Once in a while he�d
update some of the pharmaceuticals used in emergency protocols, but
he pretty much left the management of acute problems up to the team
handling the presenting problem.�
�So the same injury or medical condition might receive different
treatment depending on which team handled it?�
Peter shifted again. �Well, management is pretty standard, so I
don�t think anyone really deviated much.�
�How often does the team get together�for debriefings or case
review?�
�Our schedules can be pretty irregular�we�re not usually all
around at the same time. For Len�well, you now�especially. When
the president is traveling, Len almost always accompanied him, which
might mean he was detached to the president for weeks at a time.�
�Meaning there wasn�t really any unit Q&A.�
Peter hesitated. �Not per se, no.�
�Okay, thanks. That�s helpful.� Wes could see right away that her
idea of running a unit was completely different than the laissez-faire
attitude of her predecessor, and probably his before him. No one would
conceive of running an emergency room without standardized protocols
that everyone adhered to, departmental review of case outcomes, and
regular morbidity and mortality conferences. And yet this unit, which
not only cared for some of the most important individuals in the world,
but several hundred high-level staff and countless visitors, had only the
barest degree of internal organization or accountability. She planned
to change that and doubted anyone would be too happy about it. She
leaned forward on her desk and folded her hands. �Anything else you
think I should know?�
�No,� Peter said quickly. �It�s all standard stuff.�
�Yes, well, I gather that around here, standard means pretty much
a constant state of readiness.�
� 121 �
RADCLY
�I guess that�s true.� He kneaded his jacket between his hands.
�Like most things, there�s a whole lot of preparing for situations that
never happen.�
�Let�s hope that continues to be the case.� Wes stood. �I should
have a new rotation schedule available for everyone in approximately
a week. Until then, everyone should continue with the rotations as
previously posted. If I�m needed at any time, my pager is listed with
the operators. I left my cell phone number on the board in the clinic
AOD office last night. Otherwise, carry on.�
He stood and saluted. �Yes, ma�am.�
She returned the salute. �Not necessary in private.�
�Hard habit to break.�
She nodded. �Yes, I know.�
Peter disappeared into the hall, and Wes sat back down behind her
desk. He didn�t seem to harbor any resentment, at least not outwardly.
He did seem uneasy, though, but that might just be because he didn�t
know her, and she had taken the job that presumably he had wanted.
Or maybe she was reading too much into the situation because Evyn
thought Chang deserved the job and not her. Evyn.
She hadn�t thought about her while she was working, but every
time she stopped, snippets of their conversations would start up again
in her mind. Along with that split second of gut-wrenching horror when
she�d thought Evyn was mortally wounded. Evyn was so certain of
what should be done and why. In order to do Evyn�s job, that kind
of mindset was probably necessary. She understood. She even agreed,
while another part of her mind questioned.
All Wes could hope was that her orders never conflicted with
her training, but ultimately, she would follow orders, regardless of the
consequences to others. Even Evyn. She shied away from the idea of
leaving Evyn wounded, without the care that might potentially save
her life. She thought of Evyn�s body fresh from the shower�sleek
and smooth and strong. Beautiful. She was trained to read a person�s
body with her hands�to feel the presence of injury and disease in the
disruption of the pattern of skin and muscle and bone. She experienced
the world through her senses, and Evyn filled her senses. The whisper
of Evyn�s skin beneath her fingers that day in the ambulance left her
wanting more. Seeing Evyn naked after her shower, she�d ached to trace
the tantalizing curve along the edge of Evyn�s shoulder blade down the
� 122 �
slope of her back to the hollow above her hips. She�d imagined heat
and supple�
�Captain?�
Wes jerked and looked across the room. Jennifer stood in the
doorway, a half smile on her face. Her hair was down, a luxurious
sweep of soft midnight waves. Today she wore forest-green pants and a
V-neck sweater in a lighter shade of green. Low brown boots completed
the outfit. Her figure was small but full, perfectly proportioned.
�Something I can help you with, Lieutenant?�
�A few of us are going out to eat at the end of shift. Would you
like to come?�
Wes quickly considered the advisability of fraternizing with her
new team. If she didn�t go out with them, she might appear standoffish.
If she did, she wouldn�t know the players or the power structure. She
didn�t usually fraternize with colleagues, and socializing with team
members before she�d taken firm command wasn�t a good idea. And
there was the glint of interest in Jennifer�s eyes, no small matter. Wes
had thought she�d noticed it the first time they�d met, and now she
was sure of it. Jennifer�s invitation might be a little bit more than unit
camaraderie.
�Thanks, I�d like to, but I can�t tonight,� Wes said. �I�ve got a
million things to review, and I�m still finding my way around this
place.�
�I understand,� Jennifer said, disappointment clear in her voice.
�Some other time, then?�
Wes smiled. �Yes. Definitely.�
�Good. I�ll let you get back to work.� Jennifer backed up. �If you
need help with the files��
�I�ve got it for now. Thanks.�
�See you then.�
Jennifer turned and left, leaving Wes alone with charts and
protocols, the stuff of her life she knew well�and thoughts of Evyn
Daniels, something new and entirely different.
v
The round white clock hanging behind the red Formica-topped
counter sported a dented chrome rim resembling a hubcap and a faded
� 123 �
RADCLY
Harley symbol in the center. The black hands shaped like handlebars
read six forty. Hooker�s contact was ten minutes late.
He looked around the roadside diner, studying the faces. At six
thirty on a weeknight, the place was nearly empty. The locals, mostly
farmers, ate early, and the truckers wouldn�t start arriving until midnight.
The militia go-between who�d arranged the meet hadn�t given him any
info other than the location�he�d said the contact was spooked about
dealing with an �outsider.�
Who the hell knew what a bio-disposal technician looked like?
Two guys in oil-stained work pants and denim shirts with the sleeves
cut off midway up tattooed biceps sat at the counter slurping coffee and
uttering occasional monosyllables while working through enormous
steaks and mounds of potatoes. A young woman, barely in her twenties
if that, slouched in a booth with a glass of tea and a red-and-white
cardboard boat of fries slathered in cheese. She ate slowly, making each
fry last three bites, as if the food might be her last for a while. Probably
a runaway�her face was worn with fatigue, but her eyes were too
focused for her to be a junkie. Two men in white open-collared shirts
and dress pants occupied another booth�probably businessmen on the
road. No one paid any attention to him. He finished his coffee, slid two
bills on the counter, and walked outside.
The Georgia heat slapped him in the face, momentarily taking
his breath away. The change from the biting cold in Chicago was
disorienting. Like the diner, the gravel lot was mostly empty. A few
cars clustered around the far corner of the restaurant, where someone
sold ice cream from an open window. Several people, mostly women,
stood in line with children in tow. No one paid any attention to him.
He�d come all this way for nothing.
As he walked to his car, he glanced into the small grassy lot on
the far side of the building. A brunette in a floral sundress and strappy
sandals sat under a tree at a picnic bench, an ice-cream cone in her hand.
She smiled at him, holding his gaze for just a second longer than was
typical for a lone woman who wasn�t a working girl. Hooker walked
over.�Good day for ice cream,� he said.
�They make the best vanilla bean around here. You should try it.�
�Maybe I will. I haven�t had an ice-cream cone in a long time.�
� 124 �
She was early thirties, eyes as black as her hair, small and pretty. Built
too. No wedding ring. In fact, no distinguishing anything�no jewelry,
no flash. Attractive, but not someone who would draw attention.
�Probably too cold up north for ice cream,� she remarked, catching
a line of vanilla dripping down the side of the cone.
The quick flick of her tongue caught him by surprise and his cock
got hard. He shifted slightly to hide the fullness in his trousers. �You
got that right. I guess this doesn�t feel hot to you, though, does it?�
�No�this is the best weather of the year.� She smiled. �Sit down,
unless there�s somewhere you have to be in a hurry.�
�Not really.�
�Just get in?�
�That�s right.�
�Here on business?�
He nodded.
�What is it that you do?�
�I buy and sell things,� he said.
�I imagine you find all sorts of interesting things.�
�You never know what you might come across.�
�You�re right. Sometimes things turn up you never expect.� She
bit into the cone and a fleck lingered on her lip.
He had the urge to suck it off. He spread his legs a little wider to
give himself a little relief. Something about this woman had him juiced
up, and that was unusual. He had no trouble enjoying himself with a
woman when he wanted, but when he was on the job, he rarely got
distracted. �I�m always on the lookout for unusual items.�
�I might have something you�re interested in. If you�re looking for
one-of-a-kind items.�
�Really? Rare items are at the top of my list.�
�Those things tend to be expensive, though.�
�I never mind paying what something�s worth.�
�And then there�s transportation, the authentication, all of those
things figure in, don�t they?� She crossed her legs, her sandal dangling
from her toes. �What would you pay for something no one else could
find, delivered in perfect condition? Something rare, unusual.�
�Fully functional, one-of-a-kind?� Hooker leaned his arms back
on the table and crossed his ankles, taking in the vehicles parked in
� 125 �
RADCLY
the lot. None were close enough for audible scanning, and he didn�t
think their conversation could be picked up from the building. If she
was wearing a wire, it was well hidden. Her clothes were tight enough
that hiding the receiver would be difficult. Nothing he�d said could be
incriminating, but he still needed to be careful. �I�m used to paying for
the right product. Half a million isn�t out of range.�
She took another bite of her ice-cream cone. �Two.�
�The item would have to be extraordinarily rare, in perfect
condition, and, in order to avoid the competition trying to duplicate it,
completely untraceable.�
�Guaranteed.�
�Then I think we can do business.�
She smiled, her gaze slowly moving over his chest and down his
body. He couldn�t hide his erection and didn�t bother.
�Now that I�ve had dessert,� she said, �I�m ready for dinner. How
about you?�
�My evening is free.�
�Not anymore.�
� 126 �
chapter sixteen
The phone rang at 0530 and Wes grabbed it before the second
ring. �Hello?�
�We�ll pick you up in half an hour,� Evyn said. �Pack a go bag and
wear field clothes.�
�What would that be when I�m not wearing a uniform?�
Evyn laughed. �How about jeans and a shirt? And a light jacket.
Oh�and pack for overnight.�
�Doable. Anything else I should know?�
�Now, Doc,� Evyn said, a teasing note in her voice. �Haven�t you
figured out the routine yet?�
�I�m ever hopeful.�
�Good attitude. See you in thirty.�
Evyn rang off and Wes hung up the phone. She�d been up for an
hour, reading through some of the WHMU protocols she�d downloaded
to a thumb drive and brought back to the hotel with her. She�d worked
all evening and finally turned in at 0200�and couldn�t sleep. She didn�t
usually have trouble sleeping, but she�d lain awake in the dark feeling
a little like a fish out of water. The entire fabric of her professional
life�which was her life�had shifted precipitously. She was still a
doctor, still a naval officer, but she had been transported out of the
highly structured world of military hierarchy into what felt like a new
society where the rules weren�t clear and no one was filling her in.
To dispel the undercurrent of anxiety, she fell back on what she knew
best�discipline, order, and medicine.
As she�d mentally run down the things she wanted to do to fine-
� 127 �
RADCLY
tune the medical unit, her thoughts kept wandering off to Evyn. Snippets
of their first encounter, their first meal, their first fight, their first touch
kept jumping into her mind. Flashes of Evyn�s faintly teasing smile, the
challenge in her deep blue eyes, her certainty about her job�everything
about her stirred her. Spending time with Evyn had been easy, natural.
Exciting. And considering their positions and the specter of a security
breach hanging over every member of the team, including Evyn, very
ill-advised. No matter she couldn�t imagine Evyn violating her oath,
she needed to keep perspective, and the only way she could do that was
by maintaining professional distance.
Finally, to distract herself from thoughts of Evyn and a disquieting
buzz in her belly, she�d texted her youngest sister Denny, a night nursing
supervisor at Methodist Hospital, who was usually able to chat when
her patients were all asleep.
Her sister had provided enough diversion that she�d been able to
fall asleep. But as she rode the elevator down to the lobby, her thoughts
returned to Evyn. She looked forward to seeing her. Spending time
with Evyn was exhilarating�in one moment Evyn was a highly trained
professional, demanding and a little arrogant, in the next personable,
funny, a little flirtatious. Wes never knew what to expect, and she
always knew what to expect. She planned everything and lived by her
plans. She�d just discovered uncertainty was damned exciting.
Right now, though, she�d settle for boring routine over a new test
of her fitness for her post, but what she�d like and what she got were
� 128 �
often different. She pushed through the revolving door and stepped out
onto the sidewalk at precisely 0600. Ten seconds later, a black SUV
pulled up and the rear door swung open. Wes walked over and saw
Evyn in the back beside Gary. �Morning.�
�Morning,� Evyn said.
�Hi, Doc,� Gary echoed.
Wes settled down across from Evyn and the vehicle pulled away.
Evyn pointed to the newspaper in her lap. �Want a section?�
Wes smiled and slid an e-reader from her pocket. �I took your
advice and picked this up yesterday at one of the bookstores.�
�Smart.�
�What? Taking your advice or getting the reader?�
Evyn laughed. �Both.�
Gary�s gaze flicked back and forth between them, a glint of
curiosity in his warm brown eyes. Wes opened the reader and selected
the
Skimming through the sections with a flick of her fingertip, she asked,
�Where we going?�
�Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,� Evyn replied, surprising Wes with
an answer.
�That�s a long ride.� Wes tried to remember what was in Kitty
Hawk besides a nearby Coast Guard station.
�We�re not driving the entire way.� Evyn folded the newspaper
vertically, as if she was going to read it in sections like a subway rider.
�What�s in Kitty Hawk?� Wes asked.
�Ocean,� Evyn said.
Gary laughed.
�I didn�t bring a suit.�
�That�s okay. The water�s pretty warm this time of year.�
�It�s December,� Wes pointed out.
�Believe it or not, water temperatures average over sixty degrees
in December in that area. Something about the Gulf Stream.� Evyn
looked up from her newspaper, her eyes dancing. �You�re a sailor.
You�re not afraid of a little water, are you?�
�Just because I�m in the navy doesn�t mean I enjoy being cold
and wet.�
�I promise we won�t let you drown, or freeze.�
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�I feel so much better. What are we doing?�
�Water block.� Evyn went back to her newspaper.
�I gathered it had something to do with water. I don�t suppose you
could be any more specific?�
Evyn smiled above the newspaper. She was enjoying this, the power
play, and Wes was too, even though Evyn wasn�t playing by the rules
Wes was used to. She followed the commands of others and expected
her own orders to be obeyed without question. She understood and
accepted the reasons why. The military was a huge organization whose
effectiveness was dependent upon coordinated action and instantaneous
response, a hierarchy that could only function if orders were immutable.
Otherwise, chaos reigned, missions failed, and causalities resulted. Part
of what made the system work was accurate intel and preparedness.
In contrast, Evyn gave her no operation details�Evyn not only
didn�t brief her, she purposefully kept her in the dark. Evyn was testing
her without giving her the benefit of bringing her best game. She should
have been pissed off, but she wasn�t really. If she�d felt she was being
set up to fail, she would have resisted, but she sensed no malice from
Evyn, despite Evyn�s friendship with Peter Chang. They were playing
war games, a challenge Wes enjoyed, and she intended to prove herself.
Evyn was enjoying herself too, and Wes liked being part of Evyn�s
pleasure. That was a thought she wasn�t going to study too carefully right
now. She settled back and scanned the news. The vehicle slowed and
she looked up. Evyn was watching her, her expression contemplative.
Wes raised a brow. �What?�
�You look relaxed.� Evyn sounded surprised.
�Shouldn�t I be?�
�You�re not annoyed any longer.�
Wes smiled. �Would it do me any good?�
Evyn grinned. �No.�
�Then why bother?�
�You�re pretty sure of yourself.�
Wes glanced at Gary, who stared straight ahead as if he were deaf
and their conversation wasn�t happening inches away. Maybe he really
wasn�t listening. Privacy took on a different meaning for these two,
apparently. She shrugged. �All I can do is my best.�
�Do you always bring your best game?�
� 130 �
Wes didn�t do humble when it wasn�t true. �Always.�
�To everything?�
�Don�t you?�
�Damn straight.�
Wes laughed. �Then we�re not so different.�
�Maybe not,� Evyn said softly.
The SUV slowed onto the airport exit, and Wes pocketed her
e-reader. She grabbed her overnight bag, followed Evyn and Gary into
the airport, and went through the line while they cleared their weapons
with security. The flight got off on time, and one hundred and twenty-
six minutes later, they landed in Charlotte.
When they walked outside, a sun-washed blonde climbed out of
the driver�s side of a white Ford Explorer and approached with long,
graceful strides. She looked to be mid-thirties, tanned, and was dressed
in light blue cotton pants and a long-sleeved white T-shirt with a logo
over the left breast reading Ocean Rescue Center. �Agent Daniels,
Agent Brown�good to see you again.�
�Hi, Cord.� Evyn indicated Wes. �Dr. Cordelia Williams, Dr.
Wes Masters. Cord is an oceanographer and an environmental medical
specialist.�
Cord said, �Good to meet you.�
�Same here,� Wes said. �What came first�medicine or the sea?�
�Medicine�then I saw the light.� Cord grinned and shepherded
them toward the vehicle. �Glad the flight was on time for a change�
we�ve got a lot planned. Weather report says breezy and unseasonably
warm, but a cold front is moving up the coast. Good conditions for
riptides.�
Evyn grinned. �Sounds perfect.�
�Does that mean no riptides?� Wes asked as she climbed into the
back after Evyn. Gary rode shotgun.
�No, it generally means strong ones.�
�Perfect all right,� Wes muttered, and Evyn laughed softly.
The cargo space behind Wes was filled with gear smelling faintly
of salt and sea�wetsuits, fins, personal flotation devices, a buoy with
a short length of rope attached. Evyn saw her checking it out and her
eyes twinkled.
�I love water exercises,� Evyn said.
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RADCLY
�You�ve been here before, obviously.�
Evyn nodded. �Gary and I are both water-rescue certified. Cord is
the supervisor for the training. We all train down here with her.�
�You�ve probably checked my file�I�m pretty good at advanced
lifesaving techniques.�
Evyn laughed. �I don�t doubt it. But when POTUS is in the water,
we will be too. He likes to snorkel. If we need to evacuate from the
water, that�s a little bit different than what you�re used to on shore.�
�Hence all the water gear. You weren�t kidding when you said
water exercises.�
�No. You�re going to get wet today.�
�Sounds like fun.� Wes settled back and closed her eyes. �Sixty
degrees is cold.�
�We�ll just have to make sure you work hard enough to stay
warm.�
Wes smiled. �Never doubted it.�
v
Blair grasped Cam�s hand as they walked along the shoreline. The
wind blew through Cam�s hair, the mist from the water curling the ends
as they lay on her neck, softening the sharp edge of her jaw, making her
look younger, more vulnerable. Blair�s chest tightened. She couldn�t
remember a time when she hadn�t been with Cam�no, she didn�t
to remember a time when she hadn�t been with her. Before Cam, she�d
thought she was as happy as anyone in her situation could be. She�d had
moments of professional satisfaction, friends�Diane and Tanner�she
cherished, but at the very core of her had been a seething sense of
restlessness, of never quite fitting, of unsettled searching discontent.
Cameron Roberts, someone so much like her father, was the last
woman in the world she would�ve chosen. She adored her father but
had spent much of her life angry with him. Cam and her father were
both so dedicated to their jobs, guided by goals and principles that were
so clear to them, and both so willing to ignore their own needs. What
she hadn�t appreciated when she was young and had only learned after
being with Cam was the personal cost that living by those goals and
principles exacted from her father and Cam and others like them. What
� 132 �
she had seen as selfishness had been exactly the opposite. Cam, like her
father, was willing to forgo personal happiness, was willing to risk her
life for what she believed. As much as Blair loved Cam, she couldn�t
bring herself to give Cam that one thing�her permission to sacrifice
herself for Blair or her father or her country. She needed Cam to be
more selfish than that. She was not willing to sacrifice her, no matter
the cost.
�I love being here alone with you,� Blair said. �You know that,
don�t you?�
�I know,� Cam said, lightly swinging Blair�s arm between them.
�And I love you more than you think.�
Blair caught her breath. �What are you talking about?� She
couldn�t imagine that Cam didn�t know how much her love meant to
her. How precious it was. How she woke up every morning a little bit
in awe of how her life had changed, of how much more there was to
cherish than she had ever imagined. If she had failed to let Cam know
that, she�d failed the most important challenge of her life. �I know you
love me. Your love means every��
�That�s not what I�m talking about.� Cam lifted Blair�s hand to
her mouth, brushed her lips over the top of Blair�s hand.
Her lips were warm, reminding Blair that she often didn�t know
she was cold until Cam�s touch warmed her deeper than flesh. �Then
what?�
�I won�t do anything to destroy what we have, not even for my
country. I took the job with Homeland Security because I thought I
could make a difference there, that I could contribute something. But
there was another reason�a more personal one.� Cam smiled. �You.
I know how pissed you�d be if I stayed on protection and put myself
between a bullet and a protectee. I really hate it when you�re pissed at
me.� �Are you angry at me because I don�t want you to die for someone
else?��No.� Cam faced ahead, her expression growing remote, and Blair
knew she was looking back. Maybe as far back as her father�s death,
when she�d watched him die and hadn�t been able to stop it. She wished
she could go back to that time, to hold the twelve-year-old Cam, to
comfort her as she�d never quite been able to comfort the adult woman
� 133 �
RADCLY
she loved. But as much as she wished for that, she couldn�t go back in
time and erase the pain and abolish the disappointment. She could only
go forward and love, and hope it made a difference.
�I�m a lot more selfish than you,� Blair said. �I don�t mind
admitting I�m glad you�re not doing protection anymore. I don�t want
to lose you. Couldn�t bear to lose you.�
�You know it�s one in a��
�Yes,� Blair said sharply, �I know it�s one in a million. And
know, if you�re the one, that million doesn�t matter.�
Cam laughed softly. �We�ve been down this road before, and we
don�t need to re-travel it.�
Blair sighed. �I�m sorry. I don�t want to ruin our time together.�
�Baby,� Cam murmured, releasing Blair�s hand and sliding her
arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. �Nothing can ruin our
time together. Are you worried about your father?�
Blair rested her cheek against Cam�s shoulder. �Yes. It�s hard,
wanting him to be safe and not wanting you to be the one responsible
for it.��I�m not. That�s Tom�s job, and the rest of your father�s detail.
That�s a big reason why I�m not doing protection anymore. I don�t
want you to have to choose between your father�s safety or your own,
and mine. I get that. But what Luce asked me to do isn�t the same
thing. I won�t be primarily protection.� Cam stopped, put her arms
around Blair�s waist, and kissed her softly. �All I�m going to do is tag
along, keep my eyes and ears open, try to find out who has access to
the information that�s getting out. I�m looking for leaks, holes in the
security network, I�m not
between us, Blair. I would never do that to you.�
�I�m sorry,� Blair said softly. �I know, I do, really.�
�I know you�re worried about your father. Nothing�s going to
happen to him. He�s got the best people in the world around him. He�ll
be fine, so will we.�
Blair threaded her arms around Cam�s neck and kissed her. Her
protective detail was somewhere nearby, pretending not to watch them
while keeping them in sight, pretending they didn�t see their private
moments, while seeing everything in their path. Right now, she was
more grateful for those agents than she�d ever been. Where she�d
� 134 �
once thought they imprisoned her, she now understood they gave her
freedom. �Sometimes, I feel like a selfish shit.�
�Nothing could be further from the truth. You know what I think?�
Cam said.
�What?�
�I think we should go back to DC a little bit earlier than we�d
planned. Weather reports say another big storm is moving up the coast.
We won�t have to worry about flights if we leave tomorrow.�
�You�re sure? I mean, it�s our honeymoon, sort of.�
�We can have a sort of honeymoon in DC. I�m not sleeping at the
White House, though.�
�Oh, really? And I so love being there with the press corps, and
the valets, and the officers in the halls.�
Cam grasped Blair�s hand and resumed walking. �I�m sorry, baby.
There are some things I just can�t give you.�
Laughing, Blair fell into step. �That�s okay, darling. I still adore
you.�
� 135 �
RADCLY
chapter seventeen
Cord hadn�t been kidding when she�d said there would be
currents. Wes was a strong swimmer, but in a wetsuit and
gear, pulling an inert body through the water against the swirling tides
that wanted to drag her under took all her strength and concentration.
The instructor assigned to play POTUS wasn�t as big as Gary, but he
was heavy. The third time she pulled him from beneath the surface,
hooked an arm around his shoulder and over his chest, and kept him
afloat while a Coast Guard helicopter dropped a rescue basket, her arms
and legs were trembling and her heart hammered in her ears. Evyn
circled in a dinghy nearby, waiting to assist in the transfer to the lift
basket. When they got the patient secured, the helicopter lifted off, the
churning wash from its rotors blasting her with icy froth. After the first
time she�d gotten a faceful and nearly choked up a lung, she�d learned
to turn her head away and keep her mouth closed. Wearily, she fought
the water�s relentless pull, threatening to carry her out to sea.
�How you doing?� Evyn called.
�Great!� She caught a wave wrong and coughed out a mouthful
of brine.
�Head in. Take a break.�
�Roger.� Wes stroked toward shore while Evyn docked the dinghy
on Cord�s boat. When she made it in close enough, she stood up and
waited for the rest of the team, letting the blue-green ocean swirl around
her calves. Despite the painful trembling in her shoulders and thighs,
she felt great. She�d managed to keep her patient alive, gotten him
transferred to the medevac chopper, and avoided drowning. Not once
but three times. She considered that a damn good day.
� 136 �
�Looked pretty good out there.� Evyn jumped out of the boat
into the surf beside her. She unzipped the neck of the wetsuit, and Wes
caught a glimpse of smooth pale skin framed between her breasts.
�I feel like I�ve just run twenty miles with a full pack.�
�Tough work. You did a lot better than a lot of first-timers.�
�Thanks.� Wes looked around at the small ORS building and the
mostly empty beach. Gary stood talking to Cord and Jeff, the other
rescue instructor, at the boat dock. �Anywhere nearby we can grab
lunch? I�m buying. Gary and the others too.�
�Jeff and Gary played football together in college,� Evyn said, �so
Gary will probably hang here with Cord and Jeff.�
�Just you, then.� When Evyn hesitated, Wes wondered if she�d
broken yet another rule of training no one had bothered to inform her
about.�I know a little taco place not far from here,� Evyn finally said.
�Mexican okay with you?�
�Sounds great.�
�Let�s change, then, and get out of here. We�ll need to be back at
fourteen hundred for open-water rescue.�
Wes sighed. �I�m going to need a lot of tacos.�
v
��One� does not qualify as �a lot of� tacos,� Evyn said as Wes
pushed her plate aside. They�d both dug in when lunch arrived and
hadn�t paused for more than casual remarks while devouring the very
good food.
�If I have to be back in the water,� Wes said, sipping iced tea, �I
don�t want to cramp.�
�We�ll have at least an hour until we get everything loaded up and
out to the rendezvous point.� The rest of the day ought to be a little
easier than the morning, and so far Wes was acing the training. Not
that Evyn was surprised. Wes was solid�uncomplaining, focused, fit.
She�d handled the recovery drills with calm competence, the way she
seemed to do everything. �How are you feeling?�
�Not bad for a desk jockey.�
Recalling her not-so-subtle put-down of Wes�s teaching creds,
Evyn managed not to blush. She really hadn�t made a very good first
� 137 �
RADCLY
impression, not that she usually cared. With Wes, she did�but she
couldn�t very well apologize for speaking her mind. �Okay, so maybe I
was wrong about you instructor types.�
�The day isn�t over,� Wes said lightly. �Are you and Gary the only
water-certified agents on the detail?�
�No. When POTUS is in or on the water, two water-certified
agents are with him at all times. The medical staff usually remains on
shore, available by radio.�
�I prefer to be on the water�close by him,� Wes said. �Being on
shore is too far away.�
Evyn nodded. �I agree. When possible, we�ll set you up in the
patrol boat.�
�Good enough. What about general security?�
�We clear the airspace, the surrounding water, and the shore.�
�And transport?�
�Usually Coast Guard, but again, depends on where we are and
the location of the closest medical facilities.�
Wes�s phone buzzed and Wes slid it from her pocket to check the
readout. She shook her head. �Sorry. My mother.�
Evyn laughed. �Go ahead. I�ll get the bill.�
�I�ll just tell her I�ll catch her later.� Wes tapped the screen to take
the call. �Mom, I�m at work. I�ll call you as soon as I can, probably
tom�what? No, I�m fine. Denny exaggerates, you know that. Really.
Nothing. I�ll call you. I love you. I�ve got to go. �Bye.�
Color rose in Wes�s face and Evyn hid her smile. The calm,
unflappable doctor was embarrassed. �Mothers. They never get that we
aren�t always available to talk when we�re working.�
�Oh, she gets it. She just thinks whatever she has on her mind is
more important.�
Evyn laughed. �Isn�t it?�
�Of course.� Wes took the bill the waitress had left on the table
stood and they walked to the cashier.
�Does she know about your new post?�
�Some�I didn�t really have time to discuss it with her.�
�Everything okay?� Evyn asked as casually as she could. She
couldn�t pretend she hadn�t overheard the conversation, and while it
was none of her business, she cared if Wes was having a problem. After
all, personal issues affected performance, and Wes was not only a key
� 138 �
part of the team now, it was her job to see she settled in smoothly. She
might tell herself that, if she wanted to blow smoke in her own face.
She cared if Wes had a problem because she didn�t like the idea of Wes
being unhappy. If Wes was unhappy, it most likely had something to do
with the new job, and she was a big part of that new job.
�She�s doing the mother thing.�
�You mean the part where they try to get you to share? And as
soon as you do they tell you all the ways you screwed up?�
�My mother usually doesn�t pry,� Wes held the door open while
Evyn went through, �but my sister ratted me out. My fault�I forgot
what a little tattletale she was when she was younger.�
�You�ve got three, right? You�re in the middle?�
�I�m in the upper middle�one older, two younger. Denise�
Denny�she�s the baby.�
Evyn rounded to the driver�s side of the Explorer and waited while
Wes climbed in. �You all must be pretty close in age�didn�t you say
your father�sorry, never mind.�
�My father died when I was six. There�s about a year and a half to
two years between the four of us.�
�So what did your sister know that she immediately told your
mother?� The street in front of the cantina was clear and Evyn pulled
out. �Nothing. Not really. I just happened to talk to her in the middle
of the night�she�s a nurse in Philadelphia. I maybe mentioned I was
having trouble sleeping, but not because of any problem. Just��Wes
shrugged��a lot of changes. That�s all.�
Evyn glanced at her, then back at the road. Wes looked a little
tired, but they�d been hitting the exercises hard for hours. She was
obviously in great physical shape�she looked as good in a wetsuit as
she did in the jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt she�d walked out wearing
that morning. Rangy and lean and strong. Evyn put that image aside.
If Wes was having trouble adjusting, she ought to know. She wanted to
know. She wondered if she was part of why Wes wasn�t sleeping, and
the idea didn�t sit well. �This isn�t what you expected, is it?�
�I had no idea what to expect.�
�Very politic of you.�
Evyn shot her another look and their eyes met. Wes had gorgeous
eyes�the kind of crystal green that reminded her of summers in the
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RADCLY
park, of fresh-cut grass, of carefree pleasures. She had to drag herself
away from her eyes and the memory of freer, simpler times. She stared
at the road. �I don�t know why it is, but every time we�re together, we
end up talking about stuff I never talk about with anyone else.�
�Like what?� Wes said gently.
�Like�personal things. I know more about you and your family
right now than I know about Gary, and he and I have been partners on
and off for a couple of years.�
�I know what you mean,� Wes said.
�Got an explanation?� Evyn asked half playfully, but her heart
stuttered, waiting for the answer. She hadn�t meant to voice that crazy
feeling of being totally exposed whenever she was alone with Wes and
expected Wes to understand even less. Now she wasn�t sure what she
wanted to hear.
�Not yet,� Wes said softly.
A wave of disappointment heavily laced with relief washed over
her. Refocusing the conversation on something safe, she said, �So?
What�s keeping you up at night?�
Wes laughed. �You�re as bad as my sisters.�
�Wait till you get to know me better.�
Wes laughed again. �Nothing, really. Just adjustment. I�m fine.�
�Oh, I�m sure of that. You wouldn�t be where you are if little things
like having a new command dropped on you, transferring overnight to
a new post, being put through an accelerated version of boot camp, and
being charged with safeguarding POTUS threw you off.�
�Well, when you put it like that,� Wes said lightly, �I guess I am
doing amazingly well.�
�We�ll see, Superdoc.� Evyn pulled the rented Jeep into the small
lot beside the rescue station and cut the engine. She turned in her seat
to face Wes. �If there�s something you want to talk about, I�m a pretty
good listener.�
�You are. You make it easy to talk.�
The wind had picked up, and whitecaps raced across the water.
Wes was studying her, in that completely focused way she had, and the
attention was as exciting as the touch had been. She�d never been so
aware of being alone with a woman in her life. They�d barely touched,
and that had been totally innocent, but her blood sang with anticipation.
She didn�t get this keyed up with a woman she was about to sleep with.
� 140 �
Her system was primed with expectation for more than a touch, and
nothing could be less likely to happen. �I hear a
A wry smile played over Wes�s face. �Unfortunately, I think you�d
probably end up ratting me out like Denny. Only not to my mother.�
Evyn wanted to deny that, but she couldn�t. �If I thought something
would affect your performance, then I might have to.�
�I�d expect you to,� Wes said. �And before we go any further, I
can tell you there�s nothing about this situation that bothers me. I�m
fine.��I wasn�t looking for ammunition against you, Wes.� Evyn pulled
herself back from a dangerous precipice. She�d crossed one of her own
boundaries without even realizing it. Wes blurred all the lines for her
between personal and professional with frightening ease, and that just
couldn�t happen. �We both have jobs to do.�
�I know,� Wes said. �And since we do, I appreciate the offer to
talk, but I think we�ll both do our jobs a lot better if we don�t complicate
things.�
Wes was right and only repeating her own mantra�never get
personally involved with someone at work. Evyn pushed open her door
and a biting wind rushed in. �We�re on exactly the same page.�
v
The patrol boat rocked on the swell as the winds gathered force.
The blue sky had given way to gray thunderclouds above churning
seas. �We�ve got time for one run,� Cord called from the wheel, �until
things get too rough out here.�
Evyn turned to Wes, who wore civilian clothes as she would on a
regular detail. She and Gary were in wetsuits. �POTUS has a sailboat,
and the maritime weather reports aren�t always accurate. He could be
caught out in this kind of blow. But this could get dicey.�
�Wouldn�t do much good to only train on calm seas,� Wes shouted,
the wind ruffling her hair. �Let�s do it.�
Evyn waved to Cord. �Go ahead.�
Cord threw a water-rescue mannequin into the water and yelled,
�Man overboard.�
Evyn and Gary clambered onto the bulwark and dove into the
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RADCLY
ocean. Even in the wetsuit, the first shock of frigid water on Evyn�s
face and exposed hands and feet made her stomach tighten. She cut
through the sea toward the bobbing figure, fighting the surging tides and
buffeting waves. The figure alternately rode the swells and disappeared
beneath the troughs. Were this the real deal, they�d only have a minute
or two to reach the president, less if he went off the boat as a result of
some kind of injury. The water temperature, the tide, and the rough
surf created a swiftly lethal combination. She and Gary reached the
mannequin at the same time, and she grabbed it in a rescue carry and
started back toward the boat. Gary kept pace beside her, ready to take
over and spell her if she grew too tired fighting the currents and the cold.
When they reached the side of the patrol boat, Wes and Cord lowered
a litter over the side, and she and Gary secured the figure inside. Gary
tugged on the line to signal they were ready, and the litter swung away
and up. Evyn scrambled up the ladder with Gary right behind. By the
time they reached the deck, Wes was already in full resuscitation mode,
kneeling on the soaked surface, rapidly running through the emergency
assessment protocol, the field-and-trauma bag beside her, Cord acting
as her first assistant.
Jeff tossed Evyn a towel, and she rubbed water from her hair,
watching Wes work. Every time she�d seen Wes in action, she�d been
struck by the way Wes gave everything her full attention, her all, a
hundred percent of the time. Evyn spent her days with powerful people,
and she wasn�t easily impressed, but that kind of fierce focus was
incredibly exciting to watch. Wes issued orders without looking up from
her patient, calm, sure, utterly in command. Wes personalized power in
a way she�d never experienced before, and watching her, Evyn couldn�t
help but imagine what that kind of potent focus would feel like turned
on her in an intimate moment. Her skin beneath the tight neoprene suit
pebbled with excitement, and heat bloomed in the pit of her stomach.
She�d rarely been the recipient of physical attention even half as forceful
and was always content to take the lead in bed. Satisfying a woman was
incredibly gratifying, and she hadn�t been looking for more. A calm and
quiet orgasm was just fine�only when she imagined being with Wes
Masters, there was nothing calm or quiet about it. She felt the weight of
Wes�s body pinning her down, Wes�s hands exploring her�not asking
permission, her consent readily given. Her blood raced with the urge to
� 142 �
open, to be known, to surrender. Nothing familiar about any of it, but
so right. So damn right.
Beside her, Gary cleared his throat. She shot him a look. He was
staring at her.
�What?�
�You looked�mesmerized. Where�d you go?�
�Nowhere.� Evyn was glad her face was already red from the
wind and the water, because heat rose through her. �Just watching the
exercise.�
�Ha ha. Watching a lot more than that.�
�Shut up, Brown.�
He laughed. �She�s really pretty hot.�
�Will you shut up,� Evyn said through her teeth. Gary had a wife
and three kids and was one of the few people on the detail who never
fooled around, married or not. She didn�t pass judgment on those who
did. When you spent days on end, week after week, with the same
people in the tensest situations imaginable, doing things you couldn�t
tell your friends and family, letting off steam together was only natural.
Sometimes letting off steam took the shape of sweaty groping in a hotel
room in some city on the way to or from the next point on a map.
�Just saying,� Gary said.
�Well, don�t.�
The beat of helicopter rotors cut through the howling wind, and a
Coast Guard medevac chopper appeared overhead.
�Transport�s here,� she called.
�One minute!� Wes pulled a neck immobilizer from her bag and
eased it behind the figure�s neck.
Evyn switched radio channels and advised the helicopter to lower
their Stokes basket. The helo rocked above them in the wind, and the
metal-mesh toboggan swung back and forth like a pendulum on its
cables as it descended from the open belly. She and Gary went forward
to guide the basket down.
�How does it look?� she asked Wes.
�First stage hypothermia, potential head and neck injury from
impact on the water, and possible aspiration. His neck is stable, we�ve
got the thermal blankets on, and I�ve started antibiotics. He needs a
CAT scan upon arrival.�
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RADCLY
�Can we transfer?�
Wash kicked up from the rotors and sprayed Wes�s back and face.
She blinked the water away. �He�s ready.�
Evyn signaled the chopper to continue lowering the Stokes. A
sharp gust of wind nearly knocked her off her feet. The chopper dipped
and rose sharply, canting in the shifting air currents. A crack like a rifle
shot cut through the air and the rear cable securing the basket snapped.
The metal toboggan came crashing down. Evyn lunged for the flailing
cable end as Wes crouched over the mannequin, shielding the figure
from the careening basket. The end of the madly swinging metal carrier
sliced the air, struck Wes in the shoulder, and knocked her out of the
boat.For one millisecond Evyn was completely paralyzed. The deck
where Wes had knelt was empty. The surface of the sea was nothing but
angry water. Wes was gone.
Evyn jumped up on the bulwark and dove over the side.
� 144 �
chapter eighteen
The world spun crazily upside down. The light flickered rapidly
and finally blinked out and all that was left was cold. Only
pain and blood-stopping cold. Unseen hands dragged Wes deeper
beneath the icy mantle, into a blackness that extinguished the last
glimmer of illumination. Instinctively, she held her breath, struggling
to orient herself in the surreal landscape of shock and panic. Her left
arm wouldn�t obey her. She kicked and flailed but her water-filled boots
and sodden jeans weighed her down. Up and down held no meaning�
she revolved in a world without substance. Her animal brain fled from
the freezing darkness, away from the primeval terror engulfing her.
Primitive reflexes kicked in, and she fought to return to the last place
she�d felt light and heat. The surface.
She struggled upward, her chest burning, the pain so huge she
hungered to suck in air to soothe the flames. She clamped her teeth
shut, finally recognizing the water that entombed her, water that would
provide no air, only sudden and swift death. With only her right arm
and her clumsy legs to power her, she flailed and kicked and writhed
her way toward the shimmer of light penetrating the gloom. Despair
squeezed her throat closed.
She wasn�t going to make it. Too far, too cold, too much pain.
Blood thundered in her ears, her heart crashed wildly against the
crushing pressure in her chest. Another second and instinct would
overrule reason. She had to breathe. Breathe and end the torture.
Fury washed through her. She would not surrender. Her mind
hazed, confusion dulled her senses. The cold bored deep inside her and
bloomed into heat, suffusing her with blissful warmth. Another few
� 145 �
RADCLY
seconds and the fear began to abate. She stopped thrashing. The vise
around her chest tightened, and her battle slowed. Her arms and legs
were so heavy. The sea�warmer now�enclosed her, streaming past
her face like gentle fingers caressing her, welcoming her. She was so
close to falling asleep, the cold forgotten.
A frigid blast of air hit her in the face and someone yelled into her
ear, �Breathe, damn it. Breathe!�
Wes jerked and sucked in a lungful of air. She coughed and life
returned to her arms and legs. Pins and needles shot into her fingers and
toes. A knife blade of slicing pain pierced her chest. The cold returned
with a vengeance. Enemies grasped at her, threatening to pull her back
into the dark. She thrashed.
�Wes, it�s Evyn! Don�t fight me.�
The darkness disappeared, gray sky flashed overhead. An arm
gripped her chest�Evyn. Evyn was towing her. Evyn was not the
enemy. Wes tried to kick her legs, but she couldn�t move.
�Almost there,� Evyn panted, her breath sounding harsh and
labored. �Wes, keep breathing.�
Wes sucked in another breath, coughed again. Her throat burned.
�Evyn, what��
�It�s okay, we�re almost to the boat.� Evyn�s voice was strained,
tremulous.
The water was so cold. The shore was a distant blur. A whirlpool
pulled at her legs. Riptide. Evyn�s grip on her slipped, and Evyn
cursed.
�You�ve got to hold on to me,� Evyn shouted. �The current is
against us.�
�Don�t let me pull you down.� Wes tried to force her lethargic
limbs to move. �I can swim.�
�Shut up, Wes,� Evyn grunted. �I�m not letting you go.�
Wes was too tired, too cold, and in too much pain to argue. Water
splashed into her mouth, and she needed all her strength to keep her
head above the roiling waves. She had to trust Evyn. She did trust her.
A shadow loomed overhead. The boat.
�Let me lift you,� Evyn ordered. �Don�t fight me.�
Icy metal scraped Wes�s back as she was rolled into a narrow litter
and strapped down. She spun in midair and the litter rappelled upward,
� 146 �
jerking with each ratchet of the winch. Hands grabbed the basket and
guided it onto the deck, voices tumbled over one another�a jumble of
orders and phrases she thought she recognized but couldn�t make sense
of. �Evyn?�
�She�s right here.� A man�s voice. Then, �Daniels, get below.
You�re blue.�
Someone lifted Wes�s left arm, and she groaned.
�Sorry.� A woman�s voice. She knew her. Who?
Wes fought to come back to herself. She opened her eyes, focused
on the faces looking down at her. She knew them. Had to connect the
names floating in her hazy mind.
�Do you know where you are?� the blonde asked. Blonde�hazel
eyes. Worried eyes. Cord.
�I�m okay,� Wes said, her voice sounding like a croak. �On board
the ship. I�m okay.�
�You�re okay,� Gary echoed, his face oddly white against the flat
gray sky.
�Let me up.� Wes struggled against the strap across her chest.
�Just take it easy.� Evyn appeared next to Gary. �You took a swim,
Doc. Let us check you out.�
Above Evyn�s left shoulder the helicopter slid into view, its belly
open, the rescue basket angled in the portal. The basket�the basket
swinging toward her. Toward her and the patient, her priority. �I
remember going in. How�s the patient?�
Evyn smiled crookedly. �Which one?�
�The president. The only one.�
�He�s fine.� Evyn�s mouth twisted and a shadow passed over her
face�storm clouds in a summer sky. �How are you?�
�Left shoulder�s getting a workout, but it�s just banged up some.
Swallowed a little water, feels like. I�m okay.�
The radio crackled. Cord said, �Lower the Stokes.�
Wes twisted her head, felt a restraint on her neck. �You can take
this collar off. I�m fine.�
�You are,� Evyn said, her bloodless lips tinged with blue. �But
we�re going to transport you to the hospital�check you out.�
�No way,� Wes said, her voice stronger already. �I never lost
consciousness. There�s nothing they�re going to find in the ER that I
� 147 �
RADCLY
can�t tell you right now�my shoulder is contused and I�m cold. Get me
warm and I�ll be fine.�
�You�re not in charge here, Dr. Masters,� Evyn said sharply. She
shivered violently and her eyes glazed before she blinked them back
into focus.
�I�m the senior medical officer,� Wes said. �And you�re verging
on hypothermia. Gary�she needs to get out of that wetsuit and get
warmed up.�
�Yes, ma�am,� Gary said. �Evyn, you heard the captain. Get below
and strip down. The extra thermals are in the bulkhead.�
�Don�t pull rank on me, Wes,� Evyn said.
With her good hand, Wes unsnapped the buckle holding the band
across her chest and pushed up until she was sitting in the litter. �I
wouldn�t need to if you listened to reason.� Her head swirled, but she
fought down a wave of nausea. Her shoulder ached, but sensation had
returned to her fingers and her arm was moving again. Stiff and sore,
but mobile. �I�ve had worse playing rugby.�
�That�s not in your personnel file.�
Wes grinned. �Not everything is in there, don�t you know that?�
Cord�s voice cut through the rush of wind. �Let�s finish this pissing
contest onshore. Can I release the chopper?�
�Yes,� Wes said, �as soon as the president is transferred up.�
�You�re going too,� Evyn said.
�If I needed to go�which I don�t�we�d wait for another chopper.
POTUS is the priority. We do this by the book.�
�The exercise is
�I�m not grandstanding, Evyn,� Wes said quietly, holding Evyn�s
gaze, letting Evyn see for herself she was okay and thinking rationally.
�I wouldn�t risk it if I thought there was a bigger problem, but I want to
end this mission on my feet.�
The glacial blue of Evyn�s eyes softened and she nodded to Cord.
�Send up the president�s litter.� She crouched by Wes, her face all Wes
could see. �But when we get back to land, I want to check you over
myself.�
�Deal.� Wes pulled the thermal blanket they�d placed over her
more tightly around her shoulders. �Go get out of that suit.�
Evyn grinned weakly. �No argument.�
� 148 �
Wes waited until Evyn disappeared down the hatch before saying
to Gary, �Make sure she gets something hot into her. She expended a
lot of energy out there.�
Gary handed her a steaming thermos. �Tea. I�ll get hers next.�
�Thanks.� Wes sipped the blessedly hot liquid and closed her eyes.
The mission had very nearly been derailed by the accident, and when
they wrote up the report, they�d have to explain exactly how that had
happened�and who, if anyone, was responsible.
v
�Showers are down the hall on the right,� Cord said as the group
hurried into the rescue station. She waved Jeff and Gary on and turned
to Evyn and Wes. �The first order of business is for the two of you to
get warmed up.�
�Go ahead,� Evyn said to Wes. �You feel steady enough?�
�Yes, I�m fine. Some heat and dry clothes and I�ll be good to go.
You need to hit the showers too, Agent Daniels.�
�Gary went to get our gear from the car�I�ll get it and be there
in a second.�
�All right. Thanks.� Wes left quickly and Evyn squelched the urge
to follow immediately.
The distance in Wes�s voice was nearly as chilling as the water
had been. Evyn couldn�t tell if Wes�s aloof reserve hid anger, pain,
or criticism, but the wintery expression in Wes�s eyes left her feeling
abandoned. The stab of loneliness was as frightening as it was
unexpected.
�You okay?� Cord said softly.
�What?� Evyn focused on Cord, read her concern. �Yeah. You
weren�t kidding about riptides. Freaking strong, and freaking cold.�
�The weather�s changing fast. We�re in for a blow. Maritime
reports say we�re looking at snow up and down the coast.�
�The water sure felt like it dropped twenty degrees.�
�In some parts of the current, it probably had�cold water pulled
up to the surface by changes in the wind and air pressure.� Cord
grimaced. �I�m really sorry I didn�t call off the exercise earlier.�
�Couldn�t be anticipated�or helped,� Evyn said, listening for
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RADCLY
the distant sound of the shower running. She really wanted to go back
and check on Wes. She wasn�t convinced Wes was as steady as she
claimed. When she�d finally located her, the powerful current had been
pulling Wes hard and fast out to sea. Wes had been spinning, sinking,
and she hadn�t been struggling. For a sickening, heart-stopping second,
she�d thought she was too late. She couldn�t remember ever being so
terrified.
�You want me to get your gear?� Cord asked. �You�re
shivering.�
�No.� Evyn ignored the chill spreading along her bones. �As soon
as I check with Gary, I�ll shower.�
Cord nodded. �I�ll be in my office.�
�Thanks, Cord.� Evyn turned away, pretending she hadn�t seen
the questions, or the concern, in Cord�s eyes. They�d gotten to be
friends over the years since she�d first met Cord during her water-
rescue certification. Back then, there�d been a tiny spark of interest, but
time and distance had made friendship more feasible, and she was glad
to have avoided the awkwardness that would have cropped up when
they had to work together. Besides, a friendship with no complications
was worth a lot more than a hot and heavy�and short-lived�affair.
That�s exactly what she should be looking for with Wes�a sound
professional friendship, but she couldn�t seem to get her head around
that. When she�d seen Wes disappear into the water, the only thing
she�d thought about was getting her to safety. She hadn�t thought
about the mission or protocol or the fact that they were in the middle
of an exercise to rescue the president. None of that had mattered, and
that was a big problem.
As if reading her thoughts, Gary walked up, set two gear bags
beside her, and said, �Stop beating yourself up. What happened out
there was an accident. You okay?�
�I�m okay.� Evyn leaned against the wall inside the entrance to
the rescue station. �Listen, you should get out of here if you�re going to
catch the flight home.�
�What about you?�
�I�m going to be here a while. I need to check Wes over, and she
needs to at least get some sleep before she flies. I�ll rebook us on a flight
out in the morning.�
� 150 �
�You want me to stay?�
�You don�t need to. Your wife will be happy if you make it home
tonight, and you�ll score with her for the next time you
home.�
Gary smiled. �Damn sensitive of you�and I appreciate it.� He
paused. �You did right out there, Evyn�start to finish. Stop second-
guessing yourself.�
She shook her head. �I don�t know, Gary. I wasn�t thinking about
anything at all�I just reacted. If I�d waited just a minute, she might
have come right back up to the surface, Cord would�ve thrown her a
lifeline, and we could�ve hauled her in. Then you and I could have
gotten the president into the chopper, just the way it reads in the
rulebook. Instead, I went over the side without a thought to POTUS.�
�Jesus, Evyn, it was a training exercise and we had a team member
overboard. I would�ve gone after her myself if you hadn�t already done
it.� �Would you? That�s not the protocol and you know it. Our
responsibility is first to the president, and then to the team. We took
Wes through the same scenario with the shooting sim, expecting her to
leave wounded agents on the ground.�
�Oh, come on.� Gary snorted. �Sure, there was an element of
uncertainty during that sim, but she knew somewhere in her mind those
agents weren�t really in danger of bleeding to death. That makes it a
whole lot easier than having someone get pulled into a riptide.�
�Maybe,� Evyn said, appreciating his efforts to make her feel
better but not buying the excuse. She�d broken protocol�instinctively
and against all her training.
�I�m telling you,� Gary said, �I would�ve done exactly what you
did.��I didn�t do it consciously, Gary. I didn�t even register we were
in the middle of a training exercise. My instincts are supposed to be
different than that.�
�You know what�we can hash this all out when we debrief. Right
now you�re standing there blue as a Smurf, shivering all over. You need
to get in the shower. You can beat yourself up back in DC tomorrow.�
�Look, I�m sorry,� Evyn said. Taking her anger at herself out on
Gary wasn�t fair. Not his fault she�d abandoned her training�it was
� 151 �
RADCLY
Wes�s. Every time Wes Masters figured into anything, she totally went
off the rails.
�Forget it�it�s been a hell of a day.� Gary thumped her shoulder.
�Go shower, will you?�
�Yeah.� Evyn grabbed her go bag and Wes�s, and pushed off the
wall. �You better get started for the airport or you�re not going to make
it. Storm coming.�
�You sure?�
�Yeah, I�ll get us checked into a hotel, call Tom, and bring him up
to speed.�
�Okay. But I want to see you when you get back to DC before we
debrief on this mission.�
�Why?�
�So I can make sure you don�t fall on your sword when it�s not
necessary.�
Evyn laughed. �Deal.�
She waved Gary toward the door and headed down the hall. She
wouldn�t fall on her sword, but she needed to get herself back on track.
She needed to do the job and forget about Wes going into the water,
forget about the panic that had hit her hard and filled her with terror
when she thought she�d lost her.
v
The locker room was unisex and small�a ten-by-ten-foot room
with three narrow gray lockers against one wall, a few open shelves for
gear and supplies above a bench opposite the lockers, a tiny closet with
a toilet in the corner, and another slightly bigger closet with a doorless
wooden shower stall. The water was still running in the shower when
Evyn walked in, and the single horizontal foot-high window above the
lockers was frosted with steam. She shed the canvas pants and hooded
sweatshirt she�d pulled on out on the patrol boat, dropped them next to
the bench, and grabbed a couple of white terry cloth towels from the
shelf. By the thinness of the material, they�d been washed a lot of times,
but they were clean and dry, and that was all she needed. The shower in
the other room turned off.
�Need a towel?� she called.
� 152 �
�I got one, thanks,� Wes called back.
Evyn wrapped a towel around her torso and waited for Wes to
leave the shower. The already small room shrank further when Wes
walked in, her wheat-gold hair bronzed by the water, hugging her scalp
and fingering along her neck. Sparkling droplets beaded on her chest
and rained in thin rivulets over the muscles of her upper abdomen. Her
skin was goose bumped.
Evyn unfolded a towel and held it out. �You�re cold. Cover your
shoulders. You�ve got a pretty good bruise going there.�
�Thanks. Looks worse than it feels.� Wes rubbed her hair and
draped the towel around her neck. �There�s still plenty of hot water.�
�Good, I�m ready for it. Your bag is over there.� Evyn gestured
to the bags she�d left at the end of the row of lockers. �I�ll be out in a
second.�
She edged past Wes, a foot of space between them. Despite the
lingering cold that had taken up permanent residence in her bones, she
was anything but numb. Being close to Wes charged her muscles and
flooded her blood with heat and expectation. She tugged off the towel,
draped it over the side of the shower stall, and stepped inside, twisting
the hot tap all the way open. She added a little cold but kept the water as
close to steaming as she could stand, immersing her head, turning her
face into the spray, desperately hoping to purge the image of Wes�s body
outlined by the thin cotton towel. Strong shoulders, sculpted arms, the
swell of firm breasts, the stretch of abdomen and slight flare of thighs.
She shuddered and braced her arms against the smooth tile wall. She let
her head hang down while the heat beat against her neck and shoulders.
She stayed there until the water started to cool and then twisted the
taps closed. Briskly, she toweled her hair dry, finger-combed it, and
wrapped the last dry towel around her chest. She strode back into the
locker room, not looking in Wes�s direction, and quickly pulled on dry
jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. After donning thick wool socks and
kicking into her boots, she turned to Wes, who had stretched out on the
bench with an arm over her eyes. She might have been asleep.
Evyn smiled to herself. Wes was like every other first responder
she�d ever known�able to sleep anywhere, anytime, under any
conditions. She eased her emergency kit out of her go bag and crouched
next to the bench. �You asleep?�
� 153 �
RADCLY
�No,� Wes said quietly. �Just enjoying being warm.�
�I know what you mean.� Evyn pulled out a blood-pressure cuff
and a stethoscope. �I want to check your BP.�
Wes moved to unbutton her cuff, and Evyn brushed her hand
aside. �I�ve got it.�
She unbuttoned Wes�s cuff and folded the sleeve up to her mid-
upper arm. Wes�s skin was lightly tanned, soft and smooth, the muscles
beneath firm and finely etched. She didn�t look at Wes�s face as she
wrapped the blood-pressure cuff around her biceps and checked her
pressure. �Ninety over sixty. Is that usual for you?�
�A little low,� Wes said, �but nothing worrisome.�
�Uh-huh.� Evyn wasn�t about to argue, but she wasn�t going to
let Wes self-diagnose, either. She checked her pulse. Sixty, slow and
steady, full and strong. Wes didn�t just look to be in good shape, she
was. �Do you run?�
�I row.�
�It shows.� Evyn pulled out a digital thermometer. �Put this under
your tongue.�
Wes moved her arm from over her eyes and turned her head to
look at Evyn. Her eyebrows rose slightly as she eyed the thermometer.
�I�m okay.�
Fatigue shadowed her eyes, darkening the green to nearly black.
Her lips were pale. She looked exhausted.
�Your vital signs are good, but you need fuel and rest.� Evyn
wagged the thermometer. �Under your tongue.�
Wes grinned wryly and opened her mouth.
Evyn slid the thermometer in, and Wes slowly closed her lips
around it. Her eyes held Evyn�s, and Evyn felt heat rush to her face. Her
thighs suddenly trembled, and she dropped onto her knees to steady
herself. Hell, she couldn�t even do something as simple as take Wes�s
temperature without starting to lose it. Well. She might be able to keep
her cool if she didn�t look at Wes�s mouth and imagine those moist,
sensuous lips closing around her. Wes put every one of her fantasies
to shame�and scared the hell out of her. She swallowed hard and
wondered if Wes could hear the tightness in her throat. Her heart nearly
froze when Wes�s hand moved toward her face.
Evyn stilled, feeling a little bit like a rabbit paralyzed at the sight
� 154 �
of a predator drawing near. Wes�s fingers grazed her cheek, slid down
to her neck, and Evyn�s breath caught in her throat.
�You�ve got a bruise,� Wes murmured.
Evyn slipped the thermometer from between Wes�s lips and
pretended to stare at it. �Ninety-six. You�re too cold.�
�And your pulse is racing.� Wes�s fingertips rested over Evyn�s
carotid. �I bet if we took
place. You need some rest too, Agent Daniels.�
Evyn wanted to move away from Wes�s touch. And she wanted
more of it. She wanted the fire streaming from Wes�s fingertips to
scorch through her, burning away fear and uncertainty and caution. She
wanted to explode. Her stomach trembled. She licked her suddenly dry
lips and eased away. �We both need a meal. Sit up, I want to check your
pressure while you�re upright. I�m not letting you walk out of here and
have you fall down halfway to the vehicle.�
�I appreciate your concern,� Wes said quietly, �but I�m not a
squid, you know.�
Evyn laughed. �I know. But I bet it�s been a long time since you�ve
had that kind of dunking.�
Sighing, Wes pushed upright. �True.� She closed her eyes. �And I
do have a little orthostatic hypotension.�
Instantly, Evyn forgot about everything except making sure Wes
was stable. She took her pressure again. �Seventy over fifty. You�re a
little dizzy, aren�t you?�
�Just a little.�
�Okay.� Evyn rose briskly. �We�re spending the night in Kitty
Hawk. You�re going to get some hot food into you and twelve hours�
sleep.�
Wes frowned. �I can sleep in DC. The trip back isn�t that long.�
�Sorry, I�m not taking a chance on you decompensating on an
airplane. Food, sleep, home tomorrow.�
�Should I ask who left you in charge?�
Wes sounded grumpy, which only proved she wasn�t at the top of
her game. Evyn had never seen her disgruntled by anything.
�I�m only in charge by default, Captain,� Evyn said softly. �I set
up that exercise. It�s my fault you went in today. I�m going to see you
make it home, safe and sound.�
� 155 �
RADCLY
�That�s bullshit. The cable snapped. It was an accident.�
�It could�ve been worse.� Evyn shuddered inwardly. Wes had
been on her way down when she�d reached her. She couldn�t even think
about that without feeling as if pieces of her were going to tear apart
and shatter like glass on the rocks. �No matter what you think, I need to
take care of you right now.�
Wes drew a sharp breath. �I�m not sure how good I�ll be at that�
being the patient, I mean.�
�Not used to being taken care of?�
�Not really, no.�
�No one special?� The silence stretched and Evyn waited for the
shutters to close again. But Wes just searched her eyes, and Evyn was
too tired and worried to hide whatever might show.
�No, no one.�
�Then I guess I�m it tonight,� Evyn said, trying for lightness.
�It might take some getting used to,� Wes said softly. �I might not
be any good at it.�
�I doubt there�s anything you aren�t good at.� Evyn packed her
gear and bagged their wet clothes. She held out her hand to Wes. �Let�s
start practicing and see how you do.�
Wes rose slowly from the bench, wavering ever so slightly. Evyn
slid her arm around Wes�s waist. �Okay?�
�Don�t quite have my land legs yet.� Wes let out an exasperated
sigh and draped her arm over Evyn�s shoulders. �Just give me a
minute.�
�Take all the time you need. We�re not on a schedule tonight.�
Wes�s hand curved around Evyn�s shoulder, the pressure of her
fingers shooting tendrils of excitement through Evyn�s chest. Her heart
hammered and her legs quivered. She braced her muscles, hoping
Wes couldn�t feel her tremble. She planned on taking care of Wes and
nothing more.
�Ready to get out of here?� Evyn asked.
�More than ready.� Wes dropped her arm and stepped away. �I
think I can make it on my own.�
Evyn missed the contact instantly and said casually, �Never
doubted it. Let�s go find a room for the night.�
Wes laughed softly. �More practice?�
� 156 �
�Uh�hell. You think maybe you could cut me some slack? My
brain is a little numb here.�
�Well, let�s go get you warmed up.�
Wes reached for the door and pushed it open, and Evyn wondered
how the tables had been so neatly turned.
� 157 �
RADCLY
chapter nineteen
The neon sign announcing the Bayside Motel blinked
erratically, illuminating the L-shaped motor court in flashes
of holiday red and green. A mud-spattered black Ford pickup truck
and a low-slung eighties Cadillac convertible with big patches of rust-
colored primer on the fenders were the only vehicles in the gravel lot.
A light burned in the room closest to the road. A hand-painted sign
propped in the streaked window proclaimed �Office.�
�Looks like a hot-sheet motel,� Wes said, laughing softly.
�Cord swears this place is clean and makes decent coffee,� Evyn
said. �That�s all we need, then.� Wes didn�t care where they bunked�
she�d slept in worse places, including a tent in the Afghan mountains.
Compared to that, this rated five stars.
Evyn pulled the rented Jeep into the lot just as the sun went down
and the wind came up. �I�ll run in and register.�
When Evyn pushed open the door, the wind clattering through the
branches of the red oaks surrounding the motel filled the Jeep with a
sound like machine-gun fire. Wes jerked and her stomach lurched. She
had been posted to a field hospital close enough to the front to hear the
firefights ranging in the hills at night, her tent a poor shield against stray
rounds. She�d rarely slept deeply, her body always primed to duck and
cover. Even now, eighteen months later, she instinctively looked for
cover when a car backfired or a door slammed. She hadn�t been this
jittery since she�d returned stateside. The afternoon�s brief unscheduled
swim shouldn�t have thrown her equilibrium off so much�maybe her
� 158 �
agitation was due to the lingering chill the steaming shower hadn�t
dispersed.
Leaning out the open door, Evyn peered up at the sky. �Cord
said we might get snow, and I think it�s arrived�blowing in fast. You
should stay in the car until I get back. The last thing you need is to get
wet again.�
Wes reached across the seat and grabbed Evyn�s sleeve, stopping
her from climbing out. �You need to stay dry too.� She handed her
North Face jacket to Evyn, who had left the rescue station wearing only
jeans and her T-shirt. �This has got a hood. Go ahead, take it.�
�You sure?�
�The heater�s blasting in here. I�m plenty warm. Plenty hungry
too.�Evyn grinned. �Excellent prognostic sign. What do you think
about pizza? There�s a place across the street, and I doubt we�ll get
anything delivered out here tonight if a storm is coming.�
�Sounds great. Since I already know you�re not a vegetarian, I�ll
take pepperoni.�
�Perfect. Mushrooms?�
�And black olives.�
Evyn nodded approvingly. �Nailed it.�
Wes laughed. �How about beer?�
�Sam Adams if I can�t get any kind of microbrew?�
�You nailed it.�
Laughing, Evyn jumped out, shrugged into Wes�s jacket, and
flipped up the hood. She slammed the door, shoved her hands in her
pockets, and ran through the icy mix of rain and snow, her form briefly
outlined by the headlights before she disappeared into the dark. Wes
watched a few seconds longer, a strange foreboding churning inside
as soon as Evyn vanished from sight. She clasped her hands and put
them between her knees. She wasn�t cold, but her fingers were icy.
She wondered if that was her imagination. The temperature had fallen
rapidly in the face of the approaching storm, but she was used to cold
weather. She shivered and peered into the near-empty lot, a creeping
unease making her twitch.
Evyn had left the headlights on, and the halos from the slanting
beams seemed to be keeping the circle of darkness at bay. She�d never
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been afraid of the dark and didn�t get spooked by unknown terrain.
She was a naval officer and an emergency physician�she was trained
to handle imminent danger. The headlights dimmed and the darkness
drew closer. Her breath came a little faster and a heaviness pervaded
her chest.
She closed her eyes and she was upside down again, swirling in an
endless void that sucked her down into cold, dark silence. Gasping, she
shot up straight and opened her eyes. Outside her fogged window, the
snow fell thicker, a white blanket screening the world from view. She
couldn�t see the motel. She couldn�t see where Evyn had gone. Evyn.
Evyn was solid and real and warm. She fought the urge to get out of the
car and look for her.
�Okay,� Wes whispered aloud, �you know what this is. Fatigue,
residual hypothermic confusion, delayed stress reaction. You�re entitled
to all of it�for an hour or so.�
Cataloging her symptoms helped relieve the pressure in her chest
some. She took a deep breath, heard the faint wheeze of constricted
bronchioles. Evyn was right, she wasn�t fit to fly. She needed to replenish
the fuel she�d burned off while struggling against the killer current. She
needed to sleep. Evyn had to be in nearly the same shape�she�d been
in the water almost as long. And she�d fought the current for both of
them.The car door opened and Wes jumped. Evyn dropped into the seat
beside her.
�Okay,� Evyn said, wiping traces of melting snow from her cheeks
with one hand. �I called over for pizza and they said it would be ready
in fifteen. We can get settled and I�ll run over and get it.�
�Maybe we should forget that,� Wes said, her voice sounding
hoarse and foreign.
Evyn backed the Jeep out of the slot and headed farther into the
lot. The long, low motel came into view again as she coasted forward.
�Why? I thought you were hungry?�
Wes swiped at her forehead. She wasn�t hot, but she was sweating.
She wasn�t cold, but she was shivering. �Sorry. I��
�What�s going on?� Evyn stopped in front of a green metal door
just barely visible through the falling flakes. A cockeyed 12 made
from white stick-on, glow-in-the-dark numbers identified the room.
� 160 �
She downshifted into neutral and pulled the parking brake, leaving the
lights on. �You okay?�
�Yes�sorry. Just jumpy. Sorry.�
Evyn rested her palm on the back of Wes�s neck. Her fingers
were hot as banked coals. �Nothing unusual. You had a hell of a shock
earlier.�
�So did you. You need to stay warm and eat and��
�Hey,� Evyn said. �That�s all in the plan, Doc. You can relax.
Really.�
�I know. You�re right. I�ll be fine.� Wes closed her eyes and let
her head fall back into the secure cradle of Evyn�s hand. Evyn�s fingers
glided up and down the muscles on either side of her spine, easing the
tension, sending warmth through her. She sighed. �I don�t think the
weather is going to get any better. We ought to make a run for it.�
�Let me get the door open and you get inside�keep dry,� Evyn
murmured, continuing the gentle massage. �I�ll bring in our gear.�
�I appreciate it, but I can help carry our stuff.�
�This is the part where you practice letting me take care of you.�
A tingle of unease skittered down Wes�s spine�she�d been
looking after her own needs most of her life, and her need for Evyn�s
touch, her presence, made her feel exposed and vulnerable. She didn�t
want Evyn�s attention just because Evyn felt guilty. �None of this is
your fault.�
Evyn frowned. �I suck at connect-the-dots, and I�m missing this
picture.�
�You don�t have to look after me because you feel responsible.�
�Wow. Okay.� Evyn�s hand fell away. �I�ll just let you fend for
yourself, then�and when you finally do collapse��
Beneath the edge of anger in Evyn�s voice, Wes heard hurt. She
didn�t want to hurt her. She didn�t want the cold distance between them
that had nothing to do with the storm or the dark either. �So maybe that
came out a little wrong. I guess I suck at the being taken care of thing. I
had two little sisters who couldn�t even remember our dad. Things were
harder for them, and my mother had only so much energy to spread
around between the four of us.�
�Okay.� Evyn�s shoulders relaxed and the tightness around her
mouth softened. The red highlights in her hair gleamed against the glow
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RADCLY
of snow cocooning them, an ethereal image that imprinted on Wes�s
brain. She was beautiful�not model perfect but strong and bold.
Wes wanted to erase the last vestiges of wariness in Evyn�s gaze.
She wanted to trace the line of her jaw, but instead she grazed her
fingertips over the back of Evyn�s hand where it rested on Evyn�s knee.
�Can we try that again?�
A moment passed and Wes held her breath. Evyn�s hand turned
over and their fingers entwined.
�How about we get you settled and I�ll go for pizza?� Evyn
asked.The heavy weight crushing Wes�s chest dissolved. Evyn�s hand
was warm and solid. She tightened her hold. �I�d like that.�
v
The day shift had all left hours ago, and the corridor outside the
Level 4 isolation lab was deserted. Her footsteps fell soundlessly on the
white tile floor as she made her way to the airlock at the end of the hall.
She pressed her palm on the identification plate and leaned down for
the retinal scan. The light above the passage flashed from red to green,
and the hydraulic door slid open with a faint whoosh. She stepped into
the UV chamber, the outer door behind her closed, and she slipped
on a pair of protective glasses. When she input her entry code on the
wall panel, a hum accompanied the pulse of UV, and the next door
in the chain opened. She deposited her protective glasses on the shelf
and passed into the inner isolation room, where she methodically went
through the routine of testing her positive pressure protective suit�
sealing the cuffs at ankles and wrists, zipping the neck, and attaching
the air hose to the one-way valve in the center of the back. She twisted
the dial and compressed air flowed in. The pressure on the wall gauge
held steady at 1 atm. No leaks. She closed the inflow valve and opened
the vents along the neck. Air hissed out. She was ready to go to work.
Removing her shoes, she carefully stepped into the bright yellow
suit and, after closing the seals, pulled on the calf-high impervious
rubber boots. She wore no jewelry to work, not even a watch. She�d
only have to remove it�she couldn�t risk any snag or tear that might
violate the PPPS. Even a microscopic rent in the isolation suit could
allow a contagion to enter, where it might be absorbed by her skin or
� 162 �
inhaled into her respiratory system. The biological agents they worked
with inside the BSL-4 lab were either highly transmissible or uniformly
fatal or both. The suit was her only shield.
Once the suit was secure, she covered the fluid-resistant boots
with disposable booties, fit the head shield into place, and pulled on her
gloves. She wasn�t concerned for her safety. She was always prepared
for any emergency. Caution was a way of life for her, and she�d been
trained since birth to be composed under extreme circumstances.
With a bulky gloved finger, she pressed the entrance code, and the
chamber pressurized. The inner door opened and she stepped into the
lab. She nodded to a colleague working at a nearby station, sequencing
a variant of Ebola. After connecting an overhead airline to the suit�s
port, she made her way down the aisle, the line following behind her
like a colorful yellow umbilicus. She�d volunteered for the night shift
six months previously, establishing her routine, arriving a little early,
leaving a little later. Her colleagues appreciated her diligence and
her willingness to take the graveyard shift for longer than the usual
mandatory rotations. At her station, she booted up her computer and
retrieved the samples she planned to run on the gel plates that night,
along with a second rack of tubes. Over the past six months she�d been
carefully siphoning off micro-aliquots of avian flu stock, too tiny to be
noticed by anyone else, until she had a single test tube half-full of one
of the most virulent synthetic contagions ever produced.
When she left at the end of her shift, she�d slide the tube into a
fold in her suit beneath her arm and secure it in place with a strip of
the special adhesive they kept for emergency repairs if one of the suits
should be accidentally torn. Like a tire patch, the instantly self-sealing
adhesive would provide enough protection until the lab worker could
get to the decontamination chamber. Tonight, the lifesaving material
would allow her to secrete out a virus capable of killing thousands. She
wasn�t really interested in the deaths of thousands, however, only one.
President Andrew Powell stood for everything she despised�a
spokesman for the rich, a defender of the privileged, a champion of
those without morals or values. Her father had taught her and her
brothers and sisters the right path, raising them to be survivors. He�d
encouraged them to excel, schooling them at the camp with the children
of other survivalists, setting them on the path to positions where they
could someday make a difference. She�d always known she had a
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RADCLY
mission, and now she was going to fulfill it. She would help him make
his message heard�America for Americans�and now that a leader
had emerged, they would have a president who would speak for the
righteous. She would help make that possible.
The digital clocks at the far end of the room simultaneously
projected the time and date in New York City, Washington DC, Los
Angeles, Hong Kong, Sydney, New Delhi, Berlin, London. Seven p.m.
in Atlanta. Twelve more hours and the first stage of her mission would
be complete. Soon the reclaiming of America would begin.
� 164 �
chapter twenty
Evyn handed Wes the last slice of pizza. �You finish it.�
�I�m stuffed.� Wes sat on the bed with her back propped
against the wall. Some of the shadows around her eyes had faded, but
her cheeks were still hollow, and her fingers trembled slightly as she
reached for a napkin.
�You need the carbs�eat.� She hated seeing Wes hurt. Wes didn�t
complain�she wouldn�t, and her attempt to feign normalcy only
made Evyn want to punch something. She had to do something, even
something mindless, or she�d do something they�d both regret. She
stacked the remains of their meal�crumpled paper napkins, a couple
of paper plates, the pizza box. �I�ll take the empty box to the trash. The
pizza was great, but I�d rather not smell the aftermath all night.�
The room was generous by motel standards�two slightly larger
than single beds separated by a two-drawer nightstand with a peeling
brown lacquer finish. A goosenecked reading light, dusty shade askew,
sat on the water-stained top. The bathroom had been carved out of the
closet area�a small toilet jammed in next to the sink, a two-and-a-half
square foot shower stall, and a solitary overhead light. The closet held a
few bent wire hangers and nothing else. Neither she nor Wes had taken
anything from their go bags other than toiletries.
�Need a hand?� Wes asked.
�I got it,� Evyn said, not looking at Wes. She�d sat on the far end
of the bed during their takeout dinner, a meal she�d shared a hundred
times in a hundred nondescript rooms just like this one. She�d never
been as grateful for the pizza box sitting open between them as she had
� 165 �
RADCLY
been tonight, though�every time she looked at Wes and remembered
the way she had looked slowly spinning deeper underwater, she wanted
to touch her. Just to assure herself Wes was warm and safe.
She gathered the trash and stood. �Need anything?�
�Nope. I�m going to grab another shower.�
�Still cold?�
Wes grinned wryly. �I�m not really sure. Feels that way, but it
might just be my imagination.�
Evyn checked the thermostat on the wall above the dresser, a
vintage fifties maple affair with wooden knobs on the drawers and a
rickety mirror. Seventy degrees. The room was toasty. Wes still wasn�t
fully recovered. �Take your time�use all the hot water if you need to.
I�m good.�
�Okay.� Wes rose, glanced at the door. A frisson of anxiety shot
along her nerve endings. She�d never minded being alone, but she
didn�t want Evyn to walk out that door. She�d paced the room during
the ten minutes Evyn had been gone getting the pizza and hadn�t been
able to relax until Evyn appeared again, a spark of triumph in her eyes
as she�d held the pizza box aloft like a trophy. She�d looked vibrant
and vital and sexy. Wes clamped down on the surge of heat that tingled
down her thighs. �So I�ll see you in a few minutes.�
�Right.� Evyn reached behind her and fumbled for the doorknob,
her gaze locked on Wes. �I�ll be here.�
Wes broke eye contact first and disappeared into the bathroom.
A second later the water came on in the shower. Evyn imagined Wes
sliding out of her clothes and stepping naked into the heat. She�d seen
enough of Wes�s body through that thin, damp white towel back in
the locker room to have a pretty good idea of exactly what Wes would
look like naked. Ordinarily she didn�t have any problem populating
her fantasies with women she knew, but she chased the enticing image
of Wes�s body from her mind. She didn�t want to fantasize about her.
What she wanted to do was kiss her. She almost had�would have, just
then, if they�d been any closer. She had quite a lot of practice reading
women�s eyes, and she�d read desire in Wes�s. All the same, she hadn�t
had such a bad idea in longer than she could remember. Sleeping with
Louise when she hadn�t been one hundred percent present didn�t hold a
candle to the insanity of kissing Wes.
Wes had had a serious shock just a few hours ago�had almost
� 166 �
drowned. She was vulnerable. Physically depleted. Battered and bruised.
By her own admission, not really on top of her game. She didn�t need
Evyn coming on to her�she needed a solid night�s sleep and probably
a talk with someone about what had happened. Evyn wasn�t one of
those agents who found psych support to be intrusive or threatening.
Her older sister was a psychologist and one of the best listeners she�d
ever met. She�d learned when she was struggling with the kinds of
identity issues all adolescents face that talking with her sister helped.
And when she�d told Chris she was a lesbian, her sister had been cool.
Hell, she talked to Gary when things got really hairy�when the stress
and the insane schedules and the lack of a personal life started to make
her crazy. She wanted Wes to get any help she needed�and making a
move on her did not qualify as helping.
Evyn pulled on Wes�s jacket, not so much because she wanted to
keep dry in the still-falling snow but because she liked wearing it. An
unusual intimacy for her�wearing someone else�s clothes. Silly, but no
one needed to know. The jacket was a little big. Wes�s shoulders were
a little wider, her arms a little longer, but she wasn�t so much bigger
their bodies wouldn�t fit together seamlessly. Wes�s breasts were just
the right size for their torsos to meld perfectly, Wes�s thighs just long
and tight enough to wrap around hers with no space between them. The
fist of want in her belly tightened, and she dashed outside, welcoming
the blast of cold wind and icy snow. The storm had picked up. Two
inches of wet powder covered the parking lot. No cars passed on the
two-lane. The road remained unplowed.
After tossing the detritus into the open maw of the dented blue
Dumpster tucked behind the end of the building, she ran back along the
row of darkened rooms. She stamped her feet to clear the snow from her
boots and jumped inside their room, shutting the cold night outside.
Wes stood in the middle of the room with a towel cinched above
her breasts, leaving her upper chest, sculpted shoulders, and a lot of
thigh exposed. A sliver of light slanted through the partially open
bathroom door behind her, highlighting her strong curves and sinewy
planes. The red-green glow of the motel sign flickered through the
open slats on the blinds hanging on the single window beside the door,
leaving Wes�s face mostly in shadow. Evyn flashed again on the picture
of Wes wrapped around her, nothing between them. Her skin tingled
and heat flooded her core.
� 167 �
RADCLY
�Better?� Evyn backpedaled until her ass hit the wall. She couldn�t
read much in Wes�s face, but she bet hers was easy to decipher. She�d
had more control when she was fifteen than she did now.
�Yes,� Wes said. �How is it outside?�
�Snowing pretty heavy.� Evyn couldn�t move. Couldn�t take her
eyes from Wes�s face.
�Your hair is wet.� Wes took a step closer, ran her fingers through
the hair at Evyn�s temples. �You should�ve put the hood up.�
Evyn laughed shakily and rubbed her hair with a hand. �I thought
I could outrun the snowflakes.�
Wes laughed. �Why does that not surprise me? Do all federal
agents think they�re capable of superhuman feats?�
�Only the ones who are, like me.� Evyn grinned, watching the
smile reach Wes�s eyes. She loved making her smile. Still, she looked
strained, as if she�d been pulling doubles for a week. �How are you
really feeling?�
Wes shrugged. �Like I had a really long day. Nothing some sleep
won�t cure. I�m not that out of practice working twenty-four on�I still
cover the ER pretty regularly.�
�Yeah, but you aren�t usually physically accosted in the ER.�
�I wasn�t today either,� Wes said gently. �I took a header off the
boat�none too proud of that actually. I should have ducked. I saw it
coming.�
�For how long�a second?� Evyn shook her head. �You never had
a chance.�
�And neither did you.� Wes brushed a loose curl away from the
corner of Evyn�s mouth. �You must have hit the water pretty hard to
bruise your face.�
�You hit a lot harder.� A pulse beat rapidly in Wes�s throat,
matching the crazy rhythm of Evyn�s heart. Evyn started to sweat. Wes
was inches away. She wanted to touch her. �You should get dressed
before you get chilled again.�
�You should get undressed before you end up the same way.�
Wes reached out and unzipped the windbreaker. �I left a little hot
water. You need it?�
�I�m good,� Evyn said, never having made a less true statement in
her life. She didn�t know what she was, but it wasn�t good. Turned on,
� 168 �
desperate to ease the shadows Wes couldn�t quite hide, aching to hold
her. �Wes, I��
�I want to get one thing clear,� Wes said.
Evyn drew up short. Here it came. The no-fraternization-at-work
speech. Her own rule, the one she should have been remembering, and
the one she forgot every time Wes was within a mile of her. �You don�t
need to say anything. I agree with you.�
Wes�s eyebrows shot up. The corner of her mouth lifted. �Do you?
I didn�t realize you were psychic as well as superhuman.�
�Another big bad federal agent skill,� Evyn said as nonchalantly
as she could manage. �Always a bad idea to complicate a working
relationship. No need to go there.�
�You�re right, we do agree.� Wes�s tone was soft and serious, but
her eyes were partly amused. �Although I was going to say that what
happened out there this afternoon was an accident. No one could have
predicted it. No matter who set up the exercise, no one was at fault for
that cable snapping and me going overboard.�
A hot surge of embarrassment flooded Evyn�s belly. Hell, she
couldn�t have been more wrong about what Wes had intended to say,
and now she�d tipped her hand and probably made a fool of herself. �I
won�t argue. Obviously I can�t win.�
�It�s not about winning.� Wes stroked the backs of her fingers over
Evyn�s cheek, just beneath the bruise. �How about just believing it?�
Wes�s mouth was so close, all Evyn could do was watch her lips
move and struggle to make sense of what she was saying. Her mind
heard the words but her body translated them into something else.
Want, desire, an unfamiliar need. �Wes. I�m a little off balance here.�
�I know.� Wes�s voice was barely above a whisper. �So am I.�
Evyn went completely still.
�You saved my life today and I�m grateful. I know you were doing
your job, and I would�ve done the same.� Wes watched the muscles
along Evyn�s jaw tighten. Evyn didn�t like being thanked for doing what
came naturally�and for what she saw as her responsibility. Wes got
that�she felt the same. But she was grateful�not for being saved from
drowning, but for a warm sure hand in the cold dark night, anchoring
her when she�d thought she might lose her way. For the silent assurance
that she would conquer her demons and come out the other side of the
� 169 �
RADCLY
tunnel whole. Evyn had faith in her�and had offered her a shoulder
when she�d needed to lean without once making her feel weak. She
was much more than grateful�she was soothed in a place she�d never
known she was hurt. �And just so you know, this isn�t about that.�
�What?� Evyn�s eyes were huge blue lakes filled with questions.
Wes had only one answer. She leaned forward and kissed her.
� 170 �
chapter twenty-One
Evyn didn�t know what to do with her hands. Wes had just
kissed her, and now Wes was inches away, covered in nothing
but a towel. She could easily pluck the cotton aside and pull Wes�s hot
naked body in tight against her. With a little subtle dip and turn, she�d
have Wes against the door and she�d be back in control again. She�d
made that move a time or two�Seduction 101.
She didn�t do anything, not even breathe. She just stood there
with their lips softly touching, her head whirling, her heart threatening
to explode inside her rib cage. Whatever this was, she didn�t want to
change a thing. She�d been kissed before, but this wasn�t like any kiss
she�d ever experienced. She knew about kisses�she was usually the
one doing the kissing. Sometimes kisses were an exploration, feelers
sent out to judge the wind direction, the water temperature, the chances
for more than just a kiss. Sometimes they were a warm-up for the real
contest�a stretch of muscles, a quick glance around the field, a mental
review of the game plan. A kiss was never just a kiss but always a
step toward something more. A brief stop on the way to the ultimate
goal. Everything in her life was a goal to be achieved, a game to be
won�even sex. Always, she needed to be the best. She took the lead
whenever she could; she was a front-runner. The fastest way to come
out on top was to always
Tonight, she was totally without game. She couldn�t see the
playing field through a fog of desire more heady than any she�d ever
experienced. She�d given up the lead without even knowing she had
entered the race. Wes was in total control, something she�d never
� 171 �
RADCLY
allowed since she was old enough to get around on her own two feet. In
her home, in her world, competition was king. Everything from dinner-
table conversation to backyard catch was a challenge. She�d been team
captain on just about every sport she�d ever played, was at the top of
every class, and only took orders on the job because she knew it was the
quickest way to achieve a position to give the orders herself. Whatever
game she played, she played to win. And here she was, following,
without a plan, with no freaking idea what she was doing.
Wes�s mouth moved away and she wanted to whimper. Hell, she
�Now would be a good time to breathe,� Wes murmured, her lips
skimming Evyn�s as she spoke.
�I don�t think I need to,� Evyn whispered. �I think your kiss might
be all that�s required.�
Wes laughed and kissed her again. A little bit firmer this time.
More certain. Wes�s confidence grew and Evyn lost her grip. Still
their bodies remained separated. The few inches of air between them
vibrated through Evyn�s clothes and into the heart of her. Wes�s lips
were smooth and hot, lush and full. Evyn eased the tip of her tongue
forward, seeking just a tiny taste. When she did, Wes moaned deep in
her throat and Evyn�s muscles turned to jelly. She sagged against the
wall, a groan unlike any she�d ever made escaping her throat. Then
Wes�s hands were on her shoulders, pinning her in place.
�Is this all right?� Wes asked, her mouth on Evyn�s throat.
�Oh yeah,� Evyn said. �Really, really all right.� She grasped
Wes�s waist, holding her lightly, careful not to disrupt the cotton-towel
barrier between them. Wes would take it off if she wanted, and if she
didn�t�
strong, like her. Evyn ached to touch more. �But what exactly is this
we�re doing?�
�Had to do it,� Wes muttered, kissing her way down Evyn�s throat.
She�d reached for Evyn thinking she knew what she would find�
strength and understanding. She�d been right, but there was so much
more. So much more than she�d ever dreamed. Evyn tasted like winter�
sharp and tangy�and underneath the wild rush, a sweetness like the
promise of spring. Evyn�s pulse raced beneath Wes�s mouth, vibrating
with power, drawing her deeper into the mystery that was Evyn. She�d
never in her life taken a step she hadn�t planned, and rarely, even in the
� 172 �
midst of an emergency, made a decision when she hadn�t anticipated
the outcome. Now she was flying blind. Evyn felt too good, sounded
too beautiful to turn from while she analyzed, deduced, outlined, and
planned. �Don�t know what�s happening, but I can�t stop.�
Evyn tilted her head back against the wall, giving herself to Wes�s
mouth. �Then don�t. Please, don�t.�
�There�s something you should know,� Wes murmured, pushing
the jacket down Evyn�s arms. She got distracted by the warm, soft skin
at the base of Evyn�s throat and left the jacket tethering Evyn�s wrists
behind her. �I love the way you taste.�
�Your mouth is so hot.� Evyn rolled her head restlessly from side
to side. �You make me burn.�
Wes pulled at the jacket, got it off somehow, and pushed Evyn�s
T-shirt up her torso�searching for flesh. She slid her palm over Evyn�s
belly and gasped at the quick contraction of muscles beneath her
fingers. She loved feeling Evyn�s body respond to her touch. She traced
the edge of Evyn�s abdominals with her fingertips, over and over. Evyn
bowed under her hand. So beautiful. �You might have to help me out.�
�Doing fine so far,� Evyn said thickly.
�I�m getting into unknown territory here.� Wes lowered to her
knees and kissed the strip of skin above Evyn�s jeans. Hot, silky skin.
She sucked lightly and eased both hands higher, grazing the undersides
of Evyn�s breasts. She�d touched thousands of bodies, but never like
this. Never like this.
�God, Wes,� Evyn gasped. �You make me feel so good.�
�I want to touch you everywhere.�
�Yes, yes.�
Wes looked up. Evyn was watching her, her lids hooded, her eyes
hazy. Her lips were slightly parted, a little swollen. Her breasts rose and
fell rapidly.
her touch. A wave of awe and power rushed through her and her head
went light. �I�ve never felt anything like this.�
Evyn smiled crookedly. �Neither have I.�
�I don�t know what I�m doing.�
Evyn�s hands came into her hair. �Just keep doing it.�
Wes rose and pulled the towel from her body. She dropped it on
the floor and pressed full-length against Evyn. She kissed her again,
deeper, seeking the heat she knew would warm her beyond the icy
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reach of the water and the terror of the dark and the years of solitude.
She pulled back. �You make me warm.�
Evyn laughed. �I want to make you hot.�
�That too.�
�I�d have a better chance if we were in bed.�
�I�ve never done this before.�
The blood rushed from Evyn�s head and her stomach tightened.
�Okay. Well. That�s really scary, because you�re really, really good.
If it�s all right with you, I�d like you to just keep doing exactly what
you�re doing.�
�So would I.�
Evyn took Wes�s hand and tugged her toward the bed. �I want to
touch you all over too. With my hands. With my mouth. Can I?�
�Yes. Please. Anything.�
Evyn finally let herself look at Wes. At all of her. She�d been wrong,
in her fantasy. Wes was far more beautiful than she�d imagined�her
skin a tawny gold, her nipples small tan disks, every muscle sensuous
and smooth. �You�re gorgeous.�
�Can we take your clothes off?�
�Oh yeah, I forgot that.� Evyn met Wes�s eyes. Now was the time
for her to take back control, to lead as she always had. To pleasure from
a safe distance. �Why don�t you undress me.� She held her breath and
willed her legs to keep her upright.
�This isn�t me,� Wes murmured, opening the top button of Evyn�s
jeans. Her fingers trembled. Her hands never shook, not even when she
was sliding an intravenous needle into the only remaining vein on some
trauma victim, knowing if she missed, she�d lose him.
Evyn�s fingers curled around Wes�s wrists, gently stilling her.
�Then maybe you should take a minute.�
Wes looked up so Evyn could see what she knew must be in her
eyes�wonder, desire, need. �I�m sorry, I said that wrong. This is more
me than anything I�ve ever experienced�I�ve just never done anything
without knowing what would happen next. I feel like I�m walking off
a cliff.�
�Let�s fall together, then.� Evyn threaded her fingers into Wes�s
hair and tugged her mouth close. The kiss was hot, urgent, hungry. �Oh
yeah.�
� 174 �
The need kindling in Wes�s stomach burst into flame and she
grabbed Evyn�s shirt and pulled it up and off. �I want you under my
hands.�
Evyn moaned. She was as tremulous as a virgin, and her first
time was so long ago she didn�t remember�but she knew it�d never
been like this. She�d never wanted so much to be taken, needed to give
herself so completely. �Hurry.�
�I don�t want to,� Wes muttered, her mouth against Evyn�s chest.
She kissed the slope of Evyn�s breast, brushed her cheek over the tight
peak of her nipple. Evyn moaned again and Wes shook inside. She took
a nipple into her mouth and pushed down on Evyn�s jeans.
Evyn�s hands clenched in her hair. �That�s so good. God, Wes, I
need you to make me come.�
Wes�s heart leaped into her throat. She couldn�t breathe around the
swell of desire, and she didn�t care. She�d live without air as long as she
could taste Evyn. She shoved Evyn�s jeans lower. �Off. Get these off.�
Evyn braced her hands on Wes�s shoulders and kicked her boots
and pants aside. She pushed Wes back onto the bed. �More. I want
your mouth on me more�everywhere. If I don�t come soon my head
is going to explode.�
Wes stretched out on top of her, the first press of Evyn�s body
sending shock waves rocketing through her. She entwined her legs
with Evyn�s, felt the hot caress of skin against her clitoris. Leaning on
her forearms, she gripped Evyn�s wrists in her hands, holding Evyn
beneath her. She stared into the bluest eyes she�d ever seen, fathomless
and vulnerable. �You�re so beautiful. I don�t ever want to move.�
�You better�God, you better.� Evyn arched, her legs tightening
around Wes�s thigh. Evyn�s wetness slicked Wes�s skin. �I want to
come, so close.�
�Yes.� Wes thrust, watching pleasure flow across Evyn�s face.
�We�ll go slow the next time.�
Evyn caught her lip between her teeth as she struggled not to
come.�Don�t hold back,� Wes murmured, pressing harder between
Evyn�s thighs, raking her teeth down Evyn�s neck. �I need to feel you.
I want to hear you. I need it. Please. Trust me.�
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say no. Not now. She wrapped her arms around Wes�s shoulders and
pressed her breasts to Wes�s chest. She brushed her mouth over Wes�s
ear. �Yes. Yes, please. I can�t�I have to��
�Now.� Wes groaned at the pleasure flooding through her. �Now,
please�With me.�
Evyn cried out and buried her face in Wes�s neck, losing herself
for the first time ever.
When Evyn�s fingers dug into her back, Wes let go. She stepped off
the cliff not knowing where she would land, only knowing she had to
let go or lose something more precious than safety. Soaring, tumbling,
exploding, she pulled Evyn to her.
�Fall with me.�
�Yes,� Evyn cried. �Yes.�
� 176 �
chapter twenty-twO
At five a.m. Blair poured two cups of coffee from the urn the
valet had wheeled into Lucinda�s office in the West Wing. A
minute later Lucinda walked in. Wordlessly, Lucinda hung her snow-
dusted black wool coat on the coat tree just inside the door, draped
her scarf over the collar so it hung down along the lapels, and placed
one glove into each front pocket. She crossed to her desk and put her
overstuffed briefcase on the floor beside her chair. In deference to the
blizzard, she wore stylish brown boots beneath her chestnut pants
instead of her usual low heels. The hems of her tailored pants were
damp�she�d walked a ways in the snow.
Blair placed a coffee cup along with utensils and a small crystal
bowl of sugar cubes in the center of the desk. Balancing her own cup
and saucer�no mugs in sight�she turned one of the centuries-old
stuffed chairs to face Lucinda, sat down, and took a sip of coffee. She
closed her eyes for a moment of thanks. The White House kitchen made
great coffee. She waited until Lucinda stirred in one sugar cube and
took her first swallow. �Morning.�
�When did you get in?� Lucinda set a teaspoon onto the napkin
Blair had provided along with her morning coffee. �Airports are a mess,
I hear.�
�We caught the red-eye last night. Beat the front.�
�Where are you staying?�
�Cameron�s condo.� Blair smiled. �I�d forgotten how much I like
that place. We had some of our best fights there.�
Lucinda leaned back, holding the bone china cup between the
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fingertips of both hands as if the small fluted handle were too delicate
to use. �I can imagine.�
�Oh yeah? I never would have guessed.�
Laughing, Lucinda shook her head. �So. What�s on your mind?�
�You have to ask?�
�I can think of half a dozen things�but you might as well start
with what�s at the top of your list.�
�Who do you think has betrayed my father?�
Lucinda nodded slowly, her gaze turning inward. �That�s the
question at the top of my list too, and I wish I had an answer for you.
We don�t know. We really don�t.�
�How bad is it?�
�We�re not sure of that either�the whole picture is still coming
together.�
�Come on, Luce. Don�t play press corps with me. You have to
have some good ideas�this is the president�s inner circle we�re talking
about.�
�Believe me, I know.�
Lucinda�s tone was mild but her eyes flashed. She was pissed, all
right. Someone�or probably any number of someones�had to have
dropped the ball for something like this to even be possible. Blair said,
�Okay�best guess, then.�
�What we
one of his public venues, and we�ve observed a greater presence of
individuals from radical watch-list groups in the crowds. We don�t
publicize most of his calendar for exactly that reason�to limit his
exposure to hostiles. That, combined with what we�re picking up
from online communications, suggests extremist factions are gaining
advance intelligence.�
�So he�s the specific target? We�re not talking about national
security�we�re talking about his personal security being threatened,
is that it?�
�That�s what we think, yes. I wish I could tell you more.�
�Do you think there�s going to be an assassination attempt?�
Lucinda set her cup down carefully, aware that the china was
fragile enough to break if her grip was hard enough. She rested her
hands on the desktop. �Probabilities are high�higher than we�d like.
Yes.�
� 178 �
Blair stood and set her coffee cup on the edge of Lucinda�s desk.
The icy blast of terror left her breathless. How could this happen�
here, in the most advanced, sophisticated country in the world? How
could they have let this happen? She paced to the wall of windows
that looked out on the gardens. The carefully tended shrubs and bushes
were nothing but shapeless mounds beneath snow. If she spoke now,
she�d probably regret what she had to say later, and she�d learned long
ago the only way to get information out of Lucinda was to keep a cool
head. Lucinda was so good at what she did because she couldn�t be
bullied into revealing information, or pressured into using her power
to influence the president�s decisions, or coerced into paving the way
for anyone who hoped to subvert channels. No matter that Blair had
served as her father�s confidant and official representative countless
times in countries all over the world�Lucinda still told her only what
she wanted her to know. And as much as that pissed her off, she trusted
Luce like she trusted few others�and Lucinda loved her father as much
as she did. Calmer, she walked back around the desk and dropped into
the chair. �Does he know?�
�Of course.�
�And he doesn�t care, right?�
Lucinda smiled. �He told me we have plenty of people whose task
it is to see he isn�t bothered. He intends to do his job and let others do
theirs.�
Blair rolled her eyes. �Doesn�t he drive you crazy sometimes?�
�Frequently.�
�And you can�t change him. Can you get him to change his
itinerary for a while? Travel less, limit his public appearances?�
�Even if it weren�t an election year,� Lucinda said wearily, �he
wouldn�t. If we don�t give in to terrorism, we can hardly give in to
vague threats and uncertain possibilities.�
�I take it that�s a direct quote?�
�More or less. It�s business as usual�which means we have to do
our jobs even better.�
�So you called Cam.�
�I need someone I can trust,� Lucinda said softly. �There isn�t
anyone I can name close to Andrew who I don�t trust�and that�s the
problem. Because it must be one of them. I need Cam on this, Blair,
I�m sorry.�
� 179 �
RADCLY
�Why?� Blair asked, surprised. Lucinda never apologized for or
qualified any decision she made.
�I know it�s not what you want Cam to be doing, and you just got
married��
�Cam decides for herself what she wants to do.� Blair laughed
and shook her head. �Okay, to be fair, she does think about what I
want, you�re right�and that still amazes me. That she would do that
for me.�
�You�re lucky.�
�I know.� Blair turned her wedding ring with her other hand, a
comforting reminder of what she knew in her heart. Cam loved her.
�All the same, she�d already decided to do this before she told me. You
knew she would.�
�I
would�ve wanted.�
�I don�t want Cam getting hurt. I don�t want my father getting hurt
either.� Blair rose. �That means you have two people to worry about,
because if anything happens to either one of them, I swear to God,
Lucinda, I�ll make someone pay.�
Lucinda studied her steadily, her deep gray eyes unblinking.
�Averill and I think the most likely source is in the military office�the
duty officers know his schedule in advance and are in a perfect position
to provide intel on last-minute changes, exit strategies, emergency
routes�everything.�
�You�ll tell Cam?�
�Now that she�s in town, I�ll brief her formally. Is she still at the
condo?�
�No, she and Paula went to the range. They�re meeting me here
a little later and we�re going out to breakfast. I thought I�d try to catch
my father. Is he up yet?�
�I imagine he�s in the gym.�
�Thanks. I�ll go hunt him up.�
�Congratulations again, by the way. The wedding was lovely.�
�Thanks. It was everything I wanted, only I never knew it.�
�That�s the wonderful thing about love,� Lucinda murmured.
�So how much time do we have before we travel?�
�He starts his first campaign sweep the first of the year.�
� 180 �
�Oh good�I�ll be able to spend my birthday on a train.�
�Things have changed in the last few years,� Lucinda said dryly.
�We�ll fly.�
v
Wes woke, twisting in the unfamiliar, too-small bed�senses alert
to danger. As the remnants of sleep fled, she became aware of the body
pressed close to hers. Evyn. Evyn�s back was curved against her chest,
her ass tucked neatly into the curve of Wes�s hips. Wes�s cheek rested
on the pillow an inch from the back of Evyn�s neck. When she breathed
in she could smell the faint hint of lemon in her hair. She�d never
awakened next to a woman before, and she lay very still, cataloging
every sensation. The front of her thighs rested gently against the back
of Evyn�s, the delicate melding of skin to skin a fragile connection
she didn�t dare sever. Her breasts grazed the arch of Evyn�s shoulder
blades, her nipples electrified by the whisper of contact. The moments
they�d spent making love kaleidoscoped through her mind, one after
the other, in vivid breathless images. Carefully, so as not to awaken her,
she slipped her arm around Evyn�s waist and gently spread her fingers
over her abdomen. Evyn pushed back against her, setting their bodies
more firmly together.
Wes held her breath, but Evyn only murmured, �Stay,� as she
grasped Wes�s hand and pressed it to her flesh. Wes�s heart hammered
harder, a wave of tenderness and unanticipated heat strobing through
her. She wanted Evyn again. Her body vibrated with the urge to stroke,
taste, savor. The only thing keeping her from waking Evyn was the
exquisite pleasure of holding her just exactly the way they were. She
nuzzled her face in the curve of Evyn�s shoulder.
Evyn drew Wes�s hand higher until her nipple nestled in Wes�s
palm. �You fit.�
�Sorry, I didn�t mean to wake��
�No.� Evyn turned in Wes�s arms and kissed her. She stroked
Wes�s back, cradled her ass. �I want you too.�
Excitement blossomed in Wes�s depths and she groaned.
�Oh yeah,� Evyn whispered, tugging on Wes�s lower lip. �You
tired?�
� 181 �
RADCLY
�No,� Wes gasped. �God, Evyn.�
Evyn slipped her hand between them, brushed her palm down
Wes�s abdomen. �Shoulder hurt?�
�What shoulder?� Wes ached, blood thundering in her clit, her
body awakening to desire.
Laughing, Evyn murmured, �All right then,� and moved her hand
lower. �Here?�
�Yes.� Wes held on, breathless.
�Here?�
�Yes, please. Right there.� Spinning, tumbling, drowning in
need.�More?�
�Yes. Almost. Almost.� Wes arched, pressure building, lungs
bursting, exploding�lost in pleasure, eyes wide open and unafraid.
The next time Wes opened her eyes she was alone. She skated her
hand over the place beside her where Evyn had been not long before.
The sheets were cool. The air in the room was equally cool and smelled
faintly of industrial cleanser. Soupy gray light trickled through the slats
in the blinds. Evyn might have been gone five minutes, or an hour. Wes
pushed herself up on her elbows and looked around the room.
Relief surged through her at the sight of Evyn�s go bag sitting next
to hers on the floor. Evyn hadn�t left. But then Evyn wouldn�t disappear
in the night�no matter how she felt about what had happened between
them, she would never walk away. She was far too responsible for that.
Maybe she�d gone out because she hadn�t wanted a repeat of the night
before. Maybe she�d gone out to let the distance say what she didn�t
want to�that what they�d shared was only one night and nothing
more.The idea that the night was over, never to be repeated, sliced
through Wes with unexpected pain. She didn�t know what she wanted
to happen next, and she had no point of reference, other than the scent
of Evyn in the dark and the silky glide of Evyn�s skin beneath her hands.
Those memories and the clear and certain knowledge that she wanted
both again were all she had. Pushing the covers aside, she climbed out
of bed and grabbed her sweatpants and a heavy gray cotton pullover
out of her bag. The hot-water radiator in the corner rattled but didn�t
seem to be throwing off much heat. Dressing quickly in the cold room,
� 182 �
she sat on the end of the bed to put on her socks. The door banged
open and Evyn hurried in, bringing a gust of frigid wind and scattered
snowflakes. Her face was flushed. She wore the jeans and T-shirt from
the night before. She carried a cardboard takeout tray in her right hand
with two large cardboard cups of coffee and a grease-stained brown
bag. Wes wanted to kiss her. �Say it�s hot and strong.�
�Oh yeah. Believe it.� Evyn grinned. �Thought you might be
ready for this.�
�I am.� Wes concentrated on her socks so she wouldn�t jump up
and touch her. �Have you been up long?�
�No.� Evyn set the tray down on the dresser. She shed Wes�s jacket
and draped it over the back of a lone wooden chair. Water dripped from
her cuffs onto the floor. She stamped snow from her boots and kicked
them off, leaving them on a square of threadbare carpet that served as
a doormat. She crossed to the bed opposite Wes and held out a cup of
coffee.
�Black, right?�
Wes took it. �Right. Thanks. How�s the storm?�
�Dying off. The pizza place across the street doubles as a deli in
the morning. There�s doughnuts there too.� She waved in the direction
of the brown paper bag propped in the cardboard container. �Glazed.
And cinnamon.�
�Perfect.�
�I�m having trouble making a call�I think everyone�s using the
cell lines. I�m guessing it will be afternoon before we can get a flight
out of here. The storm is moving up the coast. Sounds like DC is getting
hammered again.�
�I guess I�d better try to call the unit and make sure there�s enough
coverage.�
�Good luck. I just managed to get my neighbor across the hall to
feed my cat. I couldn�t get through to the House or Tom�s cell.�
�Well, I�m sure whichever doc is around will see that we�re
appropriately staffed.�
�I wouldn�t worry too much. They all know what to do.� Evyn
sipped her coffee and watched Wes pull on her socks. The bed behind
her was rumpled, the sheets and blankets askew. They�d given it a
� 183 �
RADCLY
workout. Thinking of the way Wes had made her come, more times in
a row than she could ever remember, made her stomach clutch. The sex
had been great�awesome�but the sleeping together had her out of
sync. She didn�t usually do that�even when she spent the night with
someone, she didn�t curl up with them, didn�t turn to them in the night
and need to be closer. Didn�t need to be inside them the way she�d been
crazy to be inside Wes.
�You okay?�
�I�m sorry, what?� Evyn was aware she hadn�t heard a single thing
Wes had said for the last few minutes. Wes looked great in faded sweats
that hugged her ass and thighs. Evyn fought the urge to tackle Wes and
pull her on top of her. She wanted Wes�s hands on her, wanted to be
under her, wanted to come for her. That wasn�t her either. She was all
turned around and�
�I asked if there was anything I could do�you�ve been taking
point all morning, it seems.� Wes�s gaze traveled over Evyn�s body,
glinting with a hunger to match Evyn�s.
�Probably quite a few things, but we�re good for now.� Evyn
glanced around the clean but shabby room, searching for a way to put
on the brakes. She needed to grab the controls, get her head back on
straight. �At least there�s TV. Hopefully it works. News okay with
you?��Do we need to talk about last night?�
Evyn stopped on her way to check out the TV. The space between
the bed where Wes sat and the dresser with the TV on top was tight. If
she took two steps forward she�d be standing between Wes�s legs. She
mentally nailed her feet to the floor. �You don�t run from the hard stuff,
do you?�
�I don�t see any point.�
�Last night was great. If I think about it much more, I could
probably scare myself, and I�d rather not.�
�I understand.� Wes cradled the cardboard cup between her hands
and watched the coffee swirl around the rim. �If I knew enough to be
scared, I probably would be too.�
�So,� Evyn said. �Since neither of us really scares easily, this
should be simple. I don�t have a problem with last night.�
Wes heard the emphasis on
� 184 �
tense, as in over and done. Okay. She could accept that. The pain in her
chest didn�t mean anything. Her turn to step up and make this simple.
�Neither do I. My number one priority is to be sure we can still work
together�that there�s no disruption to the team.�
�I don�t see why what happened should interfere with anything,�
Evyn said quickly. Wes was giving her a graceful way out of a potentially
sticky situation, just the kind of exit she usually wanted. She didn�t
feel all that happy about it, but her emotions were screwed up and she
couldn�t trust them anyhow. Better to ignore them. �We�re both adults,
both professionals.�
�Yes,� Wes said, counting on Evyn to be rational and in control.
Especially now, when she didn�t really feel that way herself. �We both
have jobs to do. And considering the circumstances, we can�t afford
any distractions.�
Evyn stiffened, hearing what Wes wasn�t saying. �You know about
the problem with POTUS.�
�Yes.�
�You have me on the short list of suspects?� Evyn had to ask, even
as her body went cold thinking Wes might consider her capable of such
betrayal.
�No, Evyn,� Wes said softly, �I don�t.�
�Why not? You should.� Evyn knew she sounded angry. She
risk, and it was her job to protect him. She couldn�t do that effectively
when someone she thought she could trust was a traitor. Her impotence
stoked her fury. �You don�t know me. A roll in the hay isn�t exactly a
great judge of anything.�
Wes jolted. She didn�t run from reality, she never had, and Evyn
was making their reality very clear. Last night was a physical encounter
and nothing more, and really, why would she think it was anything
more. �So we keep doing our jobs.�
�No reason it can�t be that simple.� Evyn shrugged, relieved to
settle back into her comfortable pattern again. �We aren�t the first two
people to spend the night together and then go back to business as
usual the next day. In fact, around here, it�s more business as usual than
not.�Wes might not have indulged in battlefield trysts, but she knew
� 185 �
RADCLY
plenty did. Evyn apparently had. �No reason for last night to change
anything.�
�Right.� Evyn quickly turned to switch on the TV. �None at all.�
� 186 �
chapter twenty-three
Senator Russo received a text in the middle of breakfast. The
alert read HK1. He�d been waiting two days for this update.
Setting his fork aside, he swiped his thumb over the banner alert and
read the five words that sent a swell of satisfaction streaming through
him.
with a pressed linen napkin, and said to his wife, �I�m sorry, my dear,
I need to return this call. The car will be here in half an hour. You�ll be
ready?�
He wasn�t really asking, but his wife seemed to do better with
the stresses of campaigning when she could cling to the trappings of
civility she�d been raised with. She wasn�t fond of public appearances
under the best of circumstances, and even less so now that his speeches
increasingly drew protesters from some liberal leftist group or another.
He�d assured her this was expected when someone with his strength of
conviction and popularity engaged the people and spoke the truth. Her
Southern belle sensibilities would have annoyed him more if her family
name wasn�t helping him to carry the Deep South.
So he played the game she needed, as long as she did as he wanted.
She understood she had to be by his side during these events�he was
running on a family-values platform, and she was the figurehead of his,
naturally. Thus far he�d managed to keep the whole issue of his eldest
daughter�s absence from the campaign trail in the background. Nora had
spun Jac�s history as a war veteran into some very positive press while
simultaneously downplaying her sexual escapades and questionable
choice in partners. Since Jac had made it plain she wouldn�t take part
in his public appearances, that was the best they could do in terms
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of damage control. Fortunately, he had another daughter, a younger,
feminine, wholesome daughter who didn�t have any choice about
participating.
�Yes, of course I�ll be prompt,� his wife said quickly, an altogether
artificial smile failing to erase the anxious shadows in her eyes. �I�m
looking forward to it.�
�Wonderful.� He smiled. �Wear the blue suit. It looks good on
camera. And goes so nicely with your eyes.�
�Thank you,� she said, her attention on her plate. �I will. Yes.�
He strolled toward his study, mentally reviewing his remarks for
the town meeting Nora had scheduled later that morning in Nevada. He
wanted to use the community forum to demonstrate his solidarity with
the American people and distance himself from the recent emphasis by
members of the press on his private wealth. He might live differently
from most Americans, thanks to his wife�s family money, but he was
still one with the people. He unlocked his study door and walked in,
pleased with the way things were going for the moment.
Once behind his desk, he unlocked another drawer, removed a
disposable cell phone, and called Hooker. �I got your message. No
problems, I take it?�
�I made the exchange for the amount we agreed upon. I�ll have it
tomorrow. None too soon either.�
�You�re certain of its authenticity?�
�As certain as I can be,� Hooker said. �It�s not like I�m an expert
on this sort of thing. I�m mostly the courier here.�
�Courier or not, I�ll hold you responsible for any malfunction.�
�You�re not the one who�ll be sitting with this stuff in his
refrigerator. It gives me the creeps,� Hooker snapped. �You hired me to
broker the deal and run interference between the players. I fulfilled my
contract. Once this is out of my hands, I�m done.�
Russo clamped down on his temper. As insubordinate as Hooker
could be, he had excellent contacts, he got the job done, and he was as
trustworthy as any man in his profession. The election campaign was
just getting started, and he�d need Hooker�s services again. �You�re
right, of course. What news do you have from DC?�
�Not much. So far the transition hasn�t been a problem.�
Russo grunted, irritated by the unexpected speed with which the
� 188 �
usually slow White House bureaucracy had replaced the WHMU chief.
�The inevitable disruption may work to our favor.�
�If we move fast.�
�Then by all means, let�s move forward.� Russo glanced at his
desk calendar. December was more than half over. Soon the holidays
would be in full swing. �You have his itinerary?�
�Updated as of this morning.�
Russo smiled. �We might want to advance the timetable.�
�I just need time to brief the deliveryman.�
�Very good. I�ll be in touch. And nice work.� Russo disconnected
and locked the phone back in his desk. His plan was bold and some
would say extreme, but they lived in extreme times. The American
people had become complacent, with economic woes taking center
stage in the public�s awareness and fading memories of a terrorist attack
smothering patriotism. The public needed a wake-up call, and nothing
stirred national fervor like an attack at home. The time was ripe for the
right leader to lead them on the path to moral redemption and renewed
power. He was ready.
v
�Please fasten your seat belts, we�re beginning our descent into
Washington Reagan National Airport,� the flight attendant announced.
�Hey,� Evyn said softly. �Wes, we�re landing.�
Fuzzy-headed, Wes opened her eyes and concentrated on orienting
herself. Airplane. Cramp in her shoulder. Her cheek on Evyn�s shoulder.
She pushed up quickly. �Sorry.�
�That�s okay. You went out fast as soon as we were airborne. You
needed the rest.�
�I slept most of the morning.� Evyn had booked them a late
afternoon flight, and after they�d taken turns showering, Wes had fallen
asleep watching CNN. She�d awakened after noon on top of the bed with
a blanket over her. Evyn had covered her while she slept. Remembering
that small gesture made her shift in her seat until their bodies no longer
touched. She wasn�t used to relying on anyone, and discovering she
liked the feeling of being cared for wasn�t entirely welcome. Especially
when the caring came from Evyn.
� 189 �
RADCLY
�How are you feeling?� Evyn asked.
�A little stiff,� Wes said, stretching out in the cramped space. She
didn�t want Evyn to worry�or to think she needed looking after. Evyn
had done enough. �I�m okay. I think the downtime this morning really
helped.�
�You were shivering this morning�still chilled?�
Wes couldn�t answer that question. Physically, she felt warmer�
the pervasive cold that had lingered in her body long after Evyn had
pulled her out of the ocean had finally disappeared, but a glacial
throbbing had taken up residence in the center of her being. She ached
inside in a way she never had, even when she�d been a child uncertain
of the future, even when she�d been physically and psychologically
depleted after weeks in the desert. The closer they came to DC�the
nearer the moment when she and Evyn would go back to being only
professional colleagues�the more pervasive the sense of loss. She
didn�t regret the decision. They couldn�t work together and be anything
more than colleagues, even if they�d wanted to be more. And Evyn had
made it clear what they�d shared had been an isolated occurrence.
Wes had made hard decisions all her life and accepted the
consequences, even when they hurt. Pain wasn�t deadly�even though
this hurt as much as anything she�d ever experienced. �Thanks for
handling everything. I owe you.�
�No, you don�t.� Evyn�s voice shook. �I wanted to do everything
I did�including last night. You know that, don�t you?�
Wes covered Evyn�s hand where it rested on the armrest between
them. �How could I not know? You speak beautifully with your
body.�Evyn caught her breath. �You always surprise me in the most
amazing ways. No one has ever said anything as wonderful to me
before.�
�Then they weren�t paying attention.� Wes smiled, steadfastly
refusing to think of the other women Evyn had known. Jealousy was
a foreign sensation and, rationally, totally unfounded. Irrational or
not, she still didn�t want to imagine anyone touching her. She seemed
to have lost the ability to reason when she�d first become aware of
wanting to kiss her.
�Maybe
� 190 �
memory for a time she�d felt this connected�and feared it so much. She
gripped Wes�s hand. The lights of DC came into view. A wave of panic
slid over her�she couldn�t help feeling as if they were running out of
time, as if she was about to lose something vital without even knowing
it. �Wes�I don�t want you to think last night wasn�t special.�
�I don�t think that. Why would I?�
�I know you must think I do that sort of thi��
�Whoa�hey. What I think is that we both wanted last night to
happen.�
Wes�s hand was so warm, so damn perfect in hers. Evyn wanted
to reverse the clock�start the last few days over. She wanted to keep
Wes safe, she wanted to take her out to dinner when they weren�t both
exhausted, she wanted to make love with her when they weren�t hurt or
displaced or scared of losing their fragile connection. Hell. She wanted
to date her, maybe more�something she hadn�t wanted with anyone,
possibly ever. �I think I fucked this up.�
�No, you didn�t,� Wes said. �You gave me everything I needed.�
The lights of the tower flashed red across the sky. The runway
lights glowed brighter by the second. Another minute and they�d be on
the ground. Evyn willed time to slow. She needed a little more time�
when had everything gotten away from her? �We�ll have to get a cab�
the team will have taken the SUV back to the House. We can share one
as far as your hotel, and then I�ll go pick up my car.�
�That�s okay,� Wes said. �We can head straight to the House. I want
to spend a few hours at the office. I�ve been away more than I�ve been
there since I�ve arrived, and it�s time I got some things organized.�
�Can�t it wait until tomorrow?� Evyn wouldn�t mind the few extra
minutes together, but Wes was pale. �You�re still looking pretty beat.�
�We�re coming up on the holidays. We�ll be working doubles
between now and after New Year�s so everyone can have time off. I
need to review the duty rosters and the travel schedules�and about a
dozen other things.�
The plane touched down and the engines whined into their
deceleration.
�What are you doing for Christmas?� Evyn asked.
� 191 �
RADCLY
�I�m the new guy, remember? I�m working.�
�You�re also the boss.�
�Half the team has kids�they need to be with family.�
�What about yours?�
Wes smiled. �They�re used to me being away for holidays. They
understand. You?�
�Ah�I volunteered to take the holiday shifts too. Good overtime,
plus my sibs and I gave my parents a cruise for Christmas. They�ll be
gone until after New Year�s anyhow.�
�So we�re in the same boat again,� Wes said.
�Seems to happen a lot.� People around them began standing and
opening the overhead bins. Evyn realized she was still holding Wes�s
hand. She had to let go, and when she did, last night would really be
over. She slipped her fingers free. The cabin lights came on full and she
blinked. Passengers filed past. Wes released her seat belt and searched
Evyn�s eyes, questions in hers.
�So what�s next?� Wes asked.
�More of the same.�
�Hopefully no more water exercises.�
�No.� Evyn grimaced. �We�re done with those. Probably keep the
sims to half-days and finish up this week.�
�How am I doing?� Wes didn�t really expect an answer.
Evyn hesitated. �You�re doing fine, Captain.�
�Thanks.� Wes grinned wryly at the formality. �Seems I now have
quarters in a residential hotel off Dupont Circle, so I can use the extra
time to move. Got the text while I was in the shower earlier.�
�Need help moving?� Evyn asked.
�I�m fine�I don�t have much. But thanks.�
�Well, if you change your mind, let me know.� Evyn said.
�I�ll be in my office this evening if anything comes up.� Wes
pointed to the aisle as the last passengers streamed off, averting her
gaze. She was a little too tired and a little too sore at heart to hide her
sadness, and she didn�t want Evyn to misread sadness for regret. She
didn�t regret a moment of their time together. �Time to go.�
�Right. Don�t stay up half the night working,� Evyn said,
stepping out into the aisle and pulling Wes�s bag from the overhead
compartment.
� 192 �
�I won�t.� At Evyn�s skeptical look, she laughed. �Word of
honor.�
�I might call you to remind you of that.�
�No need,� Wes said, her pulse racing despite her best intentions,
�but feel free to call anytime.�
Evyn paused, her expression growing intent. �I�ll do that.�
� 193 �
RADCLY
chapter twenty-fOur
The cab stopped at Fifteenth and E streets, and Wes passed bills
to the driver for the fare and opened her door. Evyn had spent
the ride from the airport downloading mail and answering texts, and
Wes had been grateful not to make small talk. She couldn�t think of a
thing to say that wouldn�t ring false after the last thirty-six hours. �I�ll
see you. Take care, okay?�
�Yeah. I will,� Evyn said. �You too.�
��Night.� Wes stepped out and dragged her go bag out after her.
The cab pulled away to take Evyn to her car. Wes didn�t watch it go,
although she wanted to. Instead, she hurried to the gate, showed her
ID to the officer, and made her way through the quiet halls toward her
office. The night had a surreal feel to it�everything was too quiet after
what seemed like a constant bombardment of emotional and physical
explosions for days. She nodded to the occasional valet pushing a cart
on silent wheels and to officers standing post, motionless but intently
alert. Suddenly craving the norm, a refuge from the chaos of her life,
she detoured at the last moment and headed to the clinic area. A middle-
aged man she hadn�t met was making notes in a chart at the desk in the
AOD�s office. She recognized him from his file photo. She tapped on
the door. �Evening, Colonel Dunbar.�
He finished a notation, put his pen aside, and closed the file before
looking up. He wore a dark blue button-down-collar shirt, a navy-
and-red striped tie loosened at the neck. His expression morphed from
questioning to friendly and he stood quickly. �Captain, glad to meet
you finally. Sorry our paths haven�t crossed before this.�
� 194 �
�Good to finally meet you. Sorry for the circumstances.�
�Damn shame about Len,� he said, shaking his head. His wiry
iron-gray hair was clipped military style, and his steel-blue eyes were
clear and sharp. �I was on leave�my oldest daughter just got married.
Couldn�t believe it when I heard the news.�
�I didn�t know him personally, but I know it�s a loss.�
He took a breath. �Well, new order of the day. Anything I can help
you with?�
�I think I�ve got things in hand, but I appreciate the offer. Anything
you think I need to know, problems, questions�stop by my office or
call me, anytime.�
�I�ll do that.�
�I�ll let you get back to those charts.�
He gave them a morose look and sank back into the chair behind
the desk. He�d already pulled the next from the stack and opened it
by the time she reached the door. Halfway down the row of patient
cubicles, she nearly ran into Jennifer coming out of one of the treatment
rooms. Tonight she wore olive green pants, tapered and just form-fitting
enough to accentuate her hips and thighs. Her shirt was cream silk and
unbuttoned a tasteful distance at the throat. Her glossy dark hair was
caught back at her nape with a simple gold clip. She managed to look
professional and sexy at the same time. Her lips parted in a wide smile.
�Captain! I didn�t expect to see you back so soon.�
�I just came in to get some paperwork done,� Wes said. �How are
things going?�
�Very well. I was just restocking after our last walk-in left.� As she
spoke, she brushed her fingers over Wes�s arm. �Just the usual today�
seasonal illnesses, a sprained knee from a stumble on the grounds, run-
of-the-mill aches and pains.�
�Sounds like a good day to me.�
She laughed. �I guess you could say that. I prefer something with
a little more action.� She accentuated the last word with a squeeze to
Wes�s forearm.
�How did you come by this duty, then? Somehow, I see you as a
field medic.�
�Thank you.� She colored, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. �I
volunteered, actually. I thought the job was an important one, and the
� 195 �
RADCLY
experience of being this close to the president is a once-in-a-lifetime
thing.� She moved an inch closer and her hip brushed Wes�s. �And of
course, I get to work with the best medical team in the world.�
Wes leaned back, wanting to telegraph her lack of interest without
insulting someone she�d be working with every day. She wasn�t put
off by Jennifer�s not-too-subtle feelers�workplace assignations were
common enough, even between individuals prohibited by rank. But
even if she�d had a sliver of interest, she�d know better than to act on
it. Yet as attractive as Jennifer was, Wes was unmoved. The memory of
Evyn�s body curved into hers, of Evyn drawing her close in the dark, of
Evyn devastating her with pleasure was too fresh in her consciousness.
She�d just sent away the only woman who�d ever made her wish she
didn�t always have to stand alone. She backed up, putting space between
her and Jennifer. �It was good to see you again. I hope the rest of the
night is quiet. Enjoy the holidays.�
�I�ll see you Christmas Eve.� Jennifer�s tone made it sound as if
they�d run into each other at a party.
Wes frowned, calling up an image of the duty roster she�d reviewed
several days before. �I thought you had leave.�
�Oh, I did,� Jennifer said dismissively. �But at the last minute my
sister couldn�t get away, and she�s my only family. I�d just as soon work
than spend the holiday in my apartment. I�d only end up cleaning.� She
laughed. �And my apartment isn�t all that big.�
�Well, I�m sorry to hear your family plans were disrupted.�
�I�m not�I saw the new roster and the substitutions. I�m looking
forward to working with you.�
�I�ll let you get back to work, then,� Wes said.
�Have a nice night.�
Jennifer gave a little wave and walked away. Wes went the opposite
way toward her office, mentally shaking off the disquieting sensation
left by their conversation. Maybe her read was off�maybe Jennifer
was just friendly and outgoing. Wes didn�t quite trust her assessment�
she�d been off target for days. Apparently, she wasn�t nearly as good at
interpreting personal signals as she was at evaluating trauma.
She�d ended up in bed with Evyn Daniels and still wasn�t sure
how she�d let that happen. Oh sure�extreme circumstances often
made people act out of character, but that was a convenient excuse
� 196 �
and she knew it. She�d wanted to be close to Evyn and she�d enjoyed
Evyn taking care of her. She�d wanted to kiss her�wanted more than
that, and she�d made the first move. Evyn had put it very clearly�brief
physical interludes on the job were common, and then it was back to
business as usual. Maybe for Evyn that was true.
Nothing wrong with two adults sharing a few hours of pleasure
and then moving on. Too bad that didn�t seem to be the case for her.
Even now, she couldn�t forget the pleasure that filled her from having
Evyn near, from knowing Evyn cared. She wanted to touch her again,
wanted to be touched. She wanted the peace and certainty that steadied
her when she thought of Evyn. She�d learned long ago not to want that
kind of comfort, and Evyn had made her forget those hard lessons.
Evyn scared her, and that was the real reason she was headed to her
office alone.
v
At the tap on her partially closed door, Wes expected to see one
of the WHMU staff. She half rose when she recognized Cameron
Roberts.
�Sorry to bother you, Captain,� Cam said.
�No�please come in.� Wes walked around her desk and extended
her hand. Roberts, dressed casually in gray trousers and a black sweater,
entered and shut the door behind her. Her dark eyes bore the same
intense focus Wes had seen in every photo of her. Remembering her
from the wedding, Wes suspected the only time her gaze ever softened
was when she looked at Blair Powell. A flare of envy caught her by
surprise and she quickly doused it. �Wes Masters.�
�Cam Roberts. Do you have a moment?�
�Of course. Have a seat.� Wes indicated the chairs in front of her
desk and sat down.
�What do you make of O�Shaughnessy�s autopsy report?� Cam
asked.Right to business. This was ground she understood, and after the
upheaval on the personal front, welcome ground. She needed to get
her head back where it belonged. �On the surface, there aren�t any red
flags.�
� 197 �
RADCLY
�He was fifty-one. His last physical exam four months ago included
a stress test. That was normal,� Cam said.
�Yes. That bothers me too.� Wes frowned. �
things look straightforward. An arrhythmia, on the other hand, could
account for sudden death, and there are often no precipitating signs or
symptoms.�
�And no way to tell on the postmortem?�
�Exactly.�
�Could an arrhythmia be drug induced?�
�Of course�although the most effective way would be by
injection, and he�d likely be aware of that. You suspect his death was
a homicide?�
Cam shrugged. �I don�t like coincidences. Len�s unexpected death
happening when we have a security breach is a little too convenient to
ignore.�
�What would be the goal? The WHMU has other capable medical
team members.�
�Could be something as simple as disrupting the flow so any move
against POTUS would be handled less than efficiently.�
Wes had used much the same reasoning when she�d agreed with
Evyn they shouldn�t mix business with pleasure. Considered rationally,
the argument was weak. �Seems like a big risk for small gain.�
�Agreed. The more likely scenario is that Len noticed something,
or suspected something. Assuming he wasn�t our leak and his contacts
decided to eliminate him.�
�Do you suspect him?�
�I suspect everyone,� Cam said flatly. �Except you. But Len�not
really. I�ve been running extended checks on every member of PPD, the
WHMO, and the WHMU. Nothing turns up for Len other than a quiet
affair with one of the nurses.�
Wes straightened. �Who?�
�Jennifer Pattee.�
�Really.�
�What?�
Wes laughed wryly. So much for gaydar. �Never mind.�
�Do you trust your instincts, Wes?�
�Professionally, yes.� Wes thought of Evyn�she trusted her
� 198 �
instincts about Evyn too. Evyn was totally worthy of trust and
confidence, in all ways.
�So tell me what you think about Lieutenant Pattee.�
Wes hesitated, then decided her personal embarrassment was
unimportant. �I had the feeling the lieutenant was more interested in
female partners. I could be totally wrong in that�or maybe she�s bi.�
�Has she expressed a personal interest in you?�
�I thought so. As I said��
�I�m just gathering information, Wes. As a newcomer, you�re
more likely to make an unbiased observation. Anything that seems off
to you might be important.�
�I understand.�
Cam sat forward. �A puncture site is pretty easy to miss in an
autopsy, isn�t it?�
�Yes�very. And we won�t have the tox screens back for another
week or so. Without some evidence of drug administration, we don�t
have any reason to exhume his body. I�d hate to put his family through
that.��I don�t want to do that either if it isn�t necessary. I�ll see about
expediting the tox results,� Cam said.
�Excellent.�
�Could the injection go unnoticed by the recipient�say if he was
distracted?�
�Possibly. Airjet injection is nearly painless.�
�Peter Chang was working out with Len the day he died. He would
also have been Len�s most likely successor if Lucinda hadn�t insisted
on going outside for a new chief.�
�I didn�t know that.� Wes tried to see Peter Chang as a traitor.
She couldn�t, but she didn�t see anyone in the WHMU as capable of
betrayal. �This is ugly.�
Cam�s mouth hardened. �We just have to see it doesn�t get
uglier.�
v
�You can pull over here,� Evyn told the cabbie, pointing to a spot
up the street from Louise�s. She paid the fare and got out, jumping over
� 199 �
RADCLY
a mound of slush at the curb. The snow had stopped but the streets were
still a mess. The wind was wet on her neck�the miserable weather
fit her mood. Her life had gone from orderly and uncomplicated to
confusing and crazy-making overnight. Literally. Hell, she�d gone to
bed with Wes Masters. Worse, she wanted to again. Right now. Her
body hummed like a live wire looking to ground out on the nearest
surface. If she so much as brushed a hand over herself, she�d probably
come. That was a first. She�d always had great control�being sexually
in charge was like being captain of the team. Calling the game, knowing
just when to pull the trigger for the perfect score.
Not so with Wes�all Wes had to do was look at her and she
was ready to explode. The whole airplane ride had been torture�the
sweetest torture she�d ever experienced. Wes had slept on her shoulder,
something Gary had done a million times. Andrea too�a smoking-hot
blonde who usually worked a different shift. Andrea had also slept in
Evyn�s bed a few times, when they�d been coming off a detail in the
ass-end of nowhere and killing time until they could get home. She
didn�t get hot and sweaty and ache to come in her jeans when Andrea
nestled her cheek against her shoulder. She didn�t long to slide her arm
around Andrea and run her fingers through her hair either. Hell, she
didn�t want that with Louise, which was maybe why she was standing
in the foyer of Louise�s building right now.
She pressed Louise�s buzzer. Louise opened the door and gave
Evyn a curious look. �Hi. Come on in.�
Feeling just a little bit foolish, Evyn followed her inside. �Sorry
to drop by like this.�
�That�s okay. I was just about to open a bottle of wine. Are you
hungry?�
�No, I don�t want to put you out��
�Don�t be silly. It�s no bother.� Louise walked through the
apartment to the kitchen, and Evyn followed, wondering why she had
come and realizing what she was about to say was completely unlike
her. Louise looked great in dance leggings and a tank top. She was
barefoot, and her hair was loose. She was everything Evyn liked in a
woman�smart, accomplished, great sense of humor, super body, and
generous in bed. To make it even better, she was undemanding and
independent.
So what was she doing here?
� 200 �
�Listen, before you pour that wine, I should probably tell you I
stopped by to break our date.�
Louise turned, the wine bottle in one hand and a corkscrew in the
other. She leaned back against the counter and gave Evyn an appraising
look. �Okay. Usually people just call.�
�And I guess the excuse that I was just in the neighborhood really
doesn�t fly,� Evyn said ruefully. She rested her shoulder on the doorjamb
and ran a hand through her hair. �So, I�m feeling a little dumb here. You
want me to go?�
Louise laughed. �No. I want you to stay and have a glass of wine
and something to eat. How does stir-fry sound?�
Evyn�s stomach rumbled and she blushed. �Well, it sounds great,
but��
�Evyn,� Louise said, crossing the small space between them and
kissing her on the cheek. �I think you�re great. We have a wonderful
time together. But we never promised anything, and I don�t have any
expectations.�
�It�s just that�� Evyn was more confused now than she had been
a few minutes before. Louise must be even more bewildered. Time to
stop dancing around the issue. �I�m thinking we might not be intimate
again.�
�Ah.� Louise studied her. �It�s not something I said or did, is it?�
�No, you�re great,� Evyn said quickly. �I�m being a total ass,
aren�t I? I�m not explaining anything really very well. I�m not even
sure why I�m here.�
�Don�t apologize.� Louise smiled a little sadly. �That you would
come here to tell me this, face-to-face, is one of the reasons I�m sorry
we have to stop at friendship.�
�Ah hell��
�But there�s no law against two people who like each other being
friends, is there?� Louise brushed her fingers over Evyn�s shoulder. �I
like you, aside from the great sex.�
Evyn blushed. �It�s official. I am an ass.�
�Quite possibly.� Louise laughed and poured a glass of red wine.
�Have some of this while I cook and tell me what�s going on.�
Evyn sipped wine and started to relax. �I don�t know what�s
going on. Nothing, really. That�s what makes this whole thing sort of
ridiculous.�
� 201 �
RADCLY
�Uh-huh,� Louise said, taking food from the refrigerator and pans
from underneath the sleek counter. �But you�re here, so why don�t you
start with what got you here.�
�I just got back from a detail. It was a little crazy. One of my team
members got into trouble.� Just saying that much made her faintly sick.
The recurring image of Wes sinking deeper into the water came back
sharp and clear. Adrenaline surged through her blood and a coppery
taste filled her mouth.
Louise glanced over her shoulder and paused in her food prep.
�You sound like it was really bad. I�m sorry.�
Evyn sucked in a breath. �She�s fine now. It was just tense there
for a couple of minutes. That sort of thing happens. It�s part of the
job.��I guess it probably is. I got the sense you never really wanted to
talk about it, so I never pressed. If you want to tell me more��
�Sorry. I guess I�ve never really shared much of anything.�
�And I never asked you to. So we�re okay on that score. Go
ahead�you just got back from a tough assignment. And?�
�And there�s this woman��
Louise smiled. �Isn�t there always? Sometimes they really turn
your head around, don�t they?�
Evyn laughed. �You�d think I was new at this.�
Louise regarded her thoughtfully. �Maybe you are?�
�I think you might be right.� Where Wes was concerned, she sure
felt like a first-timer. All hormones and insanity and hungry for more of
everything. She�d kept praying Wes would lean back into the cab and
kiss her good night. Yeah, right. Nuts. �Anyhow, that�s kind of what
this is about. This woman I�m not really involved with�not that way,
I mean.�
�I think I almost understand. You need to think about some
things.�
�Yeah�I�m sorry.�
�I know. Me too�but it�s okay. Really.� Louise pointed a wooden
spatula at the vegetables piled on the cutting board. �So�will you
stay?��Yeah. I�m starved. And thanks.�
Louise put the utensils down, motioned Evyn closer, and kissed
� 202 �
Evyn�s cheek. �You�re welcome. I like friends with benefits, but friends
without benefits is okay too.�
�That�s good to know. Thanks.� Evyn wasn�t sure what she�d just
done or why, but it felt right. It felt almost as good as the night she�d
spent with Wes, which felt more than right. And she had no idea what
to do about that.
� 203 �
RADCLY
chapter twenty-five
You need plants,� Doris Masters said, standing with her hands
on her hips in the center of the small galley kitchen, surveying
the adjacent living area. She pointed to the bay windows overlooking
Nineteenth Street. �That window seat gets enough sunlight. A planter
or two right there��
�Mom,� Wes said, �I kill plants.� Behind her, Denny snickered
and mumbled something about understatement.
Giving the impersonal apartment a 360-degree glance, Doris said,
�A cat would be good.�
�You have to feed cats,� Wes said.
Her mother pointed a finger at her. �That�s why your plants die.�
�Better plants than a cat,� Wes muttered. Her mother smiled, but
Wes could tell by the glint in her ocean-green eyes she wasn�t finished.
Looking a decade younger than her age, with the same green eyes and
brown hair shot through with burnished gold, she could have been
Wes�s older sister�and was sometimes mistaken for one of the sibs
when they were all out together. Wes hadn�t known Denny and her
mother were coming, but when they had shown up a few minutes after
the delivery truck brought her belongings from Maryland, she�d been
glad for more than the help. Their bright, sure love helped chase away
the shadows that plagued her. She�d slept poorly since the night she�d
spent with Evyn. The hotel bed was big and empty and cold, and every
morning she awoke lonely. She went through the days, splitting her
time between exercises with PPD and clinic duties, with an empty ache
inside. Evyn was friendly but reserved, and Wes didn�t think it was an
� 204 �
accident they hadn�t been alone together since their return from Kitty
Hawk. Evyn was avoiding her.
�Wesley,� her mother said, �this isn�t a temporary billet. You�re
going to live here for the next few years, and it shouldn�t look like a
hotel room.�
Denny finally cut in and saved her. �Mama, give her a break. She
didn�t invite us down here to help, after all, and��
�Mother�s prerogative.� Doris perched on the wooden arm of the
tan canvas sofa. �We�ll miss you at Christmas.�
Wes sat next to her mother and took her hand. �I know, I�m sorry.
I�d be there if I could.�
�We�ll miss you,� her mother repeated, �and we�re so very proud
of you. Your other sisters wanted to be sure you knew that.�
�I know. I love you. All of you.�
Denny flopped down beside her and bumped her knee against
Wes�s. �So�on the personal front��
Wes groaned. �Come on, Denny. Don�t start.�
Doris stroked the back of Wes�s head and feathered the locks along
the back of her neck, as if she were still ten. �There�s more to life than
work, Wesley.�
�And there�s lots of life ahead, Mom. I�m fine. Just really busy
right now.�
�Yeah,� Denny said softly, �but are you happy?�
Wes hadn�t expected the question and hesitated before she
answered. Getting the third degree from her family about her personal
life wasn�t unusual, but after she shrugged off their good-natured
queries with some standard answer, the conversation usually moved on.
This time, the questions felt different, or maybe she was the one who
was different. She didn�t have a pat response, and the old explanations
rang false, even to her. �I don�t know. I�ve never given it much thought.
My work makes me happy��
�Satisfaction isn�t happiness,� Doris said.
�No, maybe not,� Wes said, �but it�s always been enough.�
�Things change, you know,� Denny said. �Don�t miss the chance
for more than satisfaction if it comes along.�
�Okay, enough. Message received.� Wes squeezed Denny�s hand,
kissed her mother�s cheek, and stood. �You�ve got a two-hour drive and
� 205 �
RADCLY
I�ve got a ton of things to do.� At her mother�s frown she added quickly,
�And I promised Emory I�d go out with her and Dana tonight. So I do
have a social life, you know.�
�Are you taking a date?� Denny asked, an eager glint in her eyes.
Wes instantly thought of Evyn. Like every time she thought of
her, the memory of Evyn pressed close in the night flooded through her.
Pleasure warred with pain, and she schooled her face to remain neutral.
�No.��Huh. What aren�t you telling us?� Denny narrowed her eyes.
�Nothing. I�m just getting together with some friends.�
�Let her be, Denny,� Doris said.
Her mother studied Wes with that laser-beam look that made Wes
think her mother could see inside her head. Considering all she could
see was Evyn naked�moving under her, rising above her, crying out as
she came�she slammed the mental door as quickly as she could. Some
things her mother definitely did not need to know.
�She�ll tell us when she�s ready.� Doris rose and gathered her
things. �She always does.� She kissed Wes on the cheek. �You�ve
always done more than you were asked, and you�ve always been asked
a great deal. They couldn�t have chosen anyone better. We love you.�
�Thanks,� Wes said, her throat tight as she hugged her mother and
sister good-bye. �I love you all too. I�ll be home as soon as I can.�
She had a couple of hours before she was due to meet Emory and
Dana at the Black Fox. She would have canceled, but she knew Emory
would hound her for her reasons. And what could she say? She was
beat after a lousy night�s sleep when she couldn�t stop thinking about
a woman who disordered her orderly world�a woman she�d be much
better off not thinking about at all? No. She�d go out with her best
friend and her lover and do her damnedest to put her night with Evyn
in the past.
She headed to the House. Work might not be everything, but it was
everything she�d always had. Work had always defined her�her goals,
her sense of self, her pleasure, and often her pain. There was comfort in
the familiar, and as her family drove out of the city and the loneliness
seeped back and lay heavy in her throat, she needed a little comfort.
v
� 206 �
The door opened behind Evyn and she didn�t bother to turn around,
saying to Gary, �You�re early.�
�For what?� Wes said.
Evyn jerked and twisted in her seat. She hadn�t expected to see
her�they didn�t have anything scheduled. Just the night before, she�d
submitted her report to Tom. The long and short of her assessment was
that Wes was not just qualified, she was an excellent choice to head the
WHMU from an operational standpoint. She worked well with a team,
didn�t buck the chain of command, and knew when to take charge when
medical issues demanded. She didn�t have an excuse to spend extra
time with Wes any longer. �Hi.�
�Hi.�
Wes, in dark trousers and a pale blue shirt open at the throat, stood
just inside the door, looking better than Evyn remembered, and she�d
been remembering a lot. The instant her eyes had opened that morning,
like most every morning, she�d thought of Wes. Wondered what Wes�s
day would be like, if she�d moved yet�if she needed help. If she�d
call. And in her next breath, she�d remembered how she�d lain in the
dark torturing herself�rekindling the fire Wes�s hands had ignited in
her belly, savoring the slow buildup while replaying the sound of Wes�s
murmurs in her ear, her low moans, the quick gasp as she orgasmed.
She�d fallen asleep on the crest of her own orgasm with the memory
of Wes�s mouth moving over her skin, so knowing and so sure. She�d
awakened ready for another and would have indulged again if her cell
phone hadn�t vibrated with a message from base advising her she was
needed to fill in because POTUS had decided to go OTR. At the sight
of Wes, the low-level arousal that she had lived with all day, every day,
leaped to life. She worked on sounding casual. �Did you get moved?�
�Just this morning.� Wes headed for the coffeepot, poured a cup,
and gestured with it toward Evyn. �Refill?�
�I�m good.�
Wes put the pot back and gathered herself. She hadn�t expected
to see Evyn, and the surge of pleasure at finding her there took her by
surprise. �I thought you were off today.�
Evyn shook her head with a wry grin. �POTUS decided to go
Christmas shopping.�
Wes rested against the counter and sipped her coffee.
�Something tells me that isn�t your most favorite thing.�
� 207 �
RADCLY
�Unscheduled trips are about our least favorite. No advance
planning, lots of civilians, way too much exposure.� Evyn laughed.
�We like things to be orderly, controlled, planned out.�
�Sounds a lot like my life,� Wes said.
�Well, you know what happens when all that goes out the window,�
Evyn said softly.
Wes set her coffee aside. Evyn�s eyes were so dark, so deep, Wes
couldn�t look away. The pull on her body to move closer, to touch, was
nearly irresistible, and she gripped the counter to keep herself in place.
�Dangerous.�
�And scary.�
Wes had been scared plenty in her life�scared of what would
happen to her family when her father died, scared of what would happen
if she didn�t get a scholarship, scared of who might pay if she failed to
do her job in the classroom or the field. She�d countered that fear by
working harder and longer until she was absolutely certain the outcome
was in her control. She didn�t leave room for failure. �Sometimes being
scared forces us to be stronger�better.�
�Oh, no question. Nothing like a challenge to make us dig deep,
find out what we�ve really got.�
�And who we really are?� Until recently, Wes had known who she
was and what she wanted. Now she wasn�t so sure.
�That too, sometimes.�
�This is crazy, you know that, right?� Wes murmured.
�Maybe. Probably. I told Tom you were right for the job and field
ready.�
�Did you.� Wes slid her hands into her pockets, crossed her
anklesEvyn swallowed. �Mmm. Last night.�
�So I guess I�m not a squid anymore.�
�Nope.� Evyn laughed.
�No more sims?�
��Fraid not.�
Wes smiled. �I�m not.�
�No�I imagine you�ll be glad to be done with our daily dates.�
�You too, I imagine.�
�Not so much,� Evyn murmured.
Wes knew exactly what she should do to extinguish the possibilities
� 208 �
that seemed to be growing without any intention on her part. She knew
what to say, but she�d never been a coward. �I�m meeting friends of
mine��she glanced at her watch��in an hour. You like jazz?�
�Sure,� Evyn said, her gaze fixed on Wes�s face.
�When are you going to be done?�
�My push is due in half an hour�� Evyn laughed, shook her head.
�Are you inviting me to go out with you?�
�I don�t know what I�m doing, but I like being with you. Pretending
I don�t when we�re going to see each other every day isn�t going to
work.�
�I�ll come find you when Gary shows up,� Evyn said. �I�m usually
pretty good at pretending, but not so much with you.�
Wes warmed inside. �Tonight�just so we�re clear, it�s just��
�I know,� Evyn said quickly. �Just friends. I know. That�s good.�
Wes nodded, grabbed her coffee, and left before she said anything
they wouldn�t be able to take back, or live with. She was halfway to her
office before she recognized the ache in her middle was gone.
� 209 �
RADCLY
chapter twenty-six
So,� Emory said, leaning across Dana at the table and grasping
Wes�s arm, �how did you meet Evyn?�
�We work together.�
�I remember her,� Dana said. �She was at the wedding. One of
the agents.�
�That�s right,� Wes answered while watching Evyn thread her
way through the crowd toward the back of the bar. She looked great
tonight, in plain dark trousers and a white shirt. More than a few people
watched her pass, and Wes struggled between possessiveness and pride.
Both sensations were foreign.
�She�s very nice,� Emory said.
�Yes,� Wes said. The band was good, and the bar was packed.
There hadn�t been much opportunity for conversation, for which she
was grateful. Emory wasn�t as relentless as her mother or Denny when
she wanted to know something, but she didn�t let up. Her curiosity
had been apparent from the instant Wes had introduced Evyn, and
understandably so. Evyn was great company�sociable, funny, at ease
in any situation. Wes doubted she would be as comfortable meeting
any of Evyn�s friends, but then she wasn�t particularly comfortable
in social gatherings to begin with. She hadn�t had much practice.
Evyn undoubtedly had, and thinking about her in a bar, comfortable,
charming, connecting with other women, the twinge of possessiveness
swelled to a surge of jealousy. She promptly extinguished it. She didn�t
have any claim on Evyn, by her own choice.
�Sexy too.� Emory plucked a handful of peanuts from the bowl
on the table.
� 210 �
�Yes,� Wes said.
�When did you lose your powers of speech?� Emory asked with
exaggerated politeness.
Dana cautiously eased her chair back from the table, clearing the
space between Emory and Wes.
�I could use a break here, Em,� Wes said quietly.
�I can see that�you�re out with a great-looking, sexy, charming
woman and you�ve been trying to pretend all evening that she wasn�t
there.��That�s not true.� Wes could hear the testy tone in her voice and
tried to dial it back. Emory was her friend. �It�s complicated.�
Emory laughed. �Of that, I have no doubt. Neither of you strikes
me as simple. Although sometimes, I think you�re kind of simple-
minded.�
Dana stood up, the loud scraping of her chair audible even over
the music. �I�m gonna go get refills. Another drink, Wes?�
Wes eyed her half-finished beer. She�d had her hand clasped
around the bottle for most of the last set, and the beer was warm. She�d
feared if she let go, her hand would end up on Evyn�s thigh, the hard,
sleek thigh that had somehow come to rest against hers soon after
they�d all sat down. The entire length of her leg tingled, as if Evyn had
been sending a low pulse of energy into her for the past hour. �I�ll have
another Pilgrim.�
�Coming up.�
�So what�s really going on?� Emory asked as soon as they were
alone.�I don�t know, Em,� Wes said, weary of pretending everything
was fine and exactly the way she wanted it. �I�m still trying to sort
things out.�
�But there�s something going on between you. That�s pretty
obvious. She�s been watching you the entire night.�
Wes stiffened. She�d been hyperaware of Evyn since the moment
they�d left the White House and driven to the club in Evyn�s car. They
hadn�t talked much, but the silence hadn�t been uncomfortable. All the
same, every time she looked at Evyn, she�d known the silence was
masking what they both wanted to say. Even the noisy bar and the
diversion offered by Emory and Dana�s company hadn�t diminished her
awareness of Evyn next to her. Her brain registered the music, followed
� 211 �
RADCLY
along in the conversations, and prompted her to answer when spoken to,
but all she really noticed was Evyn�the heat of her body, the sound of
her voice, the space she occupied at the table. Watching Evyn�s fingers
curl around her glass, all Wes could think of was the sensation of those
fingers gently clasping her breast, stroking her, turning her blood to fire
and her mind to a sea of pleasure.
�You�re attracted to her,� Emory said, making it a statement, not
a question.
�Yes.�
�Which one of you is throwing up walls?�
Wes laughed. �What makes you think we are?�
�Oh, come on. You�re both acting as if it would be a crime to
touch each other.� She shook her head. �The two of you actually go
out of your way not to touch when it would be perfectly natural to do
so�it�s so obvious. So who shot who down?�
�No one,� Wes said, at a loss as to how to make sense of everything.
�It�s mutual�we decided not to go that route.�
�What route?�
�Intimacy.�
�You mean sex?�
�Come on, Emory,� Wes said. �Don�t make this any harder for me.
You know what I mean.�
�Honest, I don�t. Is she married?�
�What? No.�
�I know you�re not.�
Wes shook her head. �Can we not��
�She�s straight?�
�No,� Wes said definitely. Her stomach twisted, remembering
the way Evyn made love to her, so confidently, so perceptively, so
powerfully. �Definitely, no.�
�And I know you�re not.� Emory raised an eyebrow. �Are you?�
�No,� Wes said, laughing despite her discomfort.
�So what�s the problem? You�re both available, you�re both gay,
and you both obviously have the major hots for each other.�
�We work closely together�a personal relationship could
seriously disrupt the team.�
�May I say, major bullshit?�
�You don�t understand��
� 212 �
�More bullshit.� Emory spoke without the slightest bit of heat,
just calm certainty. �I know you, and I�m betting any woman you�re
attracted to would be pretty similar as far as this is concerned. Nothing
compromises your work. I bet Evyn is the same way.�
�I�m what way?� Evyn pulled out her chair and sat back down
next to Wes. Her arm brushed Wes�s and the tingling spread from
Wes�s leg into her stomach, making it hard for her to focus on Emory�s
inquisition.
�Totally serious and uncompromising about work,� Emory said.
Evyn gave Wes a what-did-I-miss look, then shifted in her chair
and regarded Emory. �Yes, I�d say that�s true. Why?�
�How well do you know Wes?� Emory asked.
Wes snapped back to the conversation. She wasn�t going to
discuss her personal relationship with Evyn while Evyn sat an inch
away. �Never mind. Emory and I were just catching up.�
Evyn glanced from Emory to Wes. �I have obviously missed
something pretty important here. Maybe you should catch
�Emory is my oldest friend�she thinks that gives her certain
privileges.�
�It does,� Emory said.
Evyn laughed. �What is it you want to know?�
�Do you really think there�s anything that could make Wesley
compromise her professional obligations?�
�No,� Evyn said slowly. �I don�t.�
�That�s not how you felt a few weeks ago,� Wes said.
�You�re right. But I know a lot more about you now than I did
then.��My point exactly,� Emory said. �Experience sometimes runs
counter to expectations�and proves there are exceptions to every
rule.��And sometimes,� Evyn said softly, her gaze returning to Wes,
�rules are just convenient shields.�
Wes had the urge to get up and run, and she�d never run from
anything in her life. What could be so frightening about a woman
wanting to be close to her? Not just any woman. Evyn. Evyn, who
had provided quiet strength, and tender comfort, and fierce passion.
Evyn�who refused to be pushed away.
�Sometimes reshaping boundaries is slow work.�
� 213 �
RADCLY
Evyn grinned. �I�m patient.�
Wes threw back her head, laughing quietly. �How is it I�ve never
noticed?�
�Never?� Evyn murmured.
Wes�s breath caught. Evyn had been endlessly patient the night
they�d made love�letting Wes lead, despite her inexperience, letting
her satisfy her need to touch and taste and savor. �I remember.�
�Good.�
�Well,� Emory said, as Dana returned, �before Wesley tells me it�s
none of my business, I�ll butt out.� She cleared a space on the table for
the drinks and leaned to kiss Dana as she sat down. �But for the record,
I think you two are smoking hot together.�
Wes groaned and Evyn grinned.
Emory lifted a shoulder. �Just my scientific observation.�
v
Russo walked out onto the back deck of his mountain cabin. His
last two public appearances and the benefit dinners that followed had
been great successes. His supporters had been enthusiastic, and even his
wife had managed to do her part. Now he planned to celebrate properly
with Nora, who should arrive any moment. Despite the frigid air, he felt
totally comfortable. The sky was clear, the stars bright points of light,
the moon a huge flawless globe. Snow cascaded down the mountainside
and layered the bending boughs of the pines with powdery lace. He was
surrounded by natural beauty, and the brisk air stung his lungs with
every breath, reminding him of the surety of life.
Nora�s latest report showed his popularity growing and his strength
with the electorate approaching the point where no challenger would
pose a threat. Still, a substantial number in his own party found him too
radical, too polarizing, and there were large segments of the Northeast
and West where Andrew Powell commanded a huge following. He
needed to shake up the moderates in his own party and create doubt
in the hearts of the centrist liberals who might be persuaded to change
allegiances if the threat to their personal safety was great enough. The
time to prepare the groundwork for that shift in power was now. Certain
of his course, he called Hooker.
� 214 �
�Hooker,� the man answered.
�It�s time to initiate our plans with the optimal timetable,� Russo
said. �That doesn�t give us a lot of time,� Hooker said.
�Yes, I�m aware of that, but given the ideal location, you should
have ample time to activate all the parties.�
�I�ll need to confirm with my contact.�
�Then do so,� Russo said calmly. �Unless I hear from you, I�ll
assume we are proceeding as planned.�
�My fee just went up,� Hooker said. �It�s going to take a whole lot
of coordinating to pull this off so soon.�
�I have utmost faith in you. And if all goes as expected, you�ll
receive a twenty percent bonus.�
�That�s very generous,� Hooker said.
�I hope we�ll be doing business for some time.�
�I�ll let you know when I�ve confirmed with my contact.�
�Wonderful. And happy holidays.�
�Yeah,� Hooker said, �ho-fucking-ho.�
Russo rang off without commenting. The new year was going to
be a very good year.
v
�Are you coming to bed?� Blair kissed the top of Cam�s head and
rubbed her shoulders. �It�s getting late and it�s been a long day.�
Cam leaned her head back against Blair�s stomach and closed her
eyes, enjoying the warmth spreading down her back from Blair�s hands.
�Have I ever mentioned I love the way you touch me?�
Smiling, Blair kissed the top of her head again. �A time or two.
What are you doing?�
Cam rubbed her eyes. �Reviewing reports from this morning�s
security update. Looking for anything out of the ordinary.�
�Why? If you think we�re dealing with someone on the inside?�
�The leak may be internal, but if�� She hesitated. They were
talking about Blair�s father.
�It�s a little late to try to shield me, don�t you think?� Blair�s
question lacked the usual heat that accompanied any accusation of Cam
� 215 �
RADCLY
being overprotective. �Lucinda briefed me and you know she doesn�t
sugarcoat anything. If someone is going to try to kill my father, you
don�t think it will be someone close to him? Someone we know?�
�I don�t know a thing for sure,� Cam said, wishing with everything
in her Blair didn�t have to be a part of this. Bad enough Blair needed
to worry about her father, but Blair was going to be right in the middle
of any potential attack. She was almost as much at risk as Andrew, and
there was no way Blair could be convinced not to go on the trail with
him. �You�re going to be there too,� Blair said with her uncanny ability
to read Cam�s mind.
�How do you do that?�
�Practice.� Blair spun Cam�s chair around, straddled her lap, and
kissed her with heat. They�d spent the day apart. While Cam had met
with Lucinda and then gone straight into a briefing with Tom and the
other agents on PPD, Blair had spent a rare afternoon with her father.
They hadn�t talked about security concerns. They�d talked about his
reelection campaign, the major platform issues, and the role Blair would
play. For a few hours she�d been able to forget the danger and the fear.
The only other person who�d ever made her feel so safe was Cam.
�I missed you today,� Blair said. �We�re still supposed to be on
our honeymoon.�
Cam smiled and ran her hands up and down Blair�s back. �And I
am obviously falling down on my marital duties already.�
Blair snuggled tighter into Cam�s lap, settling her ass firmly in
Cam�s crotch. �Oh, I wouldn�t say that. But if you�re almost done, and
you�ve still got half an hour left in you, you could see to your duties.�
Cam rested her cheek against Blair�s breast. �Give me ten minutes,
and I�m yours.�
Blair ran her fingers through Cam�s hair. �All right. Have you
found anything?�
�Nothing substantial, really. I�m just trolling�a truckload of
munitions went missing from Fort Dix. We�ve got Army CID on that.
A sleeper cell we�ve been watching in San Francisco looks like it may
be waking up�I�ve got a Homeland Security team moving on that.
An inventory irregularity turned up at a Level 4 government-funded
research lab outside of Atlanta. A team from the CDC is on their way
there.�
� 216 �
�So you think someone on the inside is part of a larger group, and
the attack is being orchestrated from the outside?�
�We have to be prepared for that.� Cam tilted Blair�s chin up and
met her eyes. �We have to be prepared for anything.�
Blair smoothed the frown lines between Cam�s brows. �We will
be. You�re not alone in this�no matter what, you�re never alone.�
Cam wrapped her arms around Blair�s waist and rose. Blair
automatically locked her legs behind Cam�s back. Cam kissed her. �I
know. Let�s go to bed.�
v
Wes kissed Emory�s cheek as they stood outside the Black Fox. �It
was great to see you. Merry Christmas.�
Emory hugged her. �You too.� She hugged Wes close to whisper
in her ear. �And don�t be afraid to take a chance, Wes. Sometimes, you
have to.�
�I�ll call you soon.� Wes released Emory, shook Dana�s hand, and
waved as they headed off toward the car. She and Evyn walked toward
Dupont Circle, where Evyn had parked.
�What was that all about back in the bar?� Evyn said.
�Just the usual third degree from friends�you know, where we
met, that sort of thing.�
�And are we fucking?�
�Not in just those words, no,� Wes said dryly. �But the intention
was there.�
Evyn laughed. �What did you say?�
�That it was complicated.�
�I guess it is.� Evyn slipped her arm around Wes�s waist as they
walked. Maybe it was the holiday lights on every porch and storefront
or the excitement on the faces of everyone they passed that made her
heart so light and filled with possibility, but she was tired of ignoring
her need to really connect with Wes. �How come it seemed simple that
night?�
�Because we weren�t thinking past the moment?�
Evyn blew out a breath. �We weren�t really thinking at all. That�s
not like me.�
�Me either.�
� 217 �
RADCLY
�So,� Evyn said, �what are you thinking right now?�
Wes slowed and pointed down the block. �That my place is right
over there.�
�Really? Great location,� Evyn said, testing the air. Wes had been
calling all the shots up until now�another thing that was decidedly
unlike her. She hadn�t minded when they�d been holed up in that hotel
room in Kitty Hawk and she hadn�t had a clue what the hell was going
on, but they weren�t in Kitty Hawk any longer. And Wes was no one-
night stand. She needed to get in the game right now.
�Yeah, close to the Metro and all that.�
�So, what�s the chance I could get a cup of coffee before I drive
home?� Evyn asked.
�Sure,� Wes said slowly before leading the way up the block toward
her apartment. She shouldn�t be doing what she was doing, but the
tension in her chest eased with every step they took away from Evyn�s
car. She didn�t want Evyn to leave. She didn�t want the night to end.
She didn�t want to wake up another morning alone and questioning.
�You know we don�t have to figure this all out at once,� Evyn said,
taking her hand.
Evyn�s fingers were soft, warm, and Wes laced hers through
Evyn�s. �I know. I�m trying to shut my mind off, but it�s tough.�
�Then don�t try. Some things you can�t control.�
�That�s what�s so scary.�
�It�s just coffee, Wes.�
�Right. You�re right.� Wes squeezed Evyn�s hand. Except what if
she wanted more than just coffee?
� 218 �
chapter twenty-seven
Silently, Wes led Evyn to her apartment, unlocked the door,
and held it wide for her to enter. She turned on a table lamp
just inside the door while Evyn waited only a foot away. In the dim
lamplight, Evyn�s features were soft, almost blurred. Color smudged
her cheeks, probably from the cold. Wes had a hard time looking away
from her mouth, remembering the softness, the taste. �I�ll take your
coat.��Thanks.� Evyn passed her jacket to Wes and turned slightly to
take in the living room and kitchen. �Looks like a pretty good place.�
�My mother says it needs plants. Or a cat.� Wes held Evyn�s jacket
in one hand, oddly unable to move.
�Mothers always think we need plants.�
�Yours too?� Wes didn�t know what to do with herself. She�d
never brought a woman back to her quarters before. She searched her
mind for the right thing to say, the right thing to do, and realized she
had no idea. Evyn wasn�t just any friend, and thinking Evyn might be or
could be was ridiculous. She had friends. She loved Emory. She didn�t
want Emory to kiss her�didn�t ache to see her the moment they parted.
Didn�t lose her concentration thinking about the way Emory tasted, the
small sounds she made when they kissed. �I�ll make that coffee.�
Evyn moved closer and brushed a stray lock of hair from Wes�s
forehead. Her fingertips were warm but Wes shivered. �Why don�t you
take your coat off first.�
Wes swallowed. Nodding, she shrugged out of her topcoat, grateful
for something to do, and hung it up with Evyn�s in the closet next to the
door. When she turned back, Evyn was standing right in front of her.
� 219 �
RADCLY
�Coffee keeps me awake if I drink it after twenty-two hundred,�
Evyn said.
�It�s almost zero hundred.�
�I know. Honestly, the coffee was an excuse. I wasn�t ready to say
good night. Sorry.�
Wes watched Evyn�s lips move, straining to hear the words while
her body flooded with the memory of soft kisses and a knowing mouth
and unbearable pleasure. She pressed her fingertips to Evyn�s lips,
amazed when she realized she�d moved. Touched her. She hadn�t meant
to. �No need to be sorry.�
Evyn grew silent, her eyes darkening, searching Wes�s.
�I keep thinking about being with you,� Wes said hoarsely.
�About touching you. About the way you touch me. Remembering�
everything�has been driving me crazy.�
Evyn covered Wes�s hand and kissed her fingertips. Drawing
Wes�s palm to the side of her face, she held it there, pressed Wes�s
fingers along the arch of her jaw.
Evyn�s skin was soft, hot. Wes throbbed inside. She held her breath,
held very, very still. Waiting. Searching for an answer she feared she
wouldn�t recognize.
�I know,� Evyn whispered, leaning toward her. Inches away now.
�I feel the same. I want you all the time.�
Wes backed up a step. Her shoulders met the closet door and she
leaned against it. Her thighs went soft and she locked her knees, forcing
her body to stay upright. They should talk, but her mind was seriously
disconnected. She clasped the back of Evyn�s neck, fearing she might
move away.
�I�m not going anywhere.� Evyn smiled, a knowing, ever-so-
slightly triumphant smile.
Wes kept her eyes open as Evyn slowly leaned closer, memorizing
the swirling shades of blue and purple in Evyn�s eyes, the flicker of her
ebony pupils, the golden sparks of color that danced around her irises,
like flames around the fire. She grasped Evyn�s waist with both hands,
pressing her thumbs into the muscles above Evyn�s hips. Evyn groaned
softly and excitement welled in Wes�s depths. She tugged Evyn to her,
but Evyn pressed her palms on either side of her shoulders, keeping
their bodies an inch apart.
� 220 �
�Do you know what you�re doing to me?� Evyn growled softly.
�What I want right now?�
�I want to kiss you,� Wes said.
�I want more than that.� Evyn�s lips skimmed Wes�s. Sweet, hot,
urgent. �Say yes, Wes.�
�Yes.�
Instantly, Evyn�s mouth covered Wes�s. Thought fled, instinct
ruled. Wes slid her arms around Evyn and dug her fingertips into the
hard muscles along Evyn�s spine. A pulse pounded in her clit. Groaning,
she parted her legs and Evyn�s tight thigh wedged between hers. Wes
arched. She wanted�needed�more too. �Yes.�
Evyn took the kiss deeper. Her tongue was sweet and sure,
sweeping over the inside of Wes�s lips, probing lightly in her mouth,
teasing her to surrender. Wes rode Evyn�s thigh, hips pumping, each
thrust sending spirals of pleasure twisting along her spine. She heard a
whimper. Registered distantly the sound came from her.
Pulling her head back, Evyn gasped, �Wes.�
Evyn�s voice grated, a register lower than Wes recognized, urgent
and hungry. Evyn�s need made her burn. Wes twisted a handful of
Evyn�s shirt in her fist and yanked it from her pants. Evyn found the
buttons on her shirt, impatiently worked them open, slid her hand over
Wes�s bare belly. Wes jerked at the sudden flash of heat. Her nipples
tightened. Need gripped her like a hard hand between her thighs. She
moaned. She was burning.
�Wes, God. Where�s the bed?� Evyn�s mouth seared Wes�s neck.
Her fingers slipped down Wes�s belly, restlessly searching beneath the
waistband of Wes�s pants. �I don�t want to take you against this fucking
door, and if we don�t find a bed soon, I�m going to.�
Wes dragged her hands down Evyn�s back, squeezing her ass, and
thrust her hand between their bodies. She flicked a button on her pants
and pushed the zipper down. �Don�t move. Right here. Do it. Just do
it.� Wes�s command sent rockets flaring in Evyn�s head, blinding
her to everything but Wes. She buried her face in the curve of Wes�s
neck and breathed her in. Her vision tunneled. Her head reeled with the
woodsy scent that seduced her to touch, to taste, to take. She panted,
couldn�t get her breath, couldn�t find her focus.
� 221 �
RADCLY
Wes�s fingers wrapped around her wrist and pushed her hand into
the front of her open pants. Evyn�s mind went white. Wes was wet
against her fingertips, slick and hot and hard. She skated over Wes�s
clit, squeezed quickly, and Wes jerked upright with a strangled cry.
The sharp edge of Wes�s pleasure cleaved Evyn�s control and her clit
pumped to the brink of exploding. She pushed deeper, each stroke of
her fingertips wringing another sharp cry of pleasure from Wes. The
ties on her restraint unraveled and her orgasm boiled closer. �God, no,
I�m gonna come soon.�
Wes�s nails raked her skin. Evyn cupped Wes in her palm,
squeezing her, teasing her.
�Don�t hold back,� Wes groaned in her ear, her hold on Evyn�s
arm like iron.
Evyn thought she�d wear the marks of Wes�s fingertips for days.
The image drove her crazy. She loved Wes�s urgency, her need, thrilled
to the power of being wanted, being needed. She thrust deeper and
Wes�s other hand found her breast. Fingers closed around her nipple
and she threw her head back. �Oh, Christ. Wes. You feel so good. I can�t
hold it much longer.�
�I need�� Wes�s eyes opened, impossibly green, impossibly
beautiful. �I need you to make me come.�
Evyn�s clit twitched hard. She dropped her forehead to Wes�s.
�Hold me.�
Wes�s arms came around her waist, steadying her. Evyn pumped
inside her, rolled her palm over Wes�s clit. With every thrust, Wes�s
groans urged her on. Evyn rocked on Wes�s thigh, climbed closer to
exploding.
�Yes, yes. You�re going to make me come.� Wes rode Evyn�s
hand, short hard strokes. �Now, Evyn. You�re making me come.�
�Hold me. Wes. Please.� Evyn hovered so close�so close,
drowning in the sound of Wes�s pleasure, on fire with the sensation of
Wes pulsing around her, slick and hot. She needed to come. Needed it,
needed it so bad. �Wes, please. Help me.�
Wes bit her neck and Evyn came, the orgasm thundering out of
nowhere.
�Oh my God!� Stunned, Evyn collapsed into Wes, her hand
crushed between them, buried between Wes�s legs.
� 222 �
�Yes. Yes. Yes,� Wes groaned, flooding Evyn�s fingers, coming on
them again.
Evyn�s breath shot out in sobs of wonder and relief. She never
wanted to move. She never wanted to break the connection. She just
wanted more. Her heart thundered in her chest. Her stomach rolled with
need. She kissed Wes�s throat, the line of her jaw, her mouth. �You�re
so beautiful. So amazing.�
Wes�s hands caressed her shoulders, her back, stroked her hair,
clasped her neck. �That�s okay,� Wes murmured. �That�s okay.�
Evyn raised her head. Dazed, unfocused. �What?�
Wes brushed her thumbs over Evyn�s cheek. �You�re so
beautiful�Thank you.�
�What?� Evyn felt the tears Wes wiped away. Her tears. What the
fuck was wrong with her? She looked at Wes. Wes�s shirt was open,
her pants around her hips. She was still mostly dressed. What was she
doing? She�d just fucked Wes against a goddamned door. She didn�t
remember how they�d gone from keeping their distance to this. She
could only remember want and need, desperate need. And now she was
crying? That just never fucking happened. Not to her. She never lost
control. Confusion, uncertainty, sheer panic choked her.
�Are you all right?� Wes asked, her hand cradling Evyn�s chin.
What next�would Wes be asking her if she needed to process?
�I�m fine. I�m not the one up against the door.
The cloudy haze of pleasure cleared from Wes�s eyes in an instant.
Her focus sharpened, narrowed. Evyn felt naked with all her clothes on.
She couldn�t imagine being any more vulnerable.
�Evyn,� Wes said, steady and strong. �There were two of us here.
I wanted what happened to happen. Do you hear me?�
Evyn licked her lips, a little disoriented. She�d made the first move,
hadn�t she? She always did. What the hell happened? Where�when
had she lost it? �I didn�t hurt you, did I?�
�No,� Wes said softly. �No. You were wonderful.� Her gaze
dropped down Evyn�s body. �I don�t think I held up my end, though.
I�ve still got some things to learn��
�Believe me, you don�t need to learn anything.� Evyn shook her
head. And she was no teacher, that was for sure. �I don�t usually lose
it like that.�
� 223 �
RADCLY
�Are you all right?�
Evyn backed up a step, tucked her shirt back into her pants. �Sure.
I�m great. The sex was great�I don�t guess I need to say that.�
Wes zipped up, not bothering to button her shirt. Evyn looked
spooked. Uneasy. Almost battle shocked. �Why don�t you sit down? I
really will make some coffee.�
�I need to go. It�s late.�
�Evyn, I�m not asking��
�You don�t get it, Wes.� Evyn shook her head. �I don�t do
serious.�
�Okay,� Wes said, the familiar ache settling behind her breastbone.
�Is that what this was? Serious?�
�I don�t know what this was,� Evyn shouted. She pushed her hand
through her hair, wanted to pull it out. Wanted some real pain to block
the awful dread in the pit of her stomach. �No, that�s a fucking lie. This
was amazing. You�re beautiful, sexy as fucking hell. And you make me
crazy. I can�t afford to be crazy.�
�Tonight was my fault,� Wes said.
�The hell it was,� Evyn said sharply. �There�s no fault here, okay?
It was just�I don�t know�hormones. Pheromones. Something. God, I
can�t be anywhere around you without wanting you.�
�Which I take is a bad thing?�
�I�m sorry.� Evyn looked around the room as if she had never seen
it before. Her gaze settled on Wes�s face. �You deserve a lot better than
this�� She waved at the door. �More than a fast fuck.�
Wes swallowed the pain. She didn�t beg. Ever. Not for anyone or
anything. �Look, let�s not make this an issue, okay? We�re adults, we
acted on instinct, we both wanted a fast fuck, as you say. Now it�s done.
We�re over it�we move on.�
Anger flared in Evyn�s eyes and Wes nearly buckled under a wave
of need. She wanted Evyn naked. She wanted to be inside her. Evyn
made her want things, things she�d never thought she needed, things
Evyn didn�t want or need from her. �If you�re sure you don�t want
coffee��
�No, I�m good,� Evyn said.
�Okay then.� Wes turned away, busied herself getting Evyn�s coat,
settled herself. �You�re okay to drive?�
� 224 �
Evyn took her jacket. �I�m fine.�
�Good night then.� Wes opened the door.
��Night,� Evyn said softly and slipped by without touching her.
Wes turned out the light and walked to the window where her
mother thought she should put a plant. Evyn was a dark shadow
disappearing down the street. Now she knew. Being alone with Evyn
Daniels was dangerous. She understood just how dangerous now and
wouldn�t make the same mistake again.
v
Lucinda answered her phone on the first ring. �Washburn.�
�I thought you might still be in your office,� Cam said.
�We�re two days from Christmas Eve�busy time around here.�
�I know. You got a minute?�
�Where are you?�
�Outside the door.�
�Come in.� Lucinda replaced the phone and got up. A muscle in
her back reminded her she�d been sitting too long. She rubbed it quickly.
Cam walked in, closed the door. She wore jeans and a black crew neck
sweater�unusually casual for her. Cam looked tired�her eyes were
clear, but dark circles shadowed her cheeks. Her always carved features
looked sharper, knife edged, and Lucinda realized she was seeing Cam
on the hunt.
�Sorry to show up unannounced, but I didn�t think this could
wait,� Cam said.
�You have something?� Lucinda asked.
�I don�t know. Maybe.�
Lucinda�s breath caught on a wave of excitement. They�d all
been casting in the dark for weeks, too many bits and pieces, too many
fragments of facts and non-facts to shape into a coherent pattern.
Directionless in the face of unseen enemies, she was left impotent and,
deep inside, afraid. She couldn�t afford to be afraid. Andrew refused to
be intimidated, to be deterred, and she needed a clear head and clearer
vision to see that he was safe. �Tell me.�
�I�ve requested field reports on anything that might remotely
be connected to a potential attack and run probability algorithms on
� 225 �
RADCLY
everything I can think of,� Cam said. �Another aerial assault, dirty
bombs, a lone gunman, a group attack.�
The matter-of-fact tone in her voice chilled Lucinda to the core.
�As has Averill, I�m sure.�
�Right. And neither of us hit on anything with greater than random
probability.� Cam paced to the windows overlooking the gardens. Her
face in the cast-off glow of the walkway lights was marble smooth
and stone hard. �So I started looking at everyone who surfaced in
connection to suspicious events. I�ve got a flimsy�� She laughed and
shook her head. �Whatever is flimsier than flimsy, that�s the connection
I�ve got.�
�Any connection is something more solid than what we have
now.� Lucinda joined Cam by the windows, squeezed her arm. �You
are the best there is. I trust your instincts�I trust you with Blair and
Andrew. Tell me what you�re thinking.�
Cam rolled her shoulders, blew out a breath. �One of the
technicians with regular access to a missing biocontagion at a Level
Four lab outside Atlanta is from Idaho. Went to a Christian college
there. So did Lieutenant Jennifer Pattee.�
�So you think they might know each other?� Lucinda struggled to
see a connection.
�On the surface�no. There�s a six-year age difference, which
means they weren�t in college at the same time.�
�Hometowns?�
�According to records, not the same.�
�What do you mean, according to the records? You don�t believe
the records?�
�Here�s the thing that made me look harder at the two of them�
they were both homeschooled before college.�
Lucinda paced around her desk. �Not so unusual in Idaho.�
�No�but another point of intersection and another point of
commonality. So I looked a little bit deeper�parents, siblings, other
possible connectors. And I didn�t find anything.�
�You�re right, that�s not much,� Lucinda said, disappointment
sitting like a hard weight on her chest.
�No, what I mean is, I didn�t find
the grid.�
� 226 �
�No record of their parents or sibs?�
�None. For homeschooled kids to go to college, they have to show
GED or equivalent scores, SAT scores, and a personal affidavit.� Cam
slid her hands into her pockets, rocked on her heels. �That�s the starting
point for colleges, the beginning of a paper trail. But there�s no road
leading back to any place I can find.�
�Are you postulating we�re dealing with a domestic sleeper cell?
Americans raised to carry out some long-range act of terrorism?�
Cam sighed. �I think so�yes.�
�It�s pretty coincidental, but I agree, there might be something
there.� Lucinda shook her head. �What do you advise?�
�We need to put someone on her. We need to know more about
her, and we may not have a lot of time.�
�Put agents on her.�
�That�s my plan.�
�One of Blair�s?�
�I was thinking we could pair one from PPD and one from Blair�s
detail. An insider who won�t be obvious to the lieutenant, and one she
doesn�t know.� Cam grinned, a chilling, predatory grin. �One might be
a distraction and she�ll miss the other.�
�Fine, do that.�
Cam regarded Lucinda steadily. �I wouldn�t ordinarily suggest
this, but I don�t know what kind of timetable we�re working with
here. If there is any potential for a bioterrorist attack using the missing
specimen, it�s likely to be soon. We need as many eyes on this as we
can get.�
�What else?� Lucinda asked.
�Captain Masters seems to think Jennifer Pattee expressed more
than a professional interest in her. Masters might be the best person to
give us early warning.�
�She�s not a trained agent.�
�No, but she�s a navy captain. She�s smart, she�s steady. We use
what we have.�
�Individuals like this�extremists, fanatics�their goal is to make
a point, no matter the cost. If we thwart their operation, they may opt to
make an even bigger statement.�
�I know. And that�s a risk�and if what I suspect about Pattee
� 227 �
RADCLY
is right, and she realizes we suspect her, she could become volatile,
unstable. That�s a recipe for disaster, but I think we have to take the
chance.�
Lucinda nodded. �It has to be voluntary. The captain has to
agree�I won�t order her to do this.�
�Do you think you�d have to?�
�No, I don�t think we need to order her. Will you see to it?�
Cam nodded sharply. �I�ll do that. Thank you.�
�And, Cam, I know this will be difficult, but don�t bring Blair in
on this right now. We need to keep her at a safe distance.�
Cam�s jaw tightened. �She might not forgive us for that.�
�Let me worry about that.�
�She�s mine to worry about.� Cam walked to the door. �And mine
to protect. Good night.�
�Good night, Cam.� Once the door closed, Lucinda sagged behind
her desk and pressed her fingertips to her eyes. She picked up her phone
and made a call. �I�m sorry, were you sleeping? I need to see you. No,
I�ll come there.�
Lucinda turned out the lights and stepped outside through the
French doors and started for the residence. She thought of all those
who would sacrifice everything to serve and protect, and of how many
times she had asked for that sacrifice. More times than she could count,
and probably many more to come.
� 228 �
chapter twenty-eight
At 0430, Evyn got the text from Cameron Roberts telling her
she needed to be at a briefing at 0600. She�d been asleep an
hour. When she got home from Wes�s, she was still wired, her body
still humming. She�d come out of her mind with Wes barely touching
her, but the orgasm was already a distant memory and her body craved
more. More of Wes. Adrenaline, that�s all it was. When she got amped
up during a tense training exercise or something heated up out in the
field, she always got a sexual buzz. That�s all it was. Adrenaline.
Whatever she called it, the burn in her blood was enough to keep
her up channel surfing, with Ricochet sitting nearby, watching her
warily. He didn�t seem to trust her mood, because he wasn�t in her lap
or draped around her shoulders, where he usually perched while she
chilled out. He was probably smart not to get too close because she
wasn�t chilling out. She was too uncomfortable in her skin to unwind.
She finished the one beer she allowed herself, but it didn�t settle her
enough to sleep. Finally, exhaustion won out and she stretched out
where she was on the couch and fell asleep in her clothes. She dreamed
of running through a tangled forest, breathless, lost, pursued by a
faceless menace coming ever closer. Roberts�s text had awakened her,
saving her from what she feared she might find�the pursuer was her
and she was running from herself.
Now, after a quick shower and two shots of espresso, she was
walking through the West Wing in her least wrinkled pair of black
trousers and her last pressed white shirt. Staffers hurried by, already
looking harried. She settled in the briefing room. There wasn�t any
coffee�must have been a very hastily assembled meeting. A minute
� 229 �
RADCLY
later the door opened and Paula Stark walked in followed by a young
agent she recognized from Blair Powell�s detail, but didn�t know
personally.
�Hey,� Evyn said, nodding to Paula. Their details often overlapped
when the first daughter was traveling with POTUS. She liked Stark�
she was on top of things without being super territorial.
�Hi, Evyn. This is Randy Block.�
Evyn leaned over the table to shake hands with the new guy. �How
you doing.�
�Fine. Good to meet you.� Block looked like a typical college
jock�fair-haired, blue-eyed, strong jaw, good shoulders. A lot like
Gary, a wholesome, all-American guy. She wondered what was going
on and if Stark knew something she didn�t. But she wasn�t about to
ask. The door opened again and she expected Tom to walk in. She
barely managed to keep quiet when Wes sat down across the table from
her. �Morning,� Wes said, glancing around the table. She was wearing
charcoal pants, a crisp pale blue shirt open at the throat, and a matte
silver bracelet on her right wrist with some kind of intertwining pattern,
subtle, understated. Sexy. Her gaze passed over Evyn�s face in the same
friendly but distant fashion in which she regarded everyone else in the
room.At precisely 0600, Cameron Roberts walked in. �Morning,
everyone. Thanks for getting here on such short notice. I think the only
one needing introductions is Captain Masters, the new chief of the
White House Medical Unit.�
Stark and Block introduced themselves to Wes and they all shook
hands. Evyn wondered why Tom wasn�t there.
�This is need-to-know,� Roberts said as if reading her mind, �and
I won�t be giving you much in the way of details.�
Evyn sat still, keeping her shoulders relaxed, preventing the
tension curling around her spine from showing in her face or body.
She�d learned years ago to school herself, to never give away anything,
but it was hard with Wes only a few feet away. She had what she
wanted�an impersonal, cordial working relationship, and she hated it.
She hated that Wes would walk into a room and not seek her out first,
not connect with her in a way she didn�t connect with others. What the
� 230 �
fuck was wrong with her? Why couldn�t she be satisfied with the way
things had always been? Why did she want things now that she�d never
wanted before? Why did Wes Masters make her yearn?
Wes looked over at her as if she had been broadcasting her
thoughts, and Evyn quickly looked away. She wasn�t certain she could
hide what she was feeling from Wes, and she didn�t want her to know
she regretted the night before. She regretted walking out. She regretted
letting Wes think she could walk away without bleeding inside.
�We need surveillance on an individual we suspect might have ties
to a domestic terrorist group that is planning an attack on POTUS.�
None of the agents moved, but the air suddenly vibrated. Evyn�s
skin tingled and her heart rate had picked up. Her groin tightened as
her senses went to full alert. Wes hadn�t moved either, and she seemed
completely composed. Why was she here? This was a security matter.
�We suspect the individual may have access to a biocontagion or
may be a contact for someone else who does. This is where Dr. Masters
comes in.�
The muscles at the angles of Evyn�s jaws clenched, and she had to
force her teeth not to grind. What was this about? Wes wasn�t trained
for this.
�The individual in question is Lieutenant Jennifer Pattee, a
member of the White House Medical Unit.� Roberts opened her
laptop and brought up an image of a woman who looked enough like
Jennifer Pattee to be her sister. �We have reason to believe she may
have connections to this woman�Angela Jones, although we doubt
that�s her given name. Jones is an employee of Eugen Corp, a private
laboratory doing viral gene research. They�ve reported an inventory
discrepancy in their Level Four lab which we believe may actually be
a stolen specimen.�
�The nature of the specimen?� Wes asked.
�Our understanding is it�s an engineered virus�a mutant form of
an avian flu virus.�
�What do we know of its properties?�
�Not very much,� Roberts said. �The lead investigators are
stonewalling us because their work is preliminary and unreported at this
point. They don�t want information being disseminated prematurely,
but the transformed avian virus is apparently much more highly
transmissible than the natural avian virus.�
� 231 �
RADCLY
�That�s a problem,� Wes said. �The avian flu virus has a high
mortality rate, but it is not easily transmissible between fowl and
humans, and not transmissible from one human to another.�
Roberts nodded, her expression grave. �They won�t come out and
admit to this, but we believe this variant has been aerosolized and is
transmissible between humans.�
Wes frowned. �Then you have an agent with the potential to kill
vast numbers of individuals.�
Evyn shook her head. �This seems pretty complex for an
assassination plot.�
�On the surface, yes,� Roberts said. �There are faster and more
direct ways, none of which we need to enumerate here. But while
assassination by gunfire is horrifying and dramatic, the public doesn�t
see a single act of violence as a personal threat. However, the release
of a biological agent capable of killing scores or even more places the
danger directly on the public itself. People will be terrified.�
�And consequently,� Paula Stark said softly, �the government will
be distrusted and destabilized.�
�Exactly.�
�I don�t know the lieutenant very well,� Wes said. �I can�t say that
I�ve seen any particularly suspicious behavior from her.�
�Nor would we expect you would have.� Roberts clicked off the
computer and pushed it aside. She addressed Wes directly. �If what we
believe is true, these individuals have been trained since childhood to
carry out specific acts of terrorism after achieving positions of power
and trust. If indeed the lieutenant is part of this conspiracy, she�s not
going to reveal anything or do anything suspect until the attack itself is
set in motion.�
�What�s the goal of surveillance?� Evyn asked.
�We need to intercept her when she receives the agent. Failing
that, then we have to prevent the release of the contagion.�
�I can adjust our schedules so I�m on duty with Lieutenant Pattee,�
Wes said. �Of course, that�s only going to be ten or twelve hours a
day.��Yes, do that,� Roberts said. �In addition, Captain, given that
the lieutenant has expressed a personal interest, you might be able to
observe her in less guarded circumstances.�
�What?� Evyn stood before she could stop herself. She looked
� 232 �
from Roberts to Wes and then back to Roberts. �The captain isn�t
trained for undercover work, which is essentially what you�re asking
her to do. Whatever information she might gain isn�t worth the risk to
her or the operation��
�I think I�m perfectly capable of making expert observations,�
Wes said calmly, �and would probably recognize conditions or
circumstances conducive to exchanging and transporting a biologic
agent more readily than anyone else. If it�s a question of asking her
out to dinner or spending an evening with her or more, I�m perfectly
willing.�
�That�s ridiculous.� Evyn squared her body to Roberts. �You can�t
really expect her to do this.�
�Evyn�� Wes said.
�It�s up to the captain, of course,� Roberts said, �but we expect an
attack to be imminent, and we need to take advantage of every avenue
of information we possibly can. I admit it�s a long shot, but even the
remote possibility of picking up information that would help us pinpoint
and intercept the individuals involved is worth pursuing.�
Stark asked, �How strong is the connection between the lieutenant
and Angela Jones?�
�Loose,� Roberts admitted. �But more than we have been able to
find anywhere else. I want Agents Daniels and Block to work together
on surveillance. The lieutenant is familiar with PPD, so Agent Daniels�s
presence will likely be unnoticed. And Pattee doesn�t know Blair�s
agents at all, so Block can take the lead outside official functions. That
will allow us to stagger the coverage without putting a larger detail in
place. Unfortunately, we�re not sure how deeply we�re compromised.�
Evyn was no longer a suspect, but that knowledge didn�t make her
feel better. All she could think about was Wes suddenly in the middle
of some crazy extremist conspiracy, without backup.
�Is Wes going to wear a wire?�
�Yes.�
Evyn closed her fist by her side, struggling to keep her voice even.
�That�ll help us monitor her. But if she�s discovered with it on, she�ll
be an immediate target.�
�You forget, Agent,� Wes said softly, �I earned my rank. I can take
care of myself.�
�This isn�t some field hospital, Wes��
� 233 �
RADCLY
Roberts cut in. �You can leave Captain Masters�s security to
me, Agent Daniels. Your job is to keep the lieutenant in your sights
whenever she�s in proximity to the president.�
�Yes, ma�am,� Evyn said tightly. As much as she trusted the
director�Roberts had proved more than once she was the best�she
didn�t plan on leaving Wes�s safety in anyone else�s hands. She kept
her mouth shut though�she�d already revealed too much about her
personal feelings. �Why isn�t Tom here?�
�Need-to-know,� Cam said quietly.
�I�ll get to work on adjusting the schedule,� Wes said.
�Good. We�ll communicate by phone and text. Stay off the comm
channels. Block, your contact is Stark. Agent Daniels, I�m yours.� Cam
glanced at Wes. �And yours.�
�Understood,� Wes said.
Cam stood. �Good. Let�s go.�
Evyn held back while others pushed back from the table. �Wes�
Captain Masters�a word, please.�
�Of course,� Wes said as the others filed out.
The door closed, leaving them alone, and Evyn stalked around the
table. �This is crazy. You know that, right? Jesus Christ, Wes.�
�Evyn, we have jobs to do. There�s no time for this.�
Evyn gripped Wes�s forearm. �Just be sure you observe and
nothing else.�
Wes shook her head. �Do you really think I�m in need of
protection?�
The metallic taste of fear, foreign and paralyzing, blurred Evyn�s
focus. She took a deep breath, then another. �I know you don�t. It�s
just�if something happens to you�I can�t go there, okay?�
�Then don�t. Just trust me.� Wes skimmed a fingertip along Evyn�s
jaw. �It�s okay. I like that you worry, but you don�t have to. I�ll be
fine.�Evyn wanted to grab Wes�s hand and hold it to her, wanted the
warm certainty of her touch. She went very still as Wes�s eyes turned
that deep green they got when they were alone with nothing between
them�no pretense, no fear, no excuses. Deep calm�solid and clear�
centered Evyn like no amount of self-imposed control ever had. Last
night she�d thought she was losing herself in Wes�s eyes. Now she
� 234 �
realized she was finding her true strength. �I�m sorry. I know you can
handle this. It�s just�last night. Wes, I thought��
Wes shook her head. �Evyn, don�t. You don�t need to explain.�
�Yeah�I do. I need you to know�� Evyn shook her head. �We�ve
got work�I know it�s not the time.�
�There�s always time if you need me�but I promise you don�t
need to worry about this.�
�You�ll be careful?�
�Yes. You too.�
�Always.� Evyn gave her stock answer, only now it wasn�t just a
piece of the armor she put on to compete every day in a world where
she had to be the best. Now she knew she could feel and still win. �Last
night isn�t over. It can�t be over.�
�I don�t want it to be either,� Wes said quietly, �but I don�t want to
need what I can�t have.�
�I know I fucked up��
�I didn�t say that.� Wes smiled wryly. �When this is over, we�ll
talk.�Not what Evyn wanted�not all of what she wanted. But she�d
wait. She�d wait, but she wasn�t going to let Wes forget. Or slip away.
She kissed her�swift, hard. �I�m not quitting.�
�Do you ever?� Wes asked.
�Never.�
v
Jennifer knocked on Wes�s office door. �Hi. I got your text. I�m
fine with the schedule changes.�
�You�ll be short and then doubling up two days in a row.� Wes
pulled a file folder over the report she�d been reading.
�Like I said, it�s no problem. This time of year, OT is always
welcome.�
�Thanks. Sorry about the late notice. A couple of people have had
personal matters come up�it�s the season for it, I guess.�
Jennifer stepped a little farther into the room, her shoulder nudging
the door almost closed. �I�m glad for the excuse to spend time with
you. It should be pretty quiet.�
� 235 �
RADCLY
�I hear the Christmas buffet for staff is a big event.� Wes thought
ahead to the president�s schedule�no trips planned until after New
Year�s. No State events during the holidays either. The largest gathering
of staff and press would be in two days.
�Shouldn�t be a problem.� Jennifer smiled.
�Well, I�m sorry you�ll be working part of Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day too.�
�You�re in the same situation, right?�
�I�m new in town, remember? I didn�t have any plans, so working
isn�t that much of a hardship.� Wes wasn�t really sure how convincing
she�d be suggesting a personal interest. She didn�t have a hell of a lot
of practice�make that no practice�getting up close and personal with
colleagues or anyone else. Except with Evyn�being close to Evyn
hadn�t taken any effort at all.
�Well,� Jennifer said quickly, �like I said, my plans fell through
too. Maybe that�s a sign.�
�Maybe you�re right.�
Apparently, her skills weren�t as bad as she thought. Jennifer�s
eyes sparked, and color rose above the vee of her pale-blue cashmere
sweater to her throat. �How about we catch a late dinner when our shift
is over tonight. Unwind before the last-minute Christmas Eve duty.�
�If you don�t have any plans��
�I don�t, but even if I did,� Jennifer said, her smile slow and
seductive, �I�d change them. I�ve been hoping we�d have a chance to
spend some time together.�
�Then I�d like that. Tonight, then?�
�Yes, perfect.�
�Shall I meet you somewhere?�
�Why don�t you come over to my place for a drink after work, and
we can leave from there.�
�All right. That sounds perfect.�
Jennifer smiled that suggestive smile again. �It does, doesn�t it?
See you later.�
�Yes. Definitely.�
Jennifer left and Wes sagged back in her chair. When she was sure
Jennifer wasn�t returning, she called Cameron Roberts and reported the
conversation.
� 236 �
�Report to the briefing room before your shift ends,� Cam said.
�We�ll wire you up.�
�There�s something else,� Wes said.
�Go ahead.�
Wes slid Len O�Shaughnessy�s toxicology report out from under
the file folder. Nothing had jumped out at her until she�d looked at the
tissue analysis. �Colonel O�Shaughnessy had unusually high levels of
potassium in his cardiac muscle. Enough to cause cardiac arrest.�
�Enough for us to investigate his death as a homicide?�
�Postmortem levels might vary depending on when they were
drawn�and he was given a lot of drugs during the resuscitation. This
isn�t hard evidence, I�m afraid.�
�Your opinion, then,� Cam said.
�If someone had wanted him out of the way,� Wes said, �I�d say
they succeeded.�
� 237 �
RADCLY
chapter twenty-nine
Blair set her book aside when the door opened and Cam walked
into the apartment. Cam looked tired, and she never looked
tired. She always seemed to have endless energy and incredible stamina.
The only signs of fatigue were a crease between her dark brows and a
tightness around the corners of her mouth. Blair saw the stress, even
though to anyone else Cam would appear as calm and centered as
always. �Did you catch any sleep?�
�I grabbed a couple of hours in the ready room. I�m okay.� Cam
leaned over the sofa and kissed her. �Morning.�
�What�s going on?� Blair grasped Cam�s hand and pulled her
down beside her. Draping her legs over the arm of the sofa, she shifted
until her head rested in Cam�s lap. Blair tugged Cam�s shirt from her
trousers and kissed her bare abdomen. �Have you eaten?�
�Coffee and half a chocolate doughnut.�
�That�s not food.� Blair settled back, and Cam stroked her arm
beneath the edge of the threadbare USSS T-shirt of Cam�s she wore to
bed. The light touch was gentle and reassuring and exciting all at the
same time. She never realized how much she missed Cam until she
walked back in the door. The scent of her, just looking up and seeing
her nearby, filled her with comfort and a peace she�d never known
she wanted. �You�re not supposed to deal with everything alone any
longer.�
Cam sifted Blair�s hair through her fingers, soothed by the silky
softness. �I�m not. I promise.�
�But?�
�I can�t help wanting to protect you.�
� 238 �
�I know that. I love you for that. But it�s a two-way street,
right?�
�Yes, it is.� Cam sighed. �I think we may be honing in on our
leak.��Who is it?� Blair kept a tight rein on the anger blazing in the very
core of her. Disbelief and outrage stoked the flames. She wanted to
strike back�and not being able to focus her rage only fueled her fury.
Cam gave her a capsule summary of what she�d reported to
Lucinda. �If I�m right, there may be an attempted assault soon.�
Fear licked around the edges of Blair�s consciousness, but she
pushed it away. �How? When?�
�I don�t know. Guesses are all I have.�
�Your guesses have always been good.� Blair sat up and faced
Cam, her knee sliding over Cam�s thigh. She kissed her. �I know you�re
doing everything that can be done. It�s not all on you.�
Cam nodded. �I know. I�m just...things are starting to move and
I�m preoccupied. Sorry.�
�You�re also not giving me much in the way of details.�
Cam smiled softly. �Noticed that, did you?�
�Really, Cam.� Blair shook her head. �Who told you to keep me
out of the loop? Lucinda?�
A spark of humor lit Cam�s dark eyes. �I�m not at liberty to say.�
�Uh-huh. Okay. And exactly why aren�t you following Lucinda�s
orders?�
The humor disappeared but the darkness remained in Cam�s gaze.
�Because I want you to be safe, and you can�t be safe if you don�t
know what�s going on. I think Lucinda�s wrong in thinking you�ll be
safer if you�re away from the action. We don�t know what�s coming, or
where it�s coming from, and the only way to be prepared is to hone our
defenses while we work out an offensive plan.�
�Meaning?�
�If your father�s the target, and I believe he is, you should limit
your time with him.�
�That�s not going to happen. If my father�s the target, then I want
to be with him. That means more agents, more surveillance, more
protection for him.�
�That�s exactly what Lucinda wanted to avoid�both of you in the
line of fire.� Cam stroked Blair�s jaw. �She loves you, you know.�
� 239 �
RADCLY
�I know. So why are you telling me anything at all?�
Cam circled the back of Blair�s neck, feathering her fingertips
through her hair. �I�m telling you because I don�t think anywhere is
safer than any other place, right now. And since you won�t abandon
your father, you need to know what the potential threats are, to best
protect yourself.�
�And you know I�d kick your ass if you kept this from me.�
Cam grinned again. �That too.�
�So tell me what you think I need to know.�
�I will.� Cam kissed her, a slow exploration that melted the tension
in Blair�s body and settled the disquiet in her mind. �As soon as I say a
proper good morning.�
Blair slid her hand under Cam�s shirt and stroked upward to her
breasts. �Not too tired?�
�Not tired at all.�
v
Just before 1800 hours, Wes finished writing a prescription for
one of the groundskeepers who had severed the tip of his little finger
while attempting to clear ice from his snow blower. He hadn�t been
able to find the missing piece of tissue, so Wes had shortened the bone
fragment beneath his nail and closed it with a local skin flap. A week of
antibiotics and a protective splint ought to be all he needed. His finger
would be a little bit shorter, but he should have no functional deficit.
He was lucky. She walked down to the treatment area where the PA on
duty with her was splinting the digit. �Here you go. Stop by in two days
for a bandage change. We�ll get the stitches out in a week or so. How
does it feel?�
The groundskeeper smiled. �Doesn�t bother me at all. Can I go to
work tomorrow?�
�Is there work you can do one-handed, because I don�t want you
taking that splint off.�
�I�ll manage.�
�The splint stays on.�
�Yes, ma�am.�
�All right, then you can go back to work.� She clipped the
� 240 �
prescription to his chart and went back to her office to finish her notes
and shut down her computer. Five minutes later she headed for the
briefing room she�d been in that morning. When she walked in, Evyn
was there, sorting through an array of equipment on the table.
�Hi,� Wes said, eyeing the small receiver and attached wires.
�What�s happening?�
�The director asked me to suit you up.� Evyn looked up. �You
need to be wired.�
Wes loved the hazy purple of Evyn�s eyes, a sure sign her
emotions were running hot. She hoped she was the cause�even if the
timing
rather than attraction. Anything was better than the indifference and
distance Evyn was so adept at hiding behind. �What do you want me
to do?�
�Just take off your shirt and loosen your belt,� Evyn said
neutrally, her attention back on the equipment.
Wes removed her blazer, folded it over the back of a chair, and
unbuttoned her shirt. She tugged it from her pants and laid it with her
jacket. She opened her fly and pulled up the bottom of the silk tank she
wore beneath her shirt.
Evyn held up a slim black box about the size of a deck of cards,
only thinner. �This audio transmitter is small enough we should be able
to secure it inside the waistband of your trousers in the middle of your
back. Unless you get...cozy, it won�t show.�
�I�m not planning to get cozy.�
Evyn grew still, her expression flat and closed. �Really? How do
you plan on extracting personal information if you don�t?�
�People tend to relax in a social situation, even when it�s not
intimate. They talk about their schedules, what they plan to do the next
day, where they plan to go. Any of those things might help us pinpoint
a potential exchange point.�
�You�re right,� Evyn said abruptly. �And I apologize.�
Wes grasped Evyn�s wrist, stilling her in mid-motion. �This
morning, you said last night wasn�t over.�
�I remember.�
�What changed overnight?�
�I know you have no reason to believe this, but I did.�
� 241 �
RADCLY
�How?�
�I thought if I really connected with you, if I really let myself be
open to caring about you, to letting you close, I�d lose my edge, lose
control. Not be able to focus on what mattered.�
�Is that what happened this morning in the briefing?�
Evyn grimaced. �Yeah, it kinda looks that way. I hope I didn�t
make you��
�I said I liked that you care, and I meant it.� Wes moved around
the table and gripped Evyn�s shoulders. �I don�t want to make you
unhappy.�
�That�s just it, you don�t. The closer we are, the more I feel like
myself, and that really scares me. Because if I need you for that, what
happens when you�re not here?�
�What happens if I don�t go?�
�A whole other reason to be scared,� Evyn said, her heart belying
the words. She was anything but frightened by the idea of having Wes
around all the time. She was exhilarated.
�I get being scared�you walked away last night, and that hurt.�
�I know. And I know sorry doesn�t cut it, but I am.�
�I guess we�re both a bit scared,� Wes said.
�Yeah. And I don�t like that much.�
�Neither do I,� Wes said, �but you�re good at handling the tough
jobs. So am I. We ought to remember that.�
Evyn grasped her hand. Threaded her fingers through Wes�s. �I
will if you will.�
�You�ve got a deal, Agent Daniels.� Wes wanted to kiss her�but
Evyn needed to keep focus. So did she. �Later.�
�What?� Evyn frowned. �What do you mean?�
�I�ll tell you when this is over.�
�Then let�s finish getting you wired so we can find out what the
hell is going on and put a stop to it.�
�Let�s do that.�
�Do I have to say be careful?�
�I don�t mind when you do, but I promise I will be. And I�ll see
you at the end of the night.�
Evyn�s lips parted slightly, her face flushing. �I�d like that. A
lot.� The tightness in Wes�s belly warmed her until she was close to
� 242 �
forgetting everything except the softness of Evan�s mouth and the taste
of her skin. She pulled away. �Good.�
�Don�t take any chances,� Evyn whispered.
�Don�t worry. We have unfinished business, and I plan to take care
of it.�
v
�Can I get you a drink?� Jennifer took Wes�s coat and hung it on
a wrought-iron coat tree just inside the door of her town house.
�Scotch and water would be great,� Wes said. The town house
in Adams Morgan was small but impeccably restored. The hardwood
floors gleamed, the walls were painted in nineteenth-century period
colors, the wood staircase leading to the second floor was adorned with
a hand-carved newel post and banister. The furniture and thick area
rugs were understated but obviously expensive. Jennifer lived well on
her military salary.
�Have a seat, I�ll be right back.� Jennifer disappeared through
a door beyond the staircase that Wes assumed led to the kitchen. She
settled on the sofa and studied the books on the floor-to-ceiling shelves
opposite her. American classics for the most part, a few contemporary
titles. Nothing to help define Jennifer as an individual. On the short
Metro ride, Jennifer had asked about her most recent posting and how
she was finding the job. The kind of casual conversation individuals
getting to know each other had. At one point as they walked, Jennifer
had slipped her hand through Wes�s arm, an invitation or maybe a
query. Wes pressed her arm closer to her body, securing Jennifer�s
hold, signaling�she hoped�interest. Jennifer had responded by
leaning into her shoulder a little more and squeezing her arm.
�Here you go.� Jennifer held out a crystal rock glass with two
inches of dark amber liquid inside and sat on the sofa next to Wes with
a glass of wine.
Wes sipped the scotch. Smoky, dense, expensive. �Thanks.�
Jennifer sighed. �This is nice. How about I order in? There�s a
great little restaurant down the street that delivers quickly.�
�Sure, unless you�re too tired. I can go��
�No.� Jennifer pressed her palm to Wes�s thigh. �Not now that
I�ve got you here. I�ll get you the menu.�
� 243 �
RADCLY
�Don�t bother. Order what you like�surprise me.�
Jennifer smiled. �I plan to.� She rose and set her wineglass on the
end table. �I�ll be right back.�
When Jennifer returned, Wes asked, �So where does your sister
live?� �Ohio,� Jennifer answered immediately. �She and her husband
have a dairy farm there.�
�Just you and her or a big family?�
�Just us. My parents met later in life and they�re both gone now.�
�Sorry.�
�I was looking forward to my sister and her family coming here,
but her husband�s mother needed emergency gallbladder surgery. That
put an end to the Christmas plans. What about you?�
�Three sisters. I would�ve gone home for the holidays�I generally
take my annual leave at this time of year�but I�m here.�
�You didn�t have much notice, I guess.� Jennifer cradled the
wineglass in one hand, drew her legs beneath her on the sofa, and rested
her free left hand on Wes�s thigh.
Wes tightened automatically and Jennifer made a sound as if she
were purring. Wes tried to remember the question as Jennifer�s fingers
stroked slowly up and down the inside of her leg. �I wasn�t expecting
this job, true.�
�Well, I�m glad you�re here.� Jennifer leaned into Wes a little
more. �They certainly got you on board at lightning speed.�
�I�m glad it wasn�t a drawn-out process.�
�I guess they explained what happened to Len�the heart attack
out of the blue?�
Wes chose her words carefully. Jennifer might be searching�
trying to find out if Wes had any suspicions about O�Shaughnessy�s
death�or her questions could simply be curiosity. Somehow,
though, Wes doubted it. �Nothing unusual on his post. Probably an
arrhythmia.�
�You just never expect it, when someone�s in such good shape��
Jennifer�s cell rang. �Oh, sorry. That must be the restaurant. They
always forget to ask about the hot sauce.� She grabbed her phone.
�Hold on. Hello?�
Jennifer frowned. �I�m sorry. Let me just take this�it�s a friend
from out of town.�
� 244 �
�Of course,� Wes said as Jennifer rose. �Take your time.�
�Hi, Tom,� Jennifer said, walking toward the kitchen.
Wes hesitated, uncertain how good her audio would be a room
away through the old thick walls. She got up and walked toward the
kitchen, pausing outside the archway.
Wes registered the silence a second before Jennifer appeared in
the kitchen doorway.
�Sorry,� Wes said quickly. �I was looking for the bathroom.�
Jennifer smiled thinly, her eyes narrowing. �Top of the stairs on
your left.�
�Thanks. Be right back.�
�The food should be here soon.� Jennifer traced a fingertip over
the top of Wes�s hand. �I hope you�re as hungry as I am.�
� 245 �
RADCLY
chapter thirty
Evyn called Cameron Roberts. �We�ve got something on audio.
Sounds like she�s arranging a meet.�
�E-mail me the audio file,� Cam said.
�It�s on its way.� She glanced at Block, crowded next to her in the
back of the surveillance van. They�d parked around the corner from
Jennifer Pattee�s town house, within range of the transmitter Wes was
wearing but out of line of sight. Block was focused on monitoring the
audio feed�he wasn�t paying any attention to her. �We can�t get both
sides of the conversation, but the subject is coming through clear. She
mentioned a mutual contact�Tom. There�s no way he��
�That doesn�t concern us right now,� Cam said.
She knew their priority was locating and securing the stolen
biocontagion, but no way was she letting Tom become a suspect. �I
just want to go on record that I�m the best one to have observed his
activities, and nothing suggests he�s involved.�
�I appreciate that, and I�m sure he will too. We picked up the name
on a few scattered communications over the last few weeks, but we
haven�t been able to put anything together. At this point, we�re simply
being cautious.�
�I understand. There�s something else,� Evyn said. �I think she
made Wes.�
�Hold on. Let me listen to this,� Cam said. �I�m downloading it
now.�Evyn chafed in the sudden silence and switched to watching the
video feed from the camera they�d mounted on a light pole halfway
� 246 �
down the block from Jennifer Pattee�s front door. If she didn�t occupy
her mind, she was going to drive herself crazy imagining what was going
on with Wes inside that house. They didn�t have eyes inside�there
hadn�t been time to get anything in place. So she was left to imagining
Wes and Jennifer�s activities by following the audio transcript on the
computer next to Block. The impersonal words appeared as if a ghost
were typing them, but she had no difficulty hearing Wes�s voice. She
knew Jennifer Pattee well enough to recognize hers too. As the words
scrolled down the screen, Evyn saw Jennifer with Wes.
She�d always found Jennifer attractive but aloof, which had
never bothered her because Jennifer wasn�t her type. She was capable,
competent, and sexy if you liked aggressive femmes, but she�d always
sensed something just a little bit calculating about her. Jennifer was
nothing like Wes�Wes didn�t play games, didn�t pull her punches,
asked the hard questions, and didn�t run from the answers. Wes didn�t
run from anything, which was why she was sitting in Jennifer�s house
tonight with no backup close enough to help her if something went
sour. The thought curdled her stomach.
She reread the transcribed message. Even without the audio to
accent the innuendo, Jennifer sounded like she was coming on to Wes.
The idea of Jennifer so much as touching Wes made her want to kick
down the town house door. She wasn�t jealous�she was furious.
Jennifer was a terrorist, and she�d do anything to achieve her goals�
sleep with Len O�Shaughnessy, seduce Wes, maybe even get rid of
someone she perceived as an obstacle to her mission. Right now, that
obstacle looked a lot like Wes.
�Can you tell where they are?� Evyn asked, her voice sounding
loud above the low steady hum of electronics.
Block said, �Huh?� and lifted the headphones from one ear.
Evyn gritted her teeth. �Can you tell where they are in the
building?�
�The GPS on the transmitter is pretty specific. With the blueprints
we have as reference, I can place them pretty close.� He dropped
the headphones back in place. �Looks like they�re still in the living
room.�
The living room. Good. The front door led directly into the living
room, so if Wes got into trouble at least Evyn could be inside in under
a minute. A lot could happen in a minute.
� 247 �
RADCLY
Her phone rang, and she grabbed it off the narrow counter bolted
to the sidewall of the van. �Daniels.�
�It definitely sounds like a meet,� Cam said. �From what we
can get of the caller�s voice off the enhanced audio, definitely male.
Doesn�t fit the scenario unless Jones handed off the stolen specimen to
an intermediary.�
�That would be a reasonable plan,� Evyn said. �That way, Jones
protects her identity and there�s no link between her and the person
releasing the virus.�
�Except in this case, there is. Which may be exactly why they�re
using an intermediary. Could be they�ve been seen together before or
fear that some other connection might come to light.�
�I�ll buy that. So who�s the intermediary?�
�No fix on that yet,� Cam said. �And we don�t know how many
other intermediaries might be involved. Whoever�s funding this is
probably many degrees removed.�
�Invisible,� Evyn muttered.
�Unfortunately, yes. For now, our job is intercepting the virus.�
�What about Wes�Captain Masters. If Pattee gets suspicious��
�Doubtful she�d attempt anything tonight�if Pattee was involved
in O�Shaughnessy�s death, she had to have planned it in advance.
The captain ought to be safe tonight, but stick with her until she gets
home.�
�Looks like they�re staying in for the rest of the evening.�
�Good�that makes it less likely Pattee will pick up on our
surveillance. Let me know if anything changes.�
�Roger that.� Evyn couldn�t find anything very good about the
idea of Wes being alone with Jennifer Pattee for the rest of the evening.
Wes had proved she could handle herself in tight situations, only Evyn
wished she didn�t have to prove it in this one. She totally trusted Wes�
she just didn�t trust Jennifer Pattee.
�Got a car approaching�slowing�� Block sat forward and
adjusted the video monitor. �He�s parking right across the street from
Pattee�s town house.�
�Food delivery?�
�Looks that way.�
�Can you shoot a still remotely?�
Block fiddled with some buttons. �Ought to be able to.�
� 248 �
�Good. Get me a shot of him and let�s run it.� Evyn tossed her
cell back on the counter and silently sent a message to Wes, urging
her to leave as soon as she could. She�d done her job�more than her
job�and now it was time to let Evyn and the others shoulder the risk.
Somehow, she knew if Wes received her plea, she�d ignore it. Wes
didn�t run, ever.
v
Wes caught the Metro as she�d been instructed and got off at the
stop closest to her apartment. She let herself in and turned on the lamp
just inside the door. She was transported back to the last time she�d
walked in late at night. Evyn had been with her then�moving into her,
kissing her, taking her. Wes shuddered, her skin slick with nerves and
heat. She pulled off her coat and tossed it over the back of the sofa. Her
blazer followed, and she dropped that on the breakfast bar on her way
to get a beer from the fridge. She didn�t bother to turn on any more
lights. She just waited.
Ten minutes later a knock came on the door and she opened it
quickly.
Evyn strode in. �Are you okay?�
�Did you get everything?� Wes asked.
�They�re working on the audio now, but you did good. How do
you feel?�
Wes pointed to the beer she�d opened and left untouched on the
breakfast counter. �Like I can�t wait to get back to the clinic. How the
hell do you do this on a regular basis?�
Evyn laughed softly. �I don�t. I�m protection, remember?�
�Yes, but you�ve been in the field too.�
�I never did much undercover.� Evyn slid her hand around Wes�s
waist and tapped the transmitter. �Come on, let�s get this thing off you.
We need to debrief�get your impressions. We can only get so much
from the audio.�
�Why did Roberts want me to come back here instead of reporting
directly to her at the White House?� Wes unbuttoned her shirt and
pulled her tank up. �Do you really think someone might�ve followed
me from Jennifer�s?�
�No sense taking a chance. This way, to anyone watching, you
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RADCLY
finished your date and went home. Anyone following would assume
you were in for the night.�
�Hell of a date,� Wes muttered.
Evyn carefully loosened the adhesive and removed the transmitter.
�What�s your impression?�
Wes sat on one of the bar stools facing out into the living room
and propped her elbows on the counter behind her. �She sent a lot of
mixed signals. She might have been trying to seduce me, but she was
also trolling for information.�
�What kind of information?�
�Mostly about Len. She�s a medical person. Sudden death is
something we�re familiar with. But she pushed a little bit where he was
concerned�maybe trying to see if we suspected foul play.�
�That makes sense if she was party to his death.�
�But why would she have wanted to get rid of him? Someone
would take his place�if not someone from the outside like me, one of
the other docs from the inside.�
�My working theory,� Evyn said, securing the transmitter in her
jacket pocket, �is that Len started to suspect her. Maybe he overheard
something. We�ll probably never know, but for some reason, they
wanted him out of the way.�
�Then I�m no threat.�
�Not unless she thinks you suspect something too,� Evyn said
quietly. �When you�ve killed once, it gets easier�at least for some
people.�
Evyn�s eyes were cloudy, troubled. Wes took her hand and pulled
her closer. �What�s wrong?�
�Sitting in that van listening to you with her�knowing you were
too far away for me to get you�� Evyn cupped Wes�s face and kissed
her. �Made me crazy.�
Wes�s pulse soared. Her whole life had been geared toward taking
care of others�she�d learned to be self-sufficient, learned to stand
alone. She�d never been so critically important to anyone before. Evyn
made her feel like she mattered�right now, in this moment�more
than anything else in Evyn�s world. She looped her arms around Evyn�s
waist and pulled her in tight between her thighs. �I�m sorry if it was
hard for you.�
� 250 �
Evyn rested her forehead against Wes�s. �I knew you could handle
yourself�don�t get me wrong.�
�I think we both know we can do our jobs, no matter what.�
�I do. I believe that. But part of me, the part I shoved away a long
time ago so I could focus on getting where I wanted to get, that part was
just a little bit scared.�
�I suppose every time you�re away, in potential danger, I�ll be a
little bit scared too.� Wes kissed her. �But I�ll be damn proud too.�
�Wes,� Evyn murmured, sliding her mouth over Wes�s, kissing
her throat. �I should tell you��
�Yes?� Wes arched her neck, gave more of herself to Evyn�s
mouth. �What?�
Evyn groaned, her hands trembling on Wes�s shoulders. �I�m
falling in love with you.�
Wes slipped her fingers into Evyn�s hair, drawing her mouth tighter
to her skin, wanting the heat of Evyn�s mouth searing her flesh. �I�m so
glad. Because I�m in love with you.�
Evyn shuddered. �I�m not making love to you again until we�re
in a bed.�
�I don�t have plants or a cat,� Wes whispered, �but I�ve got clean
sheets.�
� 251 �
RADCLY
chapter thirty-One
Cam turned the bathroom light off before she opened the door
and walked quietly back into the bedroom. The room was
filled with a soft gray haze marking the transition between moonlight
and sunrise, that in-between time when night was all but gone and the
day not yet born�when reality dispelled the last lingering dreams.
She found the clothes she�d left out the night before and pulled on
underwear, pants, and a shirt. She slid her ID into her back pocket and
clipped her badge to her belt on her right hip next to her holster. Sheets
rustled behind her and she turned as Blair sat up in bed. �Been awake
long?��A few minutes,� Blair said. �I like watching you dress almost as
much as I like watching you undress.�
Laughing, Cam sat on the side of the bed and stroked Blair�s leg
through the sheets. Blair was wearing another one of her old T-shirts�
this one with JJRTC stenciled across the chest. A few holes peppered
the front�spots she�d snagged running through the woods on one of
her training exercises. She leaned down and kissed Blair. �It�s pretty
early yet. Are you going to stay up?�
�I�ve gotten spoiled these last few weeks, having you around.
Knowing you weren�t going to be out in the field.�
�I need to be there for this.� Cam settled on the bed, swung around
until her back was against the headboard, and settled Blair against her
side. She kissed her temple. In her new job with Homeland Security,
she was riding a desk most of the time. She was a hands-on supervisor,
though, and sometimes she needed to be in the field. �Your father�s
� 252 �
safety is our number one priority, but this kind of incident has the
potential to terrify the nation. We�ll stop it�I promise. But media
containment is almost as vital.�
Blair nodded. �I know. Which is why you�re leading the team
yourself and limiting the number of people who know the details.�
�Yes.� She�d put agents from the Washington field office on
Jennifer Pattee the night before after Daniels and Block left to
follow Captain Masters home. The other agents only knew they were
maintaining surveillance on a person of interest and didn�t need to
know more. The intercept this morning had to be carried out by a
small, select team in the know, and she needed to be there to assure the
details of the plan weren�t made public. Knowledge of a threat could
be almost as dangerous as the event itself.
�I�m not even going to ask how dangerous you think this might
be,� Blair said, running her fingers over the buttons on Cam�s shirt.
�I already know. And I understand why you have to do this. Just be
careful.�
�I will be. I�ll call you as soon as I can, but it might be a while.�
Blair rubbed her cheek on Cam�s shoulder. �Don�t worry about
me. Just do your job and remember, part of your job is coming back to
me.� �I won�t forget.� Cam kissed her. �It�s the best assignment I�ve
ever had.�
v
Wes judged the time to be nearing 0430. They�d need to leave soon
so Evyn could meet up with the intercept team and she could join the
surveillance team and provide medical containment if necessary. She�d
be in a van somewhere, safely observing. Evyn would be in the hot zone.
The virus, if released, would be as lethal as a bullet, although not quite
as rapid. The diner was a public place�and the agents� body armor
would be no protection at all. She had nothing other than supportive
measures to counteract its destructive potential�no vaccine, no drugs.
Exposure could be a death sentence.
Evyn slept with her head on Wes�s shoulder. She fit into the curve
of Wes�s body as if she�d always been there. Wes stroked the slope of
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RADCLY
Evyn�s shoulder. Her skin was soft, warm. Her breasts were firm and
full, nestling against hers in a sensuous embrace. The brush of Evyn�s
nipple over her breast teased her clit, and she tensed with a sharp thrum
of arousal. She tightened her grip on Evyn�s shoulder and held her
closer.Evyn murmured and shifted above her, easing her leg between
Wes�s thighs. Her pelvis rocked into Wes�s and the tight knot of need
between Wes�s thighs grew. She�d come hard the night before�the first
time when Evyn had taken her with her mouth, then more slowly as
Evyn had stroked her, and now she was ready again. Cupping Evyn�s
ass in her palm, she guided Evyn�s leg to the place she needed her.
�I like waking up with you,� Evyn whispered, her lips against
Wes�s throat. She kissed her way up and tugged lightly on her earlobe.
The tiny points of pain sent pleasure streaking down Wes�s spine.
She raised her hips so her clitoris rubbed against Evyn�s thigh. �I like
sleeping with you. I like waking up with you. I like everything about
being with you.�
Evyn chuckled. �Handy, that, because I plan on being around a
lot.� �I think I�ll need you around a lot.�
Evyn propped herself up on her forearms, the first rays of morning
light breaking over her face. Her eyes were blue-gray in the dusky
dawn. �We haven�t talked about the future.�
Wes cradled Evyn�s face, scooped her fingers through her hair,
kissed her. �I want one.�
�So do I.� Evyn kissed her, exploring, teasing, tasting. She slid
deeper, claiming. �I want you. Just you. I know
line, but I mean it.�
Wes�s concentration faltered�gave way under the sensation of
Evyn�s mouth and hands. She pressed harder against Evyn�s thigh,
climbing faster. Too fast. Gasping, she pulled away. �I�m going to come
soon.��Mmm�then don�t stop.�
�I want�I need�to say this first. I love you. I�ve never wanted
anyone else and I never will.
Evyn shuddered. �I never even wanted tomorrow with anyone
before. Now I want every single one of yours to be mine.�
� 254 �
�They will be.� Wes�s muscles clenched and she rode the plume of
pleasure higher. �I�m sorry, I can�t�I�m coming for you.�
�Yes. For me.� Evyn scored her teeth down Wes�s neck, biting
gently. �Yes,� she breathed against Wes�s skin, hearing the startled cry
as Wes�s control unraveled. Her clitoris twitched, pulsed, thickened.
She needed to come but she held back. She needed Wes more. �Mine.
All mine. Come for me.�
Wes cried out, body shattering with pleasure. She crushed her face
to Evyn�s neck. �Yours. Yes.�
Pushing up on one arm, Evyn fumbled for Wes�s hand with the
other. She pressed Wes�s fingers between her legs. �Touch me. I need
to come for you.�
Wes stroked her, slid lower, pressed inside, and Evyn exploded
in her hand. �I love you,� Wes whispered. �No chances today, Evyn. I
can�t lose you.�
Evyn sighed and stretched, trailing her fingers down Wes�s back�
sated, supremely content. �You won�t lose me, I promise. I�m here for
the long term.�
Wes kissed her, choosing to believe for a little while longer they
could control the future.
v
Hooker opened the minifridge tucked in the corner of his motel
room and removed a small plain cardboard box the size of a ballpoint
pen case. The clear plastic vial with the screw top was nestled inside,
surrounded by a Styrofoam cut-out. A half-inch of milky white fluid
filled the end of the tube�at least it had when he�d checked it when
he�d accepted it from the woman in Georgia. He hadn�t looked at it
again. He didn�t want to look at it, he didn�t want to touch it. He wasn�t
superstitious, but he didn�t ride around with a loaded gun and the safety
off pointed at his chest, either. If all he�d been told was true, whatever
was in the tube was ten kinds of deadly dangerous. He couldn�t hand it
off soon enough.
He placed the small, narrow box in a white plastic cooler along
with a couple of cans of beer and a burrito from the minimart where
he�d gassed up the rental car he�d used to drive north the night before.
� 255 �
RADCLY
Russo had pushed the timetable forward, and haste was never a good
idea, but Russo lived by the polls. If the numbers showed Powell
gaining in popularity, that was all that mattered to Russo�after all, he
wasn�t taking any risks. Hooker didn�t concern himself with politics�
politicians came and went as frequently as the weather shifted, and he�d
never seen that whoever held power changed things very much. Money
was the only true power, and Russo had plenty of that. He�d follow
Russo�s lead as long as the money held up.
He packed his travel bag and meticulously wiped down everything
he�d touched in the motel room, which hadn�t been much. He�d just
arrived the night before after dark in another rental car that he�d
procured with one of his aliases. He�d eaten at a fast-food place across
the highway from the motel and slept in his clothes. He�d shower at his
next stop. Satisfied that he hadn�t left anything of himself behind, he
grabbed his bag and the cooler, left his room key on the rickety table
by the door, and walked out just as the sun came up. He couldn�t finish
this job fast enough. In five hours, he�d be at the airport headed home
for Christmas Eve.
v
Jennifer stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy white bath
sheet around her chest. It fell to her thighs, chasing away the slight chill
in the bathroom. The temperature had dropped again, and the old town
house let in a little of the night air through hidden cracks and crevices.
A small price to pay for its historic beauty, except on mornings like
these. She hurried into her bedroom, drying herself as she went, and
dressed hastily in a navy suit, white shirt, and low dark heels. She
didn�t plan to stay very long in the diner and doubted the man, Tom,
would want to linger, either. Twenty minutes, really, ought to be enough
for two people whose only connection was a common friend to share a
cup of coffee, make small talk, and go their separate ways. She�d timed
the meeting so she�d finish up and arrive at the clinic at shift change,
when she�d slide her lunch bag into the staff refrigerator just as she did
every morning. Only today, the bag would be a little fuller. Her stomach
trembled when she thought about the next step.
She wasn�t frightened, she was excited. Proud to be the one to
ultimately carry out the mission. Her family would be proud that she
� 256 �
had fulfilled her destiny�that she�d learned her lessons well and had
struck a blow for true freedom and independence. If she was very lucky
and everything went according to plan, she might even survive. But if
she didn�t, she would die knowing she�d made a difference. And after
all, that�s what she�d been born for.
� 257 �
RADCLY
chapter thirty-twO
Wes sat in the van beside Block and two Secret Service agents
she didn�t know, watching the monitor from a camera
trained on the front of Eva�s Diner. She�d been watching patrons come
and go since 0600. Two other video feeds�from cameras above the
restroom hallway in the rear and over the kitchen door behind the
counter�revealed the interior. A directional audio receiver that Block
could reposition remotely from his control panel had been secured to
an overhead light fixture. The place was small�a long, narrow room
with eight booths against the plate glass front windows and a dozen
black-vinyl-topped stools in front of the counter. At zero-seven twenty,
almost every space was occupied.
Roberts had advised the diner owner who�d arrived to open the
place at 0530 that the team, from an unnamed federal agency, needed
surveillance to document unspecified criminal activity. The owner, a
bottle-blonde of indeterminate age, was thrilled by the whole thing and
a very good actress. She worked the counter and never once glanced at
the cameras�or at the undercover agents posing as patrons.
Wes couldn�t see Evyn, who was posted inside the kitchen with
a view through the circular window on the swinging door. In order to
protect the civilians, the plan was to record the exchange on video and
apprehend both Jennifer and her contact outside the building in a safe
zone. Wes�s job was to receive the virus and supervise its transport to a
secure lab. The second part of her assignment�the part she hoped she
would not have to carry out�was to limit civilian exposure in the event
the virus was released and oversee the treatment of any individuals who
were exposed.
� 258 �
The other agents inside the diner posed as a businessman reading
a newspaper at the far end of the counter opposite the rear exit and a
young couple having breakfast at a booth just inside the front door.
They blended in with the morning business crowd and neighborhood
diners, and Wes doubted even someone looking for it would pick up
their constant survey of anyone coming in the door.
�Here comes the subject,� Block murmured, and Wes swiveled
on her stool to get a view of his monitor. Jennifer Pattee, a large black
leather bag over one shoulder, walked briskly up to the diner door and
inside. The kitchen feed picked her up as she walked a few feet down
the aisle and then slowed as if searching for someone she planned to
meet. With a sudden smile, she hurried on and sat down across from a
single man in a Redskins cap drinking coffee in a booth. Wes had looked
at him a half dozen times and noted nothing out of the ordinary�mid-
thirties, possibly older, rugged outdoor type in a flannel shirt with faint
dark stubble along his jaw. He half rose as Jennifer sat, and Block
adjusted the audio receiver for maximum reception.
�Hi,� Jennifer said as she settled across from the man. �You must
be Tom.�
�And you�re Jennifer. Ellie�s told me so much about you.�
�She hasn�t told me nearly enough about you,� Jennifer said. �It�s
great to finally meet you. I�m sorry you won�t be able to stay longer in
the city. I could play tour guide.�
He smiled, sipped his coffee, and said nothing while a waitress
approached. Jennifer asked for coffee and a plain croissant.
�Maybe next time I�m through,� he said.
�That would be great.� Jennifer picked at the pastry, although she
didn�t appear nervous. She glanced at her watch several times while her
contact passed on a refill on his coffee and watched the door as other
customers came and went.
�Excuse me,� he said, fishing his cell phone from his pocket. �I�m
expecting a message.�
�Please�go ahead,� Jennifer said quickly.
He checked the readout and grimaced. �I�m so sorry, a business
message from a client overseas. They�re available now and I have to get
back to them. It may take a while. I hate to have gotten you all the way
out here only to run out on you.�
�That�s okay�if you can get free for lunch or dinner in the next
� 259 �
RADCLY
day or so, you have my number. If not, maybe I�ll see you the next time
I visit Ellie.�
�Absolutely.� He started to rise and paused. �Oh, I almost
forgot�� He reached into a backpack beside him and drew out a small
narrow box. �Ellie asked me to give you this. A Christmas present. She
said she didn�t get her shopping done in time to mail it to you.�
Laughing, Jennifer slid the small box into her oversized bag. �That
sounds like her. Thanks for bringing it along.�
�No problem. Well�I should go.�
�All right. Hopefully we�ll meet again sometime soon.�
He held her gaze a moment. �I hope so too. Merry Christmas.�
�Merry Christmas,� Jennifer said softly.
v
Roberts�s voice came over the COM. �Team one, subject is on his
way out. Take him at the corner�Go.�
Wes watched as two men closed in from either side and a woman
stepped from a parked SUV into his path, forcing him to slow. The
subject�s expression went from surprised to wary, and he quickly scanned
up and down the street as if considering his chances of escaping. Within
seconds, the two male agents each grabbed an arm and the trio pushed
him forward into the back of the idling SUV. The agents followed him
in, and the vehicle sped away. The whole thing was over in less than a
minute.
Wes scanned all the monitors for Evyn and didn�t see her
anywhere. Her mouth went dry but her pulse stayed steady. She glanced
at the masks and hazmat suits stacked by the van door. Evyn knew her
job, and she knew hers. No matter what happened out there, she�d find
Evyn.Inside the diner, Jennifer searched through the large shoulder
bag and came out with bills that she laid on the table next to her
uneaten croissant and nearly full cup of coffee. Wes wondered if she�d
transferred the stolen sample to another container inside the bag. Any
unnecessary handling risked rupturing the seal on the tube or, even
worse, breakage.
�Showtime,� Block muttered as Jennifer stood and pulled on her
topcoat, slipped the strap of her black leather bag securely onto her
� 260 �
shoulder, and strode directly toward the front door. The next second,
she stepped out into the morning.
v
�Go,� Roberts said over the COM.
Evyn pushed away from the side of the diner and strode around
the corner to the front. Jennifer was thirty feet away, one hand in the
pocket of her coat, the other on top of her bag.
�Hi, Jen,� Evyn said brightly, watching the hand on the bag. As far
as she could tell, the bag was closed. She looked past Jennifer down the
block, saw Paula Stark intercept a woman with a stroller and redirect
her back the way she had come. The sidewalk right in front of the diner
was clear�the inside team would have prevented anyone from exiting
until the intercept was over and the area secured. Directly across from
Jennifer, Roberts stepped out of a parked SUV.
�Oh hi, Evyn.�
Twenty-five feet.
�How about I give you a ride to work.�
Twenty feet.
Jennifer�s friendly smile dimmed. �I�m not due in for another hour
or so. Thanks anyhow.�
Fifteen feet.
�I�ll give you a lift home, then.� And focused on shoulder bag, on
Jennifer�s fingers gripping the zipper along its top edge.
Jennifer glanced over her shoulder. Stark strode rapidly toward her.
Her gaze cut across the street. Cam, joined by another agent, arrowed
toward her. Jennifer�s eyes widened.
Ten feet.
�You�ll want to say yes, Jen,� Evyn said, watching Jennifer�s hand
ease toward the now open bag. �Make this easy.�
Jennifer�s other hand came out of her pocket. The Sig looked
huge.�Gun!� Evyn shouted and launched herself across the last eight
feet. The sharp crack split the air, heat flashed over her, and the rage in
Jennifer�s eyes swallowed her.
v
� 261 �
RADCLY
Evyn went down and Wes jumped to her feet. The COM lines
flooded with shouts.
Wes grabbed the hazmat container, shoved the rear door of the
van open, and shouldered through. Block was beside her, running. Her
breath tore from her chest�shards of pain shredded her throat. Half a
block seemed like an eternity. A clot of agents hovered over the prone
figures. Jennifer�s shoulder bag lay on the sidewalk, its contents strewn
around it. The box Jennifer had received from her contact lay half in
and half out of the bag.
�Get away from the bag,� Wes shouted. �Everyone�back away
from the bag.�
Roberts materialized from the huddle of bodies and jogged toward
her. �Subject is contained. We�ve got an agent down.�
Evyn. Evyn was hurt. Wes clamped down on her panic. �The
specimen could be compromised. This area is a hot zone�get everyone
out, cordon off the street.�
�Already gave the order.�
�How is she?�
�Gunshot�close range. She�s shocky.�
�Evacuate her�tell them to put her in isolation. Everyone else
goes into lockdown until I know what we�re dealing with.�
�I have to interrogate the subject,� Roberts said.
�Then you�ll have to do it in an isolation cell.� Wes kept her
focus on the bag and what it contained. Her duty, her obligation, was
to neutralize that biological agent, a substance every bit as lethal as a
dirty bomb and capable of killing far more. They didn�t know what they
were dealing with, and every member of the team had potentially been
exposed. Her heart demanded she find Evyn, protect her, aid her above
all others, but her duty drove her toward the open bag. Kneeling, she
flipped the lid on the biohazard chest filled with dry ice and pulled on
a pair of gloves. She extracted the suspect package from Jennifer�s bag
and dropped it into the chest. The package appeared to be intact. After
stripping off her gloves and depositing them in a red biohazard bag, she
donned another pair of protective gloves, pushed the spilled contents
back inside the bag, zipped it, and dropped that into the biohazard bag
� 262 �
as well. Using yet another pair of gloves, she sealed the red bag and
carried it and the hazmat chest to the SUV idling half up on the curb
next to her. She climbed into the back, and as the agent inside pulled the
doors closed, she looked back at the group on the sidewalk.
Jennifer Pattee was facedown with her hands cuffed behind her
back. Hernandez, the medic assigned to Stark�s team, and Stark knelt
over Evyn. Wes couldn�t see Evyn�s face. She stared at the plain white
chest with the iridescent green biohazard sign stamped on the front
resting at her feet. The SUV sped up, leaving the scene on the sidewalk
farther and farther behind. Leaving Evyn behind. Wes concentrated
on the job that needed to be done, ignoring the pain that made every
heartbeat as agonizing as a bullet tearing her flesh. She�d had to
abandon her wounded in the field again, and this time, she�d left her
heart behind.
� 263 �
RADCLY
chapter thirty-three
They made it the eight miles to the army research lab in Silver
Spring in under twenty minutes. When Wes climbed out of
the SUV with the white ice chest in her hand, three uniformed soldiers
converged on her.
�Captain Masters?� the female major asked.
�That�s right.�
�Come with us, please.�
The silent escorts led her directly through the building to an
elevator and down one floor. A fortyish African American woman with
short black hair and luminous mahogany eyes in a disposable cover
gown and gloves met Wes as she stepped out of the elevator. The
hallway in front of the air lock to the Level 4 lab was empty, save for
the slowly panning security cameras mounted at intervals along the
stark white corridor.
�I�m Dr. Felice Glover,� the woman said. �What�s the status of
the specimen?�
�Contained at this point,� Wes said, handing over the chest. �I
don�t know if we have a viable virus. I doubt it�s been kept at optimal
conditions since it went missing from the original lab. If the vial is
compromised, widespread contamination isn�t likely, but we�re taking
precautions.�
The scientist nodded briskly. �We�ll know soon enough about
exposure risks. We�ll scan the container for any leaks and I�ll call you
and Director Roberts.�
�Thank you,� Wes said, feeling caught up in the surreal. They
� 264 �
were casually discussing a potentially lethal contagion while Evyn was
somewhere, injured, possibly seriously. �I need to go. I�m sorry.�
�I think the risk is slight, but keep the team in the vehicle until I
report. It�s as good as an isolation room.�
�Roger that.�
Wes hurried away, wondering if she�d ever find out what she�d just
delivered. Her job was done�some might consider she had no further
need to know. She jabbed the elevator button, rocked impatiently on her
heels during the one floor trip, and strode rapidly outside. The instant
she stepped out of the building, she called Cameron Roberts.
�Roberts.�
�How is she?�
�We�re at George Washington. The docs are looking at her now.
They�re saying guarded condition.�
Which meant anything from walking wounded to potentially
serious. �Can I talk to her?�
�They threw us all out, but she�s awake�I know that much.�
Relief rushed through her so powerfully Wes staggered. She braced
one hand against the rough brick of the building and lowered her head,
drawing a deep breath until the churning turmoil settled a little. �If they
let you in to see her, tell her�Tell her I�m on my way.�
�I�ll do that.�
�The specimen is secure.�
�I had no doubt of that,� Roberts said. �I�ll be with her until you
get here.�
�Thank you.� Wes jogged to the SUV and said to the agent driving,
�George Washington University Hospital, as quick as you can.�
�Yes, ma�am.�
Wes settled in the back and closed her eyes. Her part of the mission
was done, and all that mattered was Evyn.
v
The glass door to the cubicle slid back and the curtain twitched
aside. The doctor, a harried guy in rumpled scrubs and a two-days�
growth of beard, walked in. He looked even more tired out of the space
suit.
� 265 �
RADCLY
�I guess I�m not buggy, huh?� Evyn said.
�Your boss says only universal infection precautions are necessary,
and we use those with everyone.�
�Good.� Evyn relaxed, the tight spring of anxiety coiled in her
belly loosening. Wes must be okay if they�d determined the team wasn�t
at risk from the virus. �So�I�m out of here?�
�Not quite. The bullet just grazed the soft tissue at the top of
your shoulder.� He taped a rectangular bandage on the top of Evyn�s
shoulder. �You�ll get some swelling in your arm and a fair amount of
pain. An overnight stay and a pain pump��
�No,� Evyn said. �I�m not staying.�
�I�d recommend it.�
�But you�re not requiring it?�
He sighed and shook his head. �Leave the bandage on for twenty-
four hours. The nurses will give you a prescription for antibiotics and
pain pills when you�re discharged.�
�Thanks,� Evyn said, stretching for her shirt draped on the nearby
chair. She winced at the burn in her shoulder and stopped. She didn�t
like being naked, but she didn�t want to give the guy any reason to
restrict her activities. �When can I go back to work?�
�You�ll need to have a wound check in forty-eight hours�you can
come back here, or��
�That�s okay. I�ll see my own doctor.� She almost smiled at the
thought of just how true that statement was, but the pleasure faded
quickly. Wes had been the one closest to the virus. Maybe she�d been
exposed, but the rest of them were in the clear. She had to get out of
here and find out what was going on. She needed to see Wes. �So�
we�re done? Thanks for everything.�
He looked up from the chart. �I�d rather you see a surgeon. General
medical doctors don�t really have the experience to evaluate this kind
of wound.�
�She�s not��
The curtains parted and Wes walked in. She wasn�t in uniform,
but then she never needed to be to look like she was in command. Her
eyes were stormy and fierce, fixed on Evyn. �I�m sorry it took me so
long to get here.�
�I�m okay,� Evyn said immediately. �It was nothing. A scratch.�
� 266 �
�A little more than that,� the emergency physician said, studying
Wes. �You are?�
�Captain Wesley Masters�chief of the White House Medical
Unit.� Wes glanced at Evyn. �And her partner.�
�Oh, well then.� He tucked the chart under his arm and pushed his
pen into the ink-stained pocket of his wrinkled lab coat. �I guess you
can do the follow-up.�
�I think I can handle that. Thanks for taking care of her.� Wes
cupped Evyn�s face, brushed a thumb over her cheek. The ER physician
disappeared through the curtains and Wes leaned forward and kissed
Evyn softly. �Now, how are you really doing?�
�I�m good. Even better now.� Evyn circled Wes�s wrist and
pressed Wes�s palm to her face to reassure Wes, and herself. �I�d feel
even better with my shirt on.�
Laughing, Wes plucked the shirt from the chair, and the laughter
died. Blood stained the shoulder and collar. Her hands trembled. Today,
Evyn had been lucky. The next time, she might not be.
�You know it always looks worse than it is,� Evyn said softly.
�Right.� Wes held up the shirt. �This will have to do until we get
you home and into something clean.�
�I�m not going home,� Evyn said. �I want to get back to base for
a sitrep. Roberts left a while ago to interrogate the suspects. Tom needs
to be briefed, and��
�Evyn,� Wes murmured, �you�ve been shot, you�ve been given
pain medication, and you need to rest. You�re on sick leave as of
now.��What? You can�t�� Evyn stared, her brow furrowing. �Hell, you
can.�Wes said nothing, waiting for the anger and the resentment.
They�d had so little time to find their personal balance and now they
might never be able to. She had to pull rank�she had a duty to Evyn,
to the president, to Evyn�s team�she had to take care of her, no matter
the cost.
�You better like cats.�
�What?� Wes asked.
�Cats. I come with a cat. And if I�m going home, so are you. As
least until Roberts wants you back to debrief.�
� 267 �
RADCLY
�You want me to drive you home?� Wes couldn�t quite grasp what
Evyn was saying. �You�re not pissed?�
�Sure I am. I don�t get why you don�t appreciate how superhuman
I am. After all, I�m a United States Secret Service Agent.�
Wes smothered a smile. Evyn�s pupils were pinpoints. The
medication was kicking in. �You are. And a stellar one.�
�So�you�re coming home with me, then?�
�I am.� Wes held up Evyn�s shirt. �This first.�
Evyn slid her good arm into the sleeve, and Wes helped her thread
the other sleeve over her injured left arm.
�We alone?�
�Yes.�
�I take it everything�s all right with the package? The doc ditched
his suits.�
Wes nodded. �I called when I got the preliminary from the lab on
my way in. The vial is intact.�
�You weren�t compromised out in the field?�
�No. I�ll take culture specimens from everyone to be complete,
but I think we�re all in the clear thanks to your quick work out there.�
Evyn started to shrug, then grimaced. Her shoulder burned. �Not
quite quick enough. I wasn�t expecting the gun, but I guess I should�ve
been. She�s military, after all. And on a mission.�
�I would�ve preferred if you hadn�t used your body to stop the
bullet.� Wes carefully buttoned Evyn�s shirt. She knew the risks of
Evyn�s job, accepted them, knew the overwhelming odds were she
would be safe, but there was always the threat that she would be hurt.
Wes gripped the material harder, hiding the tremor in her hands. She
kissed Evyn again. �You did well, all the same.�
�Huh. Maybe.�
Evyn pushed off the treatment table and swayed on her feet. �I
was watching the hand on the bag�I was afraid she�d pull the virus out
and toss the vial into the street as a diversion. It gave her just enough
time to get the gun out. Dumb rookie move.�
�Instinct. That�s what training is all about, right?� Wes slid her
arm around Evyn�s waist. Evyn might not need the support, but she
needed to touch her. Needed to be sure she was alive and well and hers.
�I love you.�
� 268 �
Evyn rested her head on Wes�s shoulder, holding on to her with
her good arm. �I love you too. Sorry if I gave you a scare.�
�You did what you had to do. I�m sorry I wasn�t there for you out
there.��You were where you needed to be, doing what needed to be
done.� Evyn squeezed her. �Just like now. You�re here when I really
need you.�
�I always will be,� Wes promised.
�You haven�t met my cat yet.�
Wes laughed and softly kissed her. �Then we should go.�
�Yeah.� Evyn pressed her face to Wes�s neck. �I want you, you
know. Today. Every day. Feels good. Really good.�
�I know. I�ll be here.�
Evyn sighed. �So let�s go home.�
� 269 �
RADCLY
chapter thirty-fOur
Derrick Sullivan slipped into the parlor and signaled discreetly
to Russo.
Russo smiled at the bejeweled, pencil-thin blonde by his side,
grateful for the interruption. He only suffered her vacuous conversation
because her husband was one of his largest campaign donors. �Will you
excuse me, Mrs. Winthrop?�
She pouted slightly. �Only if you promise to return.�
�As soon as I possibly can�I want to hear more about those
famous racehorses of yours.�
She brightened and fluttered her thick lashes. �I can�t wait.�
Russo threaded his way through the tuxedoed and coiffed crowd
to where his aide waited just inside the door. �What is it, Derrick?�
�Sorry to disturb you, sir, but you�re needed in the study.�
�Dinner is being served in fifteen minutes.�
�Yes, sir. Shall I tell the caterers to delay?�
�No, go ahead. I�ll be there.�
�Yes, sir.�
Russo ignored his wife�s questioning glance as he hurried out and
down the hall to his study. He let himself in and closed the door behind
him. Hooker lounged on a leather sofa facing the fireplace, one leg
crossed over the other, his arms stretched out along the back. At least
he�d worn presentable clothing, but he looked haggard�his face drawn
and creased with fatigue.
�It�s Christmas Eve,� Russo said, �and I�ve got a houseful of
guests. What are you doing here?�
�A problem,� Hooker said. �I could use a drink.�
� 270 �
Russo clenched his teeth but walked to the bar on the opposite side
of the room and splashed whiskey into a glass. He set it on a polished
mahogany table next to the sofa and made his way behind his desk.
�You have ten minutes.�
Hooker leaned over and picked up the drink. �The exchange was
made on schedule, as planned, but the DC contact was intercepted.�
�Arrested?� Russo asked, the hairs along the back of his neck
tingling at the surge of adrenaline.
�Detained, at the very least.�
�Can we trust him��
�Her.�
Russo rubbed his eyes and fought down the wave of anger. �You
entrusted something of this magnitude to a woman?�
�Believe me, she�s qualified.�
�Apparently not that well qualified. What about the specimen?�
�Confiscated.�
�You�re telling me that all this time and money has been
wasted?�
Hooker�s mouth tightened. �I advised you against a plan this
complex. Too many ways for it to go sideways.�
�How did they find out?�
�I don�t know. It�s going to take me some time to get back
inside.�
Russo tightened his fist. �You need to see that none of this comes
back on us.�
Hooker smiled. �Already being done.�
�And how much is that going to cost me?�
�The same as my original fee.�
�The next time,� Russo said, making sure the threat was apparent
in his voice, �I�ll expect no mistakes.�
�Next time, maybe you�ll take my advice and use something more
straightforward and dependable.� Hooker tossed back his drink and
slapped the glass down on the expensive wood top with a sharp clink.
�Like a rifle.�
�I don�t like loose ends,� Russo said.
�Neither do I. There aren�t going to be any.�
Russo unlocked his bottom right-hand desk drawer and sorted
through the cash. He relocked the drawer, walked around the desk, and
� 271 �
RADCLY
handed the money to Hooker. �Merry Christmas. I�ll have Derrick see
you out.�
v
Blair jumped to her feet as Cam strode into Lucinda�s office.
�You�re not hurt?�
�No.� Cam kissed her quickly. �We�re all okay. Evyn Daniels has
a flesh wound, but she should be fine.�
�And the virus?� Lucinda said, coming around to the front of her
desk. �Contained?�
�All but a certainty,� Cam said. �We�ve all been cultured, but the
lab reported the vial appeared to be intact. They say the likelihood of
infection is very low.�
�Good news, then,� Blair said.
Cam grimaced. �Not exactly.�
Lucinda straightened. �What?�
�I don�t suppose you have anything stronger than coffee?�
Lucinda smiled faintly and gestured to the two chairs in front of
her desk. �Both of you, go ahead and sit.� She walked back around to
the other side. �Scotch work for you?�
�Sounds perfect.�
�Blair?�
�No. Thanks.�
Cam settled into the chair and leaned her head back with a sigh.
Blair eased onto the arm and stroked Cam�s hair. �You�ve been at it for
hours. You need a break.�
�I�m okay.� Cam opened her eyes and smiled up at her. �How are
you doing?�
�Fine, now that you�re here. We only got a partial report from the
field, and when they said an agent had been wounded, I had a couple
of bad moments.�
�I�m sorry, I called as soon as I could, but��
�I know. You can�t stop in the middle of what you�re doing to
check in with me.� Blair slid her arm around Cam�s shoulders and
leaned down to kiss her. �So I�m just going to have to worry once in a
while. I can handle it.�
Cam gripped her hand. �I�ll try not to make it too often.�
� 272 �
�Deal.�
�Here you are.� Lucinda held out a short heavy glass filled with
an inch of amber liquid.
�Thanks.� Cam swallowed down half. �I don�t think there�s
anything quite as scary as fanatics. Practically impossible to interrogate.
They can�t be intimidated, and when they�re absolutely certain they�re
right�which is always�they�ll protect the rest of their bunch no
matter the consequences.�
�I take it the lieutenant isn�t talking?� Lucinda asked.
�Oh, she�s talking,� Cam said. �She�s adamant she had no idea
what was in the package, that she�d never met the man in the diner
before, and she only drew her weapon because she felt threatened by
Agent Daniels.�
Blair snorted. �You�re kidding me, right? We�re supposed to
believe that she thought Evyn was going to accost her? What about the
virus?�
�She insists she thought she was carrying a gift from her sister.
Unfortunately, the taped phone conversation from last night could be
construed as supporting that story.�
�Oh sure, right. How does she explain this guy passing her the
vial, then?�
�She claims she�s an unwitting victim in a scheme to spread the
virus in the White House. According to her, the real boyfriend is still en
route�and this guy hacked her e-mail to look for a cover story.�
�They�re smart,� Blair snarled. �While it�s a little outrageous, it
Lucinda tapped her fingers on her desk. �What do we have for
leverage to force her to cooperate?�
�Right now? Not much�the lab tech, Angela Jones, disappeared
the same day the virus went missing. We�ve got her name and her
suspected association with Jennifer Pattee. We�ll work that. And we
have Pattee�s contact in custody.� Cam set the unfinished scotch on
Lucinda�s desk. �And there�s the other problem. He says he was hired
to make the delivery yesterday�that a friend of a friend called him and
offered him ten grand to meet a woman and pass her a package.�
�He�s claiming to know nothing of what was in the package?�
Lucinda asked.
�According to him,� Cam said, �he�s just a messenger.�
� 273 �
RADCLY
Blair jumped up and paced a step, then spun back. �Are you
kidding me? What about the phone call to Pattee the night before?�
�Scripted for him. That and the conversation in the diner. He was
just playing a role.�
�And what did he think that was?� Blair said.
Cam shrugged. �He says he didn�t care�the money was good.�
Lucinda leaned back in her desk chair, frowning. �Who is he?�
�His name is Elliot Marsh�ID�d from his license. Appears to be
a legit ID.�
�Let me guess,� Lucinda said dryly. �He�s from Idaho.�
�Bingo.�
Blair pointed a finger at Cam. �You know it�s bigger than these
two. There has to be a conspiracy.�
Cam nodded. �I do know, and we�ll unravel it. But it�s going to
take time and likely mean we�ll be putting people undercover.�
�And in the meantime?� Blair asked. �What about Jennifer and
this guy Marsh?�
�Oh,� Cam said with a hard smile, �they�re not going anywhere.�
�We cannot allow this attack to go unanswered,� Lucinda said,
fixing her attention on Cam. �I want you to put together a task force
and find out who�s behind this. You�ll head it and report directly to
Averill.�
Cam glanced at Blair.
�Yes,� Blair said softly, taking Cam�s hand. �Yes. Whoever they
are, they have to be stopped.�
Cam squeezed her hand. �Then that�s what we�ll do.�
� 274 �
chapter thirty-five
Evyn woke to the rasp of Ricochet�s tongue on her ear and the
deep rumble of his purr. She didn�t remember falling asleep.
She only vaguely remembered the ride home. But she remembered
the bright December sunlight and the fury in Jennifer Pattee�s eyes.
She remembered glimpsing her colleagues, her friends, closing in
as Jennifer�s hand dipped into the black leather bag slung over her
shoulder, and she remembered the threat of death that would have
followed a quick toss of a fragile vial filled with lethal virus into the
street. She remembered the glint of sunlight on metal. Saw the gun
come up. Pointed at her. She hadn�t thought, hadn�t needed to. Her
body moved, conditioned and trained a thousand times over for exactly
that moment.
Her mind clearer now, she knew her part in the greater picture
was a small one. She�d helped stop an attack on the president of the
United States. She�d done her job, the job she had wanted to do all her
life. Her part was over, but the war was just starting. There were more
like Jennifer and those who had conceived of the assault�at home
and abroad�those who called themselves patriots and translated their
fanaticism into violence. She�d keep doing her job, and the job would
be more demanding than it had ever been. She didn�t mind, she was
ready.Carefully, she turned onto her uninjured side, dislodging Ricochet
from his spot on her pillow. He stretched, gave her the insulted look
only a cat could muster, and stalked away.
Wes lay beside her, the strong planes and angles of her face
softened by sleep and the morning light. Evyn touched her bare shoulder.
� 275 �
RADCLY
Warm. Warm, soft skin. Wes�s mouth curved into a small smile, making
her handsome face achingly vulnerable. Want and wonder stirred in
Evyn�s soul. She kissed her, just a light brush of lips, and Wes�s eyes
fluttered open. Clear spring green�innocent and vibrant and gloriously
beautiful.
�Sorry,� Evyn whispered.
�Not for the kiss, I hope.�
�It�s early. Go back to sleep.�
�Mmm. Merry Christmas.�
Evyn laughed. �Hell, it is!� She hugged Wes. �Merry Christmas. I
didn�t get you a present.�
�Yes you did. I got you.� Wes�s arm came around her and Wes
kissed her, her mouth possessive and seeking. Evyn kept her eyes open
as long as she could, until the tenderness and longing forced her to
surrender. She drew her leg up over the crest of Wes�s hip, pressing
nearer, molding to her. The brush of hot skin over her clitoris made her
shudder.
�Doesn�t seem right,� Evyn gasped, arching her neck for Wes to
feast, �that I get so much pleasure out of your present.�
Wes�s mouth skimmed over her cheek, along her jaw. �Be
careful�shoulder. Remember your shoulder.�
Evyn nipped at Wes�s neck. �We�ve managed with a banged-up
shoulder before.�
Wes chuckled. �I wonder what it will be like when both of us have
two good arms.�
�If it gets any better, I won�t survive,� Evyn muttered, rocking
her center along Wes�s thigh. Her breasts were tense, aching, and she
wanted to come. She needed it quick and hard, but she held on�wanting
to hang suspended in this agonizing splendor of need and want and love
for as long as she could. �God, I love you.�
Wes drew a sharp breath, her arm tightening on Evyn�s waist,
urging her to thrust faster. �I really love waking up with you. I love
how much you want me. You�re so sexy. Are you always like this in
the morning?�
�I don�t know.� Evyn�s vision wavered. �I don�t usually wake up
with anyone.� Evyn dug her fingers into Wes�s shoulder, anchoring
herself, pressing closer, needing every inch of her skin against Wes.
Wes. Everywhere, always, Wes. Her orgasm unfurled, escaping the
� 276 �
tethers of her control, and she kissed Wes hard. �I want to wake up with
you.� Her hips bucked and she buried her face in Wes�s neck. �You�
just you. Wes�oh God, I�m coming.�
Wes kissed her eyelids, her mouth, her throat. �You�re so beautiful.
I could wake up like this forever.�
�Stay, then,� Evyn whispered, shattered with happiness.
Wes grew still. �Evyn, I didn�t mean��
�I did.� Evyn drew away until she could look into Wes�s eyes. She
wanted Wes to see what was in her heart. Trust. Certainty. Joy. �I love
you. I want to sleep with you and wake up with you as many nights and
as many mornings as we have.�
�I thought I knew what mattered before I met you,� Wes whispered.
�I thought my life was defined by what I accomplished, by what I
contributed. Those things still matter, but what matters in my heart and
my soul is you.�
Evyn found Wes�s hand and brought it to her heart. �I never let
myself need anyone. I was afraid if I did, all the fears and uncertainties
I kept locked away would escape. I couldn�t afford to be anything less
than tough and sure. But I need you, and I don�t feel afraid. I�m stronger
now, deep inside. I love you.�
�Then I�ll stay.� Wes kissed her. �For all the nights and days to
come.�
� 277 �
About the Author
Radclyffe has written over forty romance and romantic intrigue novels,
dozens of short stories, and, writing as L.L. Raand, has authored a
paranormal romance series, The Midnight Hunters.
She is an eight-time Lambda Literary Award finalist in romance,
mystery and erotica�winning in both romance (
Stacia Seaman and
Karin Kallmaker). A member of the Saints and Sinners Literary Hall of
Fame, she is also a 2010 RWA / FF&P Prism award winner for
the Year award finalist. She is also the president of Bold Strokes Books,
one of the world�s largest independent LGBT publishing companies.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
oath of Honor by Radclyffe. A First Responders novel. First do no
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A Question of Ghosts by Cate Culpepper. Becca Healy hopes Dr.
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Sara by Greg Herren. A mysterious and beautiful new student at
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Fontana by Joshua Martino. Fame, obsession, and vengeance collide
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The Marrying Kind by Ken O�Neill. Just when successful wedding
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Missing by P.J. Trebelhorn. FBI agent Olivia Andrews knows exactly
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Dark Wings Descending by Lesley Davis. What if the demons you
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sunfall by Nell Stark and Trinity Tam. The final installment of the
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Mission of Desire by Terri Richards. Nicole Kennedy finds herself in
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Boys of Summer, edited by Steve Berman. Stories of young love and
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Calendar Boys by Logan Zachary. A man a month will keep you
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The Locket and the Flintlock by Rebecca S. Buck. When Regency
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Burgundy Betrayal by Sheri Lewis Wohl. Park Ranger Kara Lynch
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LoveLife by Rachel Spangler. When Joey Lang unintentionally
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The Fling by Rebekah Weatherspoon. When the ultimate fantasy of a
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Ill Will by J.M. Redmann. New Orleans PI Micky Knight must untangle
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Buccaneer Island by J.P. Beausejour. In the rough world of Caribbean
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Twelve o�Clock Tales by Felice Picano. The fourth collection of short
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Words to Die By by William Holden. Sixteen answers to the question:
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Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright by Justine Saracen. Love does not
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Night Hunt by L.L. Raand. When dormant powers ignite, the wolf
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Demons are Forever by Kim Baldwin and Xenia Alexiou. Elite
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Runaway by Anne Laughlin. When Jan Roberts is hired to find a
teenager who has run away to live with a group of antigovernment
survivalists, she�s forced to return to the life she escaped when she was
a teenager herself. (978-1-60282-649-6)
Street Dreams by Tama Wise. Tyson Rua has more than his fair share
of problems growing up in New Zealand�he�s gay, he�s falling in love,
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Women of the Dark Streets: Lesbian Paranormal by Radclyffe
and Stacia Seaman, eds. Erotic tales of the supernatural�a world of
vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, and demons�by the authors
of Bold Strokes Books. (978-1-60282-651-9)
Derrick Steele: Private Dick�The Case of the Hollywood Hustlers
by Zavo. Derrick Steele, a hard-drinking, lusty private detective, is
being framed for the murder of a hustler in downtown Los Angeles.
When his brother�s friend Daniel McAllister joins the investigation,
their growing attraction might prove to be more explosive than the
case. (978-1-60282-596-3)
Nice Butt: Gay Anal Eroticism edited by Shane Allison. From toys
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635-9)