Chapter Twenty-One #2
Sam couldn’t bear the pain she heard in his voice and once again wanted to throttle Nicoletta for her cavalier treatment of her son.
She reached for him and drew him into her embrace.
“You should release a statement ahead of the interview that the vice president and his wife will be too busy to watch and that his aides were given a heads-up about what would be covered. It could say the vice president has never been married to anyone other than Samantha Holland Cappuano, and here’s a photograph of the vice president’s father at the same age he is now.
You wouldn’t have to say another word about either topic.
They’d go crazy trying to find a marriage license that doesn’t exist, and the picture of your dad will speak for itself. ”
“And you say you aren’t cut out for politics.”
“Does that mean you like my plan?”
“I love your plan.” He raised his head, gazed into her eyes and kissed her. “Almost as much as I love you, the only wife I’ve ever had.”
“I love being the only wife you’ve ever had. That way we can say with certainty that I’m the best wife you’ve ever had.”
His smile lit up his gorgeous eyes. “Yes, you are.” He kissed her again, lingering this time.
Sam curled her hand around the nape of his neck to keep him close. “Were you worried that I’d hear about this before you could tell me?”
“Did you see the way I came bursting in here? I left a meeting with Nelson to get to my office so I could call you as fast as I could. I’m sorry you heard it from someone other than me. Who told you, anyway?”
“Reporters tracked me down on the job.”
Nick winced. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” She drew him into another kiss, this time tossing in a little tongue for good measure. “I wouldn’t be kissing you right now if they hadn’t told me.”
“Mmm, very true.”
“I came right over here all by myself and even surrendered my weapon at the door.”
“I’m so glad you did.” He wrapped his arms around her and ran his lips over hers. “Gimme more.”
Sam fell into the kiss, letting him take the lead, which was how she ended up underneath him on the small sofa while he devoured her mouth with his lips and tongue.
A knock sounded on the door at the same second his desk phone buzzed.
Nick groaned and withdrew from the kiss. “Duty calls.”
“I hate when that happens, especially when it’s your duty calling instead of mine for a change.”
“Speaking of your duty, how’s it going with the investigation?”
“Slow. Waiting for a break.”
He helped her sit up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You doing okay?”
Sam shrugged. “I guess. I had the chance to set the record straight with Peter’s mother this morning.”
“How’d that feel?”
“Not as good as it would’ve last week.”
“You don’t have to do this, you know.”
“I do. We’re even more shorthanded now that Will has resigned and Jeannie is out for the rest of the week.”
“Will resigned? When?”
Sam ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it. “While we were in the bunker. He hasn’t been the same since Arnold was killed, so I wasn’t entirely surprised.”
“Wow, that’s too bad. Did you try to talk him out of it?”
She shook her head. “He hasn’t had his head in the game for a long time now. It’s the right move for him, but I let him know the door’s open if he decides to return at some point.” Shrugging, she said, “Just another day in paradise.”
“That’s a tough one, babe. I’m sorry. I know you think of the squad as family, so it’s hard when something like this happens.”
“I told him he’s still family, no matter what.”
“I’m sure he appreciated it.”
The desk extension buzzed again.
“Gotta get that.” He got up and crossed the room to his desk but turned so he could look at her while he took the call.
His eyes bugged at the sight of the “work” she’d done to his desk while she waited for him.
All his anal-retentively stacked folders had been knocked out of alignment, objects messily rearranged and his photos turned upside down.
When he glanced at her with an annoyed expression, Sam waggled her brows at him and enjoyed watching annoyance become amusement.
“Come on in,” he said into the phone before he returned the receiver to the cradle. “You can’t help yourself, can you?” He gestured to what he would consider chaos on his desk.
“You know I get into trouble whenever I have time to kill.”
“You’re a menace.”
“You love me.”
Before he could agree, Terry came into the office. “Sorry to disturb.”
“No worries,” Sam said. “I have to get back to work anyway.”
“Before you go, tell Terry your plan for deflecting my mother.”
“Oh, um, well…since Nick has never been married before, I think you need to say that and issue a photo of his father at the same age he is now with no further comment. You won’t need it.”
“That’s an excellent plan,” Terry said. “And it’s exactly what we’ll do. Can you ask your dad for a photo?”
“I’ll call him to give him a heads-up and ask for the photo. In the meantime, where are we with the legal steps to stop them from broadcasting the interview?”
“Unfortunately, we’re hitting numerous roadblocks. It looks like it’s going to air, even if we can prove ahead of time that she’s spewing lies.”
“How can someone be allowed to do that?” Sam asked. “It should be illegal.”
“I agree,” Terry said, “but it’s not, and the White House counsel said your recourse is to file civil suits against the network and your mother.”
“And won’t the press eat that up,” Nick said, his expression grim. “Vice president sues his own mother.”
Sam’s cell phone rang, and she took the call from Gonzo. “What’s up?”
“We’ve been following up with some of the names Irma Gibson gave you, and I think we need to have another chat with Peter’s coworker Lucy Kaul.”
“What’ve you got?”
“I talked to her next-door neighbor, who told me she’d seen her a lot lately with a guy who matched Peter’s description.
Cruz also wanted me to tell you that Brendan Sullivan called him when he couldn’t reach you.
He wasn’t able to get anything more from Rogers.
He claims he’s already told us everything he knows about Gibson. ”
“We can close that loop anyway,” Sam said. “You want to pick me up near 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and go have another talk with Lucy?”
“I can do that,” he said with a chuckle at the address. “Let me know exactly where.”
“I’ll text you.” Sam slapped her phone closed and returned it to her pocket. She looked up at Nick. “I have to go.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
Sam took the hand he offered. “See you, Terry.”
“Bye, Sam. Thanks for the strategy help.”
“I’m happy to spread my expertise around wherever it might be useful.”
Both men laughed, and Nick squeezed her hand as he led her out of the office.
“You’re going to be all right?” she asked him when they were alone in the hallway—or as alone as they ever were with Secret Service agents following close behind them.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You don’t have to lie to me, babe.”
“I know. I guess I keep hoping that one of these days she might act like a mother should. At thirty-seven, I should probably give up on that hope.”
“I want to beat the shit out of her.”
Nick laughed. “I think I’d like to see that.”
“Stay tuned. It could still happen.”
He dropped his hand and put his arm around her.
Sam slid her arm under his suit coat, wishing she could get to skin rather than pressed linen.
“Knock it off,” he said in a low growl, his lips close to her ear.
“What am I doing?”
“You’re having impure thoughts in the White House.”
She snorted out a laugh. “I’m hardly the first person to have impure thoughts in the White House.”
They arrived at the lobby far too quickly, and he gave her another tight squeeze before he released her. “Thanks for this. You have no idea how much I needed to see you.”
“I have a slight idea.” She smiled up at him. “Don’t let her get you down. She’s nothing to you, and she can’t touch us unless we let her.”
“Keep reminding me of that.”
“I will.” Sam didn’t care that people were watching.
She didn’t care that they were in the freaking White House or that he was the vice president.
Right now, he was only her husband, and he’d been hurt again by a woman who should’ve protected him rather than hurt him.
She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “Call me if you need me.”
“You do the same.”
“See you later.”
“Yes, you will.”
She felt him watching her as she went through the security checkpoint, where she reclaimed her service weapon and emerged into the blistering July heat.
What she wouldn’t give to make good on her threat to throttle Nicoletta, but she’d never embarrass Nick by getting into a physical altercation with his mother.
So she was left to dream about how thrilling it would be to beat the crap out of her.
Sam sent a text to Gonzo. Meet you at PA & H.
On my way.