Chapter 33
Faye
The EMTs entered the room, and Jase moved away slightly to make room for them. One of the paramedics knelt in front of me, her movements slow and gentle, as if she were trying not to startle me.
“Hi, Faye,” she greeted. “I’m Jenna. This is Mark.” She nodded toward the man beside her, who gave me a small, reassuring smile. “We’re just going to check you out, okay?”
I nodded, even though my hands were still shaking.
Dylan remained seated by me and Jase stood nearby.
“Before we start, are you comfortable answering some questions here, or would you prefer privacy?” Jenna asked.
I looked up at my guys. “I want them here.”
Jase’s shoulders eased a fraction, and Dylan’s hand pressed a little more firmly against my back.
“All right,” Mark replied.
He checked my pulse, then lifted my wrist, his brow creasing as he examined the bruising already forming there. “Any pain here?”
“A little,” I admitted. “My shoulder is sore too.”
“We’ll take a look.” Jenna stood to examine it.
Mark met my gaze again, his tone shifting slightly. “I need to ask you something, and you don’t have to answer if you’re not ready.”
I swallowed. “Okay.”
“Did he sexually assault you or attempt to?”
The room fell silent, and I saw Jase and Dylan tense.
“No,” I answered firmly. “Well, I think that was his plan. But I got away before he could.”
Jase’s breath left him in a rush as Dylan rested his forehead against my uninjured shoulder.
“I would have killed him,” Dylan whispered, and I had no doubt he meant those words.
The EMTs continued checking me over—asking about dizziness, pain levels, and whether I wanted to go to the hospital. After I assured them I was fine and didn’t need any further medical attention, they left.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the man I’d crashed into when I ran out of my suite standing near the window, speaking quietly into his phone.
I briefly recalled him saying he was with the Secret Service and showing me his credentials, but that didn’t make sense.
I’d signed off on my security detail specifically for this trip.
When he ended the call, he walked over to us. “Ms. Donnelley, we didn’t get a chance to meet officially. I’m Agent Michael Webster with the United States Secret Service. I’m based here in our Las Vegas field office.”
I nodded, even though my mind was spinning.
“More agents are on their way up,” he continued. “In the meantime, we need to discuss the next steps.”
I took a breath. “Like what?”
“For now, you need to stay here. This room is secure, and we’ll have agents inside and outside. As soon as we can arrange to move you out of Las Vegas, you and I will head back to D.C.”
A lump formed in my throat. “I don’t want to leave.”
The guys and I were supposed to have one more day in Sin City before going our separate ways yet again, and I didn’t want to leave them any earlier than we’d planned.
He nodded. “I understand, but until we know for certain this was an isolated incident, Las Vegas isn’t a controlled environment.”
“But Callum’s been arrested,” Dylan argued.
“Yes,” Agent Webster replied. “But there’s a lot we don’t know yet, including how he knew where you were.”
I hadn’t thought about that.
Jase’s jaw clenched. “Do you think someone helped him?”
“I think it’s something we need to rule out,” Agent Webster explained.
A moment later, another knock came at the door, and Webster opened it to a woman who stepped in, flashing credentials as she closed it behind her.
“Agent Torres,” she introduced herself. “Vegas Field Office. I’ll be staying in the room with you.”
I nodded because it didn’t sound like I had a choice in the matter.
Webster turned back to me. “You should call your father. That’s who I was speaking to a minute ago, and I told him the paramedics were still checking you out.”
I stiffened. “He knows?”
“He was notified as soon as we got you secured.”
Of course, he was.
Agent Webster handed me my phone. He must have taken it from my room because I didn’t remember grabbing it.
I selected my dad’s contact, and he answered right away. “Faye, are you okay?” He skipped his usual greeting.
“I’ve been worried sick,” Mom added, letting me know he had me on speakerphone.
Tears pricked my eyes as I heard the panic in their voices. “Yes, I’m okay.”
“Thank God,” Mom breathed. “I can’t believe Senator Whitmore’s son would do something so horrible.”
“Me neither,” I agreed, shivering as I thought how much worse it could have been. I let out a long breath, then asked the question that was confusing me. “Dad, why is there an agent here at the hotel?”
There was a pause on the line, then he sighed. “Because I sent him.”
“What?” I balked. “Why? I signed off on my detail.”
“Yes, and I understand why you did, but ever since the situation with Fallon, I haven’t liked the idea of any of you going without protection.”
“But you didn’t send anyone when I went to St. John.”
“I did, but since no incident occurred, the shadow agent never had to make contact.”
“And Portland?” I questioned.
Dad chuckled slightly. “That was a little tricky given you changed your flight, but agents were parked on the street outside the Matthewson-Statler residence the entire time.”
I swallowed hard. “I just want a normal life.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “That’s all I’m trying to have, with Jase and Dylan. Something that’s mine.”
“I know, and I understand why you want it. But as long as I’m president,” he continued, “there will always be risks. I can’t change that. What I can do is ensure you’re protected while you live your life.”
Silence stretched between us.
“I don’t want to be locked away,” I whispered.
The couch cushion dipped, and I felt Jase and Dylan press against either side of me.
“You won’t be,” he promised. “But we need to be smart. I think you should come to D.C. until we can determine exactly what happened. We need you in a secure location until we confirm that Callum acted alone and wasn’t part of a larger plot.”
I looked up at Jase and Dylan. They were watching me, worry evident on their faces.
“Okay,” I relented. “I’ll go to D.C., but I’m not staying long.”
“Thank you,” my dad replied. “We’ll figure out the rest together.”
When the call ended, I took a deep breath.
“My dad thinks I should leave Vegas,” I explained. “They need to make sure this was just Callum going off the rails and not a bigger security issue.”
Dylan nodded slowly. “I hate the idea of you leaving, but I understand why you need to.”
Jase wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Once things settle, maybe you could come out to Portland.”
I smiled for the first time since everything had happened. While I had things I needed to deal with first, nothing was going to keep me from my guys.