Aubrey makes it inside before we do, and the speed at which he’s moving sets my teeth on edge. I pick up the pace, hearing the hard slaps of Cal’s feet against tile behind me as he does the same. We’re not running, but it’s definitely a brisk walk, enough to catch the attention of the staffers milling about and garner the interest of Sam Granger, who’s lingering in the hallway with a cup of coffee in each of his hands.
He holds them out to us, completely oblivious to the fact that we’re in pursuit. “Figured you would need these!”
I move past him without so much as a second glance, but seconds later I hear the splash of liquid hitting the floor and Cal’s gruff voice as he says, “Fuck off, Granger.”
No one else bothers trying to intercept us, which is a good thing because the responses would only get more hostile as we follow the trail of formal greetings and polite salutations Aubrey receives on his way up the stairs that lead to the private rooms he and Selene occupy.
“Do we even know if she’s here?” I whisper to Cal when he falls into step beside me.
My question is answered when we reach the landing and immediately hear the sound of Aubrey’s raised voice.
“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?”
There is no one else on this floor. Agents aren’t forbidden from operating in this space, but they only do so when given express permission by the President or First Lady. Cal and I have neither, and still, we allow Aubrey’s vitriol to draw us in further, pulling us deeper and deeper into the sacred space until we’re standing shoulder to shoulder inside the hallowed arch that welcomes guests to the East Sitting Hall.
Selene is on the couch in front of the window that overlooks the garden named after Jacqueline Kennedy years after her husband’s assassination. Her eyes stretch into saucers when she sees us, and I know exactly what she’s thinking. That we’re risking our jobs by being here, but more importantly, we’re risking our lives. Her life. Because the moment Aubrey realizes we’ve come to her rescue, he’ll know we’re not done. He’ll know the love hasn’t stopped, the want hasn’t ended, the need hasn’t ceased. And he will punish us for it.
None of it matters now, though. Nothing matters besides the fear in Selene’s eyes and the way it washes away any traces of hope she felt at our appearance. Aubrey plants one hand on the arm of the couch and the other on the back of it, leaning in closeto her face. Even from this distance, I can see the veins popping out of his forehead and throbbing in his neck as he screams at her.
“ANSWER MY FUCKING QUESTION, SELENE.”
She plants both hands in the center of his chest and pushes him away, giving herself space to stand. Relief floods my system when she puts some distance between them, but my a wave of nausea hits me when I hear the tremor in her voice when she finally speaks.
“You need to calm down, Aubrey.”
Her gaze slides in our direction, and she gives a subtle shake of her head, demanding us not to intervene. Aubrey hasn’t noted our presence yet, and it would be for the best if we kept it that way. I doubt that will happen, though, because there’s a frenzied, destructive energy running laps in the inches between Cal’s body and mine. One wrong move by Aubrey. One shudder from Selene. That’s all it’ll take to sever the thread of control holding us in place and allow the frenzy to take over.
“Calm down?!” He growls, kicking the leg of a coffee table as he struggles to recover from the shove. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Selene. Don’t tell me anything besides the god damn truth.”
She swallows, crossing her arms over her chest. “You haven’t asked me a question yet.”
“You’re really going to make me lay it out for you?”
Aubrey is seething now, hands on his hips and shoulders high with tension. His back is to us, which puts all his focus on Selene when I’d much rather have the hate rolling off him pointed at me, or Cal, anyone but the woman I love who’s half his size and too far out of my reach for my liking.
“If you would like me to participate in this conversation, it would be nice to have some context, yes.”
“Context.” Aubrey snarls, a derisive snort escaping him. “Here’s some context for you. Late last night, you boarded a private jet chartered by Monique with two members of your security detail and flew to Lexington, Kentucky where you proceeded to make one stop and one stop only: the home of Peter and Janice Ellsworth.”
Cal and I both pull in a sharp, but silent, breath through our noses. What the fuck was Selene doing visiting Sutton’s parents, and how the hell did Aubrey find out so quickly?
“You tried to be smart about it,” he says. “Got in and out of Kentucky in a matter of hours, made it back here before noon. Janice said you only stayed at the house for fifteen minutes. Honestly, I’d be impressed if it wasn’t such a STUPID FUCKING THING TO DO!”
The sudden rise in volume catches Selene off guard. She jolts, shrinking away from him even though he’s made no attempt to advance on her. I don’t understand the reaction. Well, of course I do, I’ve seen the same skittish behavior exhibited in women who have experienced violence at the hands of the romantic partners, but to my knowledge, Aubrey has never laid a hand on Selene.
Red tints my vision as I turn the possibility over in my mind, knowing that a failure to witness something doesn’t mean it hasn’t taken place. I take a step forward, and Cal grabs me by the shoulder, preventing me from taking another.
“What exactly is so stupid about going to express my condolences to your girlfriend’s parents?”
Double-layered shock rolls through me. I didn’t expect Selene to come clean about the trip so easily, and I definitely didn’t think she’d follow it up with an accusation about Aubrey still sleeping with Sutton. He doesn’t bother to deny it, jumping straight into another anger fueled response that awakens something dark and deadly inside me.
“It’s thinking you have anything to offer two people who have lost their child, who have had their entire world turned upside down?—”
“Because of you!” Selene shouts, finishing the sentence for him. “Their daughter is dead because of you. Just go ahead and admit it. Save me the trouble of having to find proof. I already know about the man you sent to stalk her. Peter said she spent the last few days of her life constantly looking over her shoulder. What did she do to deserve that, Aubrey? Did she threaten to leave you? Did she get tired of sneaking around and ask you to make an honest woman out of her?”
Selene pauses, arching a brow as she tips her head to the side and levels him with a gaze. “Or maybe she came to her senses and realized what a piece of shit you are. Personally, I don’t plan to get bogged down in the why. I don’t even really need to know the how,” she tells him, a humorless chuckle leaving her. “See, I’ve already read the coroner’s report, Aubrey. I know exactly how long it took for her throat to completely close.”
“SHUT UP,” Aubrey screams, but Selene is on a roll, forging ahead despite the stench of his growing agitation filling the room.
