She closes her eyes, letting the words soak into her skin. When she opens them again, the fear is gone, replaced by the fire of determination. It’s the most she’s looked like herself in hours, and I’m glad to have her back. I lower my hand, setting her free to do whatever it is she needs to do right now.
Move.
Sit.
Pace.
Hover.
Curl into a ball.
To my surprise, she goes to sit behind her desk, clasping her fingers together, signaling to us that she’s ready to get down to business. Between the four of us, we’re able to develop a plan fairly quickly. Monique calls one of her many exes, this one a New York based real estate tycoon with properties up and down the East Coast. With a few giggles and a vague promise to lethim take her out to dinner the next time he’s in town, she’s got several options for us to choose from. We go with a secluded estate in Bethesda that was once owned by a paranoid recluse who paid a pretty penny to turn the property into a fortress.
With the largest problem out of the way, we divide the rest of the tasks among ourselves. Selene steps away to call her parents. Beck volunteers to take Monique by her place as well as Aubrey and Selene’s home in McLean to pack clothes. Both women are annoyed to learn that we’re in the habit of keeping go bags for both of us in each of our cars, so there’s no need for us to return home.
While everyone is off doing what’s necessary to disappear from their lives at a moment’s notice, I drop into Selene’s desk chair and call Hunter. For some reason, my heart rate kicks up as I wait for the call to connect. It’s not until he answers and I bypass a greeting to blurt the words out, that I realize why.
“I need a favor.”
The pause on his end of the line tells me he’s just as shocked as I am by what I’ve just said. Never in the history of our lives have I asked Hunter for a favor. Because of his history with addiction and the strain our asshole of a father put on our relationship, I’ve never known or trusted him enough to do so. But today I need something only he can give.
“What is it?”
Selene walks slow laps around the room, whispering urgently to her mother. I track her steps, counting how many it takes to get her from the head of the conference table where we shared our first meal to the window that displays the city below us.
“Cal?” Hunter asks, pulling me out of my head. “You still there?”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat, averting my gaze from the lovely and distracting creature I’m currently sharing air with.
“What did you need?”
“We’ve got a, uh, developing situation here.”
“You’re talking about the Marsh thing? It’s been all over the news. They said he’s coming for the First Lady. Is that true?”
“We don’t know yet, but we’re taking precautions.”
Another pause. This one a little longer than the last. “We? Did you get your job back?”
I snort, humor laced frustration running through me. “No, but Beck and I are still handling the situation, just in a more personal capacity.”
“In a more personal capacity,” he says, like repeating the words will help him decipher their meaning. Apparently, it does because in seconds the slow drawl of realization is filling the line.“Ohhhh.”
“Yeah, so I?—”
“Does Beck know?!”
“Of course, Hunter. He’s…they’re…we’re all together.”
“Shit,” he says, and I imagine him rubbing his head in confusion. “That sounds…complicated. She’s married to the President, Cal.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’m aware. Just like I’m sure you were aware that Rae was in a committed relationship when she fell back in love with you.”
“She never fell out of love with me, asshole,” he snaps, and then in a softer, amused tone, he says, “I guess we are our father’s sons.”
“Dad cheated on his wives. We’re just stealing other people’s,” I muse, enjoying the inappropriate exchange more than I should.
“Rae wasn’t married when we got back together.”
