Kyle tipped his head in acknowledgment of the order to keep quiet. Behind her, Alexei made a face, his hand firmly holding onto Sean’s. It hadn’t been an easy time for any of them, but Alexei seemed to enjoy it the least.
Leaving the Hart Senate Office Building required everyone to walk through a throng of reporters and curious bystanders, the camera flashes chasing them into the early afternoon heat. Kyle took up his duties as escort for Leah again, keeping an eye on the crowd of reporters the Secret Service kept at bay as well as on the surrounding buildings.
“Let’s hope they don’t follow us back home,” Leah said as Kyle helped her and then Katie into the SUV.
“Want to bet on it?” Kyle asked.
Leah shook her head, smiling a little. “I know better than to place a bet with anyone in the military. You’re all too cutthroat about those things.”
“Bets serious business,” Alexei agreed as he climbed into the far back seat. “Would bet they follow.”
“That’s a losing bet,” Sean said.
“For you.”
Kyle climbed in, and a member of the Secret Service closed the door for him. The plan for the rest of the day included going to the Callahans’ Washington, D.C. home for a late lunch and a vid-conference with the director to go over today’s hearing. Kyle knew Jamie might have to stay to help manage the fallout of the public’s perception of the closed hearing, but he had hopes Jamie would be able to come home tonight. He missed having Jamie in their bed.
Kyle had only been to the mansion Jamie’s parents called home once before. It was located on a tree-lined street and surrounded by security, both electronic and human. He noted that the massive oak tree in the Callahans’ front yard was full of leaves, unlike the last time he’d been here.
Their vehicle pulled into the driveway beyond the guarded gate, while their security detail parked on the street. As Kyle and the others followed Jamie’s family into the mansion, the Secret Service set up their usual security perimeter around the home. While Kyle wished they could have skipped the meal—because he knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant—returning immediately to base after the hearing wasn’t an option. Holing up out of sight was expected. They’d leave in a couple of hours, split up, and take the long way back to shake any tail they might have picked up.
Cool air greeted them as they entered the mansion, the environmentals set a full twenty degrees cooler than the outside temperature. Unlike the last time Kyle had visited, the house was empty of campaign personnel.
“I need to make a call,” Jamie said.
“It can wait,” Richard told him.
Jamie ignored his father, striding up the stairs near the foyer for the second floor where Kyle knew Richard’s office was. Richard looked thunderously angry for a second or two before he choked it back, the politician’s mask in place once again.
Charlotte, ever the sharp-eyed politician’s wife, smiled invitingly at them. “We had lunch catered today in anticipation of the hearing running long.”
Katie was the first one to step forward. “Thank you, Mrs. Callahan.”
“How many times must I insist you call me Charlotte, Katie?”
“Probably a few more, at least, ma’am.”
Charlotte and Katie led the way farther into the home. Kyle managed two steps before he said, “I’m going to find the bathroom.”
Alexei shot him a hooded look before waving him off. “Go.”
Kyle knew he didn’t need to ask Alexei to cover for him, because his brother would do it anyway. Kyle spun on his heel and soundlessly climbed the stairs to the second floor, because that’s where Jamie was.
The door to Richard’s office was unlocked and it slid open at the touch of his hand to the control panel. Jamie stood behind his father’s desk, scowling down at the terminal as he logged in under his own account. He looked up at Kyle’s entrance, raising an eyebrow.
“Shouldn’t you be downstairs eating lunch?” Jamie asked.
Kyle ignored him, striding across the office and around the desk to reach him. Jamie straightened up, standing his ground as Kyle approached. He could see the tension in Jamie’s shoulders, the way he clenched his jaw out of anger now that they were out of the spotlight, with no one to take note of every little emotion filling their bodies.
Jamie was angry about a lot of things right now, but if there was one thing Kyle knew how to do better than shoot a gun, it was how to redirect that anger.
Kyle put his hands on Jamie’s chest and pushed him backward until his shoulders hit the wall between a pair of mounted shelves holding holopic frames. Jamie’s shoulders hit with a dull thump. Kyle held Jamie’s face in both hands as he rose up on the balls of his feet, kissing Jamie for all he was worth. Jamie yanked him close with hard hands, keeping him anchored there against the long, hard line of his body as they kissed.
If they had time, Kyle would go to his knees for him, would suck him off and let Jamie bury his anger deep in Kyle’s body. But they didn’t have time. It hadn’t felt like they’d had any for months and months.
So Kyle took what he could in those few seconds, reminding Jamie that he wasn’t alone, that he never would be again. Kyle might not have sat with him at the witness table today, but he’d been there, been present, and that would never change.
He would always be there for Jamie, no matter what.
