Despite Agent Kidwell waiting outside, I rushed over and pulled him into a tight hug. “You’re doing great, Carter, I’m proud of you.”
“Me too, kid,” he murmured into my hair, clutching me hard. “Good job finally finding something you really want. Dad would be so proud of you. Fight for it—it’s time for Mom to face some demons of her own that she’s been ignoring and using you as a shield to run away from.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
But Agent Kidwell was already knocking again and Carter was giving me a shove toward the door.
Two days later we were back at the White House counting down the days to the election. My mother had barely any time to sleep or eat, let alone time to police my every movement, so I was finally able to move around without her breathing down my neck at every turn.
That meant I couldfinallyget out for a walk around the grounds without what felt like fifteen agents following me,instead it was just myself, Agent Kidwell, and two other agents from my new team.
“Isn’t the weather nice?” I asked the woman who was following me and Ginny at a respectful distance.
“It’s fine, ma’am,” she said, her tone clipped and short.
Professional. Just how it was supposed to be.
She used to be more friendly when I was younger and Brady was in charge, but now that she was in charge and I had embarrassed myself on a national scale with my Secret Service team, I guess she was trying to keep me at an arm’s length.
I was tempted to make a joke about reassuring her that I wouldn’t try to jump her bones, but decided against it.
“Come on, Ginny,” I said, clicking my tongue as the happy cocker spaniel, now almost fully grown, jumped happily around my feet.
The White House was still decorated for the fall so massive pumpkins were still strewn about the lawn and cheerful hay bales dotted the gates, making everything look far happier than I felt.
I wondered how the guys were doing. Did their apartment even get trick or treaters? I couldn’t imagine any of them, save for maybe Brooks and Zeke, passing out candy.
Hells, I was pretty sure that if any kids saw Maverick or Dallas they would go running in the opposite direction because those two alphas could be seriously imposing if they wanted to be.
The thought made me laugh quietly to myself, though it only lasted for a moment before the numbness settled in again.
I shouldn’t even be here right now in this damn place.
We all should have been back at the house on the Cape, strengthening our new bonds and learning how to live together as a pack.
Reaching up absentmindedly, I touched Maverick’s mark on my shoulder, Zeke’s mark on my arm, Brooks’ mark on my breast, and then finally Dallas’s mark on my collar bone.
For some reason I kept focusing on that one the most. It was the newest of the bunch, but not by much, but my instincts kept telling me to pay attention to it like it could disappear if I didn’t keep rubbing at it.
Shaking off the odd thoughts I continued my winding path around the White House, eventually ending up in the Kennedy garden again. It looked different in the light of day and the windows that had been shot out had been quickly replaced, probably within the same day they had been shattered.
“Miss Holloway!” a familiar voice called.
“Senator,” I heard Agent Kidwell warn. “You don’t have permission to speak with Miss Holloway.”
Turning, I found Senator Adams approaching with his hands tucked into the pocket of his jacket pockets and a cheerful look on his face despite my Secret Service agent looking like she was about to take him out.
I frowned at her words. Since when was I barred from even speaking to people?
“It’s okay,” I told her.
“No ma’am we’re under orders—”
I drew myself up to my full height. “I told you it was okay. I know Senator Adams and he has been a friend of my family for longer than I have been alive. If you need to go and tattle on me then you can run along to my mother and do so, leave the other two agents here on your way out.”
Kidwell’s face flushed an angry shade of red.
“Senator Adams,” I said, my voice lightening as I gave him a bright, practiced smile as I linked an arm with his. “Do you want to join me on my walk?”
