“Colin, how long have you known about this?” Joshua asked. “You talk as though this plan has been in the works for quite a while.”
“Esther and Norm briefed me on Friday before I left work. That’s the first I heard of Moreno’s threat. But the steps that law enforcement takes when dealing with a threat to a public official? I’ve always known about them. They’re SOP.” He wrapped an arm around Joshua’s shoulders and hugged him against his side. “We’re lucky she let us comehere. She threw a fit when I told her we were headed to the cabin, but I convinced her that it was safe.”
“Is that why you insisted that we takemycar instead of yours?” Joshua asked.
“It is.”
His hand gripped Colin’s arm. “My god, Colin! D’you think Moreno’s goons might go to ourhouse?”
“City police are patrolling the house once an hour,” Colin told him. “Some of the campus cops… well, let’s just say a few of our friends are also watching out. Quietly. Though, again, I feel reasonably sure thatnoneof this is necessary. It’s all simply prudent at this point.”
“And if they find that the threatiscredible?” David asked.
Colin looked up at David and sighed. “Well, if that happens, it’s a whole new ball game, and I expect we’ll be stayingat whatever hotel the CAO picks. At least until the threat is neutralized.”
“I’d recommend the Omni,” David murmured.
“I don’t get to pick the hotel. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office will choose whichever property offers the highest security. I doubt I’ll get to state a preference, let alone pick the location,” Colin replied.
“Then it’ll be the Omni,” David said without hesitation. “Their executive suites are on the top floor — ideal for controlled access — and they’ve already got advanced security infrastructure baked in.”
Joshua frowned slightly. “You sound awfully certain.”
David huffed a laugh. “Josh… Desmond Tutu spoke at UVA, for god’s sake. We host high-risk VIPs all the time. Of course, we know the secure venues.”
“Colin? Will Esther assign security to Rainier?” Joshua asked, referring to Rainier Clinic where he was director of the trauma division.
Colin pressed his lips together and stared down at the grass, thinking. “Babe, I don’t know,” he said finally. “She may.”
Joshua nodded but did not respond.
“She wants you and me to meet with her and Norm on Monday morning so she can go over everything. That would be a good time to ask. In fact, starting now, you may want to make a list of any questions you have about all of this.”
Joshua’s hand gripped Colin’s shirt, his head bowed. Colin covered it with his own. “It’s going to be alright.” He tipped Joshua’s chin up until their eyes met. “I know you’re scared. But I promise you…”
“Colin, don’t! Don’t promise me anything. Not yet.”
“I’m just asking you not to overthink this when chances are it’ll turn out to be nothing more than Moreno shooting off his mouth to act all big and bad.”
Joshua stared into his husband’s eyes. “I sometimes feel as though I’ve spent half our life together being scared to death that some fucking jackass is going toshootyou.”
“I do tend to piss people off,” Colin said with a wink, but his hand tightened on Joshua’s, and he leaned in to kiss his cheek.
“Occupational hazard,” David said. “But he works with good people, Josh. I’ve known Esther and Norm for over twenty years. They won’t let anything happen to Colin. If I know Esther, she’ll beoverlycautious out of concern for your safety. You guys will be alright.”
Joshua quirked his mouth and stared at Colin, his expression ironic. “You couldn’t just sell life insurance for a living, huh.”
“Not my style.”
On Monday morning,Colin and Joshua drove straight from David’s cabin to Charlottesville City Hall for their meeting with Esther Jackson. As they approached the parking garage, Colin was forced to stop at a temporary barricade stretched across the entrance. A security guard approached them.
“Morning, Mr. Campbell,” he said in greeting.
“Morning, Eddie,” Colin replied, then indicated the security measures. “This forus?”
“Not sure, Mr. Campbell. Ms. Jackson said this was my post today and that no one got in without proper identification.”
Colin fumbled for his wallet, but the guard shifted the barricade and waved him forward. “I don’t need to see yours, Mr. Campbell. You and your husband can go on ahead.”
