Had anyone heard from the chief, Jeannie or Helen? What about the officers who worked in Processing near the lobby and others who might’ve been in the area?
Archie came over to her, looking rattled and relieved to see her. “What the fuck, Sam? Are all your people accounted for?”
“I think so. Several were in the field. What about you?”
“Not yet. I’ve got one I can’t find.”
“I saw the lobby.” Sam tucked trembling hands under her arms. “The hallway to the chief’s office was completely knocked out. No one has heard from them.”
“Oh my God.”
“Ma’am,” Q said in a low tone meant only for her. “We need to relocate you.”
“I’m not going anywhere. These are my people, Q.”
“I understand, but until the building is swept for additional explosives, you can’t be here.”
She tried to stare him down, but the young agent never blinked.
“How do you expect me to leave when the people I work with, my friends, are injured or missing, when my workplace has been bombed?”
“This is coming from the administrator, ma’am. We’re under orders to remove you from the premises.”
“I’m not going. You can surround me with agents, but I’m staying until all our people are located and we know what happened and who did it.”
“We can’t endanger additional people by bringing in more agents, ma’am. Surely you understand the concern for our team, too.”
Sam glanced at Archie, who gave her a look that said he fully understood her agony at being told she needed to get out of there.
“How do I ever come back here if I leave when people are injured or dead?”
“You can come back as soon as we get an all clear that there’re no more explosives,” Q said.
“Go, Sam,” Archie said. “There’s nothing you can do here anyway. We’ll be in the parking lot until we can get back in.”
Sam tried to picture herself getting into a Secret Service SUV and leaving the scene while her colleagues tended to one another and tried to figure out who could’ve done this. She couldn’t reconcile those optics or the idea of being anywhere else when people she loved were missing or dead.
“If I leave, Q, I won’t be able to come back. Please don’t ask me to leave the people I love. I’m needed here. I’ll understand if you choose to leave. You certainly didn’t sign up for this when you joined my detail.”
“I… I understand, ma’am, but?—”
“No buts. I’m not leaving. End of discussion. Where’s Vernon?”
“I saw him over that way with EMTs,” Archie said, pointing.
Sam took off in that direction with Q and Freddie following.
“You did the right thing refusing to leave,” he said.
“I know I did. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I left.”
“No, you wouldn’t. What do you think this is?”
“I have no freaking idea, but I’d really like to hear from the chief, Jeannie and Helen. I’m worried about them. Especially Jeannie and the baby…”
“I know. Me, too.”
Sam spotted Vernon, sitting on the tailgate of one of the ambulances, and walked toward him. “What’s the story?”
