“Come in, Terry,” Sam said. “I was just leaving.”
Terry gestured to them, still wrapped up in a tight embrace. “That doesn’t look like leaving.”
“Mr. President doesn’t agree with the plan.”
“He loves you very much,” Nick whispered.
“Same goes. Now release me. Nonnegotiable.”
He chuckled. “If I must.”
“You must.”
“If you get yourself killed, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Likewise.” Sam kissed him and headed for the door before he changed his mind and pulled presidential rank on her. She was shocked that he hadn’t done that already. “Keep him busy until I can get out of here,” she said to Terry.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You don’t work for her, Terry,” Sam heard Nick say as she walked swiftly out of his office and took off running toward the lobby while calling Q for a ride.
She had to get out of there before he changed his mind.
* * *
Q met her in the lobby with a second agent, a petite Black woman named Dana. Her hair was shoulder-length, and she wore a sharp-looking navy blue suit with a pink patterned blouse. Sam felt like a schlub next to her in jeans and sneakers.
Sam shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Dana, and welcome to the bedlam known as my detail.”
Dana smiled. “It’s an honor, ma’am.”
“The honor is all mine. Thank you for what you do.” To Q, she said, “What’re you hearing about Vernon?”
“Just a bump on the head. No concussion. They sent him home for the rest of the day, but he’ll be back in the morning.”
“That’s great news. I need to get back to work.”
“Our bosses are adamant that they want you here until we know who’s planting bombs in DC and why,” Q said.
Sam took a beat before she calmly said, “I understand and respect their concern, but I need to be with my colleagues to help figure out why our house was bombed.”
“All due respect, ma’am, but we’d like you to leave that to the team charged with investigating these things while you take shelter here.”
“I’ve cleared it with the president. He’s aware of my decision to return to work and will handle any pushback from your leadership.”
“They’re not concerned only about you, ma’am,” Q said.
His words hit her right in the chest. They were worried about him and Dana and the other agents, too. Jimmy was already out on medical leave after taking a bullet meant for her, and now Vernon was injured, too.
She swallowed hard as the implications hit like a tsunami. People she cared about were in danger because she chose to show up to work every day.
“I… I don’t know what to do, Q. Earlier, a young woman came in to report that she witnessed her brother’s murder. She wanted to speak only to me, and after she trusted me with her heartbreaking story, I told her I’d see her through every step of the journey toward getting justice for her brother. Then the bomb went off, and when the dust settled, she was gone, along with the body of another murder victim. How do I hide out in the safety of this place when she’s missing? I have to help find her. I think she’s an innocent bystander caught up in something big because I took her to the morgue to wait for Lindsey and…”
“Take a breath,” Q said quietly.
As she realized she was on the verge of hyperventilating, she forced air into her lungs and then exhaled before doing it again. “It’s a lot to know that I’m endangering others by showing up to work.”
“We don’t know anything for sure yet,” Dana said. “We’re operating out of an abundance of caution as the investigation into the bombing proceeds.”
