“Am I allowed to attend?”
“Let me text him.”
That it was even a question…
“Yes, he’d like you to be there if you can.”
Did that mean they weren’t thinking the bombing was related to her? She’d like that to be proven as soon as possible. After the last few weeks of drones being sent by a now ex-colleague to take out her family and her nephew being kidnapped, Sam was seriously on edge about her role in the department and whether she was endangering others simply by showing up to work.
The anxious feeling had intensified since the bombing. What would they learn about who’d done it, and how would that potentially change her life forever?
“What’re you thinking?”
“Nothing I can say out loud without sounding like a selfish asshole.”
“It’s understandable that you’d be worried about this being tied back to you.”
“I’m worried sick. Four people are dead. Many others, including two of my close friends, are in the hospital. If this was because of me…”
“We don’t know anything yet, Sam. Let the investigation unfold and try not to take it on until we know more.”
“Could you do that? Pretend it’s not possible that it’s all about you?”
“Probably not.”
“How do I go to that meeting when everyone I work with is wondering the same thing I am?”
“You just keep showing up to do the job. That’s all you can do.”
“And bring all my danger with me. You should request a new partner.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“You need to think about your safety, Freddie. You have a baby on the way who’ll need you around.”
“Stop and take a breath, will you?”
“I knew something was wrong. I woke up feeling it in the middle of the night over the weekend, and the anxiety has been bad ever since.”
“There was no way even you could’ve predicted someone bombing HQ.”
“People are dead, Freddie.”
“I’m aware, and blaming yourself for something that might’ve had nothing to do with you won’t change anything.”
She knew that, but the grinding fear remained as she pulled out her phone to try again to call Amara. The call went straight to voicemail, which did nothing to assuage her concerns.
If only she knew where to even begin looking for her.
Chapter Twenty
Nick was incandescent with rage as he waited in the Oval Office for the Russian ambassador to arrive. Alexi Sokolov should’ve been there by now. Terry was working on finding out what was keeping him. If the bombing at HQ was tied back to the Russians, he would hold them—and Gretchen Henderson—fully responsible. They’d actually had the nerve to bomb his wife’s workplace. What the actual fuck had they been thinking?
Terry returned to the Oval. “He’ll be here in ten.”
“What’s taking so long?”
“He was in a meeting that needed to be completed when you summoned him.”
