D.C. Power Games Box Set

by Ivy Nelson

  “Before we begin, I’d like to set some ground rules,” Tabitha said.

  “The ground rules are pretty simple, Miss Kent answers our questions truthfully and we all go home happy.”

  Stephen Miller had an attitude, but Adara knew her attorney could get a bigger one. Adara also knew that she was likely to be accused of being connected to terrorism again. Those types of accusations gave Homeland a broad swath of power to wield that they might not otherwise have. It was probably best if her attorney kept the attitude in check. Thankfully, Tabitha seemed to agree for now.

  “We have every intention of being honest with you Agent Miller. However, Miss Kent has worked with a lot of politicians and sensitive information. If we feel you are veering into confidentiality territory, my client reserves the right to not answer those questions.”

  Agent Miller sat across from them. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that line of questioning. This is more of an inquiry into Miss Kent’s personal life.”

  Adara glanced back and forth between the two. It felt like they didn’t even know she was in the room. She cleared her throat and both the agent, and the attorney turned to look at her.

  “Shall we get started?” she asked.

  “Certainly. Can you please state your name for the record?” he asked as he pressed record with a small remote that sat next to him on the table.”

  Taking a deep breath, she said, “Adara Noelle Kent.”

  “Thank you, Miss Kent. You’re here today because we received a tip that you are not who you say you are. Would you like to address that claim?”

  Tabitha held a hand up. “I really think we need more information about the tip you received before my client answers that question.”

  Stephen Miller rolled his eyes.

  “I’m not at liberty to disclose my source at this time, but it’s a pretty straightforward question.”

  “I would like a more specific question please.”

  Adara wanted to grin at her attorney but she kept her face straight. Tabitha Kelly wasn’t going to back down. She had definitely made the right choice in hiring her.

  Miller sighed. “Fine. Is Adara Noelle Kent the name you were given at birth?”

  Adara didn’t miss a beat. “That’s the name on my birth certificate, correct.”

  Tabitha slid the birth certificate across the table. Agent Miller didn’t even bother to look at it.

  “To your knowledge, has your birth certificate been altered since your birth?”

  “No, it has not.” That wasn’t even a lie.

  “Have you ever been to Israel?”

  Now they were getting into tricky territory. Honesty was still working in her favor though, so she went with the truth again. At least what she knew to be the truth.

  “I was born there, to U.S. citizens.”

  “And your parents are Ruth and Daniel Kent of Arizona?”

  Tabitha interrupted before Adara could get an answer out. “Yes. Again, this is information that is clearly on the birth certificate.” She waved the piece of paper in front of his face as if he were incompetent—honestly Adara was beginning to think he was.

  “I understand what is on the birth certificate, Ms. Kelly. But currently, Miss Kent’s birth claims are under investigation. You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t just accept the information on the birth certificate,” he said, snatching the paper out of Tabitha’s hand.

  “You probably think Obama’s birth certificate was fake.” The smartass response was out of Adara’s mouth before she could stop it, and she cringed even before the last word left her lips. Tabitha flinched but didn’t say anything.

  “The former president’s birth certificate isn’t germane to this investigation. Let’s try to stay on track please, Miss Kent.”

  The questions went on for another hour. Agent Miller found at least a hundred ways to ask the same thing over and over again. Finally, her attorney stood.

  “If you’re going to keep asking the same questions, my client and I are leaving.”

  Miller folded his arms and leaned back in his seat. “One more question before you go. Would you be willing to take a DNA test, Miss Kent?”

  That shook her. A DNA test would prove that her parents weren’t biologically related to her.

  She looked at her attorney who was already speaking. “We’re not agreeing to anything until we know what evidence you have regarding the falseness of Miss Kent’s birth records. If you can’t provide us with something other than an anonymous source, we’re not going to agree to a DNA test. Miss Kent works in politics. Anyone could be making up this preposterous claim because she pissed them off or they want to ruin her campaign before it gets started.”

  Miller’s nostrils flared. “Fine. But we’re not going away until we have DNA. That’s the only way to clear this up. I can’t reveal my source.”

  “Get a court order then. We will not volunteer DNA. We’re leaving now. Let’s go, Adara.”

  Tabitha opened the door and motioned for Adara to follow. The agent didn’t try to stop her, but she still felt the urge to run through the building and out onto the street. It took all of her willpower to walk at a normal pace. Part of her had expected to be locked up today.

  Michael was waiting on the street when they exited into the sunshine. She must have looked rough because he rushed to her and pulled her into a hug. “Are you OK, Angel? How did it go?” Adara didn’t respond. She just rested her head on his shoulder and took in a few deep breaths as she tried to calm the storm raging inside of her. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”

  Behind them, Tabitha spoke up. “We’ll want to get together and strategize. They aren’t going to leave you alone.”

  Adara nodded. “Can I just have some rest? That was draining and I could use a nap. We can get together for dinner if you’re free.”

  The attorney agreed and soon they were hailing cabs to go their separate ways. Michael directed the driver of their cab back to the hotel.

  “Tell me everything,” he said once they were on their way.

  “After a nap,” she said shaking her head. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the seatback as they made their way through the city.

  “Angel.” There was disapproval in his tone and Adara was not in the mood.

  “Don’t take that damn tone with me.”

  “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on. We have a twenty-minute ride. Why not just talk to me?” He was still using that disapproving voice one might use to scold a misbehaving child.

  Adara had had enough. “You’ve really got to learn how to talk to me. I’m not your submissive, and I’m pretty sure we’ve had this conversation before.”

  His eyes closed and he inhaled deeply as if he were praying for patience. “I’m sorry. I’ll work on it. It’s just the tone I naturally take when I’m concerned. Right now, I’m concerned about you.”

  Her fingers twisted at the fabric of her blouse. “They want me to agree to a DNA test.”

  Michael whistled. “That could be problematic.”

  “Yeah, no shit Sherlock.”

  “You’re lucky you’re cute and you’ve had a hard day, Angel. I don’t appreciate the sass.”

  “And I don’t appreciate the overbearing dom act, so I guess we’re even.” Somehow, the look in his eyes told her she might like it if she gave him a chance. She shook the thought off. That was just silly. It might be hot in the bedroom, but the everyday submission that Carrie and Darci did? That was not for her.

  “So, how do we combat a DNA test? It might prove you aren’t your parents’ biological child, but it won’t prove who your real parents are. Do you have any clues about them?”

  Adara shook her head. “The details I’ve been given are pretty fuzzy. We could try talking to mom and dad again, but I don’t feel like that will really get us anywhere.”

  “Let’s plan to contact other relatives then. Maybe they’ll have more answers.”

  She h
eld up a hand. “I was serious about being drained. Can we wait to talk about this again until dinner? Then I don’t have to go over everything twice.”

  For a moment she thought he was going to object, but then his features softened.

  “Of course, Angel. I’m sorry I’m being pushy. I just want to help.”

  She sighed. “I know. I just need a breather. I’m going to take a nice long nap and then we can get back to work. I promise. I’m sure you have work of your own to take care of.”

  Michael shook his head. “I’ve put in for some vacation. Kind of a leave of absence until this is over. That’s part of what I did after I met with the chief yesterday morning.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “You did what? You didn’t need to do that. Damn it, Michael. You just got a promotion. This could jeopardize that. This isn’t something you just get slapped on the wrist for either. It could be career ending if you make the department look bad.”

  “Stop. I have a ton of vacation time saved up that I never use. My promotion is locked. My career is not in danger. I’m more worried about saving your chance to run for office. Bradley told me how much you’ve always wanted to. He didn’t understand why you didn’t do it sooner. I’m assuming it’s because of this?”

  Her head fell back against the seat and she closed her eyes. “I was actually considering a run for state legislature in Arizona before I went to work for Atleigh. Bradley and I got into a fight about me not running. I thought it was going to ruin our friendship. I already told you why I decided to take Leslie Hanover up on her offer. It’s just crazy to me that the very day I make that decision is the day all of this gets dragged up.”

  “Crazy is one word for it,” Michael said dryly.

  The cab pulled up at their hotel. Michael paid the driver and they rode the elevator up to their floor. Once they made their way to the suite, Adara excused herself to the bathroom for a quick shower.

  While the water got hot, she stripped off the suit she had worn to the interview. Stepping in, she let the warm water wash away some of the stress of the day. She dried off with one of the fluffy white towels and slipped into some pajamas. It wasn’t long before she was drifting off to sleep. Two hours later, she woke still feeling the effects of the rough morning. Her shoulders were tense, but her head was clearer. Perhaps a glass of wine at dinner would relax her. Dinner was unlikely to be all that relaxing though since it was a strategy meeting with her attorney.

  She just wanted to shake this tense, restless feeling. Her world felt completely turned upside down. Nothing was as it should be. Just then, something dawned on her. Fuck.

  She missed her dog. Perhaps being near Hamilton would make things feel more like they should.

  After getting dressed, she found Michael lounging on the couch flipping through sports channels. Another reason they wouldn’t work, she thought. Sports were not her thing at all. It baffled her why anyone could get pleasure out of watching a bunch of grown men throw a ball or tackle each other.

  When Michael glanced up and saw her, he smiled. “Ready for dinner?”

  “Yeah, but I have a question first. What is this hotel’s policy on dogs? I just realized I haven’t seen mine in days, and I miss him. Leslie is probably tired of keeping him for me anyway.”

  Understanding lit his eyes. He knew how much she loved her dog. “I’ll find out. And if they don’t allow them, we’ll move to a different hotel. Either way, we’ll get you your dog tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Michael. I really appreciate it. I know having him here won’t fix anything, but it might make things feel a little more normal.”

  He stood and picked up his jacket. “I understand completely, Angel. Let’s get to dinner.”

  Adara followed him to the door. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Dinner was just as stressful as she had imagined. But they did learn one thing.

  “I did some digging into Agent Miller,” Tabitha Kelly said. “He lost his brother in a terrorist attack carried out by Faisal Hadawi. It could explain why he was being so hostile. It honestly didn’t make sense to me until now.”

  “So, you think because he’s assuming Adara is related to this fucker he’s not going to give her a fair shake?” Michael asked.

  “Something like that. But that’s what I’m here for.”

  At that point, Tabitha began laying out countless options for dealing with Homeland. None of them sounded particularly appealing, but ultimately, the decided that if Homeland became insistent about the issue, they would go ahead and supply a DNA sample. It may prove that Ruth and Daniel Kent weren’t her biological parents, but it wouldn’t prove anything else. At least she hoped not. It was difficult to know what Homeland had on her since they wouldn’t reveal their source. Not knowing who her real parents were also made things more difficult to gauge. Carrie had the journal her mother had told them about, but so far hadn’t found anything useful. She was still digging. Hopefully they would come up with something soon.

  7

  ♥♥♥

  “Miss Kent, thank you for coming back in.”

  “It didn’t sound like we had much of a choice,” Michael growled from his place next to Adara.

  Tabitha Kelly, her attorney, placed a hand on his arm as if to silence him. It worked. It hadn’t taken long for Homeland to call back and schedule a second interview. This time, they were prepared with a court order for a DNA sample. Thankfully, Adara was already prepared for this. After Agent Miller asked a bunch of questions, ones Michael was certain Adara had already answered, someone came in and swabbed Adara’s cheek and then told her she was free to go.

  “If they suspect me of being involved in terrorism, why aren’t they detaining me? If they don’t suspect me of that, why are they going through all this trouble with me?” Michael gripped Adara’s hand as they left the federal building that housed Homeland Security.

  “All good questions, Angel. I’m honestly not sure. We’re going to find out though. For now, let’s go get your dog.”

  After checking with the hotel, Michael had arranged to meet Leslie and pick up Hamilton.

  “Thank you for helping me get him and for being here for all of this,” Adara said quietly. “I’m sorry to be such a burden. I wish I could have just disappeared.”

  Michael growled when she said that. “Why would you think of yourself as a burden? I don’t like you thinking that. You’re someone I care about. I’m not going to just abandon you to deal with this shit on your own. And there is no way in hell I would ever let you disappear.”

  He watched her exhale the breath she had been holding. “I just feel like I’m causing everyone to have to bend over backwards to help me. I’ve always been independent.”

  “You’ve been living with this hanging over your head for eight years, your whole life even. But you’ve let this secret control you for eight years. It’s time for you to let someone else take care of you so you can get control of your life back.”

  They were pulling up to the park where they were meeting Leslie. Before letting her get out of the car, Michael gripped her hand. “Hey, you don’t have to do any of this alone anymore, Adara. The sooner you realize that, the easier all of this will be.”

  “Thank you,” she said. But her words were terse, and she still looked tense.

  Michael got out of the car and settled onto a picnic bench to watch Adara reunite with her dog. It was perhaps the most animated he had seen her recently. She got down on his level and hugged him tightly while he tried to lick her face. It frustrated him to know she had struggled on her own for so long, never feeling safe enough to tell anyone what was going on. His cell phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket. The face on the screen was Darci’s, and he smiled.

  “Hey sweetheart. How’s Italy?”

  “It’s amazing. I can’t believe we come home in two days. Carrie called me last night. How’s Adara?”

  Keeping one eye on Adara, he filled Darci in on what had been happening since she left town.<
br />
  “Should we come home sooner?” she asked when he finished.

  “No. Enjoy your honeymoon. We’ll see you in a couple of days. The DNA won’t come back for at least a week. I’m going to try to get Adara out of her own head for a few days. If she’ll cooperate.” He had been forming a plan. Now he just had to put it into action and hope it worked to help Adara center herself.

  “Bradley says she’s more stubborn than I am, so good luck with that.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Get back to your husband. I’ll see you when you get home.”

  Adara was approaching with her dog. “Ready?” he asked.

  They loaded the dog and all of his things into the back of the car they had called. When they were settled, he said, “I want to ask you to do something with me tonight.”

  “Sure,” she said running her hand up and down Hamilton’s back.

  “Come back to Exposure with me. Just like before, we don’t have to do anything. Just hang out with friends and take our minds off all of this shit for a few hours.”

  Her eyes wandered and stared out the car window as she continued stroking the dog’s fur. “I guess I did kind of ruin things last time,” she murmured.

  “You didn’t ruin anything, Angel.”

  “I appreciate you saying that, but I feel like I did. Yes, I’ll go with you.”

  Well, phase one of the plan worked. “Thank you. Let’s go get this fur ball settled into his new digs,” he said, ruffling the dog’s hair. Hamilton barked in response and lifted his head enough to lick him in the face.

  “I think he’s warming to you.”

  “It’s about damn time,” he said as he wiped the slobber from his cheek. Adara giggled. It was such a lovely sound. He wanted to hear it more often. There were some other noises he wouldn’t mind hearing again too.

  He shifted, trying to adjust his jeans which had become tight in certain places. Thank god Adara didn’t notice. Score one for Hamilton being in the way.