by Marie Force
He nodded.
“Are you?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
She slid her hands down his arms and took hold of his hands, giving a gentle squeeze. “Then let’s get going.”
“Before we go, I just want to say… You certainly didn’t sign on for this.”
She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “I signed on for you, come what may.”
“But this…”
“This will turn out to be our greatest adventure yet.” She wasn’t sure she believed that herself, but she needed him to believe it. “I love you, and I’m right here with you. Always.”
“That’s all I need to know.”
“Let’s do this thing.”
Chapter Two
They met Scotty downstairs, donned their coats and followed the Secret Service agents out the door. Sam wasn’t sure how Brant, Nick’s lead agent, had gotten there so quickly after having been off on Thanksgiving Day. He’d probably known about Nelson’s death before they had. Thinking about logistics was better than contemplating the myriad ways their lives were about to change forever. Her stomach ached the way it had years ago, when she’d been a stressed-out mess addicted to diet cola.
The limousine that usually transported Nelson was idling at the curb with a massive number of other vehicles lined up in front of and behind it. That ramped-up security presence served as further proof that everything had changed.
On the ramp that led out of their home to the sidewalk below, it occurred to her that they needed a Bible. “Nick,” she said, “I should grab the Holland family Bible.”
“That’s a good idea.”
He’d used the O’Connor family Bible to be sworn into the Senate and when he took the oath as vice president.
“Is it okay if I tell Celia what’s going on?”
“Yes, but please ask her not to tell anyone until the news is announced.”
“I will.” Sam moved to the left, heading for her late father’s home three doors down from theirs.
“Mrs. Cappuano,” Brant said. “Where’re you going?”
“To get our family Bible.”
Brant nodded to one of the other agents, indicating that she should follow Sam.
Sam wanted to remind him that she wasn’t officially under their protection, but she’d be fighting that battle in the days to come. She went up the ramp to Celia’s front door and knocked. A few seconds later, the outside light came on as locks were disengaged.
Celia, who was wearing a robe, seemed surprised to see Sam there. “Come in.” She opened the storm door. “What’re you doing out so late? And why are you all made up?”
“I need to tell you something that you can’t tell anyone else.”
“All right…”
“President Nelson passed away.”
Celia gasped. “What? When?”
“He was found dead a short time ago.”
Her eyes went wide as the implications seemed to hit her all at once. “So that means… Dear God, Sam.”
“Believe me, I know. I was hoping I could borrow the Holland family Bible.”
“Of course. Do you know where it is?”
“The last time I saw it, it was on the bookshelf in Dad’s room. Do you mind if I run up and see if I can find it?”
“My home is your home. You know that.”
Sam kissed Celia on the cheek. “Thank you.”
She ran up the stairs to the room that had been her dad’s before he was shot on the job four years ago and left a quadriplegic. The last time she’d been in there, shortly after his death in October, she and her partner, Detective Freddie Cruz, had been looking for the messenger bag Skip had carried on the job. She hadn’t been in there again since, and when she crossed the threshold and encountered the faint scent of the Polo cologne Skip used to wear, a million and one memories hit her in a tsunami of emotions.
Oh, how she missed him.
She found the Bible on the small bookshelf that also held numerous volumes about investigative techniques as well as fictional thrillers, held it to her chest and gave herself a second to wallow in the presence of Skip Holland in this place that had been his private sanctuary.
“Dad, if you can hear me, things are about to get crazy for me and Nick and the kids. Keep an eye on us, will you? Do whatever you can to keep him safe and give me a clue of how I’m supposed to deal with this. I’ll take whatever you’ve got. I miss you every minute of every day, but never more so than right now.”
Knowing Nick was waiting for her and time was of the essence, she left the room and went downstairs.
“I’m glad you found it,” Celia said. “Please let me know what I can do for you, Nick or the kids. Anything you need, I’m right here.”
Sam put down the Bible and hugged her. “I’m so scared.” She could count on one hand the number of times she’d said those words out loud in her adult life. Sam wasn’t known for being scared, but this…
“I’m sure you are,” Celia said. “But if anyone can pull this off, you can. I have complete faith in you.”
“Thank you. I needed that. I’ll call you later.”
“I’ll be waiting to hear from you. I’ll pray for you and Nick. Our country is lucky to have you both.”
She retrieved the Bible. “Keep telling me that, okay?”
“Anytime you need to hear it.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Sam went outside and down the ramp to the sidewalk, where the Secret Service agent waited for her. She hurried to the waiting limousine and got in the back seat next to Nick. Scotty sat across from them, his brows furrowed with the same anxiety she was feeling.
Nick reached for her hand. “I was just telling Scotty that the limo used to transport the president is known as The Beast.”
“Why do they call it that?” Scotty asked.
“Because it’s heavily armored and fortified against every form of threat, even a bomb.”
“Whoa.” Scotty looked outside the window. “Is the motorcade way bigger than it was before?”
“Yep. The president gets a lot more security than anyone else.”
“Does the Secret Service call it The Beast too?”
Nick shook his head. “They use the name Stagecoach for the president’s car.”
“Ah, okay.”
“This car has a lot of the same survival features I had put into Mom’s car when I had it tricked out for safety,” Nick said. “I had it done at the same facility that produced this car. Like with hers, we could live for days inside this car if we ever had to.”
“Let’s hope we never have to.” Sam couldn’t bear to think of him being in that kind of danger. “You really should call your dad. He shouldn’t hear this on the news.”
“I was thinking that too.” Nick retrieved his phone and placed the call to his dad, Leo, putting it on speaker so Sam and Scotty could hear.
“Hey,” Leo said. “Didn’t I just see you?”
“You did. I’m in the car with Sam and Scotty, and we have some news to share, but you have to keep it confidential.”
“Okay… Is everything all right?”
“President Nelson passed away earlier tonight. We’re on the way to the White House so I can be sworn in as president.”
“Oh my God, Nicky. Wow. How do you feel?”
“Uh, can I get back to you on that?”
Leo laughed.
“I didn’t want you to hear it on TV.”
“Thank you for the call, and… I don’t even know what to say, son.”
“Right there with you. We’re a little speechless ourselves.”
“Do you know what happened to Nelson?”
“Not yet.”
“If there’s anything we can do, anything at all, just call.”
“We will. Thanks, Dad.”
“I’m so proud, Nicky. So very proud.”
“Thank you. We’ll be in touch when we can.”
“Take care, son
. You too, Sam and Scotty. We love you guys.”
“Thanks, Leo,” Sam said. “We love you too.”
Nick ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket. On the short ride to Pennsylvania Avenue, he held on tight to Sam’s hand.
The feel of his hand wrapped around hers calmed her as parts and pieces of his words from earlier echoed through her mind. Nothing will change. The most important thing is us and our family. We can do anything if we do it together.
One question burned at the tip of her tongue—What about my job?—but she knew this wasn’t the time to ask. A minute at a time. That’s how they had to approach this life-changing challenge, and when they got a minute to breathe, she’d address the issue with Nick. To her knowledge, no first lady in history had ever worked outside the White House while her husband was the president.
Her case was somewhat unique, however, as most first families relocated from outside the DC area. Sam’s job was right in Washington, so no relocation was needed. For that reason, she held out hope that they could work something out to allow her to continue to do the job she loved. Nick had enough on his mind right now, and she wasn’t about to add to his worries, but she had no doubt that the topic of her job would be an issue sooner rather than later.
Her phone rang with a call from Dani Carlucci, one of her third-shift detectives, reminding her that while her life was changing by the second, no one at work knew that. Sam showed Nick the caller ID on her phone. “You mind if I take this?”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
“Hey. What’s up?”
“Sorry to bother you on Thanksgiving, Lieutenant, but I thought you’d want to know that Gigi’s in the hospital.” Carlucci had recently told Sam she was concerned that her partner, Detective Giselle “Gigi” Dominguez, was in an unsafe relationship.
“What happened?”
“An altercation with the boyfriend.”
“Oh God. Is she okay?”
“He tuned her up pretty good. The biggest concern at the moment is a concussion and possible injury to her spleen.”
Sam closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Is he in custody?”
“Not yet. We’re looking for him.” Carlucci sounded stressed and pissed. “I should’ve gotten involved.”
“You tried, Dani. She told you she didn’t want it.”
“Still… I should’ve done it anyway. Sorry again for bothering you. I thought you’d want to know.”
“I definitely want to know. Which hospital is she in?”
“GW.”
“Listen, I’d come if I could, but I’m in the middle of something, and I can’t get there right now.” She glanced at Nick as his lips curved into a small smile at her massive understatement. “Please keep me posted, okay?”
“I will. Thanks, LT.”
Long after the line went dead, Sam stared at the phone in her hand, torn between competing needs. At any other time, she’d already be on her way to GW to see what she could do to help her injured detective and to keep Gigi’s partner from doing something stupid. But that wasn’t possible right now.
“What’s going on?” Nick asked.
“Gigi Dominguez’s boyfriend beat her up. She’s got a concussion and something with her spleen.” Sam knew Nick would understand that she’d want to be with her officers at a time like this. So she acted quickly to keep him from thinking about anything other than the massive thing he was about to do. She flipped open her phone and called Gonzo.
The phone rang four times before he picked up. “Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”
Sam cringed over what she was about to ask of her sergeant on his wedding night, but he was second in command to Sam, and she wanted Dani to focus on her friend and partner rather than the effort to locate Gigi’s boyfriend. Sam was also concerned about what Dani would do if she got her hands on the guy. “I need a huge favor.”
“Okay…”
“Dominguez has been having some trouble with her boyfriend, and it exploded into something physical tonight. She’s at GW with a concussion and other injuries. I can’t go there for reasons you’ll hear about very soon.”
“Seriously, Sam?”
“Dead seriously. Carlucci is about to lose her shit because she knew something was brewing and didn’t intervene. I’m worried about them both. I’d never ask this of you, especially tonight, if it wasn’t urgent.”
“I know,” he said, sighing. “I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, Gonzo.”
“You owe me big.”
“Huge, and this won’t ever be forgotten.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Keep me posted.”
“Will do.”
She closed the phone again, satisfied that she’d done what she could under the circumstances. Hauling Gonzo out of bed on his wedding night was a big ask, but he was the one she needed to handle this since she couldn’t be there.
“I’m sorry you’re not able to be with them right now,” Nick said, sounding pained.
“It’s fine. I’m where I need to be.”
“Still…”
“It’s okay.” If she couldn’t be there, Gonzo was the next best thing. He’d keep a lid on Carlucci and make sure others within the department were doing everything they could to apprehend the guy who’d hurt Dominguez.
This is how it’ll be now, Sam thought, gazing out the window as the limo flew down deserted streets that would be packed with cars in just a few hours. Nonstop competing demands.
In a matter of minutes, they were pulling up to one of the White House entrances, where they were greeted by Nelson’s chief of staff, Tom Hanigan, and Derek Kavanaugh, Nick’s close friend and Nelson’s deputy chief of staff.
What would happen to Derek and the rest of Nelson’s staff now that he was gone? She remembered Nick saying after Senator John O’Connor died that the fortunes of political staffers rose and fell with their bosses. When John had been murdered, Nick had lost his best friend and his job as John’s chief of staff.
Hanigan shook hands with Nick. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Hanigan and Nelson had been old friends from South Dakota.
“Thank you. It’s a shock, to say the least. I saw him two hours before the butler found him.”
“Do you know what happened?” Nick asked.
Hanigan shook his head. “It wasn’t immediately obvious to the medical staff, but there was no sign of foul play. They think whatever it was happened quickly.”
“I’d ask how you’re doing, but I can probably guess,” Derek said to Sam as they followed Hanigan and Nick inside. Scotty brought up the rear as they marched into the White House so Nick could be sworn in as president.
Surreal.
Sam glanced at their close friend. “One minute, I was complaining about being too full from Thanksgiving, and the next…”
“I was playing a game with Maeve while my parents watched a movie when Tom called. I came right over when I heard what happened.”
“Thanks for coming. It means a lot to us to have a friend here.”
“It’s so shocking. I saw Nelson yesterday.”
“You never know what’s coming.”
“No, you don’t,” he said with a sigh, probably thinking of his late wife, Victoria, who’d been murdered almost two years ago.
Sam held out a hand to Scotty to bring him along with them as they were led deeper into the executive mansion that would be their home. It would probably be weeks before Sam wrapped her head around the events of this evening. How long, she wondered, would it take for the shock to subside and reality to set in?
She was due back to work in three days. Would they let her go? The possibility that they wouldn’t was unthinkable.
One step at a time, she reminded herself. One step at a time.
They were taken to the East Room and offered refreshments.
“Nothing for me, thanks,” Nick said, glancing to Sam and
Scotty.
“Could I please have a Coke?” Scotty asked the tuxedo-clad butler.
“Absolutely.”
“I’m Scotty Cappuano.” He extended a hand to the older Black man. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Clearly delighted by the boy’s manners, the man said, “I’m LeRoy Chastain, one of the White House butlers, and it’s a pleasure to meet you too, young man.”
“This is my mom, Sam.”
LeRoy shook hands with her. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
Sam wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to call her ma’am, but she knew that would be pointless. “You as well, LeRoy.”
“May I get you anything, ma’am?”
“I’m good, but thank you.”
LeRoy nodded and went to get the drink for Scotty.
“Way to finagle another Coke,” Sam said. “They’ll be told to limit you to one per day.”
“There has to be some benefit to being the first son. I mean, if a man has to live his life surrounded by Secret Service, he ought to be able to have a Coke at the end of a long day.”
Derek choked back a laugh that he tried to cover with a cough.
“He’s going to be on the Supreme Court someday,” Sam said.
“If I can pass eighth-grade algebra, that is,” Scotty said.
“We’re waiting for Mrs. Nelson,” Hanigan said. “She’s en route from Pierre.” The Nelsons had been living apart since Nelson’s affair with a campaign staffer became public. “We thought it would be important for the optics to have her here when you take the oath. She’s two hours out.”
So they’d have to wait. Great… Sam was impatient at the best of times.
LeRoy returned with a tall, icy cola for Scotty as well as a pitcher of ice water with glasses and a tray of cheese, crackers, grapes and cookies.
Living at the White House might have a few perks after all.
“Thank you, LeRoy,” Sam said.
“You’re most welcome, ma’am. If there’s anything at all we can do for you, please let us know. I’ll be close by.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“We’re here to serve you and your family.”
They would have a household staff. Sam had no idea what to think about that. The very idea of it made her exquisitely uncomfortable as someone who’d grown up with a blue-collar work ethic and parents who’d made their daughters do chores and learn to take care of themselves.
