Fatal Threat

by Marie Force

He tweaked her nipple, and Sam gasped with laughter.

  “I love you no matter what,” she said.

  “Keep telling me that. I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”

  She covered the hand he had placed over her heart with her own hand. “I’ll never, ever, ever get tired of telling you.”

  EPILOGUE

  SAM HATED TO ADMIT that the bridesmaid dress was really quite lovely. The deep burgundy silk hugged her considerable curves but covered the assets nicely. Nick’s eyes had bugged out of his head when he saw her in it for the first time, and his reaction had given Sam the confidence she needed to rock the dress as part of Jeannie’s wedding party. Flesh-colored bandages covered the worst of the scabs and bruises on Sam’s elbows, and a large dose of ibuprofen had taken the edge off the ache in her hip.

  And Jeannie... Well, she was simply magnificent. Somehow her dress managed to be sexy and demure at the same time, and the train extended halfway down the aisle behind her as she stood at the altar of the church where she grew up and exchanged vows with Michael.

  They had thought of every detail, including a note in the program that asked their guests to refrain from taking or posting photos of their beloved friends Vice President Cappuano and Lieutenant Holland. Sam loved Jeannie for referring to her as Lieutenant Holland for the occasion. Not that she wasn’t always happy to be Mrs. Cappuano, but today she was Jeannie’s lieutenant, her friend and her bridesmaid.

  The Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, venue they had chosen sat right on the sand, with an open veranda that gave guests a front-row view of an extraordinary sunset. They’d gotten a perfect day, and Sam was thrilled for the bride and groom, who’d traveled a difficult journey to get to this moment.

  As a member of the wedding party, Sam danced with Michael’s brother, engaged in small talk with Jeannie’s sisters and made goo-goo eyes at her husband, who was seated with Scotty at a table with Jeannie’s parents. They’d referred to Nick and Scotty as their special guests. Every time she looked over from the head table, she caught Nick watching her. He grinned like a fool when she caught him staring at her.

  Sam couldn’t wait to be done with the formalities so she could dance with her sexy husband. Jeannie had asked her to say a few words during the toasts, and this was the part of the day she’d been the most nervous about.

  The best man, another of Michael’s brothers, gave a touching toast that had people dabbing at their eyes. Jeannie’s sister Charmaine was hilarious, telling stories about her sister from their childhood that had the entire room in hysterics. And then the microphone was handed to Sam, who rose tentatively to address the guests. This should be a piece of cake after speaking to two thousand people at an infertility conference earlier in the year, but her belly fluttered with nerves nonetheless.

  “How lucky am I to follow the tearjerker and the comedienne?” Sam said to laughter. She turned to face Jeannie and Michael, who were seated in the center of the big head table. “I know I speak for everyone at this table when I tell you, Jeannie and Michael, how honored I am to have been chosen to be part of your wedding party. I might’ve complained a little about the dress fittings...”

  Jeannie rolled her eyes dramatically, making everyone laugh.

  “Okay, I complained a lot, but it was worth it. Everything is beautiful today, especially the two of you and the love you share. I’ve seen that love firsthand. I’ve seen it at the best of times and the worst, and I’ve seen it grow into something true and lasting. I have no doubt at all that one day we’ll celebrate your golden anniversary, surrounded by the family you’ll create together. I look forward to taking this journey with you as your colleague but more importantly as your friend.” Sam held up her glass of champagne. “To Jeannie and Michael.”

  After toasting her husband and sharing a kiss, Jeannie stood to hug Sam. “Thank you. Thank you so much for everything, especially putting up with all the fittings.”

  Sam laughed. “Despite how it might’ve appeared at times, I’m truly honored to be one of your bridesmaids.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. A few times I was afraid you were going to take your rusty steak knife to me.”

  “Nah, I’m saving that for Freddie. I’m sure being his best-man woman will be no walk in the park.”

  Jeannie laughed. “Please remember to invite me to the bachelor party.”

  “Oh, I will. It’s going to be epic.”

  A short time later, the wedding party was sprung to enjoy the rest of the evening with their dates. Sam made a beeline for Nick and dragged him onto the dance floor, where their friends surrounded them, including Freddie and Elin, Gonzo and Christina, and Lindsey and Terry. Will Tyrone danced with a young blonde woman he’d brought that Sam hadn’t met before today. Even Carlucci and Dominguez were there with dates. Captain Malone had arranged coverage so the entire squad could have the day off to celebrate with Jeannie and Michael. After the year they’d had, it was nice to have a reason to celebrate together.

  With Nick’s arms wrapped around her, Sam expelled a deep breath and finally relaxed.

  “Sexiest bridesmaid in the history of weddings,” he whispered in her ear.

  Sam smiled as a shiver ran down her spine. “Is that so?”

  “Oh yeah. This dress is the bomb.”

  “Don’t say bomb. You’re the vice president. You could start an international incident.”

  “I’ll take my chances, because it’s true. Do you get to keep it?”

  Laughing, Sam said, “Of course I do.”

  “Mmm, that’s great news.”

  “Behave yourself. People are watching.”

  “I don’t give a flying fuck who’s watching or if they know how much I love my gorgeous wife.”

  Who was she to argue with that?

  * * *

  BY THE TIME they left the wedding it was after ten o’clock. The Secret Service loaded them into one of the SUVs for the ride back to Washington. Sam leaned against Nick while Scotty sat across from them, looking adorable in his “work clothes,” as he called the blue blazer, tie, khakis and dress shirt he wore to Nick’s political events.

  As the beach faded into the background, she delighted in knowing they’d be back in August for a full week of badly needed vacation. Brant had worked with Terry to clear Nick’s schedule and organize security at a private home right on the beach where they would stay.

  She decided this would be the perfect time to break the news to her boys. “So guess what, gentlemen?”

  “Is it wrong that I’m a little afraid of what she’s going to say?” Scotty asked Nick.

  He cracked up. “Not wrong at all. You never know with her.”

  “Forget it, then. I won’t tell you about my surprise.”

  “Make her tell us,” Scotty said. “But don’t do anything gross that can’t be unseen by your impressionable young son who is already traumatized for life after living with you two.”

  “He’s such a brat,” Sam said. “Whose idea was it to adopt him, anyway?”

  “You love me,” Scotty said with a cocky grin that made her smile.

  “About this so-called surprise,” Nick said, rolling his hand to tell her to get on with it.

  “How would you boys like to spend a whole week out here at Dewey next month?”

  “Yes, please,” Scotty said. “Can I bring a friend?”

  “I’m sure that could be arranged.”

  “How’d you pull that off, babe?” Nick asked, his eyes warm with pleasure—and maybe a bit of a champagne buzz.

  “I’ve figured out how to work the system. I used my second-lady magic wand, talked to Brant about security and Terry about clearing your schedule, put in a request for vacation at work and voilà. We have a week off, a house rented that the Secret Service approved and a vacation to look forward to with Angela,
Tracy and their families. I also invited my mom, dad and Celia to come too.”

  “That’ll be awesome,” Scotty said. “I can’t wait!”

  “Me either,” Nick added, slipping an arm around her to bring her in closer. “Thank you for arranging it.”

  “I like to think I can still surprise you every now and then.”

  “You do. Every day.”

  “Before this gets gross, let’s talk about the wedding that was much more fun than expected,” Scotty said. “They seem really happy.”

  “Yes, they do,” Nick said. “Are they going on a honeymoon?”

  “They’re going to Italy for two weeks.”

  “We need to do that,” Nick said. “I’m a Cappuano, and I’ve never been to Italy.”

  “Only if I get to go too,” Scotty said.

  “Of course you get to go too,” Nick replied. “Maybe over Christmas vacation.”

  Sam let out a lusty yawn that made the guys smile.

  “She’ll be asleep before the Bay Bridge,” Scotty predicted.

  “I will not.”

  A little later Nick shook her awake. “Hey, babe. We’re here.” His eyes glittered with excitement that she shared. They’d been looking forward to this moment for days.

  “What’re we doing here?” Scotty asked as he eyed the Feds ballpark outside the tinted windows.

  “Let’s go find out.” Nick grabbed the bag he’d covertly packed before they left the house that morning and followed Sam and Scotty out of the SUV.

  The agents escorted them through a door that a casual observer might’ve overlooked into a corridor that led directly onto the field.

  “Whoa,” Scotty said, awed as the stadium lights came on one at a time until the field was as bright as it would be during the day. “What’s going on?”

  “Look,” Nick said, nodding to the dugout where the entire DC Federals team waited to greet his son.

  Scotty’s face went blank with shock. “Shut up. Are you kidding me right now?”

  “Would I kid you?” Nick asked. “Why don’t you go on over to say hello?” He handed Scotty the backpack. “And if you want to get changed to play some baseball with the team, they said you can use their locker room.”

  “This is a joke, right? I’m going to wake up in the back of the SUV, and I will have dreamed this.”

  Nick laughed at his adorable expression. “It’s no joke. The guys felt bad that you weren’t able to finish your camp and meet the players with the other kids, so they wanted to make it up to you.”

  “They did?” Scotty looked up at Nick with awe. “Did you do this?”

  “I might’ve asked around about whether we could get you with a few of the players. Having the whole team stick around after the game was their idea.”

  Scotty hurled himself at Nick, who nearly lost his footing before he caught his son in a hug. His eyes met Sam’s over the boy’s head, and they shared a smile.

  “I want to see what you learned at that camp,” Sam said. “See if I got my money’s worth. Show me what you’ve got.”

  “Thank you,” Scotty said softly, his gaze taking in both of them. “Thank you so much.” Then he was gone in a flash of navy and khaki, running for the dugout with his backpack in hand. The players greeted him warmly, welcoming him into the dugout. He disappeared for a time, emerging in the camp uniform of white baseball pants, an orange Feds T-shirt, cleats, an orange Feds hat and orange baseball socks.

  Still dressed in their formal attire, Sam and Nick were escorted to seats behind the Feds dugout where they could watch the scrimmage game on the field. The players divided up into two teams and made a huge fuss over Scotty, who grinned from ear to ear the entire time.

  “This is so cool,” Sam said as she reached for Nick’s hand. “You’re the best dad ever.”

  He linked their fingers and brought her hand to rest on his leg. “Sometimes being vice president doesn’t totally suck.”

  They shared a laugh, and as their gazes met and held, a feeling of peace, happiness and contentment flooded her. No matter how ridiculous their lives got—and they got pretty ridiculous on a regular basis—this was what made it all worthwhile. He and Scotty made it worth the hell and heartache.

  The team played ball with Scotty for two hours and then presented him with a ball they all had signed, as well as his own Feds jersey with the name Cappuano and the number 2 on the back.

  “Ohhh, I like that,” Scotty said. “Number two because my dad is the number two guy in the US.”

  The team’s captain, Cecil Mulroney, smiled at Scotty. “You got it.”

  They also gave the same jersey to Sam and Nick, who posed for photos with each member of the team and thanked them profusely for the time they’d given Scotty.

  “Keep working on the fundamentals, Scotty,” one of the players said. “You’ve got real potential.”

  “I do? Really?”

  The player smacked the bill of Scotty’s cap. “You sure do.”

  “I can’t thank you guys enough for this,” Nick said, shaking hands with each of them once again. “He’ll never forget it. You’ve got a fan for life.”

  “It was a pleasure,” Mulroney said.

  Scotty chattered excitedly on the way back to the car and during the short drive home. He profusely thanked Brant, Darcy and the other agents for helping to make the baseball stop possible.

  “I’ll never, ever forget this day,” he said, hugging Sam and Nick before he went upstairs to shower.

  “I’m so glad you loved it,” Nick said. “I felt terrible that your camp got derailed because of me.”

  “It wasn’t because of you, and you shouldn’t feel bad. We knew what we were signing up for when you took the job.”

  Sam smiled and shook her head at Scotty’s maturity.

  “Maybe so,” Nick said, “but it killed me to see you disappointed. Go get some sleep. We’ll see you in the morning.”

  Scotty started for the stairs but stopped before going up. He turned to look at Nick. “I just want you to know... The day I met you was the best and luckiest day of my life. Nothing will ever top that, not even playing baseball with the Feds.”

  Before Nick had a chance to absorb the emotional wallop of Scotty’s statement, he had gone upstairs.

  Nick expelled a deep breath. “Whoa.”

  Sam wrapped her arms around him. “Well played, my love. Very well played.”

  “He thinks he got lucky...”

  “We all got lucky that day.”

  “Indeed we did.” With his hands on her hips, Nick directed Sam to the stairs. “I need a closer look at this dress.”

  Not caring who might be listening or watching, Sam giggled like a girl. “You’re so shameless.”

  “I think I’ve been very, very patient today while you pranced around looking like something out of a wet dream.”

  “A. I don’t prance. And B. That’s disgusting.”

  “Nothing disgusting about it.” Ignoring Darcy, who was positioned outside Scotty’s door, Nick nibbled her shoulder and directed her into their room, closing the door behind him. “What a long damned day waiting to get my hands on my sexy bridesmaid.”

  “You held up admirably.”

  He yanked at his bow tie, removed it and tossed it aside. “It wasn’t easy.”

  Sam unbuttoned his shirt from the top, working her way down until her favorite chest was revealed. “You know what the luckiest day of my life was?” She looked up at him. “When this gorgeous guy came to my rescue at a party and handed me his monogrammed handkerchief.”

  “You know what’s funny about that? Your luckiest day was mine too.”

  Sam smiled up at him and drew him into a kiss. “We had a few roadblocks to overcome, but it all worked out the way it w
as meant to.”

  He wrapped her up in his love, holding her close to him. “It sure did.”

  * * * * *

  AUTHOR NOTE

  THANK YOU SO much for reading Fatal Threat. I hope you enjoyed spending time with Sam, Nick, Scotty and the rest of the Fatal cast. Watch for more of the Fatal Series, coming soon with Book 12, Fatal Chaos, and Book 13, Fatal Invasion. Want to know what happens when Avery and Shelby bring baby Noah home from the hospital? Turn the page for a bonus short story called “Bringing Noah Home.”

  After you’ve finished reading, join the Fatal Threat Reader Group at www.Facebook.com/groups/FatalThreat11/ to discuss the book with spoilers allowed and encouraged. And make sure you’re a member of the Fatal Series reader group at www.Facebook.com/groups/FatalSeries/ to be the first to hear about new books and other news. Join my newsletter mailing list at marieforce.com to never miss a new book, a sale or a giveaway.

  Thanks go to my Fatal Series editors, Margo Lipschultz and Alissa Davis, as well as everyone at HQN who supports the series. Thank you to my agent, Kevan Lyon, for her support of the series and to my A team, Julie Cupp, CMP, Lisa Cafferty, CPA, Holly Sullivan, Isabel Sullivan, Nikki Colquhoun, Cheryl Serra, Ashley Lopez and Courtney Lopes—for everything you guys do for me and Team Jack every day.

  A huge thank-you goes to Captain Russ Hayes with the Newport, RI, police department. Russ reads every Fatal book to make sure I get the law enforcement details right—I couldn’t and wouldn’t do this series without his valuable input. And to my beta readers, Anne Woodall and Kara Conrad, thank you for being the first eyes on my books.

  Special thanks to my husband, Dan, and my kids, Emily and Jake, who put up with me when I’m sharing a grumpy day with Sam (she has a lot of them).

  And to the readers who have made this series such a joyful experience for me, thank you so much. I appreciate your enthusiasm and excitement for every new book as well as your mad love for Sam and Nick. Lots more to come! Keep reading for a special Fatal Series short story featuring Shelby and Avery.

  xoxo

  Marie