Protective Measures

by Dana Marton

  “It’s—I haven’t had security this tight before.” And she hoped she wouldn’t need it long. She missed her freedom.

  “If your security was tight, that reporter and that boy wouldn’t have gotten as far as they did. I’ll have to talk to the agents about that.”

  “I don’t want them to shoot some innocent citizen for coming near me.”

  He waited a beat before he nodded. “Understood.” He walked over to the stove and turned the burner down. “I’m going to step back out for a minute to talk with Dalton and Meyer. Stay inside and stay away from the windows. Please.”

  She reminded herself that he had her best interest at heart, and sat in the spare chair in the corner as the door closed behind him. She opened the card in her hand.

  Hope you are all right. Happy early birthday.

  Marge

  Well, that was nice of her. She would have to call and thank her secretary for her thoughtfulness. Her gaze wandered to the stack of bills and other miscellaneous mail on the small desk next to her. She rifled through them. All the envelopes were open—Danny had already checked them. By the time this was over, he would know more about her than just about anyone else. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  “Visitor.” Danny was coming through the door. “She says you were expecting her?”

  “Sadie!” She’d totally forgotten in the craziness.

  “So you do know her?”

  “My roommate from college. Where is she?”

  “She should come back in a few weeks.”

  “Absolutely not. She can’t. She’s leaving the country.”

  “How well do you know this woman?”

  “Like my sister. She is coming in.”

  “Fine, coming in.” Danny turned and motioned to someone outside. “I’ll be a few more minutes.” He stepped back out.

  “What on earth is going on here? Have you just announced that you’ll be running for president next?” Sadie Kauffman came through the door a few minutes later and smiled as she ran forward for a hug. “I’ve been on the plane all morning, haven’t seen the news.”

  “I’ll fill you in.” Kaye squeezed back. “God, it’s good to see you. It’s been a while.”

  “Way too long.”

  “And now you’re going away.”

  “Just for a year or two. Remember these?” Sadie handed her a bag.

  She recognized the gold-striped paper box instantly. “Mario’s canolis?”

  “The one and only.”

  “God, I’ve missed you.”

  “Who are you kidding? You missed the canolis.”

  “Okay, that, too.” She grinned as she put the box on the table. “Come, sit down.”

  “So, what’s going on?” Sadie raised a perfect eyebrow.

  “Had a break-in last night.”

  “Are you okay? Were you robbed?” She looked around.

  “I think he wanted me.”

  “What?”

  “He had a gun. We wrestled around for a while before Danny got him off me.”

  “Danny who?”

  “Daniel DuCharme. The man who showed you in. He’s one of Cal’s, temporary addition to my security detail.”

  “One of Cal’s?” The eyebrow went up again. “He’s hot.”

  “He’s young.”

  “He patted me down before he let me in.”

  “Sorry. He takes his job very seriously.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Sadie winked and she stood. She always did have too much nervous energy. “I kind of enjoyed it.” She went to the stove, looked at the soup. “Who’s cooking?”

  “Danny.”

  “Danny, huh? Interesting.”

  “Wipe that smirk off your face. He’s just a kid.”

  Sadie stirred the soup then sniffed the wooden spoon. “Minestrone.” She nodded her approval. “Smells great. How long before it’s ready?”

  “No idea. Half the stuff isn’t even in yet.”

  “I suppose there’s no sense in tasting then.” She put the spoon back down and looked out the window. “Have I told you, my fifty-eight-year-old mother is dating a thirty year old? The other day I asked her what she liked about him. You know what she said? She said he had three outstanding qualities: stamina, stamina, stamina.” She rolled her eyes. “How is that for embarrassing? Don’t laugh at me. This is serious. My mother is a pervert.”

  “Sounds to me like she’s happy.”

  “Well that, too. But it’s— He could be my little brother.” She sat back at the table and lifted the lid off the box. “Canoli?”

  “Before lunch?”

  “Life is too short to postpone desert.”

  Kaye smiled, the stress of the morning melting off her. “God, it’s good to see you,” she said as she got up for plates.

  “Same here.” Sadie grinned back.

  And it was as if they were still back in the dorm, eating Mario’s canolis for breakfast, lunch and dinner, whatever time they could get their hands on a box. Sadie had always insisted that canolis were brain food. Of course, she would. Her mother was Italian.

  “Did they catch the guy? What did he want from you?” she asked.

  “He got away. He—” It hurt to talk about it. “He killed one of the men on my security detail and injured the other.”

  “Oh, my God.” The first canoli stopped halfway to Sadie’s mouth. “So he’s some serious lunatic?”

  “Probably. I should be okay now. Danny is pretty good at what he does. And Cal is helping, too. Plus the Secret Service and the cops. They’re checking out every angle.”

  “Good. They better keep you safe.”

  “They will.” Kaye took her first bite and relaxed into her chair as the sweet cream diffused on her tongue. Mario was a god.

  “So, um, about Danny,” Sadie said after a while. “What is he, thirtyish?”

  “Twenty-nine.”

  “He’s no kid.”

  “I know,” Kaye said and took another canoli.

  “He is gorgeous.”

  She kept silent. She wasn’t going down that road.

  “And you’re practically locked in the house with him all day.” Sadie wouldn’t give up.

  “Come on, he’s way too young.”

  Sadie watched her. “He is not, and we both know it. Question is, why are you trying to convince yourself so hard that he is? Could it be because you’re attracted to him?”

  “No. Absolutely not. And if I were, you’d be making fun of me like you just did with your mother.”

  “That’s different. I don’t like to think of my mother having sex. There’s just something weird about it.”

  “Better get used to it. She’s probably having more fun than the two of us put together.”

  “Great. Depress me, why don’t you?” Sadie made a face. “Anyway, you should take a page from her book. Would it kill you to have some fun?”

  “Would it kill you not to meddle?” Kaye laughed. “God, didn’t we have this conversation ten years ago?”

  “And as I recall, you didn’t follow my advice.”

  “And escaped Mel the Maniac.”

  “More like missed out on Mel the Magnificent.”

  Kaye groaned and rolled her eyes. “Enough about me. I can’t believe you’re going to Yemen.”

  “It’s either that or sleep with the department head so he’ll recommend me for his post before he retires.”

  “That can’t be true this day and age.”

  “Sadly, yes. I swear the hospital has a thing about promoting women. Trouble is, all the candidates have about the same background. Two years of international experience with Doctors Without Borders should put me over the others, enough so I have a fighting chance for the position.”

  “And if something happens to you?”

  “You’re right here in the U.S. and look at what’s happening to you. Who says any place is safe?”

  Sadie had a point there.

  “And Brian?” Kaye asked with cautio
n.

  “What Brian? The weasel-who-used-me-to-get-ahead-then-dropped-me Brian?”

  “Right.” No, there wouldn’t be a chance of reconciliation there.

  “I’m done with men. Don’t laugh. I don’t mean like I’m never going to have sex again done. I mean like, I’m never going to trust one again. It’s a losing proposition.”

  “Come on, there are still decent guys out there.”

  “Like Daniel DuCharme? Is that why you can’t deny the attraction fast enough?”

  “It would kill my career.”

  “Would not.”

  “Can you see it in the headlines? Majority Whip, Widow Kaye Miller Caught in Torrid Affair with Bodyguard. There goes the vote from the religious right.”

  “You can’t live your life according to the next vote.”

  “I don’t. But I’ve worked awfully hard to get where I am. I’m not going to throw it away on a whim.”

  “You’re too young to give up on happiness.”

  “I’m thirty-six.”

  “Thirty-five till next week,” Sadie said. “Plenty young to find love again.”

  “I don’t expect to find love again. I just want a contented life, doing the best I can at my job, maybe making a difference.” She thanked God that the sharp, soul-tearing pain of Ian’s death had passed, though sometimes she felt guilty about it. Love. She couldn’t risk that again. Nobody could expect her to.

  “Ian would want you to be happy.” Sadie guessed her thoughts.

  “I know.”

  “You can’t bring him back by turning your back to everything that’s fun. You don’t have to stop living just because he can’t.”

  “I know.”

  “Okay. I’m not going to badger you about it.”

  “Right. That would be way out of character.” Kaye grinned.

  “Way. Not like me at all. So as far as Danny goes, I want regular progress reports,” Sadie said.

  “He’ll be gone as soon as they catch the guy.”

  “Uh-hum.”

  “You never give up, do you?” Kaye shook her head.

  “Not in my nature,” Sadie said. “It’s not in yours either.”

  TWO O’CLOCK had passed by the time Sadie left for the airport. The media circus was gone. They’d moved on to a sex scandal that was unfolding at the IRS. Apparently, accountants were deceptively passionate under their cool demeanor.

  Kaye reached for the paper box in the middle of the table, empty save for the chocolate smears.

  Danny was looking at the damning evidence out of the corner of his eye as he stood by the stove. “I don’t suppose you’re hungry anymore?”

  He’d stayed outside while Sadie was there, giving them some privacy, popping in only a few times to finish the soup and start the bruchetta.

  Kaye inhaled the fragrance of basil. “I’d love a taste.”

  That was the trouble with Mario’s canolis. They were light enough to have been made by angels. You could eat half a dozen and an hour later be hungry again.

  “I talked to the Colonel earlier. He said to tell you he’ll stop by tomorrow,” he said as he ladled soup into two china bowls.

  “Any other news?”

  “Small progress here and there. Nothing that would give us enough information to make a move.”

  “So what can we do?”

  “We wait. Our man will come back.” He glanced out the window.

  She could see Mr. Meyer in the car in front of the house from where she stood. Mr. Dalton was stationed out back.

  “Any news on Mr. Harrison?”

  “He’s been released from the hospital. He wants to come back to your detail badly.”

  “Absolutely not, he needs to rest.”

  Danny hesitated as he set the plates on the table. “Might be good for him if he comes right back. He probably feels guilty for messing up on the job.”

  “He didn’t mess up.”

  “That’s not the way he would see it.”

  “In a few days.” She set spoons and napkins next to the plates and sat down.

  He stirred his soup. “Watch out, it’s very hot,” he said and took a spoonful and blew on it, tasted carefully. He made an odd face. “Might have put in a little too much rosemary.”

  “I’m sure it’s just fine.” She blew on hers, lifted the spoon to her mouth then realized she hadn’t put any glasses or drinks on the table yet so she set her spoon down and got up. “Anything to drink?”

  “Water would be fine.” He took another taste. “Maybe it’s the celery.” He tried again then shook his head.

  She put two glasses of ice water on the table then sat back down.

  “Thank you.” He looked up. “I was thinking. You should sleep in one of the guest rooms tonight.”

  The spoon stopped halfway to her mouth as a twinge of fear ran through her at the thought of the upcoming night, the terror of waking up to an intruder in her bedroom still fresh in her mind. She didn’t want to go to sleep at all. “Whatever you think is best.”

  “I’m not going to let him anywhere near you. The upstairs windows are all secure now. There are sensors all over the place. I turned them back on as soon as the press left.”

  He’d had to turn off the system for the press. They kept stepping over the line, setting off the alarms.

  She nodded and reminded herself that this time he would be here with her, in the house. He would be guarding her all night.

  She found comfort in the thought, in the meal they were sharing—such a domestic act. Maybe too much comfort. She must not get used to that, to him. Someday soon, when this case was resolved, he would leave. She must remember that.

  She watched him eat, the way his sensuous lips closed around the spoon and his hair fell over his forehead. He looked up, caught her watching him and flashed a grin.

  Something leaped in her chest in response.

  He had brought something to her house, home cooking and sudden grins, a sense of being alive and aware, possibilities beyond work and schedules. She was going to miss that when he left.

  She blew on the soup in her spoon. Whatever Danny said about the spices, it did smell wonderful.

  “We are going to set up a trap,” he said. “Leave him only one point of entry. I’ll be waiting for him.”

  “You think he’ll come back tonight?”

  “Maybe. Or he might wait a few days for you to get comfortable and let your guard down. It doesn’t matter when he comes. I’ll be here and I’ll be ready.”

  “It will be over soon,” she said because she needed to hear it.

  He nodded and put a fist to his stomach, made a funny face.

  “You don’t think so?” she asked.

  “I do,” he sounded breathless. “I just—”

  The next second, he was doubled over, his soup spilled.

  “Danny?” She grabbed for him, but too late. He went down with a groan, his knees touching down as his body swayed just before it hit the tile floor.

  “Cramps.” He pushed the word past his white lips. “Poison.”

  Chapter Five

  “I hate this.” Cal paced the kitchen while the crime scene team dusted for fingerprints yet again. “I want to take you to a secure location until we figure out what’s going on.”

  “No,” Kaye said. She wanted whoever was after her caught. No way was she hiding while Danny lay in the hospital. They weren’t going to win. “I can’t leave my job indefinitely.” She had every intention of being at work on Monday. “If I run now, it will encourage every nut to try this before an important vote he wants to influence.”

  “What’s happening on the Hill? Have you got anything coming up?”

  “Patients’ rights.”

  Cal paced. “Who’s against it?”

  “Big pharmaceuticals, insurance companies, doctors, you name them.”

  “Some of these people would have easy access to poison.”

  She nodded. She’d already thought of that, had a hard time pic
turing it.

  “What else? What do you have in the next couple of weeks?”

  “Export laws and lots of meetings that might lead to something or might not. Danny had already asked for the list. I think he was working on it with Secret Service.”

  Cal nodded. “I’ll check up on that. You won’t reconsider a safe house?”

  “I mean to get my work done.”

  He flashed her a look of exasperation. “Congress is your career. This is your life we’re talking about.”

  “If I disappear now, whoever is doing this will just wait me out and come after me when I come back.”

  “Not if we catch them first.”

  “And if you don’t?”

  The Colonel grunted. “How the hell did that boy get in here?”

  “I let him in.” She winced. “He was just a kid. He was in and out so quick. I couldn’t have had my back to him for more than a second.”

  “That’s enough. If you had any of that soup, it would be your stomach getting pumped right now. Or worse. The only reason Danny isn’t dead is because he only had a taste of it.” He fell silent for a few moments. “I’m pulling two of my guys off another job. It’s going to take a day, maybe more.”

  Which meant, they were probably deep undercover in some vital operation. The impression she had of the Colonel’s clandestine activities was that he was into something heavy and serious. The CIA came to mind.

  “I don’t want you to compromise national security for me,” she said. “If you need those men elsewhere—”

  “It’s already done. They’re coming.”

  “And until then?”

  “Until then, you’re going to have half the Secret Service camped out in your front yard.”

  God, this was going to be a media circus if she’d ever seen one. She steeled herself. It’ll be what it’ll be. There was no help for it. No point in complaining, either. She’d been lucky. If things had played out differently she could be dead by now.

  Danny.

  She couldn’t put the picture of him out of her mind, the way his eyes had rolled back as the paramedics rushed him out. She had panicked. The blood still rushed in her ears when she thought of it. He had to pull out of this. He would. She couldn’t bear considering the alternative.