by KaLyn Cooper
He was right. For the first time in years, possibly decades, she didn’t have to gulp down her lunch and rush back to work. She unwrapped the remainder of her sandwich and delved in with gusto, savoring each bite.
Answering his previous question, she said, “Deputy Director O’Brien can’t meet with me tomorrow. Instead, though, he wants me to meet with the agency shrink. My appointment with him is at nine o’clock. What are you up to tomorrow?”
He dropped his hand to her shoulder and grinned. “As soon as you’re done with the psychologist, we have plans.”
Grinning back at him, she asked, “We do?”
“Yes. All day.” He leaned in closer and whispered. “And into the night.”
She had enough of her sandwich and balled the remaining portion in the paper. He plucked it from her hands and tossed it in the white deli bag. He stood and offered her his hand.
“Do we have plans for today?” She asked as she stood.
“Oh, yes. And for several hours tonight.”
Hand-in-hand they walked across Madison Drive and up the steps to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. He led her straight to the Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals where they stood in a short line so she could see the Hope Diamond.
They caught dinner in a little bistro a few blocks away, then took the train back to the Department of Homeland Security where she’d left her car.
“Hop in. Where’s your car? We can go get it, then if you’d like to—” she was about to suggest they go to her place for a nightcap, and a little more.
“Not tonight, sweetheart.” He kissed her with all the affection she wanted his hands, his lips, his body, to show her.
A black BMW SUV with darkened windows pulled into the lot and headed straight for them. Rayne automatically reached for her weapon. Before she could pull it out, Dex stopped her with a hand to her forearm.
“That’s my ride, sweetheart.” He gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He held open her door and waited until she turned out of the parking lot before jumping into the big black vehicle. That’s when she saw the Guardian Security logo on the side.
As she drove to her home in Virginia, thankful that traffic was relatively light, she played her day over in her mind.
Best. Day. Ever.
Chapter Eighteen
Dex wasn’t sure if he should congratulate himself or kick his own ass. As he crawled into the bed at the Guardian Security apartment, he knew he could be sliding between the sheets at Rayne’s home.
Except he didn’t want her to get the idea that he only wanted her for sex. No. He wanted her forever, and he was willing to take it slow.
Even though he wasn’t on an assignment for Guardian, Alex said he could stay in their office building in downtown DC anytime he wanted. The invitation had come just after Dex had sold his house in Virginia near Little Creek, so he was between homes.
The company had an entire floor of apartments, plus a penthouse for when Alex or his partners were in town. It seemed they had the same set-up in every one of the ten offices. He had stayed in a similar apartment while overseeing the mission in Venezuela. The rooms were furnished closer to an upscale condo that a one-bedroom studio. He had everything he needed, except a private place to bring Rayne.
Knowing he would see her tomorrow, thoughts of her filled his mind as he fell asleep.
Dex smiled the next morning around ten-thirty as he checked his caller ID and saw that it was Rayne. “Good morning, sweetheart. How did it go?”
She sighed. “He wants me to go to Angelique’s funeral…tomorrow…in West Virginia. He thinks I need closure on that fucking bitch.”
Dex didn’t withhold his laugh. “I’m sorry, but I have to agree with the shrink on this one. Watching her body go into the ground may be therapeutic. What time shall we leave?”
There was silence.
“We?”
“You didn’t think I was going to let you go there alone, did you?” He thought about it for just a moment. That would be minimum eight hours driving if they went up and back the same day. Since he was sitting at his computer, he typed out a quick email to Alex asking if he could use the company jet, and explaining why.
“Why would you want to go with me?” She was obviously walking through the parking lot toward her car.
“Because I want to be there, for you. What are you wearing?”
“Clothes,” she clicked back.
“Okay, let me rephrase. Are you wearing comfortable clothes and shoes that you can walk in for at least five hours?” He had another adventure in mind.
“Yes to the comfortable shoes, but no to the comfortable clothes.” She explained, “Mother nature decided today should be winter, but like an idiot, nervous about talking to the psychologist, I walked out of the house without a warm coat. If I were going to spend time outside, I’d also put on a turtleneck sweater.”
“Go home and change into warm clothes. I’ll be there in an hour to pick you up.” Before she could argue, he said, “You’ll love what I have in mind for us today. See you soon.”
Two hours later, they watched the Giant Panda Bears easily climb a tree. The fall chill had kept the tourists away, so they didn’t have to fight the crowds at the National Zoo. They strolled for hours, reading every sign, discussing some of the animals they had seen in the wild. Rayne smiled almost the entire time.
They strolled down the block to an Irish pub that had been recommended to him by one of the men working at Guardian. He hadn’t steered them wrong. The food was authentic, the beer cold and the atmosphere realistic.
This time, when Rayne had invited him to her place for a nightcap, he took her up on it.
“You serious about riding with me to West Virginia tomorrow?” She asked as she sat up in bed, the sheet falling to her waist, exposing her naked breasts.
“No. Because we’re not driving. We’re flying in the Guardian jet.” He moved his pillow against the headboard and sat up next to her. “The funeral is at two o’clock. We’ll grab some lunch, then go to the private airport. The pilot told me he’ll land at Greenbrier Valley Airport, a small landing strip about eight miles from the church, which is next to the cemetery.” He leaned over and kissed her, fondling a breast. “We’ll be home before supper.” He bent down and took one breast in his mouth, rolling her other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. He knew that turned up her heat from sizzle to burn.
As they slid back under the covers together, he asked, “May I stay the night?”
She stroked his already stiff cock, then straddled him, sliding him into her. He’d never get tired of sex with this woman.
“You try to leave, and I’ll hold you here at gunpoint.” She moved up, squeezing her butt cheeks, tightening her inner walls.
He never wanted to leave.
They touched down at one o’clock the following afternoon. A car and driver were waiting for them and took them straight to the church.
As they stood in the vestibule, Vanessa greeted them.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Rayne blurted out.
“Callie and her father are still living at Quantico. She doesn’t want to go home, and to be honest, I don’t think she’s ready. We have a child psychologist who sees her, and a few of the other girls, every day. Ms. Rogers tutors her in the afternoons after her own therapy session. Lynda and Charlotte Thompson and Elianna Martin will probably be with us for a while as well. The psychologist thought this would be good for her, but he didn’t want her here without support.”
“Sounds like my shrink,” Rayne interjected.
Vanessa smiled. “It will be good for you. It may take you a week, a month, or a year, but believe it or not, watching them put her in the ground will help you emotionally deal with her death.”
Dex could feel her tension mounting, so he placed his hand on Rayne’s back and moved it up and down. Her breathing eased out.
Rayne stared at the small gathering of people in the church. “Are those
her parents?”
Vanessa scoffed. “You mean her dead parents? That woman was a piece of work. She’d fucked up that little girl’s mind so bad. I can only hope the psychiatrist helps Callie work through all the lies that she told her. It’s going to take years to build up that child’s self-esteem once more. And the way the bitch kept her from her father….”
Vanessa shook her head. “He’s in just as bad a shape. Feeling guilty for marrying Angelique, guilty for allowing her to take over their lives, the late-term abortion is truly beating him up, then there’s the whole Jaja thing. He’s considering not running for reelection again and concentrating on his relationship with Callie.”
The minister walked to the pulpit and looked around.
“I think we should take a seat.” Dex put his hand at the small of her back and guided Rayne to a pew in the back of the church.
Dex hated funerals. Although he was glad to see this terrible woman buried, it brought back so many memories of good men—his men—that he had to lay to rest. His thoughts of war, too many missions to count, the thousands of hours of training, the faces of the SEALs he had commanded throughout his career, filled his mind.
Rayne nudged him with her elbow, bringing him back to the small church in West Virginia and the funeral of a terrible woman. He still couldn’t decide whether Angelique was the best actress he’d ever met—or the most stupid, unlucky woman. Perhaps a bit of both.
They were the last ones out of the church and stood far away from the family. At the end of the service, as they turned to leave, Callie sprinted toward them, followed closely by a woman dressed in a black pantsuit, crisp white blouse, reflective aviator sunglasses and an earbud. At the obvious recognition, her Secret Service protection slowed and approached quietly.
The little girl threw her arms around Rayne. “Thank you for killing Mr. Jaja. I hated that man.”
Dex noticed several people with wide eyes at the child’s loud declaration.
“And thank you for saving me.” Callie shook in Rayne’s arms. “I thought he was going to shoot me, like he did Angelique.”
He watched as Vanessa nodded to Rayne. His woman wrapped her loving arms around the young girl. Tears streaked down both their faces. “I know.” Rayne’s voice was tight and cracked. “I wasn’t going to let him hurt you.”
“I love you, Miss Rayne.” Callie buried her face in Rayne’s shoulder.
“I love you, too.” Rayne dropped her face, hiding it from everyone.
Dex watched Congressman Sedgwick approach. “Senior Special Agent Yoshida, thank you for everything you’ve done, including this.” He gestured to his daughter. “She hasn’t cried since you left her in St. Thomas.”
Vanessa stepped forward and put a hand on the Congressman’s arm. “Callie has to do this on her own. I believe she’ll move forward now that she’s seen Rayne here.”
Callie lifted her head and sniffed. “When will you be coming back to us?”
Rayne shrugged and rolled her lips in, making her mouth a straight line. Dex knew she was trying to hold in all her emotions. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure they’ll allow me to supervise your detail anymore.”
Callie whipped around and ran to her father, throwing her arms around him. “Daddy, tell them that Miss Rayne has to come back. We need her.”
He kissed his daughter on the top of the head. “I’ll see what I can do.” He looked at Vanessa at his side and asked, “I think we’re ready to leave. Can you get Callie back to the car for me, please? I’d like a word with Senior Special Agent Yoshida.”
Vanessa held out her arm. “Come on Callie, let’s get out of here.” They left with an arm around each other.
“You’ve been with us for so many years, and through so much, standing stoically at our side, I hope you don’t mind if I call you Rayne.”
“Yes, sir. That will be fine.” She squared her shoulders and held his gaze.
“I read the reports,” he held up his hands. “Yes. I know they’re top-secret, but I think you’ll understand my need to know what happened. That terrorist deserved to die just for taking my child.” He tilted his head back to the grave. “And she deserved to fucking die for putting my little girl in the hands of that fucker.” The Congressman’s voice shook with anger. “Because of that fucking bitch, thirteen innocent lives have changed forever.” Then he corrected himself. “I guess I need to expand that number to include the parents and siblings of all those girls.” He shook his head. “I’ll never be able to make it up to them. Never.” He choked out the last word and pulled his sunglasses over his eyes.
Holding out his hand, he said, “And I’ll never be able to thank you enough for bringing my little girl back to me—in more ways than you’ll ever understand.”
Rayne took his hand in hers, then stepped into the man she had protected the last three years. She hugged him and sniffed back a tear.
Stepping apart, she added, “Take care of her. She’s such a precious and strong girl. She’s going to be a magnificent woman someday.”
They turned and walked off in different directions toward the cars.
Rayne intertwined her fingers with Dex’s. “Thank you for coming with me. I’m not sure I would’ve made it through this without you.”
“I’ll always be here for you.” He hoped she understood the magnitude of those words. He had no intention of ever letting her go again.
On the flight home, she was quiet for so long that Dex began to worry. “What’s on your mind, sweetheart?”
“The future.” Her words rocked him.
Dex knew what he wanted for their future—the two of them, together. Forever. Just as he was about to tell her how he felt, she started talking.
She turned partially in the seat toward him. “I’m not sure if I can go back to protecting Congressman Sedgwick.”
That was not at all what Dex had expected her to say. He was ready to blurt out personal futures and she was talking career. Okay, he could flow this direction. He had counseled several younger officers when they had considered leaving the Navy. Hell, he’d been through it himself when he’d reached twenty years.
“Let’s talk it out,” he suggested.
“You saw us at the funeral.” She threw her hands up helplessly. “We’ve moved beyond Secret Service agent and protectee. I have been his bodyguard for three years and he has never once called me Rayne. That alone moved me into a more personal category in his mind, and to tell you the truth, mine.”
“Okay, so you can’t be in charge of Congressman Sedgwick’s safety, but surely you’re capable of protecting someone else.” Dex wanted to be sure she realized her value.
“There are only two other positions higher than mine in the field.” She continued to explain, “the next step up would be coordinating the detail for the Vice President. After that, there’s only the President.”
“Are you telling me that you wouldn’t want to be in charge of the Presidential security detail?”
“Yeah. I think that’s what I’m saying.” Her eyes looked desperate for acceptance. “I know both the men who run those details. They’re both divorced. They eat, sleep, and breathe their Secret Service job. I already can’t remember the last time I took a day off besides this forced leave.”
“I can tell you when you’re going to take the next day off, and what you’re going to do.” He said smugly. “You owe me a day of fishing. Since that’s going to take place on Smith Mountain Lake, you might need to take off three full days in a row.”
“I’m not going to know what to do with myself,” she professed.
He leaned over and gave her a light kiss. “I’m sure we can think of a few things. What other jobs can you take within the Secret Service?” He understood that she needed to work her way through this.
“I don’t really want a desk job.” She grinned. “Besides, if you’re sitting behind a desk, they don’t like it when you shoot somebody.”
He grabbed his tablet and opened the website for fede
ral jobs in the DC area. There were thousands. “Looks like you have a lot to choose from.”
She slipped the tablet over and entered a different website, one exclusively for currently employed government workers. She searched by her current employment rating. Five jobs popped up.
“No. No. Fuck no. No fucking way would I do that job for what I make now. And, last but not least, there is no way in hell they can hire me.”
Dex had to agree with each of her analysis.
“I have to confess, I’m getting too old for this job. I had a hard time keeping up with the rest of the team. I’m embarrassed what a difference ten years can make.”
Dex laughed out loud. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The last three years when I commanded a SEAL Team, it was nice not to have to keep up with those new recruits. These old knees couldn’t run as fast, jump as high, or take the beating that they could at twenty-four. Except for enduring through pure tenacity, I doubt I could pass BUD/s again.”
“If I had stayed in the Navy, I would’ve retired this year. I would be moving on to something else anyway.” She sipped some of her water. “On the flipside, if I hang in there with the Secret Service for seven more years, I could retire with a nice, constant income. I’d be close to my fiftieth birthday, and still have plenty of energy to go out and have fun, at least for a few years, in retired life. Plus, I could break a few more glass ceilings, making it easier for younger women to reach the higher ranks in the Secret Service.”
“That’s a very valid point,” Dex agreed. “Now playing devil’s advocate, that means you will continue to work sixty or more hours a week, and rarely take a day off to go fishing with me.” He wondered aloud, “You talk to your girlfriends about this kind of thing much?”
She scoffed. “What girlfriends? I don’t have time for friends. The only people I’d even place in that category are the men that I work with because they occasionally invite me to go out and have a beer with them. Oh, and they invite me to their weddings. I think I told you, divorce is high among Secret Service agents. So are the number of weddings. At least they keep trying to find a good relationship.”
