Bedmates

by Nichole Chase

  Dedication

  For my father who served his country well. For my family and friends past and present that heeded the call to help.

  Thank you for all of your sacrifices.

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Announcement Page

  About the Author

  Also by Nichole Chase

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Chapter 1

  Maddie

  Half a bottle of wine, poor planning, and a misplaced desire to save the world. That was all it took for me to end up sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair in a room lit by harsh fluorescent lights and dreading my inevitable demise. My father’s publicist was bound to walk through the grimy front doors of the police department any moment, her face fixed in a scowl, with blood from her last victim dripping down her chin.

  I wasn’t disappointed. She arrived in a flurry of monochromatic flare. Cruella’s brown eyes raked over me in disdain and I knew I was in deep shit. Her name wasn’t really Cruella, but it might as well have been. With her scary eyes and penchant for black-and-white clothes, she would give the cartoon character a run for her money. Her real name was Reese Pang and she never paid me any attention except when my father was angry. With the way her eyes snapped with fire, he must’ve given her a lot of ammunition. I tried to convince myself that it could be worse, but I was pretty sure that if Reese had her way I’d end up buried in a government bunker. As my father’s right hand she would be the only person he would trust to come get me.

  It’s not like the President of the United States could swing down to the local police station and post bail for his twenty-one-year-old daughter without some interesting headlines in the morning’s newspapers.

  “Want to trade places?” I looked at the cop next to me and raised an eyebrow.

  “Not even if you were Bill Gates.” The older man shook his head and looked back down at the paperwork on his desk. “That woman looks like she’s going to chew you up and spit you out.”

  “Well, shit.” I grimaced. He was right. The only thing left for me to do was to prepare for my inevitable roasting.

  The worst part was that I probably deserved it. I mean, what I was doing had been a good thing, but maybe I had gone about it in the wrong way. Dad was always pushing me to look for long-term solutions, but I liked fast results. Passing a bill about animal testing seemed like a waste of time when I could just break into the center and release those poor babies. If only I had normal parents like my friend and college roommate Phoebe.

  Phoebe wiggled her fingers at me from where she sat next to her parents. They were filling out paperwork at the desk of another officer. Her mother, Maureen, wore her silver-threaded hair in a long braid and was smiling, while her father, Diego, didn’t look fazed as he brushed his dreadlocks out of his face.

  Maybe normal wasn’t the best way to describe Phoebe and her family. My stepmother, Abigail, called them hippies in a tone that made it clear she didn’t approve, but I loved it. I loved every non-normal, plant-loving, vegan way that they were different from my family. They were so completely opposite from everything I had experienced growing up. When Phoebe had been eleven they had taken her out of school and toured all of the states. They volunteered with the homeless, fostered animals, and protested something every other weekend. The only thing that differentiated them from the other people with flowers in their hair was a large trust fund and Diego’s uncanny investment skills.

  Trying to free animals from torture was basically a family outing for them. If they were mad about anything it was because we hadn’t included them.

  I on the other hand had gone to private school, wore uniforms, and even attended a class that taught table manners. When I was twelve I’d gotten in trouble for having a fake tattoo. A temporary sticker-style tattoo with my favorite band’s name had cost me concert tickets and a night out with my friends. Of course, that had just made me determined to get a real one.

  A tiny bird to represent my mother graced my left shoulder. It made me feel like she was watching over me, always with me, even though she’d been gone for such a long time. It was also a nice middle finger to my father who thought tattoos only belonged on gang members.

  “Are you the officer in charge?” Reese peered down at the man sitting next to me.

  He stood up and adjusted his tool belt. “That’d be me, ma’am.”

  “Right.” Reese set her bag down on the chair next to me. “How can we make this go away?”

  “Reese,” I hissed. “You can’t bribe people.”

  “I’m not bribing anyone.” She ignored me, keeping the officer in the line of fire. “But we can’t have this going out to the news stations.”

  “It can’t just go away. There is paperwork and the company is pressing charges.” His gaze dipped down to mine, almost as if in apology. It was a look that I received often when I was stuck under the watchful eye of my father’s pet dragon.

  “No, they aren’t.” Reese reached into her bag and pulled a card out. “This is the number of their lawyer. He’s agreed to drop the charges.”

  “He was here twenty minutes ago.” The officer’s eyebrows drew together as he looked down at the card.

  “And I spoke to him fifteen minutes ago.” Reese snapped her bag shut. “He was more than willing to drop the charges if Madeline and her friend agreed to pay for the damages.”

  “He did?” I leveled my gaze at Reese. “That lawyer described what we had done as corporate terrorism and now he’s willing to just drop the charges?”

  Reese curled her lip. “Yes, Madeline, after speaking with me he agreed to drop the charges.”

  “That shouldn’t surprise me.” I rolled my eyes. “You probably snarled fire at him.”

  “I do not snarl at people, young woman.” I swear flames danced in her eyes as she looked at me. “I also don’t commit B and E in a pathetic cry for attention. And I am thankful when someone steps in to save my ass from a really poor decision.”

  I jumped to my feet. “Listen here—”

  “Can I intervene for just a moment?” Phoebe’s father flashed a charming smile but it was lost on Reese.

  “I think you have done enough, Mr. Roberts.” She turned to look at him. “You’ve proven to be a terrible influence.”

  “You’re not the first person to say that to me.” His smile turned down on one side. “I believe I heard you say the company has agreed to drop charges on the girls if we pay for the damages?”

  “Yes, Mr. Roberts. That’s correct.” Reese looked back at me. “Of course, your father has a few more ideas about how you can repay the community as well.”

  “Whatever she has to do, I’ll do it too.” Phoebe moved to stand next to me.

  “I think it might be best that you two spend a little time apart.” Reese shifted her bag onto her shoulder.

  “You don’t get to de
cide who I spend time with. I’m an adult, Reese.” Fury tightened the muscles along my jaw.

  “When you can act like an adult, I’ll treat you like one.” Reese pushed her glasses up on her nose.

  “What the hell—” I stepped closer to the thin woman.

  “Hold on.” The officer raised a hand. “The charges might be dropped but I still have to file the paperwork. It’s going to be in the system no matter what. Then the ball is in the District Attorney’s court.”

  “I understand the importance of paperwork, sir. Do what you must, but let’s try to keep this out of the news, shall we? No reason to let loose lips fly or to give any hints to nosey reporters.” Reese kept her gaze on mine. “I’ll handle the DA if it comes to that.”

  “We don’t spread rumors here.” The officer planted his hands on his hips and glared at Reese’s back. “And I don’t take very kindly to it being suggested that we do.”

  “You can take it however you want, just don’t let a word of this go public.” Reese turned slowly. “I’d hate to have an inquiry done on your past cases.”

  “Are you threatening me?” His cheeks reddened.

  I hung my head and closed my eyes. Things just kept getting better and better. First I’m a corporate terrorist, then I’m up against the DA, and now my “savior” was pissing off the man that had closed the handcuffs on my wrists. At this rate I was going to be sentenced to life in prison.

  “Of course I’m not. I’m just pointing out that sometimes paperwork really is more of a hassle than it is worth.” Reese smiled and the hairs on my arms stood up straight.

  “No one is threatening you, Officer McCullough. Ms. Reese has an uncanny way of expressing things that can leave people feeling miffed. I blame it on her being related to fire-breathing dragons. Or was it Hitler? I’m not sure. Anyway.” Another officer chuckled and I lifted my hands. “I’m glad that the charges have been dropped and I will be happy to pay for the damages we’ve done. And, and, maybe we can do some kind of community service to help show our repentance.”

  The older man rubbed his chin and looked at me. “You’d probably get the same sentence if it went to court anyway. With no priors, minimal damage, and no theft, you’d likely just get a slap on the wrist.”

  “I can assure you that Madeline will be doing volunteer work and working toward repaying her father for the damages.” Reese smiled and I fought the urge to vomit. I was in deep shit if she looked so pleased.

  “Great. I know a local animal shelter in need of more volunteers.” Mrs. Roberts placed a hand on my and Phoebe’s shoulders. “Community service is a wonderful thing. All children their age should have to do it.”

  “Mom, I’m not a child.” Phoebe groaned.

  “Shh.” I elbowed my friend and jerked my head toward the officer. He was watching us closely. No need to give him a reason to change his mind.

  “All right—” he started.

  “I’m afraid that won’t work. Your father has different plans for how you’re going to spend your time doing volunteer work, Maddie. Of course, Phoebe is welcome to make her hours as her parents see fit.”

  “What sort of plans?” I looked at her, feeling like I’d been kicked in the gut.

  “You’ll be working with the Returning Combat Veteran Affairs program.”

  “What?” Shock didn’t cover what I was feeling. I had no experience with that sort of work. “Dad wants me to work with RCVA? Where did that come from?”

  “Jake will be home tomorrow and he’s heading a fund-raiser for the program.”

  “Wait. Just wait.” I held up my hand. That was a low blow. Jake hated me and I wasn’t exactly his biggest fan. No wonder Reese was thrilled about the punishment for me. And I would be a total failure at planning any kind of fund-raiser, which would be no help to Jake. Baffled, I grasped on to the one thing that I somewhat understood. “Jake is already in D.C.? And setting up fund-raisers? Didn’t he just get back from Afghanistan?”

  “He’s been back for a while and he’s quite serious about helping his fellow warriors. A very remarkable young man. I’m sure your father is hoping some of that will rub off on you.” Reese looked back at the cop while I stifled a groan. “Is there anything else you need, Officer? It’s late and I’m sure both of these girls still have a lot of explaining to do with their parents.”

  “Uh, no. I guess that’s it,” Officer McCullough said with a mix of pity and frustration. “If I have any more questions, I know where to find you.”

  “That you do.” Everyone knew my address. It was hard to miss. Giant, white, and patrolled by the military.

  Someone brought my backpack over and that was our signal to get the hell out of Dodge. Outside, Phoebe mimed calling me but I shook my head. I’d call her when I got a chance, but first I had to face the music.

  Reese’s heels tapped loudly on the concrete as we walked to where she had parked. Instead of driving her tiny Lexus sports car, she had borrowed one of the unmarked vehicles from the White House collection. A man in a black suit sat behind the steering wheel and I winced.

  Tony was the Secret Service agent that had been assigned to me for the last two years. He followed me around campus and when I did my laundry. He knew everything that I bought at the grocery store. Hell, he probably knew what type of tampon I preferred. He was always watching out for me.

  But I’d given him the slip tonight. And he looked pissed.

  “Get in the back and put on the hat.”

  I threw my bag in first before sliding along the leather seats and picking up the Red-Sox ball cap. I twisted my hair around my head and pulled the hat down firmly.

  “Sorry, Tony,” I muttered.

  “Do you have any idea how stupid all of this was?” He turned in his seat to look at me. “You could have been hurt! I could be fired. You’ve got to stop acting like a rash child.”

  “They are going to kill all of those dogs tomorrow.” I sat up straighter. “Just euthanize them because they were over three years old. They tortured them and now they are going to kill them, then pillage their organs for science.”

  “Maddie, you know I get it, but you can’t go about it this way.” His dark eyes clouded. “I know how much this means to you. You know I do. But there has to be a better way.”

  I leaned back in my seat and looked at my feet. “I’m sorry I skipped out on you.”

  “I know.” He put the car in reverse and pulled out of the parking spot. “Can’t drag your bodyguard to a breaking-and-entering.”

  I snorted.

  “Agent Vasquez might make light of the situation, but I assure you that this is very serious.” Reese turned in her seat to look at me. “Did you even think of your father? How this would affect his career and the stress it would add to his already full plate?”

  “Jesus, Reese.” I sank lower in my seat.

  “Seriously, Madeline. You can’t do this kind of stuff. You’re not Phoebe. You’re the President of the United States’s daughter. You have an image to maintain.”

  “I could care less about my ‘image.’” I shook my head and couldn’t help but sit up straighter. “What I care about is how inhumane and cruel our culture is today. Most people turn a blind eye because they don’t want to know where their favorite lipstick came from. Excuse me for caring that it was tested on rabbits and dogs before landing behind the counter of a department store.”

  “You should care about all of the hard work your father has put into this country. He’s lowered the unemployment rates by ten percent and gotten better medical coverage for the armed forces. Not to mention pulling us out of a hell of a recession. He strived to make this country a better place and you are undermining everything he’s done!” Reese turned back to face the front as we pulled out on the street. “If you screw up, it gives his political enemies a tool to use against him. And with how tight things are in the polls, he can’t afford to have any weak spots. If his new Warrior Bill fails, it will be your fault.”

  I closed
my eyes and let my head hit the back of the seat. When she put it like that, it did make me feel bad. But I hadn’t asked to be the President’s daughter. No one had asked me if I thought he should run for office. Had he done some amazing things? Hell yeah. More than most people can accomplish in one lifetime. But I’d also lost my dad in so many ways. He was completely gray now and he looked perpetually tired. Our time together was usually spent briefly in limos on the way to an event, quick phone calls, or while surrounded by dignitaries and staff.

  And there was Abigail and my stepbrother Bran fighting for time with him as well. Not that I begrudged them the time. I just really missed our fishing trips and hikes.

  I missed being normal.

  “Is Dad waiting on me?” I tried to keep my voice calm, but I did want the chance to talk to him. Explain myself face-to-face.

  “He left at five to attend a meeting and event on the West Coast.” Reese’s face was highlighted by the screen of her BlackBerry. “He plans on calling you in the morning.”

  “And my stepmother?” I sighed. The thought of enduring her disappointed looks and tsk-ing was depressing.

  “She is in Uganda.”

  “Right. The food bank.”

  “Yes. And going smoothly.”

  Of course it was. My stepmother didn’t know how to fail.

  “And Jake is back?” I kept my tone neutral. No need to let her know how much the thought of working with him bothered me.

  “He’s moving well with his prosthetic and his mom says he is raring to go.”

  I looked out the window and fought my frown. “That’s not surprising.”

  Of course the great and wonderful Jake Simmon was up and running around, ready to do his mother’s bidding like a good little boy. If mommy asked him to jump, he’d jump.

  “What?” Reese hummed as she scrolled through some to-do list. She’d already dismissed me from her mind now that she’d said her piece.

  “Nothing.” But even the perfect Jake Simmon needed a break from time to time. He’d been back in the States for a year tops. The guy wasn’t a robot, but nothing seemed to stop him.

  His mother shouldn’t be pushing him so hard even if he was acting like everything was okay. She should be insisting that he find a hobby or taking a vacation. But she had a stiff presidential race in her near future. Being immersed in politics for most of my life meant I could see how waving her injured son like a rallying flag would be beneficial.