Honor Under Siege Read online

  convenience.

  Blair rol ed her eyes. At your earliest convenience was Lucinda-speak

  for cal immediately. Lucinda Washburn was President Andrew Powel s

  chief of staf , as wel as his lifelong friend and adviser. No one was

  closer to him, not even Blair. Lucinda had helped him win the

  governorship of Massachuset s, the vice presidency, and final y the

  presidency. She was an astute politician and managed far more than

  the day-to-day workings of the White House staf . If someone wanted

  the ear of the president, they needed to court Lucinda Washburn first.

  “Lucinda wants something. Blair glanced at Cam, who smiled rueful y.

  Lucinda did not make social cal s. She also was not the presidents

  secretary, which meant that she probably had an agenda of her own.

  “Give me a few minutes to have a cup of cof ee, Paula, and then Il cal

  her back.

  “Il be in the command center. Paula kept her voice neutral and her

  face expressionless. The makeshift command center was actual y part

  of the first floor of the smal er guest house that sat partway between the

  main house and the beach. Her scaled-down security team stayed there

  when they were of shift. Right now there were only three other agents

  with herGreg Wozinski, Patrice Hara, and Felicia Davis. There was

  also one other inhabitant, her FBI agent lover Renée Savard, who was

  recuperating from a bul et wound. She and Cam had sustained their

  injuries during the same action. “Please cal me when youre ready, and

  Il scramble a line for you.

  Blair halted with her hand on the handle of the back door and regarded

  Paula quizzical y. “Is something wrong?

  “No

  maam.

  “Am I supposed to guess why you suddenly sound like an

  android?

  Paula smiled. “Sorry. I was asleep when the cal came in and I havent

  had time to recharge my bat eries. Im running on auxiliary backup

  packs.

  “Ha ha. Come inside and have some cof ee,

  then.

  Paula checked in with a quick glance at Cam, who signaled for her to

  fol ow them into the house.

  “Im going to grab a quick shower, Cam said, heading in the direction

  of the staircase leading to the second floor. “Be right down.

  Blair led Paula through to the kitchen, while Patrice Hara took up a

  position just inside the rear door and Greg Wozinski walked through

  to the front of the house. “Hows Renée doing? she asked casual y as

  she began to assemble the morning cof ee.

  “Restless. Paula set led into a chair at the rectangular oak table in the

  center of the room.

  “Tel me about it. Blair turned on the automatic cof ee pot, put a ket le of

  water on for tea, and sat down next to her. “Renée is just like

  Camneither of them is happy unless theyre working. She touched

  Paulas wrist lightly. “You should understand that. Youre al the same,

  real y.

  There had been a time when the slightest touch from Blair would have

  made Paula blush. She could not believe that eight months had passed

  since the few il -advised hours shed spent in the intimate company of

  the first daughter. The lapse was one of a potential y career destroying

  magnitude, and although she regret ed her irresponsible behavior, she

  did not regret the private moments they had shared. Now, it seemed

  like the interlude had taken place in another

  lifetime, when she had been another woman. In the few scant months

  since then, shed seen Cameron Roberts almost die, Blair narrowly

  escape assassination, and the nation that the entire world had

  considered unassailable become the victim of terrorism. She didnt

  blush.

  “I do understand. But the doctor said she needed another few days

  before she could start walking, and the inactivity is wearing on her.

  Blair knew the problem was more than just inactivity. Renée, along with

  many of the New York based FBI and Secret Service field agents,

  had been in the World Trade Center at the time the towers had

  been hit. Shed seen the devastation and horror firsthand. “Its going to

  take some time, Paula. Shel heal.

  Paulas eyes revealed what she couldnt say. Wouldnt say, out of respect

  for her lovers privacy. “I know.

  “She has the one thing she needs most of al , Blair said

  gently. “You.

  “Oh, man, Paula said softly. “I hope thats enough. She wished she

  could feel certain, but she feared that something in Renées soul had

  been irreparably broken and neither time nor love would heal it.

  Blair stood. “Trust me, it is. She set a mug of tea at an empty place for

  Cam. “I

  think right now the people we care about might be al that

  matter.

  “Iuhhow are you doing? Paula asked as Blair poured their cof

  ees.

  Everyone knew how private Blair was, and it wasnt real y her place

  to ask personal questions. But since September 11, the world as they

  knew it was gone and some of the old rules no longer seemed to apply.

  Paula understood the necessity for viewing the subjects she protected as

  critical y valuable individuals, while at the same time avoiding any

  kind of personal involvement, even friendship. But theyd al been

  through so much together that the usual professional detachment

  seemed impossible, especial y when Blair had been the

  object of a nearly successful assassination at empt in her own heavily-

  fortified home. What was once considered inconceivable now fel within

  the realm of the probable. It could happen again, and Paula had to see

  that it didnt.

  “Sometimes I stil cant believe that any of it real y happened, Blair said

  quietly.

  “I know. Paula took a deep breath. She was stil trying to understand her

  new role as Blair s security chief and what the boundaries were. Most

  of the time when she wasnt certain, she fol owed her heart. That

  probably wasnt the way the commander did things, but she would never

  be the commander. “We werent prepared for what happened in the

  Aerie, but we wil be now. They failed, which just shows you how

  good your security was, even against the unexpected. Now it wil be

  even bet er because we know the game has changed.

  The

  game

  has

  changed.

  Blair suppressed a shudder. Yes, the rules of engagement had

  definitely changed, and she was an unwil ing player in a game

  where the stakes were higher than shed ever imagined. She glanced

  toward the door as Cam walked in. Her black hair was wet and slicked

  back, making the sharp planes of her face stand out even more. Even

  in a loose black T-shirt and blue jeans, her body looked taut and

  fighting ready. Blair could tel from the set of her jaw that shed heard

  the last part of the conversation; she had that intense, hard

  expression she always got when the subject of Blairs vulnerability came

  up.

  “Im not worried. Blair said, “We have the winning

  team.

  Cam leaned down and brushed a kiss over her cheek, then regarded

  the tea with a raised eyebrow. �
��Is that for me?

  “Yes, Blair said with exaggerated seriousness. “And theres honey

  on the counter. Put some in. It wil help your throat.

  “I think cof ee wil do

  fine.

  “Cameron.

  Blairs

  eyes

  glit ered

  dangerously.

  “But tea is probably bet er, Cam amended as she retrieved the jar of

  honey. Paula watched the exchange with apparent interest, then looked

  quickly away as

  Cam gave her a pointed stare. She rose without finishing her cof ee. “Il

  be in the

  command

  center.

  “Wait, Paula. Blair kept her gaze on Cam, thinking how much she loved

  going to sleep with her every night and waking up with her in the

  morning and having her around during the day. Just being with her. Not

  being guarded by her, not being worried over. Just being in her

  company. But this week had been an anomaly, and they both knew it.

  Softly, she said, “Ready?

  Cam

  nodded.

  “Paula, Blair said. “I think we bet er make that

  cal .

  Chapter Two

  I just sent a transport plane to Lexington for you. In her usual

  rapid-fire fashion, Lucinda Washburn continued, “It should be there in

  two hours. Come on over to the of ice when you get in.

  “Hi, Luce, Blair said sarcastical y. “Hows your day

  going?

  “About the way theyve al been going for the last

  month.

  Blair was surprised by the weariness in Lucindas voice. She couldnt

  remember ever seeing her tired. In fact, she wasnt certain shed ever

  known Lucinda to actual y sleep. “Is everything al right?

  “As al right as can be expected. A smal , impatient sigh filtered down

  the phone line. “Come home. Wel talk.

  Home. The White House would never feel like home to Blair, because it

  wasnt, even though her father and Lucinda were there. True, she had

  no other family home. Her father had sold the house she had grown up

  in when her mother died. Blair was twelve at the time, and after

  that she had lived in the governors mansion or whatever other

  house came with her fathers political position. Lucinda had always

  been like family. Shed been a close friend of both Blairs parents before

  Blairs mother died, and shed been a constant figure in Blairs life ever

  since. Not a mother figure, but strong and capable and comforting, for al

  her demands. But Blairs home was her loft in Manhat an, and that

  had been nearly destroyed in an at ack that had come at the same time as

  the devastation at the World Trade Center. She didnt have a home now,

  and the memories of terror and death chil ed her. She glanced at Cam,

  who watched her pensively. Cam. Cam was home.

  Blair pushed the images of loss away. “It wil take us a while to

  arrange transportation to the airport.

  “I can get State Troopers to escort

  you.

  “God, no, Blair said with barely suppressed horror. “Ive got al the

  protection I

  need. Just tel the pilot he may have to

  wait.

  “Al right then. Il see you this

  afternoon.

  Blair ended the cal and handed the phone back to Paula. “Were

  leaving.

  “Il let the teams know, Paula

  said.

  “Il cal Tanner and arrange for drivers. Cam hesitated, casting a

  questioning look in Starks direction. “If thats al right with you.

  “Its fine. Thanks, Stark answered on her way out the back door.

  Cam set her tea aside and slid her arms around Blairs waist.

  “Whats up?

  “I dont know. Blair kissed the tip of Cams chin. “But Lucinda wants

  to talk.

  “Uh-

  oh.

  Blair sighed. “I know. She rocked her hips lightly against Cams.

  “Have you heard anything from Stewart?

  Cam shook her head. Assistant Director Stewart Carlisle was her

  immediate superior in the Department of the Treasury, but since shed

  most recently been on special assignment reporting directly to the

  president, she hadnt been under Stewarts command for some time. “I

  dont actual y know who Im reporting to anymore. She glanced through

  the back door to the guest house visible partway down the slope to the

  beach. Blairs security team was there. The nerve center of al that went

  into protecting Blair was there. And she wasnt. “Especial y since Im not

  on your security team anymore.

  Blair leaned back, hooking her thumbs in the loops of Cams jeans. “It

  bothers you, doesnt it. That Stark is in charge now.

  “Starks a good

  agent.

  Blair laughed. “Cameron. Dont even

  try.

  Cam forced herself to unclench her jaw. “Yes, it bothers me.

  I didnt want to be switched from investigation to protection

  when they first assigned me to your team last year. But you

  know what? She kissed Blair lightly. “Im good at it. And Im

  motivated. I like She shrugged. “looking after you.

  “Oh, darling, Blair murmured. “You do look after me. In all

  the ways that mean the most to me. You love me, and thats

  what I really need. I dont need you throwing yourself in front

  of me if some crazy person decides they dont like the color of

  my dress.

  “I know thats not what you need. Cam ran a hand through her

  hair. “But its kind of what I need.

  “I know. Blair hugged her tightly. It was rare that she could

  touch Cam without being aroused, for which she was

  pleased and grateful. She hoped that never changed. She

  couldnt imagine not wanting her. Just at the moment, though,

  she wanted to comfort her because it was so unusual for

  Cam to be unsure about anything. And she could sense Cams

  unease and uncertainty. “We all need time to get adjusted to the

  changes, Cam. But Im always going to need you.

  Cam smiled and rested her forehead against Blairs. “And

  Im always going to need you.

  * * * * *

  Paula hurried down the twisting path to the guesthouse.

  Under other circumstances she would have taken a second to

  appreciate the unseasonably warm early October morning, but

  her mind was totally consumed with the myriad details of her

  job. She felt the full weight of her new responsibilities

  intensely, but beneath the low-level hum of nerves, she was

  also aware of the surge of excitement that always accompanied

  any operation when Egret, as Blair was official y cal ed, was on

  the move.

  “Listen up, she said as she pushed through the front door into

  the living room. “Egret is flying. She shed the windbreaker

  shed grabbed earlier on her way down to the beach and rol ed

  up the sleeves of her white button-down col ar shirt. She headed

  straight for the dining room where theyd set up their

  computers and communication equipment. “Im going to call DC

  to arrange ground

  transport.

  Felicia Davis, a statuesque African-American with features

  that suggested she might be descended from an ancient

  Egyptian queen
, sat in a rattan chair sipping coffee. “Shall

  I arrange accommodations?

  “Yes. The usual hotel. At least for a night until the

  commander until I determine Egrets immediate schedule.

  Pushing numbers on her cell phone, Felicia rose and walked to

  the

  French doors leading to a wide deck with a view of the

  beach.

  “What about me? Renée Savard reclined on a sofa with her left

  leg propped up on an overstuffed hassock. A blue fabric

  knee immobilizer with wide white Velcro straps was wrapped

  around her knee. “Can I tag along?

  Paula held up one finger as she spoke into the phone and

  simultaneously entered information into the computer. A

  minute passed, then she disconnected and returned to the living

  room to sit next to Renée. She skimmed her fingers through

  her lovers shoulder length golden-brown hair. “Hows your leg?

  “Other than the fact that it feels as heavy as a tree trunk, and

  about as functional, its fine, Renée said edgily. Her blue eyes narrowed.

  “It would feel a hel of a lot bet er without this immobilizer.

  “Just for a few more

  days.

  Renée waved her away. “Go take care of what you have to take care of.

  How soon are you leaving?

  “ASAP.

  “Wel then, dont waste time asking me about my

  stupid leg.

  Paula kept her expression neutral. She knew Renées leg hurt, and she

  knew that her bad temper was more than pain. “Do you want to hang out

  here while were gone? I can get Tanner to arrange a private car to take

  you back to Manhat an if you dont.

  Tanner Whitley, heir to the Whitley corporate dynasty and the owner of

  Whitley Island, was one of Blairs oldest friends from prep school. She

  also had one of the best private security forces in the country. Her

  crew had been providing perimeter protection during Blairs stay,

  ensuring that no one approached the house from the main road

  that bisected the island. Stark trusted Tanner completely.

  “I dont want to go back to Manhat an. Renée sounded

  uncharacteristical y petulant. “Not when I cant work. Not when youre

  not there. She leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “Jesus, listen to me.

  Im pathetic. Im sure you dont want me underfoot while youre working.

  “I dont know how long wel be in DC, or where wel be going after that,

  Paula said. “But

  “Just go, Paula. Il cal Tanner later and arrange my

  own

  “But, Paula continued as if she hadnt been interrupted, “if it