Oath of Honor Read online

to drown Blair’s anger. “But I want to be with you. Only and always

  you.”Blair sighed, surrendering to the need that never lessened, and

  rested her cheek against Cam’s shoulder. “I guess it’s a good thing I

  married you, then.”

  v

  Evyn had half an hour before she was due to relieve Gary on the

  gate. She found a quiet corner by a bank of windows in a long hallway

  at the rear of the house. Below her, the ocean roiled against the shore.

  The slashing whitecaps looked nothing like the warm crystalline waves

  that broke along the south Florida coast. These surges were gray and

  cold and hard, as merciless as the wind buffeting the dunes, freezing the

  blood—icing the bones.

  “Stunning, isn’t it?” Wesley Masters said from beside Evyn.

  Evyn glimpsed Masters’s face in profile, as starkly beautiful

  and commanding as the ocean below them, and she was anything but

  chilled—a flash of heat enveloped her and she had to catch her breath

  to stifle a gasp. Even a simple greeting was beyond her.

  “Sorry,” Masters said, stepping away. “I’m intruding.”

  “No,” Evyn said quickly. “You’re not at all. I was just…” She was

  at a loss to explain, having been caught in a contemplative moment

  that was so atypical of her she was embarrassed. Most of her daily

  conversation was with her fellow agents, talking about sports and office

  gossip and the latest movies—anything to pass the time before those

  intense moments when all that mattered was the constant search for

  danger, when a split-second’s delay could be disastrous. In the off time,

  when the pressure was relieved, all she wanted was to let down her

  guard even a little—no demands, no obligations, no one to ask more

  than she could give. She waved a hand toward the window. “I was

  just…well, daydreaming.”

  Wes turned toward her, that intent expression in her eyes. “Were

  • 39 •

  RADCLY fFE

  you?” She looked deep into Evyn’s eyes for another second, as if she

  might find the memory of her imaginings still swimming beneath the

  surface. Then she turned to look back out at the ocean. “I’ve always

  thought the ocean held all the mysteries of life. I could watch it

  forever.”

  “Is that why you joined the navy?” Evyn asked, speaking softly

  so as not to shatter the strange sensation of having stepped slightly

  outside her life. She wanted to preserve this sheltered moment as long

  as possible and had no idea why.

  Wes laughed shortly. “I suppose—that and I bought into the idea

  of traveling the world while doing the work I wanted. All that seems so

  whimsical now.”

  “You don’t strike me as the whimsical type.”

  “No, I was always practical,” Wes said, although there had been

  a time, long ago, before her father died—before everything changed—

  when she’d dreamed without boundaries. “I knew growing up I’d need

  to join the armed forces if I wanted an education. I chose the navy

  because of the sea.”

  “But you stayed in. You didn’t have to.”

  “No, I could have left after I fulfilled my educational obligations,

  but the navy needs doctors and teachers, and I was comfortable.”

  “Is that what you do mostly, teach?” Evyn came back to earth as

  the sinking feeling in her stomach spread. Masters was not only green,

  she wasn’t even a front-line medic.

  “Yes,” Wes said. “I’m an associate professor at the Uniformed

  Services University.”

  Evyn watched the frothing water climb higher on the sands,

  encroaching on the dunes, and digested that little detail. A professor.

  The choice of Wes Masters to replace O’Shaughnessy made even

  less sense, but then most government decisions were based on some

  complex rubric of politics, power maneuvering, and personal agendas.

  She should never have expected any of it to make sense. She looked at

  Masters, who was contemplating her again. “This duty is going to be a

  lot different than what you’re used to.”

  A muscle bunched in Masters’s jaw, but her expression remained

  calm, appraising. “I’m aware of that, Agent. I can assure you, I’ll be up

  to the task.”

  • 40 •

  Oath Of hOnOr

  “Oh, I’m certain of that,” Evyn said. “Unless something changes,

  it’s my job to see that you are.”

  Wes frowned. “I’m sorry? I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t really understand, either,” Evyn said. “I don’t understand

  why Peter Chang—” She broke off, sucked in a breath. She was about

  to lose her cool and complain about Peter being passed over to the last

  person who should know she had issues. She never made mistakes like

  that. “I’ve been assigned to orient you to the interface between the

  Presidential Protective Detail and the White House Medical Unit.”

  “I see.”

  Evyn sighed. Maybe it was the cold—three years, and she still

  wasn’t used to the damn winters. Maybe it was the lack of sleep over

  the last few days. Maybe it was the unsettling, unwavering focus in

  Wes’s eyes. But something was making her behave like a stranger to

  herself as well as an ass. “Look, I’m sorry, Captain. The weather seems

  to be affecting my mood. I’m usually not quite so surly—well, not after

  my first cup of coffee.”

  “No apologies necessary. And it’s Wes,” Wes said, seemingly

  willing to accept the change in subject. “Not a Northern girl?”

  Evyn snorted. “Miami, born and bred.”

  “Ah,” Wes said. “The winter can do funny things to your

  perceptions sometimes. Just remember, spring always follows.”

  “I’ll try to keep that in mind when my ass is freezing off,” Evyn

  muttered.

  “If you think that’s in danger of happening, you should come in

  out of the cold.”

  “I’ll take that under advisement,” Evyn said lightly, wondering

  if the warmth in Wes’s gaze just might make the cold a little more

  bearable. A warning twinge flagged that as a dangerous line of thought,

  and she wisely squelched it. “We brief daily at zero seven hundred in

  PPD command center in the Old Executive Office Building. You should

  plan to be there as soon as you’re officially on board. I imagine all

  the bullshi—paperwork and getting moved and such will take a few

  days.”“Actually, no. I’ll be in DC tomorrow. I’m riding back on Marine

  One today.”

  Evyn narrowed her eyes. What the hell? Why hadn’t Tom said

  • 41 •

  RADCLY fFE

  anything? She hated being out of the loop when anything affecting her

  job was at issue. “On whose authority?”

  Wes’s face shuttered closed. “Lucinda Washburn’s.”

  Evyn bit back a comment—Lucinda’s word was law at the House.

  Maybe Tom could shed some light on why the rush to get Masters to

  DC. “Good. You should make the briefing tomorrow, then.”

  “I’ll do that. Then I have to meet my team.”

  “You can do that after we review our schedule for the orientation,”


  Evyn said. “Unless we have an away trip or you have a medical

  emergency, you’ll be detailed to me until further notice.”

  “Thank you, Agent. I’ll report to you in the morning, then.”

  Wes turned and walked away and Evyn looked back out the

  window. Wes obviously was used to calling the shots, but PPD was

  running this show. She’d just have to get used to it. Twilight enveloped

  the island, turning the ocean black. The sensation of having slipped out

  of time faded and the normal chaos of Evyn’s life crowded back in. She

  welcomed the tension and the wariness, feelings she understood.

  • 42 •

  Oath Of hOnOr

  chapter five

  The wedding celebration wound down around 2000 hours, and

  after the good-byes had been said, Wes followed the group

  returning to Andrews with the president. While the president boarded

  Marine One along with Lucinda Washburn, his security chief, staff, and

  med unit, Wes ducked under the rotors and clambered up the stairs into

  the body of a nearby VH-60N Whitehawk helicopter, one of several

  helos identical to Marine One idling on a large expanse of cleared

  land behind Whitley Manor. On the flight back, the decoy helos would

  fly alongside Marine One in a complex aerial shell game of shifting

  positions to obscure which aircraft carried the president, in the event

  of an attack.

  Wes glanced around, saluted a vice admiral already seated in the

  single seat directly behind the cockpit, and took one of the three seats

  on the bench along the wall. Two marines in full dress uniform boarded

  and sat beside her, followed by Evyn Daniels and the male agent who’d

  been at the gate with her earlier. As soon as they were strapped in, the

  helicopter lifted away, making conversation impossible. Evyn, in the

  jump seat directly across the narrow aisle from Wes, pulled a small

  electronic device from the pocket of her black trench coat and started

  to scroll.

  Looking out the window next to Evyn, Wes watched the lights

  of Whitley Island growing fainter and finally disappearing beneath the

  low-lying cloud cover as the convoy headed out over water. Wes shifted

  her gaze from the night to Evyn, whose profile was softened by the

  dim glow of the cabin lights. Her burgundy hair fell forward over her

  • 43 •

  RADCLY fFE

  cheek in loose, thick waves, and she absently pushed them away as she

  focused on the small screen in her hand. The movement was wholly

  unconscious and lent her an air of vulnerability Wes suspected she

  would disavow. A small frown line bisected the smooth skin between

  her arched reddish brown brows. She had that on-the-job look and was

  probably getting some kind of status report. She hadn’t looked at Wes

  once. Annoyed that she didn’t register on Evyn’s radar and annoyed at

  herself for caring, Wes wondered which woman she’d met that day was

  the real Evyn Daniels.

  USSS SA Evyn Daniels was obviously competent, dedicated, and

  all business—that much had been established with their first encounter

  at the gate. But Evyn was more than just a suit with a gun and badge.

  For a few moments when they’d stood at the windows overlooking the

  shore, they’d talked of things that went beyond aimless party chatter.

  They’d shared something of themselves, something Wes usually only

  did with family and close friends. With everyone else, she discussed

  cases and assignments—safe, common ground. She’d been the one to

  strike up the conversation with Evyn, also unlike her. But she’d been

  drawn to the faraway look on Evyn’s face as she’d stood alone against

  a backdrop of sea and sand—looking remote and somehow sad. And

  very beautiful. Evyn had been easy to talk to, showing glimmers of

  humor and warmth, at least until the subject of Peter Chang had come

  up. Then Evyn had revealed a well of anger she’d quickly suppressed.

  When Wes had shifted the conversation to safe ground and the subject

  of business, she’d instantly missed their brief but unexpectedly intense

  connection.

  Evyn’s slip when Chang was mentioned made it pretty clear she

  didn’t think Wes was the right person for her new job. Ordinarily Wes

  didn’t concern herself with what anyone other than her commanding

  officers felt about her and her performance, but it bothered her that

  Evyn didn’t believe she had earned the post. What Evyn thought

  mattered, personally and professionally, so she was going to have to

  prove to Evyn she was capable of the job. After all these years, she’d

  thought she was past that. She hadn’t needed or wanted to prove herself

  to anyone in a long time.

  The day had been full of surprises, mostly unwelcome ones. She

  hadn’t felt so displaced since she’d left home for the Naval Academy

  and had been cut loose from her strongest support system as abruptly as

  • 44 •

  Oath Of hOnOr

  a blade across her throat. At first, she’d missed her mother’s unwavering

  belief in her and her sisters’ humor so much she’d thought she might

  break. She hadn’t broken. She’d reached inside herself and found their

  voices alive and strong in her heart. She’d adapted, she’d adjusted, and

  she’d triumphed. Now she was back in unknown waters, with no place

  to live, a new command, and, apparently, the need to prove herself to

  Evyn Daniels.

  v

  Evyn’s push was waiting at the House when the motorcade from

  Andrews pulled into the south drive. Tom had texted they’d debrief in

  the morning. As soon as POTUS was on his way into the residence,

  she was done. She headed toward the west gate and the Ellipse where

  she’d parked her car. Up ahead, she recognized Masters walking toward

  Pennsylvania Avenue. She hesitated, giving her time to get ahead of

  her. In the next second, she sped up, refusing to think about why.

  “Hey,” Evyn called, catching up to Wes at the corner. “You need

  a ride?”

  Masters looked at her, clearly surprised, making Evyn feel like a

  bigger jerk for even thinking about leaving her to fend for herself in the

  middle of the night. But Wes made her so damn uncomfortable—she

  didn’t know what she was doing. “I’ve got a car.” Now there was a

  fairly brainless statement. “Let me take you.”

  “Thanks,” Masters said. “I’m okay. I’ll grab a cab. I’m just going

  across town to a hotel.”

  “It’s almost twenty-three thirty, Captain. Not a great time of night

  to get a cab in this part of town, and definitely no time to be out and

  about alone.”

  Masters laughed. “It’s Wes, remember? Do you think I need

  protection?”

  Glad for the cover of dark to hide the flush that heated her cheeks,

  Evyn said, “I’m positive you don’t. But I can’t see any reason for you

  to freeze your ass off out here.”

  “It’s twenty-five degrees,” Wes pointed out. “Not that cold.”

  Evyn snorted and watched her breath frost in the air. Obviously,

  Wes was from somewhere north of the Mason-Dixon Line. “It’s
about

  fifty degrees colder than I like it.”

  • 45 •

  RADCLY fFE

  Wes laughed harder, a deep, mellow sound that warmed Evyn’s

  stomach in a totally unexpected and not unwelcome way.

  “What are you doing up here, if you hate the winter so much?”

  Wes asked.

  Evyn jammed her hands into the pockets of her coat. The

  conversation was verging on the personal, and she was out of her

  element in more ways than the weather. She didn’t even talk about this

  sort of thing when she was trying to connect with a woman for the

  night. And this was twice in one day with Wes. She shrugged. “This is

  the detail I wanted, so the weather is part of the job.”

  “The president is something of a skier too, isn’t he?”

  “POTUS, his daughter—regular snow bunnies. It’s unnatural.”

  God, she hated those ski trips, not that she’d ever let on.

  “Obviously, you love your job.”

  “Yeah,” Evyn said, meaning it, but Wes didn’t need to know that.

  Wes didn’t need to know anything at all about her. Time to shut down

  the information highway.

  “Are you hungry?” Wes asked.

  “Uh—yeah, for me, it’s dinnertime.”

  “Well, I left my quarters at zero six hundred this morning, and the

  only thing I’ve had all day is coffee and little things that look like food

  but are really just a tease.”

  Evyn grinned. “Hors d’oeuvres. I don’t even think they count as

  food.”“How about dinner somewhere, then?”

  “I could eat.” Evyn had the sudden sensation she was walking

  into a landmine, but Wes was just smiling at her. Friendly. Just a simple

  meal between coworkers. Safe enough. “Okay. Sure.”

  “Good. You know the area. You pick the place, Agent.”

  “It’s Evyn.”

  “Okay. Evyn.”

  “Come on, I can’t feel my feet.” Evyn led the way to her ’57

  T-Bird, keying the alarm as they approached.

  “Nice car,” Wes said.

  “The last of the classic design. I inherited it from my older

  brother.”

  Wes shot her a concerned look.

  • 46 •

  Oath Of hOnOr

  “Not that way—Aaron is fine. He just decided the T-Bird wasn’t

  dignified enough for a feeb.”

  “He’s FBI?”

  Evyn climbed behind the wheel and started the engine, waiting for

  Wes to belt up before backing out. “Yeah. The shame of our family, but