"I'm surprised dad didn't send Ian and Craig out here to help."

  Steve snorted. "Ian and Craig wouldn't last ten minutes here. They're both far too naïve."

  "We talking about the same twin brothers?" Troy asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "When was the last time you played a gag on them and got away with it?"

  Troy laughed. "Umm, two weeks ago?"

  "They're still far too caught up in their own brilliance to realize there are other smart people out there, too."

  "Fair point," Troy agreed with a nod.

  "Plus, let's be honest here, Nadi and Mira are smoking hot, and Healy and Chloë aren't far behind, so no one is going to take them at all seriously. Then there's the fact that Nadi's probably as devious as you are, so if you miss it, she'll undoubtedly see it, whatever it is someone is trying to pull on you. Chloë is used to rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, so she's not impressed by anybody, and is well known in this town. Mira and Healy know how to fight, have been in combat, and from what SJ told me, neither one of them exactly walk the straight and narrow."

  "Okay, I get all that. So what you're saying is, you want me to represent you?"

  "Whenever I can't be there, and when I can, I'll want you to be there to learn and to watch my back."

  "What about your own kids?"

  "Eddie's barely seventeen, and I want him to do at least a year in the Lycan Army, and then a few more managing some of our shops. He's a good son, but he's still too damn honest." Steve sighed, looking a little disappointed.

  "What about Remi? She's anything but honest!" Troy said with a snicker.

  "I think she's still mad at you," Steve said with a heavy sigh. "Plus, Terri has her working for her parents right now, so she learns how to deal with problem customers."

  Troy couldn't think of anything to say to that.

  "That's all I had," Steve said, standing up.

  "Great, guess I'll go wake the girls."

  "Oh! One other thing!"

  "What?"

  "After breakfast, come down to Terri's office. We need to get you a couple suits, and the girls will need some outfits."

  "What do we need suits for?"

  "If you're not wearing a custom-made, thousand-dollar suit in this town, people won't even give you the time of day, much less take you seriously. Hell, even my blue jeans are now tailor made and cost a couple hundred bucks a pair," Steve said with a chuckle.

  "As long as I'm not paying for it," Troy said with a shrug.

  "Oh, right! See Nate, my secretary, afterwards. I need to get you all on the payroll."

  "I better get out of here before you actually put me to work!" Troy joked and quickly left the room, heading back to the one they'd set him and the girls up in. He had no doubt they'd be up for a few 'things' before breakfast.

  "Okay," Steve said, looking around the office, "here's the schedule for today: We have a meeting with the Police Chiefs' Association at two. They'll get about an hour of my time, then we have to move on to Walter Reed. That's only supposed to take an hour, but if they want me to stay later, they'll get it, and we'll show up late for an interview with Hammond Brinks—he's been warned that I may be delayed.

  "Once we're done with him, we have a fundraising dinner. I think there'll be a hundred or so there. After that, I have a meeting and a photo op with the governors from the Pacific Northwest Association."

  "What do you want us to do?" Mira asked.

  "Troy and Nadi will be with me at all times on this one. Troy, stay human no matter what. Nadi, do your best to read people, and let Troy know what you're getting from folks, if anything. We're going to be taking Healy's new toy, and I can't stress enough that you can not leave it unattended at any time."

  "Sabotage?" Healy asked.

  "Worse, somebody will try to put a listening device on it. Mira, you're probably going to have to stay with Healy and help her guard it, because I'm not sure Chloë wants to be butt-stroking anybody who gets within the perimeter."

  "Butt-stroke?" Chloë said, making a face.

  "That's where they get a face-full of the butt of my rifle," Mira said with a wink.

  "Oh!" Chloë looked thoughtful a moment. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

  "Of course!"

  "So what do you want Chloë to do?" Troy asked.

  "At the Police Chiefs' thing, she can stay with Mira and Healy. If she thinks she can stomach it, I'd like her to join me at Walter Reed; odds are some of the soldiers will know who she is, and will enjoy meeting her. Back in the helicopter for the interview, but with me for the fundraiser. For the last one, maybe swap it up a bit and let Healy or Mira join us instead."

  "What about the Secret Service?"

  "They'll want to send at least two agents with me, and they'll have a helicopter following us, as I've already let them know we'll be flying today. They'll also have a ground crew at each event, waiting for us; I'll make sure you're introduced to their leads.

  "The whole purpose of tonight is for the five of you to get an understanding of how hectic and confusing things can be. Tomorrow, I'm doing a rally up in Allentown, and then a second one in Wilmington. I'm going to have you fly me and Terri up to that one; Tisha will be going with the bus. However, after Allentown, I'll be doing the bus to the next one, and then back home. I'll have you accompany me up until we're done in Wilmington, then you can fly back home, while I ride the bus back."

  "What about the girls?"

  "I want them to stay with the helicopter and practice being overwatch."

  "I'd think the Secret Service would be better at that," Healy said with a snort.

  "Maybe, maybe not. The big thing is, I want you all to get a feel for what's going on. The Secret Service doesn't have any magic users, they don't have any djinn, and while they've got a good number of lycans now, primarily werewolves, they're pretty light on combat soldiers. They're also lacking people experienced with djevels, dark elves, and other supernatural assholes. If the flying fecal matter really does impinge upon the rotating air mover, you're the ones I'm going to be counting on to get me and Terri out of there."

  "What about Tisha?" Chloë asked.

  Suddenly there was a lioness in the room, as Tisha shifted.

  "Oh, I'll be stacking bodies, never fear, girl!"

  Chloë looked at Tisha in surprise.

  "It's a lion thing," Troy and Steve said at the same time, causing Steve to laugh.

  "They really do get upset when someone messes with one of theirs," Troy finished and then shrugged. "You have to remember, she's immortal. The rest of us aren't."

  "Well!" Steve said, clapping his hands together. "Let's get ready and find our government minders for the day!"

  "Guess I need to pre-flight my bird," Healy said, getting up. "Mira, Chloë, Nadi, why don't you come along, and I'll show you how it's done."

  "You'd trust us to do your pre-flight?" Chloë asked, looking a little surprised.

  "Nope, but it's your ass that's gonna be in a seat up there with the rest of us, so I figured maybe you'd want to be sure it got done right?"

  Mira snickered as Chloë looked a little embarrassed.

  "Well, when you put it like that. Troy, you coming?" she asked, turning to look at him.

  "I want to check with the Secret Service agents we're being assigned. I want to make sure there's a lot more than just you gals out there minding the helicopter. Also," he smiled showing a lot of teeth, "I want to make sure we've got enough ammo for our guns. Don't forget the bag of guns and wands back in the room."

  "Umm, I don't know how to use a wand," Mira said.

  "Me, neither," Healy added.

  "What's a wand?" Chloë asked.

  "As in magic," Mira said.

  "Yeah, not those other kind," Healy added with a wink, and suddenly all the girls in the room snickered loudly.

  "And people say I'm bad." Troy sighed and followed a laughing Steve out of the office.

  "So how were you traveling to these things before we got here?" Troy asked Steve as he followed him down the hall.

  "Most of the time, we went by limo for the local events, which isn't that big of a deal, beyond the time wasted in the car due to traffic. The bus trips aren't all that bad because I can still get work done, but more often than not, if it's any distance, we fly. Sean's got a jet on standby for me, when I need it, and we've rented a couple helicopters here and there, or borrowed some of the Lycan Army ones."

  "Didn't people complain about you showing up in a military helicopter?"

  "Of course! And I'd get to mention, every time they did, about how our brave men and women were still dealing with the djevel menace and keeping everyone safe!" Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "They kept walking into that one for months! But we're getting to the point now that I want something more accessible and easier to take into smaller places with more of my team. I think I may cut the SS guys down to one or even zero and let them ride in the helicopter that's going to be following us in. Not like they won't have a team waiting on the ground for us when we get there."

  "You don't think they'll complain?"

  Steve snorted. "I have three active duty military members with me already. Not sure how much the SS guys are going to add to that."

  "I'm guessing you mean Healy, Mira, and me when you say that."

  "Yup. Plus, I do miss my own security people at times. Some of them have been with me for a long time now, and I know they'll never let me down. I mean, the SS guys are good and all that, but they're not exactly family."

  Troy could only nod at that as they got into one of the elevators.

  "Where are they, anyway?" Troy asked.

  "Who? The Secret Service?"

  Troy nodded.

  "They have an office on the ground floor at the front of the building. They're not part of our organization, and they are part of the government, so anything not the government's business isn't any of theirs, either. So they're not allowed in the rest of the building without an escort."

  "Bet they're not crazy about that!" Troy said with a chuckle.

  "Your father explained it to them. They didn't argue after that," Steve said, grinning.

  "Ouch."

  "Yup. I always let him play the heavy, makes it easier for me to be the nice guy and everybody's friend."

  Troy followed Steve out of the elevator, and down another hallway, to a very obvious security station; the guards there were all lycans and not bothering to hide it at all. They smiled, said 'Hi' to Steve, and nodded to him. So Troy smiled, said 'Hi', and followed Steve into the Secret Service office, which was just past the guard station, and in sight of the front entrance of the building.

  Inside there was a desk with a receptionist, with a half dozen cubicles behind her, and a couple of doors on the far side of the room, one of which was obviously a bathroom.

  "Good morning, Mr. Bryson!" she said with a cheery smile.

  "Morning, Sherry."

  Troy could tell that she was human, though he thought he caught the scent of wolf off of her. Being in his human form, however, he really couldn't tell.

  Two men in black suits came out of the cubicles almost immediately, and Troy could tell right away that both of them were wolf lycans. That was probably why the receptionist smelled of wolf.

  "Troy, these are agents Dobbs and Clarke; they're part of my personal detail. Clarke, Dobbs, this is Troy Valens," Troy didn't miss the emphasis Steve put on his last name. "He's my personal assistant, and while he's not a lion, I can assure you, just like his father, he can be a force to reckon with. So please treat him with all due respect."

  Troy smiled and shook hands with both of them.

  "Have you worked with the Secret Service before?" Dobbs asked.

  Troy shook his head. "Nope, and the only agents I've ever met are long retired."

  "Oh? Who?"

  "Carl Mince and Vincent Kensington."

  "You've met both of the previous directors?" Clarke said, looking surprised.

  "Yeah, they're friends of the family, I guess you could say. Plus, Carl's daughter is the head chef at the casino my family's part owner of. So whenever he's in town to see her, he stops by to say hello."

  Troy noticed the subtle shift in both men's demeanor as he said that.

  "So, will you be flying us today, Troy?" Dobbs asked.

  "No, that'll be Healy, one of my wives."

  "So, gentlemen," Steve interrupted, "are the rest of your people in place? We need to get going here, if I'm to be at the chiefs' meeting on time."

  "Yes, sir, we're ready," they both replied.

  "Great, let's go," Troy said and led them back to the elevator, waving to the lycan guards as they passed them again.

  "Normally, I let Terri or Nate come down and gather up the agents before we leave," Steve said as they got into the elevator to head up to the roof. "But I thought you should see where the office is, and meet Sherry, in case you have to go down there yourself."

  Troy nodded and turned to Dobbs. "I want to meet whoever is on the detail to keep an eye on the landing zones, as well as to keep anyone from messing with my wife's helicopter when it's on the ground."

  "Your wife's?" Dobbs asked.

  "You're not married, are you?" Troy asked with a smile.

  "No, sir."

  "Yeah, well, I'll tell you right now, it doesn't matter who paid for it, or even who owns it, once she starts driving it, it's gonna be hers."

  "I'll keep that in mind, sir."

  "You can call me Troy and save the 'sirs' for my dad, if he's around. I'm the black sheep of the family."

  "I thought that was Mihalis?" Steve teased.

  Troy snorted. "He's still Dad's favorite. Plus, he moved out of the house first."

  "I thought that was SJ?"

  "Okay, off of the estate. As for me, me and the wives are gonna stay there until I get the boot."

  "Why's that?" Clarke asked, surprising Troy a little.

  "Free maid service, free food, and no rent!" Troy said with a wink at Clarke.

  "I thought you were in the Army?"

  "Up until last week, I was one of the head scouts, and they're all based out of my dad's estate."

  "What happened last week?" Dobbs asked with a critical eye.

  "Screwed myself out of a job," Troy said with a sad look. He could see Steve rolling his eyes.

  "How'd you manage that? I mean, you're the boss' son, right?"

  "Yeah, well," Troy perked back up and grinned at Dobbs, "I got married, and married men aren't allowed to be scouts."

  Clarke snickered, and Dobbs looked at Troy a moment, and then facepalmed when he got the joke.

  "Screwed, indeed," he sighed.

  "Get used to it, boys," Steve said as they got off the elevator and headed for the roof access. "He's been like this since he was born."

  Healy was just spinning up the helicopter, and Terri, Chloë, and Nadi were already in it. Mira was holding one of the doors open for everyone, and keeping an eye on the ground crew, who where undoing the tie downs.

  "What's with all those panels?" Dobbs asked as they ducked their heads and moved forward.

  "Armor," Troy said back.

  "And why is it so quiet?" Clarke added.

  "Now that's a good question," Troy replied with a grin as Steve got into the seat beside Terri, and Mira then directed the two agents into the jump seats, before getting in next to Steve and closing the door. Troy went up front and got into the copilot's seat. Grabbing the headset, he put it on so he could listen in on the radio calls.

  "Have you talked to our Secret Service counterparts yet?" Troy asked Healy.

  "Yup. Terri had their callsign. To be honest, I'm surprised they're even bothering; the airspace around here isn't all that welcoming to strangers."

  "As I understand it, it's because there's a war on, so they're required to do it," Troy said with a shrug. "The election is only two months away. You do know where we're going, right?"

  Healy smacked him on the shoulder.

  "Hey, I don't! Just asking."

  "It's on the map on the main monitor."

  "Ah, okay, I see it," he said, looking back and forth out of the window to compare the landscape with the map. "So who told you?"

  "Terri showed me a map and put the coordinates in the system before moving into the back."

  "Terri?" Troy said, glancing into the back, where Terri and Steve were obviously involved in an important decision that involved a fair amount of liplock.

  "She's been flying helicopters since before she got married."

  "Huh! I had no idea."

  "She's the one who usually flies when they rent a helicopter."

  "How come she's not flying now?"

  "Because this is my helicopter!" Healy growled playfully. "Later, after we've dealt with today's schedule, I promised her we could take it out and tour the city. She's been flying around here for years, so she knows where everything is."

  Troy nodded but didn't say anything, as the pavilion where the meeting was being held was right up ahead, and like a lot of the buildings around here, it had a helipad on the roof with markings for several helicopters to land.

  As soon as they touched down, a smaller gunship touched down next to them, with the Secret Service logo painted on the side.

  "Oh! That looks like it'd be fun!" Healy said, looking over at it as she shut the motors down.

  "Yeah, they're a blast," Terri said from the back as a couple of agents came over to get the doors.

  "You've flown them?"

  Terri laughed. "Who do you think sold them to the Secret Service? My parents have a direct line to the factory because Sean buys so many of the damn things!"

  "Okay, now I'm jealous," Healy grumbled.

  "This from the girl who's getting her own personal Osprey from Daelyn?"

  "Umm…"

  Troy laughed as Healy turned all sorts of red.

  "I need to talk to the ground crew here," Troy told her. "Once you've got this shut down, come out, and I'll introduce you."