The smell of sulfur permeated her senses and burned her nose.

  If he dropped one of those lit matches, she’d burn to death, unable to do a thing to defend herself without ripping her skin to shreds. She was already bleeding from numerous places where the razor wire had cut her, and she had to pee—urgently.

  Stahl had planned his torture meticulously. He wanted her to die in the most painful way possible.

  She was driving him mad by ignoring him, by not making a single sound as he methodically went about his diabolical plan.

  The next thing she knew, someone was shaking her and calling her name.

  “Sam. Wake up. Sam!”

  She opened her eyes to find Vernon out of the car, standing inside the open back door of the SUV while Jimmy looked back at her with concern from the front seat.

  “You were dreaming,” Vernon said.

  “Well, that’s mortifying.” Sam wiped a spot of drool from the corner of her mouth. “What did I say?”

  “Nothing specific, but you sounded distressed.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” The images from the dream were front and center in her mind, but she played it down for the sake of the agents who’d become her friends.

  Jimmy handed her another bottle of cold water.

  “Thank you.”

  “Watch your fingers and toes,” Vernon said as he prepared to close the door.

  “All clear.”

  He closed the door, got into the driver’s seat and pulled onto the highway.

  “How much longer to Dewey?” Sam asked.

  “Thirty minutes.”

  After this hellish day, Sam couldn’t wait to get home to Nick.

  * * *

  Nick checked his watch, wondering what time Sam would be back. He was in his second-to-last meeting of the day, with his chief of staff, Terry O’Connor, who’d been transported to Dewey by helicopter.

  “While you’re away,” Terry said, “I’m sitting down with every cabinet member, one on one, to discuss the concept of loyalty to you and the Constitution. So far, I’ve had productive conversations with secretaries of the Interior, Veterans Affairs and Education. I’ve got Agriculture, Commerce and Energy coming in tomorrow.”

  “Thank you for taking that on.”

  “It needed to be done. I’m asking each of them what they think of the situation with the Joint Chiefs as a way to gauge their true feelings. If I get the slightest indication they’re not on board with you and your administration, I’ll ask for their resignation.”

  “Go get ’em, tiger.”

  “I’m fed up with the bullshit. People are either with us, or they’re not. If they’re not, we’ll show them the door. We need to get past this illegitimacy nonsense and get busy doing the job. I’m all done fighting these petty battles. We’ve got shit to do.”

  “Yes, we do, and I appreciate you taking care of those conversations. I wasn’t looking forward to having to deal with that.”

  “I’ve got you covered.”

  “That means everything to me. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I do, and it’s my pleasure to serve as your chief of staff. When I think about where I was a couple of years ago and where I am now…”

  Nick had encouraged Terry to confront his drinking problem in rehab, while holding a job for him as deputy chief of staff in his Senate office after Nick took the place of Terry’s late brother, John O’Connor. Since then, they’d taken a wild ride all the way to the White House together, and there was no one Nick would rather have by his side than his late best friend’s brother.

  “I owe you everything,” Terry added.

  “No, you don’t.”

  “I really do, Nick. You gave me a reason to get sober and to stay sober. I’ll never forget that.”

  Smiling, Nick said, “What do you think John would say if he could see us now?”

  “He’d love it. I have no doubt about that.”

  “Yeah, he would.”

  “I’ll let you get back to your vacation, such as it is.”

  “Sam reminds me frequently that this is temporary. What’s a few messed-up vacations in the grand scheme of things?”

  “I’ll try to keep the mess to a minimum this week.”

  “That’d be good. Are you and Lindsey still planning to come out this weekend?”

  “Hoping for the day on Saturday, unless work interferes.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, if not before.”

  Nick laughed at the way Terry put that. There was a very good chance they’d talk several times before the morning. “Sounds good.”

  After Terry left, he sent a message to his close friend and White House social secretary, Shelby Faircloth Hill, that said, I’m free. Call whenever you can. She’d asked for a minute with him whenever he had time.

  Shelby called five minutes later.

  “Hi there,” he said.

  “How’s the vacation?”

  “A little less relaxing than we’d like, but we’re enjoying the view and downtime when we can get it.”

  “Glad to hear that. Happy anniversary to my dear friends and my favorite wedding of all the ones I’ve planned.”

  “That’s quite an honor.”

  “It was quite a wedding.”

  “Yes, it sure was. How’re you feeling?”

  “A little better every day. My hands have finally stopped shaking, so that’s progress. We really appreciate being able to stay in the fortress while we look for a new place to live.”

  “We’re very happy to have you. Scotty and the twins love having Noah to play with.”

  “They were in the pool with Noah last night. He had a blast and slept for ten hours.”

  “Wow!”

  “That was a record.”

  “The pool has that effect on the twins, too.”

  “Eli and Candace arrived late last night for spring break. The twins are so thrilled to have him home.”

  “We’re looking forward to seeing them this weekend. Are you guys still coming out?”

  “Just for the day on Saturday. We’re looking at houses on Sunday.”

  “We’ll take what we can get.”

  “We need to talk about the state dinner next Tuesday.”

  “Are you sure you’re up for being back to work so soon?”

  “It helps me to stay busy. It gives me less time to think about what could’ve happened.”

  “If you need extra help, please ask for it.”

  “I will. Thanks for the concern, but I’m doing okay as long as those creeps are locked up. Avery says there’s no chance they’ll be released before the trial on these latest charges.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Now, about the state dinner. I wanted to give you a rundown of how the night will unfold and what will be required of you and Sam.”

  “You’ve got my full attention.”

  “The prime minister and his wife will arrive at the White House at three o’clock for meetings with you and Sam.”

  Nick needed to remind Sam that she had be back at the White House ahead of that meeting. He was certain her chief of staff, Lilia, was on it, but it never hurt to add his own two cents.

  “After your meetings, you and the prime minister will host a joint press conference at four thirty. Then he and his wife will return to Blair House to change for dinner while you and Sam do the same. After that, you’ll reconvene with them in the East Room for a reception with Congress at six before leading the procession into the State Dining Room.”

  She went over a number of other protocol items and promised to send him a copy of the final guest list so he could review it and prepare himself to meet luminaries from the entertainment, media and political spheres.

  “Sam’s staff will be sharing the list with her, too. I talked to Lilia today, and she’s working with Marcus, Sam’s favorite designer, to make sure the first lady is prepared to dazzle, as usual.”

  “Excellent. Thank you, Shelby, for a wonderful job.”

  “It’s been a lot of fun to prepare for this. I keep wanting to pinch myself that this is my job. I can only imagine how you must feel.”

  “Most days, I want to kick myself—and Sam wants to kick me, too—for agreeing to be vice president, especially after SNL had its way with us—again.”

  They shared a laugh.

  “That was too funny,” Shelby said.

  “No, it wasn’t.”

  “Whatever you say, sir. Hopefully, next Tuesday evening will make all the crap and mockery worth it. You and Sam will shine.”

  “I proposed to her at a state dinner, so they do tend to work out well for us.”

  “Ah, yes, I remember that. I hope this one is equally memorable.”

  “With you in charge, I’m sure it will be. See you on Saturday.”

  “See you then.”

  Nick put down the phone and stood to stretch out the kinks after hours of meetings. Since Sam had had to work that afternoon, he’d made himself available to take care of some business. He hoped it would allow them some peace for the rest of the week. It was funny to think about how weekends were often just another day at the office in this 24/7 job of his.

  He went to the front door to ask Brant for an update on Sam’s ETA.

  “They’re ten minutes out,” Brant said.

  “Thank you.”

  “No problem, sir. Will you be staying in for the evening or going out?”

  “We’ll stay in tonight and go out to dinner tomorrow. I’ll let you know the plan in the morning.”

  “Thank you, Mr. President.”

  Nick went to take a quick shower before Sam got home and was there to greet her wearing basketball shorts and the T-shirt she’d given him the night before.

  She walked through the door and straight into his arms.

  He held her close, breathing in the scents of fresh air, lavender and vanilla that came with her. “What’s wrong, love?”

  “Very rough day.”

  “What can I do?”

  “This,” she said on a long exhale. “Just this.”

  “This is my specialty.”

  They stood there for a long time before he gently helped her out of her coat and relocated them to the sofa, bringing her down on his lap and wrapping her up in his love. At times like this, he wished she’d give up the job that took so much from her even if he knew she wouldn’t be her without the job.

  It was the ultimate Catch-22.

  And if he never again heard the name Stahl, that’d be more than fine with him.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  “It was more or less as expected. Just brutal having to tell more families about our major failings as a department.”

  “They’re not your failings.”

  “They belong to all of us who ever worked with him and didn’t see what he was doing.”

  “How could you have seen it? He was your boss. It wasn’t your job to investigate him. It was all you could do to handle your own job while dealing with him.”

  “It’s hard to explain how this feels like a failure for all of us. We’re cops. We’re supposed to rid the city of crime, and it was happening right under our own noses. He could very well be a serial killer, and we had no idea. We had no clue that Conklin was sitting on info that would’ve solved my dad’s case years before we finally got to the truth. We didn’t know Hernandez was aware of Conklin’s involvement and didn’t tell anyone or that Ramsey was mentally unbalanced. The collective whole of it makes us look incompetent.”

  “No, it makes them look like that. Not the rest of you, who are out there doing the work and solving the cases day after day. You’re keeping the rest of us safe. People should appreciate that.”

  “They should, and many of them do. But the negatives have far outweighed the positives for a while now.”

  “That’s not true. You’re doing what you can to right the wrongs of the past, and that’s appreciated by so many. Marcel Blanchet’s mother is grateful for how quickly your team solved the murders of her son and his family. I saw the note she sent you on the desk at home. Those things—and those people—matter, Samantha. You have to take the small victories where you can get them while you fight the larger war.”

  “You ought to be a politician when you grow up. You’ve got a way with words.”

  She always made him laugh, even when she was having an existential crisis.

  Then she looked up at him with that one-in-a-million face, her eyes full of the vulnerability that only he ever saw from his badass supercop. “You really do. You always know what to say to make me feel better.”

  “That’s my most important job.” He tipped her chin up for a kiss. “You, my love, are the best cop in the whole world. You care so much about crime victims, their families, your community, the people you work with and for. No one could ask for more than what you give to a thankless job. You should never feel diminished by the sins of others.”

  She seemed to think about that for a beat. “Thank you. I needed to hear that. I do care. Probably more than I should.”

  “Nah, you care just the right amount, and that comes through to everyone you deal with on the job. Well, maybe not receptionists or people with obnoxious doorbells or certain officers who shall not be named.”

  Again, she laughed, and the sound filled him with joy. He loved to make her laugh, especially when she was feeling down.

  “The ones who shall not be named are criminals,” he said. “Is it unfortunate and disappointing that they worked among the honorable men and women who make up the MPD? It sure as hell is, but the rest of you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Are you sure about that? They got away with murder, literally in Stahl’s case, and it happened while he was surrounded by the very people charged with preventing such things.

  “I’m sure about it. Don’t forget he—and the others—knew all too well how to work the system so he wouldn’t get caught.”

  “I guess.”

  “You know what you need?”

  “What’s that?”

  “A nice bubble bath, a glass of wine, some TLC from your favorite husband, a fire, dinner, a movie, some epic snuggling. How does that sound?”

  “Yes, please, to all of that.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “I want to talk about your son,” Collins said over dinner of tender pork, risotto, salad and crusty bread fresh from the oven.

  Nicoletta took a sip of the rosé wine he’d gotten for her after she told him it was her favorite. “What about him?”

  “Your son is the president of the United States.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “I find that fascinating. Especially in light of your current… challenges.”

  “So what you’re wondering is how a criminal like me has a son like him?”

  “You said that, not me.”

  “It’s what you meant.” She took another sip of wine. “If you want the truth…”

  “The truth would be good.”

  What was it about this man that made her feel ashamed of her propensity to lie? “I wasn’t a good mother. I admit that. Like I said, I was sixteen when I had him. His father’s mother raised him. I had very little to do with him being where he is now.”

  “Is that why he says you’re not in his life?”

  “Partially.” She wanted Collins to like and admire her the way she did him, but after she told him the rest, he’d be revolted.

  Then his hand came across the table to rest on top of hers. “I’m not judging you, Nicoletta. I swear I’m not. I wouldn’t have been prepared to be a parent at sixteen either.”

  “I let him down,” she said on a sigh. “Frequently. I never intended to disappoint him. It seemed that I couldn’t help it. I was so, so selfish. I wasn’t about to let a child get in the way of my hopes and dreams, even if he was the cutest little guy.” She smiled when she thought of young Nick. “He was so serious and earnest. From the time he stepped foot in school, he was an outstanding student. He was everything I never was. I sort of resented him for that, you know?”

  “I can see how it would’ve been difficult for you.”

  “I wanted to do right by him. I really did. I love him. I always have. I just was such a fuckup. And Nick… He just kept excelling at sports and school and everything he did. He played varsity hockey in high school and won a full academic scholarship to Harvard, of all places. My son was going to Harvard. I told everyone I met about that, as if I’d had anything to do with it. That was all him. He was on fire with ambition and drive. Over time, I started to feel ashamed to be around him. I was scraping the bottom of the barrel to survive, and my son was earning academic achievements at the most prestigious college around. I felt dirty next to him.”

  She’d never said these things out loud to anyone.

  “I’m sorry you felt that way.”

  Nicoletta shrugged. “I’ve always been nothing compared to him. You may as well know that I’ve taken advantage of his soft heart a few times by shaking him down for money. I also was paid to give interviews full of falsehoods about him. It’s no wonder he wants nothing to do with me.”

  She was almost afraid to look at him after confessing her deepest sins.

  “People make mistakes, Nicoletta.”

  “There’re mistakes, and then there are sins, Collins. There’s a big difference.”

  “Are you sorry for the way you’ve treated your son?”

  “I’ve always been sorry. There’s an ache in my heart with his name on it. I wish things were different, but it’s too late now.”

  “It’s never too late to make amends to the people you love.”

  “In this case, it might be. He’d never see me or listen to me.”

  “Would he listen to me as your representative?”