Code Name: Nanny (SEAL and Code Name #5)(26)

“Toss a shrimp ahn the bahbie,” Summer said. “I can hear it now.”

“What about you?”

“Oh, here and there,” Summer said vaguely.

“East Coast.” He crossed his arms. “Somewhere south of New York City, but north of Virginia.”

Summer wasn’t about to discuss her past.

Gabe held out one hand, studying her face in the deepening twilight. “Truce? Since we have to work in close quarters, feuding could be unpleasant.”

Summer considered his outstretched hand. She wasn’t fighting, but she wasn’t ready for a truce, either. “I can live with unpleasant. Good night, Mr. Morgan.” She moved past him, up the big stone steps.

“Tough, aren’t you?”

“Tough enough.” Summer wondered why she didn’t quite trust the man. Was it because he had appeared from a perfect spot for surveillance or because of what had happened in her shower?

“Don’t worry,” she called over her shoulder. “You keep out of my way and I’ll keep out of yours. No contact, no problems.”

Gabe started to answer, but gravel shot over the driveway, and Summer spun around hard, verifying that the two girls were up on the porch in a position of relative safety. As lights cut across the darkness, she relaxed, recognizing the black Acura.

Senator Winslow turned off the motor, then moved around to the passenger side where Cara was gathering her briefcase, suit jacket, and a pair of killer heels that looked very uncomfortable. Up on the porch the girls let out a yell, racing to their mother, who dropped the shoes and caught them both in a tight grip.

In that moment Summer saw how strong the tie was that bound them. Despite Audra’s bouts of sullenness, she was loose and smiling in her mother’s arms, while Sophy’s good humor flared into incandescence.

As the senator watched the noisy reunion, Summer registered his confidence and power. With his broad shoulders and rugged features, he was someone who would always be noticed. When he walked toward her, Summer saw the lines at his mouth and forehead that his easy smile couldn’t conceal.

“Ms. Mulvaney, isn’t it? Welcome to California. You’ve had quite an eventful first day.”

When he spoke, Summer understood why journalists on the Capitol Hill beat had dubbed Tate Winslow “The Voice.” Every word rolled with deep resonance and a hypnotizing sense of candor.

A voice like that was a dangerous weapon for a politician, she thought cynically.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. Yes, we had a little excitement. Thankfully, the problem was brief.”

The senator nodded, then turned to Gabe. “Did you get those lights repaired?”

So much for her suspicions, Summer thought, grimacing at Gabe’s I-told-you-so smile. “All but the last junction box, sir. I should have that one fixed in half an hour. After that I’ll work on the new path lights.”

“Good.” The senator glanced toward the darkness of the beach. “More lighting should improve the security here. At least that’s what the experts tell me.” He watched a dark sedan pull into the driveway.

“Are you expecting company, sir?” Summer moved closer to Cara and the girls as a man and woman emerged from the car.

“That’s Cara’s police escort. Since these threats began, the state police have provided a detail for her protection,” he said quietly. “For the moment it seems to be enough.” He looked at Summer. “You know about the threats, don’t you?”

Summer nodded. Cara O’Connor had kept Summer’s real identity a secret from everyone, even the senator and his staff, until the source of the threats was identified. “When Audra vanished today, I shook out most of the museum to find her, sir. I’m afraid she suspects something is wrong.”

“I’ll pass the word to Cara.” The senator grinned as the girls shot toward him. Sophy whirled in circles, pulling out her ballet shoes to show him, while Audra took his briefcase. With one arm around each girl, he walked toward the house, where Cara stood silhouetted in light from the big doorway.

They were a real, loving family, Summer thought. The kind of family she’d once had and lost so suddenly. She felt a moment of jealousy and forced it down hard.

Do the job, she told herself. Forget the emotions, because they can get you fired fast.

Or even killed.

She felt Gabe Morgan’s eyes on her.

“You okay?” he asked quietly. “I saw something in your face. One second it was there, then it was gone.”

Summer shrugged. Why did this stranger glimpse the emotions she usually kept well-hidden? “Just a trick of the light.”

She started to walk past him, but he caught her arm. “What’s wrong, damn it?”

“Not a single thing.”

But the truth was that working with a family was different from Summer’s usual assignments. She hadn’t expected the intimacy, or how it would affect her. She had to stay aloof and unmoved to get the job done. Meanwhile, she had one more surreptitious search of the house to complete before the girls went to bed. After that came a detailed report on the incident at the aquarium.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” She pushed past him, shoulders stiff, determined to lock down her emotions where they couldn’t bother her—or jeopardize the job at hand.