Fatal Reckoning (Fatal #14)(55)
“Tomorrow, you should interview the first responders who were on the scene. One of them might remember seeing it.”
“We’ll start there. Thanks for the help in here.”
They put the room back to rights before heading out. When she was in the car, Sam placed a call to Nick, who answered on the second ring.
“Hey, babe.”
The sound of his voice filled her with relief. “Are you still at work?”
“Yep. You?”
“Just leaving. Are you heading home anytime soon?”
“Not quite yet.” He sounded tired and stressed.
“You mind if I stop by?”
“Is that a rhetorical question?”
Sam smiled. He was so damned sweet. “I don’t want to interrupt world domination or anything.”
“Please come and interrupt me. I just got out of a budget meeting that made my head hurt and gave me heartburn. No end in sight for this continuing resolution that’s running the government at the moment.”
“I don’t know what that means, and I don’t want to know, but I’m sorry about the headache and the heartburn. I’m on my way.”
“I’ll be here.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SAM LEFT HQ and directed the car through rush-hour traffic as she made her way to Pennsylvania Avenue to go to her husband’s office at the White House. And yes, that sentence still made her want to giggle madly nearly a year after he’d accepted the president’s invitation to be his new vice president. They’d had no idea then the many changes his new role would bring to their lives, primarily the security that surrounded Nick and Scotty at all times.
That had been quite an adjustment, to say the least, not to mention that it took thirty minutes for Nick to leave the house. He hated that, and so did she. They both missed the ability to be spontaneous, to come and go as they pleased, to operate in the anonymity people took for granted until they lost it forever.
At the White House gate, she was waved through. After all, she was the second lady—another thought that still made her laugh. She was probably the worst second lady in history, but she was also considered a trendsetter for continuing in her job, without Secret Service protection, while her husband was in office.
Coming here was almost routine at this point. Underline the word almost. It would always be surreal to swing by the White House to see her husband during his workday. She even had her own parking space. Hilarious. Inside the West Wing, she made her way to Nick’s office, nodding at people who recognized her and said, “Hello, Mrs. Cappuano,” as she went by. Here, she was Mrs. Cappuano, and that was fine with her when not that long ago she would’ve chafed at being Mrs. Anything. She’d never changed her name after she married Peter, a topic that had caused conflict between them, but then again, everything had caused conflict between them.
She’d happily changed her legal name when she married Nick, probably because she knew this marriage was forever whereas the first time around had been a mess from the get-go. Marrying Peter when she’d been pining for Nick had been among the biggest mistakes of her life. And then when she’d learned that the reason she’d never seen Nick again was because Peter hadn’t given her his messages…
God, she couldn’t think about that without her blood boiling, even after all the time she’d been back together with Nick. She’d never forgive Peter for what he’d denied her and Nick with his lies and deceit. He was gone now, a victim of murder at the hands of someone who’d been trying to discredit her and Nick, and while she was sad for the way his life had ended, she remained bitter about the hell he’d put her—and Nick—through.
Outside Nick’s office, one of the admins—Sam could never remember all their names—smiled and told her to go on in. “He’s expecting you.”
Three little words that made her heart flutter with anticipation, knowing he was on the other side of the door and that he’d taken the time to tell his staff she was coming. She opened the door and stepped inside.
He was behind the big desk that had belonged to another vice president—she forgot which one—and looked up at her, smiling.
God, that smile, that face, those eyes… She loved him unreasonably.
He got up and came around the desk, holding out his arms to her.
She went to him, let him wrap her up in his warm, loving embrace and immediately felt better.
“This is a nice surprise.” He kissed the top of her head. “To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit?”
“I needed this.” She held on tighter, and so did he.
“I’m always happy to provide this.”
They stood that way, wrapped up in each other, for a long time before he guided her to the sofa and brought her down on his lap. “What’s wrong? Besides the obvious, of course.”
“Tough homicide today. A newly married, highly respected DEA agent cut down by a stray bullet fired during an argument across the street.”
“Ah, God. That’s awful.”
“It was awful. The poor wife. She works with Darren, so he took me to her.” Sam shook her head. Recalling Roni’s awful shock and grief was unbearable. “It was bad.”
“I’m so sorry you had to deal with that so soon after your own shocking loss.”