THEY RETURNED TO HQ, where Captain Malone met them in the lobby. “I came in when I heard about the second shooting. The chief is here too. Come tell us what you’ve got.”
To Freddie, Sam said, “Go see if Archie was able to get anything from the video feeds from the Kramer shooting.”
“Will do.”
Sam went with Malone past the Dispatch area to the chief’s office where Joe Farnsworth, known affectionately to Sam and her sisters as “Uncle Joe” when they were growing up, nodded to her. He was one of her father’s closest friends and one of Sam’s greatest supporters.
The chief was on a testy-sounding phone call. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I understand. We feel the same way. Believe me.” He held the phone away from his ear, and Sam could hear the woman talking on the other end but not what she was saying. “Of course I’ll keep you posted. Lieutenant Holland is here now, back from the scene of both shootings.” Another pause. “Yes, we’ll brief the media and let people know what’s happened. We’re doing everything we always do when there’s a homicide in our city.”
After another full minute of listening, he managed to extricate himself from the phone call. “She drives me crazy.”
“I assume that’s our esteemed mayor,” Malone said.
“You assume correctly.” To Sam, Farnsworth said, “Welcome back. I hope you had a nice vacation.”
“We did.”
“Glad to hear it. What’ve we got on the drive-bys?”
Sam filled him in on the details of both shootings.
“Ugh, a kid and a pregnant woman.” Farnsworth sagged into his chair. “What’s your gut telling you, Lieutenant?”
“That we’re looking at random thrill kills, but we’ll dig into the vics to make sure.”
Farnsworth nodded in agreement with her plan. “I hate stuff like this. Hell, I hate all of it.”
“It does keep us in business,” Sam said, going for a moment of levity.
“There is that,” Farnsworth said with a small smile. “How’s your husband doing?”
“He’s great. Never been better.”
“I believe there’s a certain level of denial going on in the Cappuano household,” Malone said to Farnsworth.
“It goes something like this,” Sam said, placing her hands over her ears. “Lalalalalala.”
“Can you picture her as first lady?” Malone asked.
“Not even kinda,” Farnsworth said, “but then again, I couldn’t picture her as second lady either.”
“It’s the whole ‘lady’ part that gets me every time,” Malone said, rubbing his chin as he studied her.
“Very funny, boys,” Sam said, amused by their banter. “How about you spare me the agony of dealing with the media and handle the briefing for me?”
“You know they enjoy it so much more when it’s you, Lieutenant,” Malone said. “Besides, you were at the scene and have the firsthand information.”
“Fine, whatever. I’ll do it.”
“I’ll go out with you and take over if it strays into political territory,” Farnsworth said.
“Which it most definitely will,” Sam said. “They’re rabid for info about how we’re dealing with the Nelson fiasco.”
“Have you considered giving them a little something to feed the beast and get them off your backs?” Farnsworth asked.
“We would if we thought a little something would be enough for them,” Sam said. “We’ve decided to stay out of it for now.”
“I can understand that. It’s a tough situation no matter what you do.”
“Which is why we’re doing nothing but riding it out the best way we can until we know what’s going to happen. Let’s get this media briefing done so I can do some real work.”
“I hate to point out that briefing the media counts as real work,” Malone said.
“In my world, it counts as torture,” Sam said.
Farnsworth and Malone came with her as she walked out the main doors to where the usual swarm of reporters had multiplied in the twenty minutes she’d been inside. Word must’ve gotten out that she was back on the job. Awesome.
The reporters began shouting at her the minute she walked out the door. While that wasn’t an unusual occurrence, there was something about the way they came at her this time that caught her off guard. Nick was right. They were ravenous, and she was going to send them away still hungry.
She approached the granite podium that was a permanent installation outside headquarters, never more grateful for the aura of protection it provided than she was now. They continued to scream questions at her about Nick and Nelson and Nelson’s son and whether she was prepared to be first lady and if he was excited to be president and what would they do about Scotty and...
Malone put his fingers in his mouth and blew out a sharp whistle that startled Sam and shut down the screaming. “If you’ll please hold your questions, the Lieutenant will brief you on the drive-by shootings that took place tonight. She will not answer questions about the vice president or anything related to him. Am I clear?”
The assembled crowd muttered among themselves, clearly displeased with the captain’s directive.
“You and your husband have to say something about what’s going on,” one of the bottle blondes from TV said. “People have a right to know that their vice president—and his wife—are prepared to step up if need be.”
Sam wanted to punch her in the face. Of course they were prepared to step up if need be and had been since the day he took the job. That didn’t mean they wanted to.
“Take those questions to the vice president’s office,” Malone said. “Lieutenant Holland will speak only to questions about the shootings. Lieutenant?”
Sam stepped up to the microphone and went through the same recitation of facts she’d given to the chief and captain. “We believe we’re looking for a black sedan with at least two people in it. We caution city residents to be aware of their surroundings when walking on side streets after dark. Anyone who has information about the possible shooter and his or her accomplices should contact MPD. Do not attempt to approach these people on your own. They are armed and extremely dangerous.”
“Is there any indication the two shootings are related?” Darren Tabor asked.
“Witnesses at both scenes reported seeing a dark-colored sedan traveling at a rapid rate of speed. We’ll be looking into any possible connections between the victims as we begin our investigation. That’s all for now. I’ll be back to you when we have more.”
As she walked away from the podium, they began screaming their questions about Nick and Nelson again. They were nothing if not predictable. It wasn’t lost on her that the more intense Nick’s job got, the harder it became to do hers, though she’d never add to his already-formidable burden by sharing that thought with him.
“Keep us posted of any developments,” Malone said when they were inside.
“On all fronts,” Farnsworth said meaningfully.
“Will do.”
Sam was about to leave them to head for the pit when Freddie and Gonzo approached them.
“We’ve got another one,” Freddie said grimly.
* * *
AS SAM DROVE Freddie and Gonzo to Georgetown, they listened to the increasingly frantic chatter on the radio. According to reports from Patrol, the victim was a Georgetown University graduate student who’d been out dancing with his wife and had made the mistake of walking home.
Right after two a.m., they pulled onto P Street Northwest to a scene becoming all too familiar. Emergency vehicles lined the street, and the victim’s covered body had been isolated from the crowd of onlookers by yellow crime scene tape. EMTs tended to a woman who Sam assumed was the victim’s wife.
Fatigue began to tug at the edges of Sam’s consciousness, reminding her that she’d been up since dawn the day before when Nick talked her into taking a last walk on the beach to watch the sunrise before they headed home.
Twenty hours later, her tank was running on empty. She shook off the weariness to give this latest victim her full focus.
Patrolman O’Brien worked the tapeline and nodded to her as she approached. Because O’Brien worked third shift now, she didn’t see much of him around the house.
“Good to see you, Patrolman.”
“Likewise, Lieutenant. Wish it was under better circumstances.”
“Who’s our vic?”
“Sridhar Kapoor, thirty-five. I looked him up on social media and found out he’s originally from India and was a doctoral student in chemistry at Georgetown. His wife, Rayna, is also a grad student, in global infectious diseases. I wasn’t able to get much from her, except they’d been out with friends and decided to walk home. He was shot in the head from behind. The wife didn’t see the car because the shot propelled him forward, and he took her down with him. By the time she figured out what’d happened, the car was long gone.”
“Is she able to talk to us?”
“She’s hysterical. The paramedics gave her something to calm her down. They were talking about transporting her for observation. You might do better with her in a few hours.”
“I want someone with her at all times until we’re sure this isn’t an orchestrated thing.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll pass that on to the Patrol commander.”
“Any other witnesses?”
“None. The street was empty except for the two of them. A few residents heard the shot and came out to see what was going on. One of them called it in, but he didn’t see the car.”
Sam walked over to lift the tarp for a look at their victim, who’d had the back of his head blown off by the bullet. Then she stood and watched as the paramedics loaded the victim’s wife into the back of an ambulance.
“Find out where they’re taking her,” Sam said to Freddie, who jogged over to talk to the paramedics. “These guys are good, whoever they are,” she said to Gonzo as she took a long look around. “They aren’t your average punks out for a thrill if they can hit someone in the head in the dark from a speeding car.”
“What’re you thinking, LT?”
“We might be looking for a sharpshooter or someone with law enforcement or military training.”
“It’s a thread,” Freddie said when he rejoined them. “We’ll dig into that one right away.”
“Save it for the morning. Let’s get some sleep and start fresh.” To O’Brien, she said, “Knock on every door on the street. Let us know if you find anyone who saw the shooting go down.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Sam hated when human frailties got in the way of her desire to work around the clock. “I’m out of gas. I’ve got to go home. Let’s pick it up at zero seven hundred at HQ.”
“I’ll take the call if anything else comes in overnight,” Freddie said. “Get some sleep.”
“Thanks.” In a past life, Sam would’ve insisted on being notified. Now she knew she’d be no good to anyone tomorrow if she didn’t get some shut-eye. “I’ll check in with you first thing.”
“You okay to drive?” Freddie asked, looking on with concern.
“Don’t hover, Mom.”
“She’s fine,” he said to Gonzo, who snickered.
“Can you guys get home from here?” she asked.
“Don’t hover, Mom,” Freddie said. “We’re good.”
“I’m out.” Sam’s legs wobbled from exhaustion as she made her way back to her car and headed for home. About halfway there, she acknowledged that she probably shouldn’t be driving. She blasted Bon Jovi and the AC, aiming the vents to direct the cold air on her face. By the time she reached the Ninth Street Secret Service checkpoint, her face was frozen, but she was still awake. Barely.
What the hell? Why was she so freakishly tired after a relaxing vacation that had included tons of sleep? As she pulled into her assigned parking place outside their house, the possible answer to that question had her heart beating faster. Any time she felt different, she wondered if maybe...
“No,” she said out loud. “It’s not that, so don’t even go there. Who can stand the disappointment?” Angry with herself and the direction of her thoughts, she got out of the car and used the last of the gas in her tank to go up the ramp Nick had had built so Skip could visit their home. The memory of that day, of realizing what he’d done for her and why, could still bring tears to her eyes more than a year later.
Jesus. Now she was weepy too? This wasn’t good. It wasn’t good at all.
“Good evening, Mrs. Cappuano,” the agent on duty at the door said.
“Good evening, Eric.”
“Is everything all right?” the handsome young agent asked.
“Other than someone shooting innocent people in my city, it’s all good.”
“Heard about that. Tough one. Good luck with it.”
“Thank you.”
The first floor was dark other than a single lamp in the living room. Sam headed directly for the stairs and tiptoed into her bedroom, trying not to disturb Nick in case he was sleeping for once. In the bathroom, she stripped out of her clothes and brushed her teeth. She took a minute to lock up her weapon and badge and set her alarm for six-twenty before sliding into bed, expelling a deep breath as she tried to shake off the disturbing night so she could get some sleep.
“I really hope you’re my wife, or I’m gonna be in big trouble when she gets home.”
Sam smiled and moved closer to him, letting him gather her up in his arms. “Mmm, I’ll take my chances with your wife if this is what I get in return.”
He nuzzled her neck. “I saw a thing about the drive-by shooting on the eleven o’clock news.”
“We had three of them tonight and reason to believe it’s not over yet.”
“I’m sorry, babe. That must’ve made for a tough night.”
“It was awful. One of them had just found out she was pregnant three days ago. They’d been trying for a long time. Her husband was there. He’d been on his way to meet her and came upon the scene.” Sam shuddered, remembering Joe’s awful grief.
“Naturally that hit you hard.”
“They all hit me hard.”
“But that was harder.”
“Yeah.” The tears that’d threatened earlier rolled down her cheeks, and she hoped he wouldn’t notice. Of course, that was wishful thinking. He noticed everything where she was concerned.
“Come here, babe.” He drew her in even closer to him, positioning her head on his chest and wrapping his arms around her. “Hold on to me.”
“Her husband was so crushed. It made me wonder what it would feel like...”
“Don’t go there. I’m surrounded by the best security in the world all the time. Nothing is going to happen to me. I promise.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I never do, sweetheart. You know that.”
“I was so tired when I got home. But now...”
“What? Tell me.”
“I want you to make love to me, and I want it slow and sultry.”
His chest rumbled with laughter. “I can do slow and sultry.” Raising himself up on one elbow, he looked down at her in the glow of the nightlight they left on in the bathroom. “I hate to see you upset.”
“I was upset. I’m better now that there’s going to be slow and sultry.”
Smiling, he leaned in to kiss her with tenderness that rendered her defenseless. Not that she needed defenses with him. But after relying on them so thoroughly her entire adult life, it had taken a while for her to drop them when they’d first been together. Now she might as well have never had them, when he looked at her with more love than she’d ever known could exist between a man and a woman.
Sam reached for him and opened her mouth to the persuasive strokes of his tongue, not that she needed persuading either. She often joked that she was far too easy when it came to him, but he had no objections. As she kissed him and lost herself in his sweet tenderness, she tried not to think of Joe or Sridhar’s wife or Jamal’s mother, but that was easier said than done.
Nick broke the kiss and moved down to kiss her neck and throat on his way to her breasts, each of which he worshipped with light strokes of his tongue and gentle tugs of his lips on her nipples.
The sensations spiraling through her body reminded Sam of floating with him in the surf, riding the waves, one right after the other.
His lips left a trail of desire and need as he moved from her breasts to her belly and below.
With every nerve ending in her body on full alert, she might’ve never been tired for the way he made her feel.
Sam fisted handfuls of his soft hair when he raised her legs to his shoulders and took the slow and sultry theme to a whole new level with his tongue and fingers. He had her on the verge of coming within seconds but then backed off, making her groan with frustration.
He laughed. “All in good time, my love.”
“Only because I love you so much I’ll let you live.”
“Awww, that’s so nice of you.” He started over with soft dabs of his tongue and slow strokes of his fingers that quickly took her to the brink once again.
“Nick... Please...”
“What does my baby want?”
“You know!”
“My orders were slow and sultry. I’m just doing what I was told.”
Sam sagged into the mattress when it became apparent that he planned to follow her directions to the letter—not that she was complaining. Much. She forced herself to relax and go with his flow, which always led to her satisfaction even when he took his own sweet time.
Before him, she’d tolerated this act more than enjoyed it, but Nick made it impossible not to fully enjoy it.
He sucked lightly on her clit as he drove his fingers into her, curling them to engage her G-spot, which she hadn’t known she had until he had shown her exactly where it was.
Her hips lifted off the bed, trying to get closer to him, to the orgasm that grew and multiplied with every stroke of his tongue and thrust of his fingers. Then he upped the ante by pressing a wet finger against her ass, and she exploded.
“God, it’s so hot when you let go like that,” he said as he brought her down slowly, keeping up the movement of his fingers and tongue until the last of the aftershocks rocked her. Then he kissed his way up her body, paying homage again to each breast before he invited his cock to the party, giving her only the head at first.
Sam squirmed under him, looking for more.
“Is my impatient girl getting fed up with slow and sultry?”
“Yes! To hell with sultry. I want hard and fast.”
He drove into her in one deep thrust that made her come again. That had never happened before him. Groaning, he wrapped his arms around her and gave her fast, furious and frantic.
Sam clung to him, taking everything he had to give. She wrapped her legs around his hips and met every deep thrust of his cock with unbridled enthusiasm. Only he could make her forget the horror of the last few hours. Only he could transport her out of the insanity of their lives to a place where nothing else mattered but them and the love that sustained them.
At the beginning, she’d expected the passion between them to wane. She’d wondered if they’d survive if it became any more intense than it was then. But it was so much more now, and she’d come to crave the connection she always found with him.
“Samantha... I wish you knew how much I love you.”
“I do. I know. I love you just as much.”
“They haven’t invented a word big enough to describe it.”
She tightened her hold on him and held on until she felt him falter and then go tense as he came deep inside her, reminding her of what she’d wondered earlier and if it could possibly be true. They’d had so many disappointments. She wasn’t sure she could handle another one.
“What do we think of slow and sultry?” he asked after long minutes of contented silence.
“We love it until we want fast and furious.”
Sam felt his lips curve into a smile against her chest and continued to run her fingers through his hair. She was completely addicted to his thick, beautiful hair.
“You can always have whatever you want from me.”
“I know, and that’s what makes me completely unmanageable.”
His soft laughter went a long way toward fixing what had broken inside her earlier. He raised his head and looked down at her before he kissed her lightly. “I like you just the way you are, even when you’re completely unmanageable.”
“Good thing, because any other husband would want to shoot me most of the time.”
“I don’t want to picture you with any other husbands. You’re stuck with this one.”
“There goes my plan for a quickie Dominican divorce if Nelson is forced to resign.”
He stared at her, seeming stunned that she’d joke about such a thing. “That feels rather premeditated.”
Sam laughed and shook her head. “Just a joke. I swear.”
“Now you’ve got me worried.”
“Nick, come on. What would I ever do without you to keep me sane and sated?”
“I do keep you rather sated,” he said with a smug grin.
She brought his head back to rest on her chest. “You certainly do. I never knew it was possible to be so completely sated until I had you.”
“I don’t want you completely sated. I want you always hungry for more.”
“I believe my wanton behavior in the first year and a half of our marriage is indicative of my endless need for more.”
“You said indicative.”
She snorted with laughter. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“This. All of it. The laughter, the slow, the sultry, the fast, the furious. You were just what I needed.”
“I always want to be just what you need.”
“You’re doing a great job so far.” She patted him on the head. “Keep up the good work.”
“I’ll do my best, Lieutenant.”
She fell asleep with her arms wrapped around him and a big smile on her face.