Chapter Thirty-three
Candy wandered off, following the cement block wall. If someone came to the PEOC door, then she’d hurry back. But that didn’t seem likely. The first lady was right: they were too far away for anyone to hear them.
Josh hurried to catch up with her. She smiled at him. He had always been there for her, even when she didn’t want his cute ass around. He was more dedicated than she thought he would be. Not many guys in her past were award-worthy when it came to sticking around. But that was nearly impossible in her career situation. She could get used to him being nearby. She wasn’t telling him that, though. Boy needed to work harder before that.
“We pretending again?” she asked.
“Always,” he replied. “Where you going?”
“Looking for the black circle in the wall,” she said. “I have a hunch about something.” She was thinking that maybe this space was designed on purpose, despite the dead body. She needed proof before spitting out her crazy idea. And to her, her idea seemed over the top.
After a few steps she asked him, “Does your wolfy sense tell you which direction north is down here?”
His eyes closed and head tilted back. She thought he’d be able to do this since the pull of magnetic north tugged on every object on the planet. Including animals. Ducks used it to fly south. Sea life used it to navigate north thousands of miles to give birth. A wolf would know.
He put his hand on the wall next to which they were walking. “This is the north side of the house.”
“Good.” One of the criteria was correct. Now if all the others worked. When they came upon the circle, she saw it wasn’t what she’d expected. A four-inch pipe came straight down the wall through the bottom of the house and curved into a pipe, three-feet in diameter, that extended forward from this point. She squatted and shined her flashlight down the tube. “See anything?” she asked.
“Nothing different than the hundred feet before it,” he replied.
“Can you see the end?” That would be astonishing. There would be no way she’d shut down these amazing creatures. That would be doing the U.S. a disservice. And besides, she couldn’t handle him with her 24/7. If she didn’t get a break, she’d run around the block screaming. Him following, of course.
“I can see pretty far, but it ends in black, so I don’t know if that’s all I can see or if it’s the end.”
Only one way to find out. She slipped her upper body and a knee in and that’s as far as she got. “Let go of my leg. Josh? What the hell?” She tried to shake him off but knew it was futile.
“Hell, no, I’m not letting go,” he growled. “I’ll go if you tell me what you’re thinking.”
She conceded and backed out onto her feet. Monica and the president were coming to join them. So much for getting proof beforehand.
“What have you got there, Sergeant?” the president asked.
“Well, sir, the black circle we saw is actually a pipe extending a long way.” She gave Josh a stink eye. “I was going to see where it went, but my associate didn’t like that idea.” Josh stood with arms crossed over his chest, not fazed one bit about her tattling on him. The president looked between the two of them. She could only imagine what he was thinking.
The president cleared his throat. “Sergeant, your job is to protect me, right?”
“Yes, sir,” Candy replied.
“Then since I am here, I suggest Director Tumbel be the one to go,” he concluded. Not the answer she wanted, but one she respected. Diplomatic.
“Yes, sir.” She turned to Josh. “Get going. If we’re not here when you get back, someone from PEOC opened the door. I’ll come back for you. Maybe.” Yes, she would always come back for him.
Josh leaned down and gave her a big kiss. She was mortified and loving it. She pushed him away, breathless. “I’ll always come back for you, too. Don’t forget it.” With that, he was gone.
Her face felt on fire. She steeled herself for the smackdown the president had a right to give after such a display. How many times had she gotten on others for just holding hands, also prohibited?
She contemplated pulling a pistol from the pocket of her camo pants and shooting once down the tunnel, knowing it would hit Josh in the ass. His wolf would heal him with their mojo or whatever it was they possessed.
“Sorry, sir. I . . .” She had nothing to say.
“Sergeant—” the big man barked.
Monica cut in. “I think that was an ambush, don’t you, dear?” Her husband stared at her with a questioning look. “Yes, an ambush. She had no warning of such an attack and was unprepared to handle it according to regulation.” She winked at Candy. “I think we should be very happy she survived.”
The big man sighed, wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed her on the forehead. “All right, dear. I pick my battles and this one I’ll give to you. It’s not like we’re in public anyway.”
Candy was speechless, but instantly knew why these two people had been together so long. She had witnessed the secret to a loving relationship that would never end. The couple made it look so easy. But Candy knew better. Her father did beat her mother to death.
A loud explosion startled them and the steel beams shifted and groaned above their heads. The front of the White House was collapsing.