CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SAM SAGGED AGAINST the wall, her mind racing a mile a minute as she struggled to absorb the latest blow. This couldn’t be a coincidence. It absolutely couldn’t be. The threat. Peter’s murder. The tell-all interview from Nick’s mother and now Peter. It had to be related, but how? What were they missing?
She took a deep breath, straightened and said, “Send me everything you have on the story, including the name of the reporter. Then meet me at my house in thirty minutes. Bring Andrea,” she said, referring to her White House communications director.
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll be there.”
Sam ended the call and tried to calm down before she called Freddie.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, sounding stressed.
“I need everyone at my house in thirty minutes.”
“I’m going through the video with Raul.”
“Put Archie on that. I need you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Get everyone and come. Call in Carlucci and Dominguez and bring Beckett.”
“Sam, what’s going on? You sound weird.”
“I’ll tell you when I see you.” She slapped her phone closed and put it in her pocket, taking another moment to gather herself before she went in to deal with Lucy. “You need to get your stuff and come with me.”
“I can’t leave! I’ll lose my job.”
“And I can’t keep you safe if you stay. It’s up to you.” Sam had gotten what she needed from Lucy. If she didn’t want protection, Sam wasn’t going to insist on it, not when she suddenly had much bigger problems. “What’s it going to be?”
“I... I’ll take the protection.”
“Get your stuff, and let’s go. Right now.”
Lucy scurried from the room.
Sam took advantage of the opportunity to call Nick.
“Hey, babe. I was just thinking about you.”
“I think it’s all related,” she said. “The threat, Peter’s murder, your mother’s interview, Peter’s interview. All of it.”
“Peter did an interview too?”
“With Politician.com. Lilia just called me about it.”
“Terry is handing me something on it right now. How’s it related?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m going to find out. I’m getting everyone together at our place in thirty. Can you get there?”
“Harry’s with me.”
“He is?”
“Yeah, I decided it was time to talk to him about the insomnia, so he used that as an excuse to visit the White House.”
“Bring him with you, but finish that conversation first. That’s important.”
“It’s all important. We’ll see you at home. Any more word on Shelby?”
“Nothing since I texted you. Avery said she won’t let him in to see them.”
“Ah, damn. I can’t believe I feel sorry for that guy, but I do.”
“I know—me too.”
“I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“Nick...” Her voice caught.
“What, babe? What’s wrong?”
“Lilia says Peter’s interview is pretty bad.”
“Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
“I’ll see you in a few.”
“Okay.” Someone was dicking around with her family, and they were about to get a big lesson on what happened to people who dicked with her family.
“What’ve we got?” Sam asked Gonzo when she joined him at the car. Lucy was talking to her boss and would be out in a minute.
“One of Peter’s new ‘friends’ is a reporter with Politician.com.”
“Why am I not surprised that they are getting ready to publish a tell-all about me that he gave them before he died?”
“How did you hear about it?”
“My chief of staff at the White House called me to tell me they’d picked up a tip that it was coming. And according to Lilia, who doesn’t get flustered over much, it’s bad.”
“What’re you thinking?”
“That it’s all related. The threat, Peter’s murder, the interview with Nick’s mother, Peter’s tell-all. Someone coordinated this. There’s no fucking way it’s coincidental. I’ve asked everyone to come to my house because it’s easier for Nick to be there than at HQ, and I can have my dad come over too.”
Gonzo nodded toward the store. “What’re we doing about her?”
“She’s coming with us. I’ll turn her over to Beckett to arrange security.” Sam looked into the store, hoping to see Lucy on her way out. Instead, she saw her arguing with one of the men. “Goddamn it.” She went back into the store. “What’s the problem?”
“She’s in the middle of a shift. She can’t just leave.”
“Actually, she can. Either she can come with us willingly, which she was going to do before you butted in, or I can take her into custody.”
His face turned a scary shade of red that reminded Sam a little too much of Stahl’s purple-faced rage. Her new post-Stahl impulse was to take a step back from the man, but she held her ground, even when he leaned into her personal space.
“I know you’re used to people bowing and scraping to you, but I have a business to run, and she’s not going anywhere.”
Sam signaled for Gonzo.
He came inside.
“Please take this gentleman into custody and charge him with interfering in a homicide investigation.”
“Wait just a minute!” the asshole said. “You can’t arrest me. I haven’t done anything.”
“You’ve done exactly what I said—interfered in my investigation. I can and will charge you with that.”
He directed a filthy look at Lucy, who visibly crumpled. “Go. Get out. Don’t come back.”
“I’ll be happy to testify in your civil suit, Lucy,” Sam said, taking Lucy by the arm to escort her from the store.
Lucy was a sobbing mess by the time they cleared the door. “I told you he would fire me!”
“I told you I don’t care about that right now. When this is over, I’ll do what I can to help you get your job back or find you another one. Right now, my primary concern is your safety. You’re doing the right thing letting us keep you safe.”
“Small comfort that’ll be when I’m homeless,” she muttered.
“Do you want me to tell you what they did to him?”
“No!”
“Then shut up, or I’ll start with the fingernails they removed one at a time.”
Lucy let out a moan and started crying again.
Sam held the back door for her and waited until Lucy was settled before closing the door and getting in the driver’s seat. She rolled her eyes at Gonzo. “What else did you get on Peter’s friends?”
“Nothing much yet. The others aren’t in our system, but I’m looking beyond local.”
“Good—thanks.”
“What’s the plan?”
“Bring everyone together and start at the beginning.” It was what she did when nothing made sense, and nothing about any of this made sense—yet.
“By everyone, do you mean Hill?” Gonzo asked.
Sam groaned. “I guess so. Send him a text to let him know.” She glanced over at her friend. “So Shelby had the baby. It’s a boy.”
“Oh, wow. Good for her.”
“Wonder how he’ll look in pink?” she said, joking about Shelby’s signature color.
“Ha! She wouldn’t...”
“I really hope not.”
“So Hill’s probably busy.”
“They broke up.”
“What? When?”
“I believe it was very recently.”
“Oh my God. Do you know why?”
“Yeah, so, apparently...he said the wrong name at a critical moment.”
“Oh, damn! Who was he thinking about?”
Sam kept her eyes on the road and her mouth shut.
“Ah, fuck.”
“What you said.”
“Jeez. Still? Even after all this time when he knows it’s pointless?”
“Apparently so.”
“Wow.”
“The crazy part is I feel bad for the guy. He was looking forward to the baby and being a dad and being with Shelby.”
“Yeah, totally. What a mess.”
* * *
AVERY HILL WAS dying a slow, painful death as he waited outside Shelby’s room, hoping to be allowed in to see the baby he’d planned to raise as his son. A nurse had taken pity on him after watching him pace the hallway all night long while Shelby was in labor. That nurse was now pleading his case to the woman who’d been his fiancée until two days ago. In two fucking days, his entire life had come undone.
He felt like he was falling apart at the seams, like his body wasn’t able to contain the pain that raged inside him.
When he heard the baby crying, he moaned and tipped his head back against the cement wall, resisting the powerful urge to bash his skull against the unforgiving surface until he mercifully knocked himself out.
Since that wasn’t an option, he had to withstand the kind of pain he’d seldom experienced in his life. Shelby’s utter devastation had been like a railroad spike through his heart. She was the sweetest, most sincere woman he’d ever known, and she truly loved him. Or she had until he accidentally said the worst possible name at the worst possible moment.
The fucking hell of it was that he hadn’t even been thinking about her. No, he’d been thinking about Shelby, about the woman he loved, not the woman whose name he’d uttered in the throes of passion.
He needed an exorcism or a lobotomy or something to scrub her from his brain.
Avery straightened out of his slouch when the nurse came out of the room. “She’ll see you.”
He wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. “Really? She will?”
“Get in there before she changes her mind.”
Avery didn’t have to be told twice. Taking a full minute to calm and settle himself, he tucked in the dress shirt he’d worn to work yesterday and ran his fingers through hair that was probably standing on end from hours of tearing at it while he waited for news of her and the baby.
Flattening his hand on the door, he pushed it open, saying a silent prayer to the God of mercy that Shelby might have some for him.
Ah, damn, look at her. Naturally, she was wearing a pink robe and her blond hair was in a ponytail that left her gorgeous face on full display. She was glowing with love and joy that nothing, not even he, could dampen. And the baby... He was simply perfect. As he slept in his mother’s arms, Avery studied his adorable little face.
“He’s...beautiful, Shelby.”
“Isn’t he?” He’d never seen her look so happy or content, and it absolutely killed him to think he’d ruined his chance to be part of their lives.
“Have you settled on a name?” They’d gone round and round about names. She had a huge list of girls’ names she loved, but very few boys’ names that resonated with her.
“I think I’m going with Noah. I know it’s a popular name and there’s apt to be a dozen Noahs in his kindergarten class, but he just looks like a Noah to me.”
“I can see it. Definitely.”
“So you like that name?”
Avery was honored and surprised that she cared if he liked it. “I love it.” He didn’t dare ask what Noah’s last name was going to be. Before he’d fucked it up, they’d planned to put his name on the baby’s birth certificate. Now that, like everything else, was up in the air. He’d told himself to focus on the baby—and only on the baby—today, but he found that he couldn’t avoid the elephant standing square in the middle of the room. “I already love him as much as I love you.”
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Please don’t.”
“I have to. I can’t bear for you to think that I don’t love you both with my whole heart. I swear to God I do.”
“I know you believe that, but—”
“No buts. The only thing I want in this world is the life that you and I have planned with Noah. I want that life, Shelby.”
“I... I need some time to think, and I can’t do that right now when my hormones are on overload and I’ve got to keep my focus on him.”
“Don’t shut me out, Shelby. Please.” Avery wasn’t ashamed of the tears that filled his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cried, but if she sent him away and told him to stay away, he would lose it. “Let me be here for you and Noah. We don’t have to decide anything about us right now. But please let me be part of this.”
She was quiet for a long time, so long he was certain she was going to send him away. Then she said, “Okay.” Just that, nothing more, but it was everything to him.
“Thank you.” With the back of his hand, he wiped the dampness from his eyes. “I have to go to work for a little while, but I’ll be back later. I’ll text you to see if you need me to bring anything.”
“We’ll be here.”
Though he might not have the right to, he leaned in and kissed her cheek, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair. “I love you,” he whispered and then quit while he was ahead, taking his leave of her room for now. He’d be back as soon as he could break free of work. It figured that his case of the moment involved the woman at the center of all his troubles—and her family.
When this was over, he’d be making some changes that would ensure that his path and hers didn’t cross anymore. He had too much at stake to let this madness continue to overtake his life. Enough was more than enough.