“We’re talking to experts who are worried that you, the citizens of our great country, are unknowingly about to lose everything. Make sure you tune in at eight to The Claudia Hughes News Hour to find out how to protect yourself.”

Tate stopped hitting the punching bag Valeria was holding and shook her head. Claudia’s teaser for tonight’s episode was just what she expected from her—fear-mongering. But that was what made ratings pop.

“What is she talking about?” Valeria asked as she motioned for Tate to get back to work on the bag.

“Who knows? I’m sure it’s something completely blown out of proportion. The way it works, she’ll have decided broccoli can kill you, and she’ll put experts up on TV who say ‘Whatever you do, don’t eat broccoli. Eat carrots instead.’ Then you’ll have high ratings and the carrot company that just bought a ton of advertising will see a spike in sales and happily continue to advertise,” Tate explained as she slammed her fist into the bag.

“And I thought I was cynical,” Valeria joked.

“It’s not cynical if it’s the truth.” Tate stopped punching the bag and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“So you think Claudia is working with Mollia Domini to push their agenda?” Valeria asked as she pulled a pad onto her arm to hold in front of her. The pad stretched from her chest to mid-thigh. “Now I want you to grab my shoulders, bend me forward while kicking your knee as hard as you can into my stomach—or groin if your attacker is male. Go.”

“I guess we’ll find out soon,” Tate said, out of breath as she worked her knee strikes. “Claudia comes on air in a couple of minutes. But I’ve been thinking about this since I left the studio. With all of the bad press Birch has gotten, and the complete lack of reporting on some major news stories, I think Mollia Domini is waging part of their war through the media. The question is whether Claudia is behind it or someone higher up is.”

“Change legs,” Valeria instructed. “Who is higher up? Do you know them?”

“Larry Wilkinson is BBN’s senior managing editor for the US segment of the company. He was my boss’s boss. He’s very hands-on, but today I got the feeling he was being pressured. I invited him to the White House when Claudia films with Birch.”

“So, who’s above him?” Valeria asked as Tate grabbed her shoulders and slammed her knee into the pad covering Valeria’s stomach.

“Lots of people. You have all of the executives of BBN, not to mention the parent company,” Tate grunted as she practiced her self-defense.

“Parent company? You mean BBN doesn’t own itself?” Val asked as she dropped the pad and went to get a drink of water.

“No. Most newspapers, news stations, magazines, and book publishers all have parent companies, and there are only a few parent companies out there that encompass almost the entire market. Each outlet is run as its own company, but Big Brother has final say, if you know what I mean.”

“So, BBN is owned by someone else who may also own newspapers? What’s stopping them from colluding to pass the agenda of their parent company?”

“Not a thing. Here’s a harmless example,” Tate said as she wiped a towel over her face. “BBN News is owned by the Stanworth family under their massive Fourth Estate Media Trust. In that trust, they also own The Washington Leader, NYC Tribune, SFT Publishing, Silver Television, and Stanworth Motion Pictures,” Tate explained. “They can make anything happen and have it look true, when it’s all manufactured. Say they make a movie at Stanworth Motion Pictures, then have BBN report that it’s the best movie of the year. Next the parent company will have the NYC Tribune list it on their supposedly unbiased Top Watch list, all the while they are publishing the accompanying book through their publishing company and running ads on their television station saying this movie has MOVIE AWARD written all over it. And that’s only part of the Stanworth family holdings.”

Valeria thought for a moment. “They can do all of that just for a movie or a book. What can they do for some nefarious purpose?”

“Exactly,” Tate nodded in agreement. The idea gave her chills as she looked up at Claudia’s intro.

“Americans beware, your money may not be yours much longer,” Claudia warned into the camera. “We have the NYC Tribune’s leading financial analyst with us to explain how President Stratton’s involvement with corrupt Prince Noah and the unsuccessful coup the president supported have put you in danger of losing everything. Stocks have taken a hit, consumer confidence is dipping, and the dollar is weakening. Now, let’s hear what the expert has to say.”

“And this is the person you want Birch to do an interview with?” Valeria asked, disgusted as the supposedly unbiased financial analyst spouted doom and gloom.

“Definitely.” Tate slammed her hand into the punching bag, sending it flying backward.

Tate pulled into the underground parking garage of her temporary home at the hotel and felt tired to her core. She parked and grabbed her duffle bag from the front seat of her sedan before hauling her sore and tired body out of the car.

The parking garage was well lit with valets coming and going constantly. It was one of the reasons Tate had picked the hotel. She felt safe as she saw a valet drive by in an expensive car. Tate’s sneakers didn’t make a sound as she made her way toward the elevators. She heard the valet turn off the car and get out. The door closed behind her and the car’s horn honked as it was locked.

Tate pulled out her phone and pulled up Tinselgossip.com. She had a weakness for celebrity gossip, plus she wanted to learn as much as she could about Trip and Kerra, who appeared to be loosely connected through an affair. Maybe she could find the link between them and Mollia Domini.

The gossip site loaded and there was a picture front and center of Kerra Ruby’s long blonde hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail and a cut-off shirt that showed the underside of her breasts. The headline was her quote claiming that it’s a good thing she is rich or else she’d be worried about becoming homeless because of President Stratton’s foreign policies killing Americans’ dreams and finances.

“What the—?” Tate stopped quickly as she scrolled down to see the story. There were already over a thousand comments and twenty thousand shares on social media.

Tate was so absorbed in reading she blindly reached out and pressed the elevator button. If it weren’t for the ding when the doors opened, she wouldn’t have known when to step forward due to being so engrossed in reading the story.

As she entered the elevator, she was knocked hard from behind. Tate went to scream but a hand clamped over her mouth. The arm that locked around her shoulder and shoved her into the elevator was clad in red, the same color as the valet’s uniform. Tate dropped her phone and fought. She stomped her foot. She slammed her head backward, but all it did was bring the man closer to her. He shoved her against the side of the elevator, her face smashed against the wall as she heard the emergency stop activated. Hot breath on her neck and the feel of solid muscle against her back rocked panic throughout her body.

“Hand over everything you have,” he whispered against her ear, his voice an unidentifiable accent.

“I . . . I . . . I just have my bag,” Tate said, trying to muster courage.

“You don’t have anything on your body? I don’t believe you.” The voice was deep as his lips tickled her ear as he spoke.

“Are you the one who broke into my house? What are you looking for? If you just tell me, then I can help you find it.” Tate took as deep a breath as she could. Her burning lungs reminded her she had been holding her breath since she’d been shoved into the elevator.

The man didn’t answer. Instead he ran his hand down her sides, felt inside her pockets, and ripped the thin gold chain from her neck. “Look, lady, all I want is what you have on you. Now stop squirming or I’ll take even more. Understand?”

“I understand,” Tate whispered back as she stopped struggling.

“I enjoyed our time together, Tate.” The emergency button was turned off, the doors slid open, and then he was gone.

Tate turned to look after him to see if she could get a better look, but all she could see was the retreating form of a man who seemed to blend into every valet coming and going from the property. Tate—he’d known her name after all.

As the doors slid closed and the elevator ascended, Tate fought to feel safe once again. The elevator opened on the ground floor and security stood waiting for her. “We saw on the monitors that you were in trouble. Are you all right, Miss Carlisle?”

“I am now,” Tate sighed. “Did you catch him?”

“I’m sorry, we didn’t. By the time our men got down to the parking garage, he was gone and out of range of our cameras. The police have been called, though.” The head security guard stepped into the elevator and pressed her floor. “Let me accompany you to your room.”

“Thank you. Lewis, would you do me a favor?” She asked as she read the nametag on the large man who looked as if he had played offensive line in the NFL at some point. His dark brown head was shaved, his dark brown eyes held both confidence and concern. Tate instantly liked him. He had to be well over six feet five inches and about three hundred thirty pounds of muscle.

“Of course, Miss Carlisle,” Lewis answered.

“First, call me Tate. Second, can you get me a copy of the video footage you have, ASAP?” Tate asked.

“Right away, Tate,” Lewis said as he stepped off the elevator and led her down the hall. “Would you like a DVD or for me to email it to you?”

“DVD would be best. Thank you.” Tate needed to get that DVD into Alex’s hands. Sure, she could have emailed it quicker, but right now all her electronics were in the hands of who she suspected was Mollia Domini.

“Your room is all clear. We’ll be increasing patrols in the area to make sure he doesn’t come back. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes with that DVD for you. I’m sorry this has occurred, and your room will be comped for your stay.”

“Thank you, Lewis. That’s very kind.” Tate smiled at the big man as he left her room. Tate rushed to the phone and called her brother’s cell phone.

“Hello?” Tucker asked hesitantly.

“It’s Tate.”

“Oh, what number are you calling from?”

“I was robbed! Someone took my phone. I’m all right, don’t worry, but I’m going to be staying at a hotel and this is the number.”

“I’ll be right there. Which hotel?”

“I’m at The Knox, the one across from the White House. I’m fine. Please don’t trouble yourself. By any chance are you at Lancy’s?” Tate asked.

“I just walked in. I’m at the bar, and Valeria is staring at me. You think she’s into me?” Tucker whispered.

Tate shook her head. “I had told Valeria I was going to get something for her and bring it tonight, but now I just feel exhausted. The adrenaline is wearing off. Would you mind passing her the phone so I can say my excuses.”

“Sure, but I think I should come see you.” Her brother sounded determined, but Tate knew he didn’t really want to drive the forty-five minutes to DC.

“Really, Tucker, I promise. I am completely unharmed. The police have been called and the hotel security is on top of it. I’m going to go to bed early, so I’d probably be asleep by the time you arrived anyway.”

“Fine. But I want you to call me in the morning.”

“Thanks for being such a good brother.”

Tate listened as Tucker held out the phone and called for Valeria.

“Yeah?” Valeria said, her voice tight, knowing something was wrong.

“I was robbed in the parking garage of my hotel. They took my electronics. I need Alex to wipe everything.”

“When did that happen?” Valeria asked, her voice clearly worried.

“Five minutes ago, so we need to hurry. I’m unhurt, but I think it was the same person who went through my house. I told Tucker I was supposed to bring you something tonight. I’ll come to the bar tomorrow, okay?”

“No problem. As long as you’re unharmed.”

“I am. I don’t have a phone, so can you notify everyone? Also, I’ll have a DVD of security footage.”

“I’ll handle it. See you soon.” The phone went dead, and Tate hung up her hotel phone, feeling completely lost without her connection to the group. She had said she didn’t want her brother visiting, but when Lewis came with the DVD she found herself talking to the security guard so he’d stay longer. But, eventually, he left and Tate was alone.

Tate moved to the window and looked out as people in suits walked in groups to the local bars and restaurants. In the distance, she could see the sights and sounds of DC, including the White House and the Washington Monument. Tate cracked the window and closed her eyes. The sounds of the city were comforting and even though she was way above the people on the street, she didn’t feel quite so alone.

Tate’s thoughts drifted to Birch. He was a good man doing an impossible job. The media were tearing him to shreds. He had spies in the White House and knew very well that if he took one wrong step, there would be a bullet with his name on it. It didn’t stop him from checking on her when he’d heard someone had broken into her house. He had even offered her a room at the White House, but Tate knew what kind of damage that could do. The media were already trying to find anything, whether true or not, to make him look bad. Having a single woman spending the night at the White House was definitely one of those hot ticket items the press was looking for. They would question his focus on the country and call her names. It wouldn’t matter that Birch had never looked at her in that way, even if she couldn’t help but admire him. The press didn’t care who they hurt with their lies if it sold copies and won ratings. Tate would be dragged through the mud, and the president would be accused of all sorts of sordid things.

Tate blinked her eyes open when her stomach rumbled. She didn’t feel like going to the famous bar the hotel had or even to their more casual restaurant. Room service it was. Tate placed her order, and when she hung up there was a knock on the door. Lewis filled her vision when she looked through the peephole.

Tate opened the door “Hey, Lew—” Lewis wasn’t alone.

“I caught this man lurking in the hallway. He says you know him.”

“I wasn’t lurking. I just need a new prescription in my glasses, and I was having trouble seeing the numbers. I told you that.”

Tate almost laughed at the way Lewis was holding Alex by the scruff of the neck. “Yes, he’s my assistant. Thank you for looking out for me, Lewis. I just ordered room service and in light of the fake valet—”

“Say no more. I’ll bring your food up. And keep an eye on this one,” Lewis stared Alex down, and Tate saw Alex’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard.

“Thank you, Lewis,” Tate called as the large security guard strode off down the hall.

Alex slipped into the hotel room. “Dude, that man is scary.”

“Isn’t he great?” Tate smiled. “Is something wrong? I wasn’t expecting anyone tonight.” Alex shook his head and some tendrils of hair escaped his half-ponytail. “You remind me of someone.”

“Flint Scott, the reporter from the bar. I’ve fashioned my preppy hipster look after him,” Alex said as he began to open his bag. Ah, yes, that was exactly who Alex reminded her of. “I brought you a new phone. It’s all programmed. I remotely wiped your phone as well. From what I could see on my end, no one had logged in to our secure network. But to be safe, I moved it all around and changed all the passwords. If they manage to even recover anything from your phone to the secure site, it’ll show as a fitness forum.”

Tate took the phone and practically hugged it. Her lifeline to her friends was back.

“I also backed up all of your files before I wiped your phone. You shouldn’t be missing a thing. This is your new tablet. And Dalton thought you should have this.”

Alex handed Tate a pretty watch. It looked like one of those designer watches that tracked your steps. “Does he want me to work out more?”

“Nope, it was his idea and pretty badass if I may say so. It’s a GPS tracker. He took the exercise band and, with a little help from yours truly, made it so it reported directly to our secure site. We can log in and see exactly where everyone is. Works just like a normal step counter in case anyone checks.” Alex held it down for a second and the number of steps appeared.

“This makes me feel so much better, thank you.”

“Anything for my girls,” Alex smirked. He was the baby of the group and all the women thought of him that way. It didn’t stop him from loving working with them, though. “Val said you had something for me?”

“Oh, yes.” Tate handed him the DVD Lewis had made for her. “Here’s the security footage. I thought you could track him through some hacking and whatever other wonders you do.”

“No problem-o. I’ll get to work on it as soon as I get back to the bar. Valeria and I are on duty tonight. I’ve started going through Claudia’s things, but there’s just too much. I’m running a program I designed to read it for me. I’ll have the report later tonight.”

Tate watched Alex put the DVD into his backpack and head for the door. “Call if you need anything,” he said before closing the door after him.

Tate looked down at her new tablet. She had wanted to counter the media with the truth, and tonight she was going to do just that. Flint Scott was going to get the story of his life.