Gus closed the door to the room she previously occupied and glanced back at Liz. “Did something else happen? Did you see anything odd before you got that envelope? Or after I left you?”

Liz sat on the bed with a sigh. “No. I had an incredibly awkward meeting with the president. I kept it as unemotional as I could. When we finished, he walked me back to my room and I slammed the door in his face. I definitely locked it, too. As for the secret tunnels, I had no idea. This is my first trip here.”

“Do you think the Secret Service knows?” The Secret Service didn’t change with the presidency. As far as she knew, Matthew Kemp had been working on a presidential detail for four years. Zack had only been the president for three. “Did the prior administration come here in the last two years of his presidency?”

Liz took a deep breath. “I doubt it, but I can find out for sure. Do you think Kemp left that folder on my bed?”

“It makes sense. I really think he’s involved in this mess. I want to know in what way and how deep. Now that you and I are away from prying male stares, let’s find out what he jotted on the notepad on his nightstand. Do you have a pencil?” When she’d gotten dressed, Gus had shoved the sticky notes she’d taken from the stack in Kemp’s room into the pocket of her jeans.

Liz crossed the room and dug through her purse. “What happened earlier? When you didn’t come back, I was terrified. Then a few minutes later Kemp got up and said he was going to the bathroom. I texted you like crazy.”

Gus rolled her eyes. “Roman happened. He and Zack returned while I was sneaking down. He spotted me, got suspicious, and followed. We were stuck in the closet while Kemp made a phone call. We were damn lucky he didn’t catch us hiding under his suits.”

“I knew something had gone wrong when Zack showed up and acted like a caveman. He doesn’t want me but no one else can even look my way. Asshole.” She approached, a slender pencil in her hand.

“I don’t think it’s a case of Zack not wanting you. My emotional radar isn’t faulty. He’s always been interested. I’m telling you, something is going on with these men. We got a taste of it tonight, but I guarantee there’s more. I’ve been around that group long enough to know when they’re plotting or covering up something.” Gus gripped the pencil. “Now I have to wonder if it isn’t related to Mad’s murder. It would be so like Mad to have stumbled into a situation he shouldn’t have just before it exploded. Is your computer up?”

Gus pulled the sticky notes from her pocket and lightly traced the indentations with the soft side of the pencil. What Kemp had written with a somewhat heavy hand slowly became clear as she jimmied the pencil back and forth.

“No, but I’ve got my phone and I’ve got a browser open, if you’re trying to look something up.” Liz tapped to unlock the device. “What is it?”

“An address. Kemp wrote this down in his room. Can you look this place up for me?” She handed Liz the note. “I’m starting to think everything going on is connected, and I don’t like the intersecting lines.”

“You think the blackmail is only part of the story? That Zack and the others are hiding the rest?” Her face was illuminated by the glow of the phone’s screen as she typed with her thumbs.

“Yeah, there’s more. Something bigger. I suspect someone is trying to manipulate Zack. Why else do you blackmail the president? And did you notice that no one else in the room seemed terribly surprised by the fact that someone sneaked into your room?” At Liz’s nod, Gus charged on. “But whatever’s happening is deep, insidious. When Kemp was on the phone, he muttered something about getting information and eliminating a target. I think his destination is that address, and if I follow him I might get some answers.”

Liz frowned. “It’s a mental hospital two hours north of London.”

Gus nearly groaned. “Homewood Sanatorium, right?”

“Yeah. Why does that sound so familiar?”

 Gus tried not to shiver at the implications. “Because it was in our oppo research.”

During Zack’s campaign, one of the first things she’d been in charge of was finding any and all dirt the opposition would likely dig up on Zack and use against him. She’d compiled a file on Constance Hayes.

All their problems pointed to Zack. That meant trouble. Serious trouble. What kind of dangerous game were the boys playing?

Liz set the phone down. “That’s right. Frank Hayes stashed his wife there when she had her breakdown. They registered her under an assumed name, Jane Downing. The information never came out during the campaign, but I remember everyone worrying that someone would question Zack’s fitness for office, given his mother’s history of mental illness.” She frowned. “But why bring this up now? The next election is over a year away, and why wouldn’t the opposition save this for an October surprise just before voters hit the polls?”

“They’re looking for more fodder for blackmail? Because they want Zack to do something now? I don’t know. But you’re right. Why now? Dirt like this doesn’t matter as much in a reelection campaign. Zack’s already proven he can handle the job.” Gus’s mind was whirling. “If Kemp is planning a visit to the sanatorium during his leave day after tomorrow, I need to get there first. I need to figure out who he’s talking to and why.”

“How are you going to do that?” Liz asked. “Roman appears to have you on a short leash now. Or did I read things wrong and you moving into his room is about something other than him crawling back into your bed.”

“He says he’s protecting me.”

And right up to the moment he’d joked about getting her pregnant, she’d felt perfectly happy with their arrangement. In fact, she’d felt something close to precious and protected and content. Making love with Roman had been a revelation. He’d been tender and even a little funny. It had felt so good and right to be with him.

She couldn’t think that way. They’d had sex, period. All Roman had been doing was scratching an itch. Nothing had really changed between them.

“Or he’s watching you. Did you tell him what you’ve discovered?” Liz asked.

“I told him pretty much everything.” She’d given it all up like a girl with a crush on a boy. Didn’t that burn? “In my defense, he threatened to blow up my entire investigation, so I had to play along. He intends to go with me when I follow Kemp, but I think we should definitely beat the agent to the hospital. It’s too coincidental that just when Zack is blackmailed, someone on his security detail decides to visit the hospital where his mother was treated for mental health issues, in the town where she mysteriously died. He’s looking for more dirt.”

“Haven’t they found enough on all of us already?” Liz squeezed her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Gus waved her off. “Please, a sex tape is so passé. I’m a little surprised that hasn’t happened to me before. I guess revenge porn is all the rage, and you know I can piss off a man like no one else.”

“I wasn’t talking about that. I meant the bombshell about Joy and Roman.”

It made Gus a little queasy to know Roman had given the other woman his heart, which she’d once wanted so desperately. But she pasted on a smile to pacify Liz. “I already knew about that. Joy told me. I’m fine.”

Liz’s eyes narrowed. “The minute you use the word fine I know you’re not. You knew Roman and Joy were having an affair but you never mentioned it?”

“It wasn’t an affair. It was…a flirtation. Zack knew about it, too. By the time Joy admitted to me that she felt much closer to Roman, she and Zack had already been married for a few years. They’d moved into a friendly partnership by then. I thought you might have noticed during the campaign.” Gus always wondered if Zack had ever talked to Liz about Roman and Joy in an attempt to set the stage for their own relationship. Apparently not.

“I knew they weren’t the most affectionate couple, but they liked each other. I guess now that I look back, Joy did prefer to spend time with Roman. They had a lot of meetings and lunches I didn’t quite see they needed, but it wasn’t my place to question. I knew Joy had a lot of pull with Roman. Did you know Roman didn’t want to do the Midwest campaign the last week before the election? He considered it totally lost and wanted to concentrate on Virginia and Colorado. Zack was willing to do whatever Roman thought best. It was Joy who convinced him to reconsider. I sometimes think that if Roman had followed his instincts, she would be alive today.”

Gus hadn’t known Joy had quietly changed Roman’s mind. When her dear friend had discussed Roman, she’d mostly gushed that he was amazing, strong, and thoughtful. But Joy was smart, too. Gus wasn’t terribly surprised she’d influenced the outcome of the election—in more ways than one.

“Joy might have seemed passive, but she wasn’t. She was actually quite ambitious, though not in the same way you and I are. When I met her in college, she went out of her way to be friends with me. I didn’t get her at first, but we were in the same sorority, and I eventually understood that we were just different. She was raised to be a powerful man’s wife. I was raised to be powerful myself. Marrying well was her goal. When she hooked Zack, she knew she’d caught the great white whale. I actually tried to talk her out of it because I knew they didn’t suit.”

“But she shared his aspirations and she wanted the chance to be the First Lady.” Liz sighed. “Then I suppose it’s not surprising she would look for love and affection with someone else. I’m just surprised she gravitated to Roman. He can be intimidating. There’s a reason he’s called the Hitman.”

“Yeah, but he’s always had a thing for quiet, demure women. I remember telling Joy that she would probably be a better match for Roman. I was pissed at the time. So angry with him.”

Liz grimaced. “I can’t see them together at all, if that helps. She would have utterly bored him.”

“Well, Roman could see it, and that’s exactly why I need to be careful with him. I’m not his type. Never have been. Never will be.”

Gus heard a soft knock. The door, which had been slightly ajar, opened wide. Roman stood on the other side. Damn it, how much had he overheard? His expression gave nothing away.

“Hey, let’s go to bed. It’s late and we’ve got a lot to do tomorrow,” he said, his voice soft.

So he wasn’t backing off. An hour before, she’d thought the two of them sharing a room might be a good thing, a way to get him out of her system. Now she wondered. But she couldn’t back out of their deal unless she wanted him to spill everything about her investigation to Zack.

Gus gave Roman a tight smile as she stood. At least she had a plan…one she had to proceed with tomorrow, while he was tied up with Zack and the prime minister. She’d tell him what she found afterward. After all, she’d merely promised to share her information. She hadn’t specified when.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” she said to Liz.

Liz nodded. “See you then. We’ll handle everything beautifully, like we always do. Don’t worry about a thing.”

Liz was telling her that if she needed to leave to investigate the sanatorium before Kemp, she could.

“’Night.”

At the thought of running around the English countryside, retracing the footsteps of a potential killer, Gus wondered what she was getting herself into.

When he held out his hand, she took it and allowed him to lead her into the hallway. He nodded to the dark-suited Secret Service agent stationed in the hall as he tangled his fingers in hers, warming her skin. Then he headed toward his room—and the bed they would share.

“Augustine, I want you to know that I don’t care about the sex tape, but you should understand that I’ll beat the holy shit out of whoever recorded you,” he said quietly. “I’ll do everything I can to make sure it doesn’t get out.”

“You don’t care?” Gus frowned. He expected her to believe that?

He stopped in the middle of the quiet hall and glanced down the narrow space, as though trying to figure out if they were alone and could talk. “I don’t give a damn what you’ve done in the past.”

“Hmm. I’ve done some crazy shit, Roman, and we both know it. It’s always bothered you before, despite the fact that you’re friends with a couple of men who put me to shame in the sexcapades department.”

“Could you allow that thirteen years might have mellowed me? That maybe I learned something in the time we’ve been apart?”

Maybe…but did a leopard really change his spots? “Like I said, Zack should worry about the others. I’ll be fine.”

He dropped her hand, frowning. “But I’m worried. I don’t want you involved in this, and before you accuse me of leaving you out, I don’t want you involved because I care about you. You’re one of my oldest friends and I never want you hurt.”

Friends. Of course he would use that language, even though they’d never really been friends.

Was that entirely his fault? Had she treated him like a friend in return? He’d called her after their breakup. And every time, she’d rebuffed him. She needed to stop being so angry with him for a tragedy he couldn’t apologize for because she hadn’t told him a thing.

Could they actually be friends? They couldn’t if she never tried, never softened even a bit around him. Maybe the better question was, after losing Mad, could she afford to lose anyone else close to her?

Roman started walking again, his shoulders slumping wearily. She could see how tired he was.

Gus hurried to catch up, her palms feeling cold without his touch. She’d been warmer, felt safer when he’d held her hand and given her his strength. What was wrong with being affectionate? Even if they wouldn’t be together forever, couldn’t they enjoy each other for now? He’d compromised. He’d promised to keep her secret, and she knew how much that had cost him. He was treating her like a true partner. So he’d made a joke he couldn’t possibly have known would wound her. It wasn’t his fault.

She dashed to his side and slipped her hand into his. He stopped, looking down at her in surprise before he locked their fingers together and continued down the hall, past the stoic Secret Service agents.

“I thought we were going to fight,” he said as they approached his door.

“We can do that later. You’re tired tonight. Let’s go to bed and deal with everything in the morning.”

He used his free hand to open the door and usher her in. Once he closed it again, he pulled her close and wrapped her in his arms. His mouth descended quickly. “I’m not that tired.”

He kissed her and she forgot about everything except how good it felt to be with him.

 

* * * *

 

Gus curled up in bed an hour later, her body still pulsing with the most recent orgasm Roman had given her. Her fourth of the night. It was surprising she could still move. The man hadn’t lost a bit of his athleticism.

The light went out, plunging the room into warm darkness. Roman crawled back into bed and skated a hand up her leg, settling on her hip. He hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her against his body. Such delicious heat. She couldn’t help but wriggle against him, getting as close as their bodies allowed. Funny, after he’d been gone from her life, his nearness was one of the things she’d missed most.

“I set the alarm,” he assured in a whisper. “I’m going to be totally useless tomorrow.”

“Me, too. But we have to talk. Kemp is going to be on the move after tomorrow.” Perhaps after sex was the time to bring up her plan, rather than following her investigative jaunt to the country. He’d be sated, easygoing now. She wasn’t trying to manipulate him, just ease the conversation. Besides, if she didn’t bring this up now, he’d be gone by sunrise.

“I know. I already took care of the Kemp issue.” He kissed her shoulder.

She had to force herself to sound calm. “Took care of it how?”

“Connor’s going to follow him.”

“We agreed we’d do that together.”

“Too much to do, and it’s getting really dangerous. So I talked to Connor about it tonight. This is his wheelhouse. He spent a lifetime as a spy, so he’ll be better at staying under the radar of a trained agent than either of us. He’ll keep you in the loop. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve got this. All you have to do is work with Liz and let me take care of you.”

The warmth Gus had been feeling moments earlier vanished, and she realized she wasn’t the one using sex to manipulate.

Roman had gotten smarter over the years. He’d almost figured out how to play her.

Connor would keep her in the “loop,” huh? She was certain Connor’s loop would only include what Roman and Zack wanted her to know. She wasn’t a complete idiot. If Roman had talked to Connor tonight, he’d done it with Zack present. After all that blackmail talk, he wouldn’t have told one and not the other about her plans to investigate Kemp. Gabe probably knew her secret, too. They’d likely sent the women away, then plotted how to keep them out of it, how to keep all the information to themselves and use it to their benefit.

They wouldn’t allow themselves to think about Mad. They would think of the living. Gus was the only one who gave a shit about her oldest friend not having died in vain and resting in peace.

But it also told her that her bargain with Roman, the sex they’d had, and his flimsy assurances had been mere strategy meant to soften her attitude and persuade her compliance.

Fuck that.

“You all right, baby?”

If she fought him now, he would simply reassess and come at her another way, like put so many security guards on her she couldn’t sneeze without him knowing. Maybe even send her immediately back to DC. Gus couldn’t risk that.

“I’m fine. I’m thinking about tomorrow. Lots of meetings.”

“You’re not upset about me handing this over to Connor? Zack needs me in these meetings and I don’t want you doing this on your own, baby. It’s too dangerous. After tonight, you must see that.” His arm tightened around her as though he was afraid she might bolt from the bed.

She saw that he was a snake in the grass. He wanted Connor to take over the investigation so he could control everything. If she’d been in their last good-old-boys powwow, she would have found out how all these seemingly random facts and events were connected. But no, she’d been sent away like a bad little girl so the big boys could plot without the women worrying their pretty heads.

Gus also feared he’d never meant to keep any of his promises.

“You’re right. When you’ve got a former CIA agent in your pocket, you should probably use him.” And she would. She would let him trail Kemp and never once complain because tomorrow morning, she would go to the hospital herself and find the answers she needed.

Then tomorrow night, once she had the information she sought, she would tell Roman exactly where he could shove his deal.

“It’s going to be okay. I’ll make sure of it,” he murmured with an absent kiss.

After a few minutes, she heard his breathing slow and the arm around her midsection went lax with sleep.

Gus stayed awake, her mind whirling. She had to deal with everything—Mad’s murder, the sudden blackmail, whatever trouble Zack was up to his eyeballs in—on her own. She was alone again.

And nothing between her and Roman had really changed. Now she was pretty sure it never would.