Radclyffe - Oath of Honor

fine with the schedule changes.”

“You’ll be short and then doubling up two days in a row.” Wes

pulled a file folder over the report she’d been reading.

“Like I said, it’s no problem. This time of year, OT is always

welcome.”

“Thanks. Sorry about the late notice. A couple of people have had

personal matters come up—it’s the season for it, I guess.”

Jennifer stepped a little farther into the room, her shoulder nudging

the door almost closed. “I’m glad for the excuse to spend time with

you. It should be pretty quiet.”

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RADCLY f FE

“I hear the Christmas buffet for staff is a big event.” Wes thought

ahead to the president’s schedule—no trips planned until after New

Year’s. No State events during the holidays either. The largest gathering

of staff and press would be in two days.

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” Jennifer smiled.

“Well, I’m sorry you’ll be working part of Christmas Eve and

Christmas Day too.”

“You’re in the same situation, right?”

“I’m new in town, remember? I didn’t have any plans, so working

isn’t that much of a hardship.” Wes wasn’t really sure how convincing

she’d be suggesting a personal interest. She didn’t have a hell of a lot

of practice—make that no practice—getting up close and personal with

colleagues or anyone else. Except with Evyn—being close to Evyn

hadn’t taken any effort at all. Last night isn’t over.

“Well,” Jennifer said quickly, “like I said, my plans fell through

too. Maybe that’s a sign.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

Apparently, her skills weren’t as bad as she thought. Jennifer’s

eyes sparked, and color rose above the vee of her pale-blue cashmere

sweater to her throat. “How about we catch a late dinner when our shift

is over tonight. Unwind before the last-minute Christmas Eve duty.”

“If you don’t have any plans—”

“I don’t, but even if I did,” Jennifer said, her smile slow and

seductive, “I’d change them. I’ve been hoping we’d have a chance to

spend some time together.”

“Then I’d like that. Tonight, then?”

“Yes, perfect.”

“Shall I meet you somewhere?”

“Why don’t you come over to my place for a drink after work, and

we can leave from there.”

“All right. That sounds perfect.”

Jennifer smiled that suggestive smile again. “It does, doesn’t it?

See you later.”

“Yes. Definitely.”

Jennifer left and Wes sagged back in her chair. When she was sure

Jennifer wasn’t returning, she called Cameron Roberts and reported the

conversation.

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Oath Of hOnOr

“Report to the briefing room before your shift ends,” Cam said.

“We’ll wire you up.”

“There’s something else,” Wes said.

“Go ahead.”

Wes slid Len O’Shaughnessy’s toxicology report out from under

the file folder. Nothing had jumped out at her until she’d looked at the

tissue analysis. “Colonel O’Shaughnessy had unusually high levels of

potassium in his cardiac muscle. Enough to cause cardiac arrest.”

“Enough for us to investigate his death as a homicide?”

“Postmortem levels might vary depending on when they were

drawn—and he was given a lot of drugs during the resuscitation. This

isn’t hard evidence, I’m afraid.”

“Your opinion, then,” Cam said.

“If someone had wanted him out of the way,” Wes said, “I’d say

they succeeded.”

• 237 •

RADCLY f FE

chapter twenty-nine

Blair set her book aside when the door opened and Cam walked

into the apartment. Cam looked tired, and she never looked

tired. She always seemed to have endless energy and incredible stamina.

The only signs of fatigue were a crease between her dark brows and a

tightness around the corners of her mouth. Blair saw the stress, even

though to anyone else Cam would appear as calm and centered as

always. “Did you catch any sleep?”

“I grabbed a couple of hours in the ready room. I’m okay.” Cam

leaned over the sofa and kissed her. “Morning.”

“What’s going on?” Blair grasped Cam’s hand and pulled her

down beside her. Draping her legs over the arm of the sofa, she shifted

until her head rested in Cam’s lap. Blair tugged Cam’s shirt from her

trousers and kissed her bare abdomen. “Have you eaten?”

“Coffee and half a chocolate doughnut.”

“That’s not food.” Blair settled back, and Cam stroked her arm

beneath the edge of the threadbare USSS T-shirt of Cam’s she wore to

bed. The light touch was gentle and reassuring and exciting all at the

same time. She never realized how much she missed Cam until she

walked back in the door. The scent of her, just looking up and seeing

her nearby, filled her with comfort and a peace she’d never known

she wanted. “You’re not supposed to deal with everything alone any

longer.”

Cam sifted Blair’s hair through her fingers, soothed by the silky

softness. “I’m not. I promise.”

“But?”

“I can’t help wanting to protect you.”

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“I know that. I love you for that. But it’s a two-way street,

right?”

“Yes, it is.” Cam sighed. “I think we may be honing in on our

leak.”“Who is it?” Blair kept a tight rein on the anger blazing in the very

core of her. Disbelief and outrage stoked the flames. She wanted to

strike back—and not being able to focus her rage only fueled her fury.

Cam gave her a capsule summary of what she’d reported to

Lucinda. “If I’m right, there may be an attempted assault soon.”

Fear licked around the edges of Blair’s consciousness, but she

pushed it away. “How? When?”

“I don’t know. Guesses are all I have.”

“Your guesses have always been good.” Blair sat up and faced

Cam, her knee sliding over Cam’s thigh. She kissed her. “I know you’re

doing everything that can be done. It’s not all on you.”

Cam nodded. “I know. I’m just...things are starting to move and

I’m preoccupied. Sorry.”

“You’re also not giving me much in the way of details.”

Cam smiled softly. “Noticed that, did you?”

“Really, Cam.” Blair shook her head. “Who told you to keep me

out of the loop? Lucinda?”

A spark of humor lit Cam’s dark eyes. “I’m not at liberty to say.”

“Uh-huh. Okay. And exactly why aren’t you following Lucinda’s

orders?”

The humor disappeared but the darkness remained in Cam’s gaze.

“Because I want you to be safe, and you can’t be safe if you don’t

know what’s going on. I think Lucinda’s wrong in thinking you’ll be

safer if you’re away from the action. We don’t know what’s coming, or

where it’s coming from, and the only way to be prepared is to hone our

defenses while we work out an offensive plan.”

“Meaning?”

“If your father’s the target, and I believe he is, you should limit

your time with him.”

“That’s not going to happen. If my father’s the target, then I want

to be with him. That means more agents, more surveillance, more

protection for him.”

“That’s exactly what Lucinda wanted to avoid—both of you in the

line of fire.” Cam stroked Blair’s jaw. “She loves you, you know.”

• 239 •

RADCLY f FE

“I know. So why are you telling me anything at all?”

Cam circled the back of Blair’s neck, feathering her fingertips

through her hair. “I’m telling you because I don’t think anywhere is

safer than any other place, right now. And since you won’t abandon

your father, you need to know what the potential threats are, to best

protect yourself.”

“And you know I’d kick your ass if you kept this from me.”

Cam grinned again. “That too.”

“So tell me what you think I need to know.”

“I will.” Cam kissed her, a slow exploration that melted the tension

in Blair’s body and settled the disquiet in her mind. “As soon as I say a

proper good morning.”

Blair slid her hand under Cam’s shirt and stroked upward to her

breasts. “Not too tired?”

“Not tired at all.”

v

Just before 1800 hours, Wes finished writing a prescription for

one of the groundskeepers who had severed the tip of his little finger

while attempting to clear ice from his snow blower. He hadn’t been

able to find the missing piece of tissue, so Wes had shortened the bone

fragment beneath his nail and closed it with a local skin flap. A week of

antibiotics and a protective splint ought to be all he needed. His finger

would be a little bit shorter, but he should have no functional deficit.

He was lucky. She walked down to the treatment area where the PA on

duty with her was splinting the digit. “Here you go. Stop by in two days

for a bandage change. We’ll get the stitches out in a week or so. How

does it feel?”

The groundskeeper smiled. “Doesn’t bother me at all. Can I go to

work tomorrow?”

“Is there work you can do one-handed, because I don’t want you

taking that splint off.”

“I’ll manage.”

“The splint stays on.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“All right, then you can go back to work.” She clipped the

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Oath Of hOnOr

prescription to his chart and went back to her office to finish her notes

and shut down her computer. Five minutes later she headed for the

briefing room she’d been in that morning. When she walked in, Evyn

was there, sorting through an array of equipment on the table.

“Hi,” Wes said, eyeing the small receiver and attached wires.

“What’s happening?”

“The director asked me to suit you up.” Evyn looked up. “You

need to be wired.”

Wes loved the hazy purple of Evyn’s eyes, a sure sign her

emotions were running hot. She hoped she was the cause—even if the

timing was bad. Even if that turmoil in Evyn’s gaze was annoyance

rather than attraction. Anything was better than the indifference and

distance Evyn was so adept at hiding behind. “What do you want me

to do?”

“Just take off your shirt and loosen your belt,” Evyn said

neutrally, her attention back on the equipment.

Wes removed her blazer, folded it over the back of a chair, and

unbuttoned her shirt. She tugged it from her pants and laid it with her

jacket. She opened her fly and pulled up the bottom of the silk tank she

wore beneath her shirt.

Evyn held up a slim black box about the size of a deck of cards,

only thinner. “This audio transmitter is small enough we should be able

to secure it inside the waistband of your trousers in the middle of your

back. Unless you get...cozy, it won’t show.”

“I’m not planning to get cozy.”

Evyn grew still, her expression flat and closed. “Really? How do

you plan on extracting personal information if you don’t?”