“I’m what way?” Evyn pulled out her chair and sat back down
next to Wes. Her arm brushed Wes’s and the tingling spread from
Wes’s leg into her stomach, making it hard for her to focus on Emory’s
inquisition.
“Totally serious and uncompromising about work,” Emory said.
Evyn gave Wes a what-did-I-miss look, then shifted in her chair
and regarded Emory. “Yes, I’d say that’s true. Why?”
“How well do you know Wes?” Emory asked.
Wes snapped back to the conversation. She wasn’t going to
discuss her personal relationship with Evyn while Evyn sat an inch
away. “Never mind. Emory and I were just catching up.”
Evyn glanced from Emory to Wes. “I have obviously missed
something pretty important here. Maybe you should catch me up.”
“Emory is my oldest friend—she thinks that gives her certain
privileges.”
“It does,” Emory said.
Evyn laughed. “What is it you want to know?”
“Do you really think there’s anything that could make Wesley
compromise her professional obligations?”
“No,” Evyn said slowly. “I don’t.”
“That’s not how you felt a few weeks ago,” Wes said.
“You’re right. But I know a lot more about you now than I did
then.”“My point exactly,” Emory said. “Experience sometimes runs
counter to expectations—and proves there are exceptions to every
rule.”“And sometimes,” Evyn said softly, her gaze returning to Wes,
“rules are just convenient shields.”
Wes had the urge to get up and run, and she’d never run from
anything in her life. What could be so frightening about a woman
wanting to be close to her? Not just any woman. Evyn. Evyn, who
had provided quiet strength, and tender comfort, and fierce passion.
Evyn—who refused to be pushed away.
“Sometimes reshaping boundaries is slow work.”
• 213 •
RADCLY fFE
Evyn grinned. “I’m patient.”
Wes threw back her head, laughing quietly. “How is it I’ve never
noticed?”
“Never?” Evyn murmured.
Wes’s breath caught. Evyn had been endlessly patient the night
they’d made love—letting Wes lead, despite her inexperience, letting
her satisfy her need to touch and taste and savor. “I remember.”
“Good.”
“Well,” Emory said, as Dana returned, “before Wesley tells me it’s
none of my business, I’ll butt out.” She cleared a space on the table for
the drinks and leaned to kiss Dana as she sat down. “But for the record,
I think you two are smoking hot together.”
Wes groaned and Evyn grinned.
Emory lifted a shoulder. “Just my scientific observation.”
v
Russo walked out onto the back deck of his mountain cabin. His
last two public appearances and the benefit dinners that followed had
been great successes. His supporters had been enthusiastic, and even his
wife had managed to do her part. Now he planned to celebrate properly
with Nora, who should arrive any moment. Despite the frigid air, he felt
totally comfortable. The sky was clear, the stars bright points of light,
the moon a huge flawless globe. Snow cascaded down the mountainside
and layered the bending boughs of the pines with powdery lace. He was
surrounded by natural beauty, and the brisk air stung his lungs with
every breath, reminding him of the surety of life.
Nora’s latest report showed his popularity growing and his strength
with the electorate approaching the point where no challenger would
pose a threat. Still, a substantial number in his own party found him too
radical, too polarizing, and there were large segments of the Northeast
and West where Andrew Powell commanded a huge following. He
needed to shake up the moderates in his own party and create doubt
in the hearts of the centrist liberals who might be persuaded to change
allegiances if the threat to their personal safety was great enough. The
time to prepare the groundwork for that shift in power was now. Certain
of his course, he called Hooker.
• 214 •
Oath Of hOnOr
“Hooker,” the man answered.
“It’s time to initiate our plans with the optimal timetable,” Russo
said. “That doesn’t give us a lot of time,” Hooker said.
“Yes, I’m aware of that, but given the ideal location, you should
have ample time to activate all the parties.”
“I’ll need to confirm with my contact.”
“Then do so,” Russo said calmly. “Unless I hear from you, I’ll
assume we are proceeding as planned.”
“My fee just went up,” Hooker said. “It’s going to take a whole lot
of coordinating to pull this off so soon.”
“I have utmost faith in you. And if all goes as expected, you’ll
receive a twenty percent bonus.”
“That’s very generous,” Hooker said.
“I hope we’ll be doing business for some time.”
“I’ll let you know when I’ve confirmed with my contact.”
“Wonderful. And happy holidays.”
“Yeah,” Hooker said, “ho-fucking-ho.”
Russo rang off without commenting. The new year was going to
be a very good year.
v
“Are you coming to bed?” Blair kissed the top of Cam’s head and
rubbed her shoulders. “It’s getting late and it’s been a long day.”
Cam leaned her head back against Blair’s stomach and closed her
eyes, enjoying the warmth spreading down her back from Blair’s hands.
“Have I ever mentioned I love the way you touch me?”
Smiling, Blair kissed the top of her head again. “A time or two.
What are you doing?”
Cam rubbed her eyes. “Reviewing reports from this morning’s
security update. Looking for anything out of the ordinary.”
“Why? If you think we’re dealing with someone on the inside?”
“The leak may be internal, but if…” She hesitated. They were
talking about Blair’s father.
“It’s a little late to try to shield me, don’t you think?” Blair’s
question lacked the usual heat that accompanied any accusation of Cam
• 215 •
RADCLY fFE
being overprotective. “Lucinda briefed me and you know she doesn’t
sugarcoat anything. If someone is going to try to kill my father, you
don’t think it will be someone close to him? Someone we know?”
“I don’t know a thing for sure,” Cam said, wishing with everything
in her Blair didn’t have to be a part of this. Bad enough Blair needed
to worry about her father, but Blair was going to be right in the middle
of any potential attack. She was almost as much at risk as Andrew, and
there was no way Blair could be convinced not to go on the trail with
him. “You’re going to be there too,” Blair said with her uncanny ability
to read Cam’s mind.
“How do you do that?”
“Practice.” Blair spun Cam’s chair around, straddled her lap, and
kissed her with heat. They’d spent the day apart. While Cam had met
with Lucinda and then gone straight into a briefing with Tom and the
other agents on PPD, Blair had spent a rare afternoon with her father.
They hadn’t talked about security concerns. They’d talked about his
reelection campaign, the major platform issues, and the role Blair would
play. For a few hours she’d been able to forget the danger and the fear.
The only other person who’d ever made her feel so safe was Cam.
“I missed you today,” Blair said. “We’re still supposed to be on
our honeymoon.”
Cam smiled and ran her hands up and down Blair’s back. “And I
am obviously falling down on my marital duties already.”
Blair snuggled tighter into Cam’s lap, settling her ass firmly in
Cam’s crotch. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. But if you’re almost done, and
you’ve still got half an hour left in you, you could see to your duties.”
Cam rested her cheek against Blair’s breast. “Give me ten minutes,
and I’m yours.”
Blair ran her fingers through Cam’s hair. “All right. Have you
found anything?”
“Nothing substantial, really. I’m just trolling—a truckload of
munitions went missing from Fort Dix. We’ve got Army CID on that.
A sleeper cell we’ve been watching in San Francisco looks like it may
be waking up—I’ve got a Homeland Security team moving on that.
An inventory irregularity turned up at a Level 4 government-funded
research lab outside of Atlanta. A team from the CDC is on their way
there.”
• 216 •
Oath Of hOnOr
“So you think someone on the inside is part of a larger group, and
the attack is being orchestrated from the outside?”
“We have to be prepared for that.” Cam tilted Blair’s chin up and
met her eyes. “We have to be prepared for anything.”
Blair smoothed the frown lines between Cam’s brows. “We will
be. You’re not alone in this—no matter what, you’re never alone.”
Cam wrapped her arms around Blair’s waist and rose. Blair
automatically locked her legs behind Cam’s back. Cam kissed her. “I
know. Let’s go to bed.”
v
Wes kissed Emory’s cheek as they stood outside the Black Fox. “It
was great to see you. Merry Christmas.”
Emory hugged her. “You too.” She hugged Wes close to whisper
in her ear. “And don’t be afraid to take a chance, Wes. Sometimes, you
have to.”
“I’ll call you soon.” Wes released Emory, shook Dana’s hand, and
waved as they headed off toward the car. She and Evyn walked toward
Dupont Circle, where Evyn had parked.
“What was that all about back in the bar?” Evyn said.
“Just the usual third degree from friends—you know, where we
met, that sort of thing.”
“And are we fucking?”
“Not in just those words, no,” Wes said dryly. “But the intention
was there.”
Evyn laughed. “What did you say?”
“That it was complicated.”
“I guess it is.” Evyn slipped her arm around Wes’s waist as they
walked. Maybe it was the holiday lights on every porch and storefront
or the excitement on the faces of everyone they passed that made her
heart so light and filled with possibility, but she was tired of ignoring
her need to really connect with Wes. “How come it seemed simple that
night?”
“Because we weren’t thinking past the moment?”
Evyn blew out a breath. “We weren’t really thinking at all. That’s
not like me.”
“Me either.”
• 217 •
RADCLY fFE
“So,” Evyn said, “what are you thinking right now?”
Wes slowed and pointed down the block. “That my place is right
over there.”
“Really? Great location,” Evyn said, testing the air. Wes had been
calling all the shots up until now—another thing that was decidedly
unlike her. She hadn’t minded when they’d been holed up in that hotel
room in Kitty Hawk and she hadn’t had a clue what the hell was going
on, but they weren’t in Kitty Hawk any longer. And Wes was no one-
night stand. She needed to get in the game right now.
“Yeah, close to the Metro and all that.”
“So, what’s the chance I could get a cup of coffee before I drive
home?” Evyn asked.
“Sure,” Wes said slowly before leading the way up the block toward
her apartment. She shouldn’t be doing what she was doing, but the
tension in her chest eased with every step they took away from Evyn’s
car. She didn’t want Evyn to leave. She didn’t want the night to end.
She didn’t want to wake up another morning alone and questioning.
“You know we don’t have to figure this all out at once,” Evyn said,
taking her hand.
Evyn’s fingers were soft, warm, and Wes laced hers through
Evyn’s. “I know. I’m trying to shut my mind off, but it’s tough.”
“Then don’t try. Some things you can’t control.”
“That’s what’s so scary.”
“It’s just coffee, Wes.”
“Right. You’re right.” Wes squeezed Evyn’s hand. Except what if
she wanted more than just coffee?
• 218 •
Oath Of hOnOr
chapter twenty-seven
Silently, Wes led Evyn to her apartment, unlocked the door,
and held it wide for her to enter. She turned on a table lamp
just inside the door while Evyn waited only a foot away. In the dim
lamplight, Evyn’s features were soft, almost blurred. Color smudged
her cheeks, probably from the cold. Wes had a hard time looking away
from her mouth, remembering the softness, the taste. “I’ll take your
coat.”“Thanks.” Evyn passed her jacket to Wes and turned slightly to
take in the living room and kitchen. “Looks like a pretty good place.”
“My mother says it needs plants. Or a cat.” Wes held Evyn’s jacket
in one hand, oddly unable to move.
“Mothers always think we need plants.”
“Yours too?” Wes didn’t know what to do with herself. She’d
never brought a woman back to her quarters before. She searched her
mind for the right thing to say, the right thing to do, and realized she
had no idea. Evyn wasn’t just any friend, and thinking Evyn might be or
could be was ridiculous. She had friends. She loved Emory. She didn’t
want Emory to kiss her—didn’t ache to see her the moment they parted.
Didn’t lose her concentration thinking about the way Emory tasted, the
small sounds she made when they kissed. “I’ll make that coffee.”
Evyn moved closer and brushed a stray lock of hair from Wes’s
forehead. Her fingertips were warm but Wes shivered. “Why don’t you
take your coat off first.”
Wes swallowed. Nodding, she shrugged out of her topcoat, grateful
for something to do, and hung it up with Evyn’s in the closet next to the
door. When she turned back, Evyn was standing right in front of her.
• 219 •
RADCLY fFE
“Coffee keeps me awake if I drink it after twenty-two hundred,”
Evyn said.
“It’s almost zero hundred.”
“I know. Honestly, the coffee was an excuse. I wasn’t ready to say
good night. Sorry.”
Wes watched Evyn’s lips move, straining to hear the words while
