Page 81 of Between Love and Honor

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. This isn’t a contest.”

“Actually, come to think of it, I do have a secret.” Griff fidgeted next to him.

“Let me guess. You have jock itch?” Ben teased.

“No, asshole, my wife is pregnant.”

He announced it so loudly the rest of the team in the van broke out in applause.

Ben laughed. “And that’s why you don’t have any secrets. You’re supposed to keep ’em, you know, secret.” He slapped his friend on the shoulder. “Congratulations, bro.

That’s awesome news.”

Griff beamed. “Yeah, it is pretty cool, isn’t it?”

Both men sobered up when the van came to a stop at the marina. They shared a silent fist bump before Ben climbed out of the van.

“Ben,” Griff called after him. “We got your six, man.”

“Yeah, all for one and one for all.” He gave his buddy a salute before heading to his sailboat.

CHAPTER 17

THEY LEFT THE White House in a small Mercedes SUV with one of the secretary’s agents at the wheel. The other agent rode shotgun.

“This is my private vehicle, Caracas. Don’t you dare get a scratch on it,” the secretary ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“We’ll pose as mother and daughter,” she explained to Quinn. “The agents will act as our companions.”

Caracas grinned at Quinn through the rearview mirror.

“There will be no PDA. Not even hand-holding.”

The agent’s grin faded at the secretary’s words.

“Do you mind if we listen to the baseball game, ma’am?” the other agent asked.

“Of course I don’t. We’ve got a thirty-minute drive ahead of us. We might as well be entertained.”

Quinn was glad she didn’t have to make small talk. Her thoughts were already so scattered she needed to get them refocused before they arrived at the harbor. She settled back against the seat hoping to do just that.

Unfortunately, the secretary had other plans.

“How is your mother these days?”

The question caught her off guard. It took her a few seconds to recover.

“Well, I hope. My work doesn’t allow me to see my parents as often as I would like. I take it you’ve met her?”

“Years ago, yes. I had just joined the agency. I was based in London and your mother was responsible for some of our training.” The other woman smiled. “You were just a toddler at the time. Oh, how your mother loved to show off pictures of you.”

Quinn was taken aback. The mum she remembered growing up always seemed to want her kept in the shadows, an ornament to be trotted out whenever her alias required it.

“You were the center of her world.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” Quinn said without thinking. “My father was the one she doted on. They have a unique kind of love. He was and always will be her primary focus.”

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