Page 199 of State of Alert

Scotty let out a shout of excitement that was echoed by the twins, who were out of their minds with excitement as the big helicopter touched down on the lawn.

Sam held them back until the engine was shut off and the rotors stopped turning.

“Go get him,” she said as they ran at full speed toward the chopper.

Sam brought up the rear, which meant she got to see him come down the stairs, salute the Marine who met him and crash into the kids on the lawn in a giant hug that included all three of them, with Skippy in the middle of it all.

With all the cameras recording the reunion, Sam was thankful to know there’d be a record of such a special moment.

It took about ten minutes for Nick to get free of the kids so he could give her a hug and a kiss.

“Welcome home, love. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.”

Sam laughed, as there was absolutely nothing humble about their home.

Hand in hand, they waved to the gathered media and followed their kids and dog inside.

AfterMarine Onedelivered them to Camp David later that afternoon, they took a long hike, had dinner and played pool and pinball in the game room. The minute they put the kids to bed, they headed straight for their room, closed and locked their door, tore the clothes off each other and landed in bed in a fiery, passionate embrace that led to some of the fastest sex of their lives together.

It was so fast and so furious that they were left breathless and laughing in the aftermath.

“Welcome home, Mr. President,” Sam said as they lay face-to-face, hands joined as they wallowed in the sight of each other. “It’s ridiculous how much I missed you. It’s like I’ve got a limb missing, or something equally dramatic, when you’re not here.”

“I feel the same way. Everything is wrong when you guys are thousands of miles from me, and I can’t sleep snuggled up to you.”

“Angela had a rough week, and that made me feel guilty for mooning over you being away for a couple of nights.”

“I’m sorry to hear that about Ang, but I hope you never stop mooning over me.”

“I don’t think I ever will. It seems to be a fatal condition.”

A smile lit up his gorgeous eyes. “What else did I miss while I was gone, besides you solving two murders with one arrest?”

“I’m not taking the credit for that. Elaine led us to Robinson, and finding him is what got her killed.”

“It’s all so sad. That poor family.”

“I know. I hope Frank and his girls can put their lives back together eventually. He told me they’re seeing Elaine’s therapist. They thought it would be quicker to go to her since she knows the backstory.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“I also apologized for suspecting them. Zoe said she understood why I did, but she hoped I’d be more empathetic to the families of victims in the future.”

Nick winced. “Tell me you know that’s not a fair accusation. You’re incredibly sensitive in your dealings with them.”

“I wasn’t this time. I took an immediate dislike to that kid and suspected her from the start. Freddie called me out on it after the first time we met her. I should’ve listened to him.”

“All this proves is that you’re still learning, even after so many years on the job.”

“Some lessons sting more than others. Such as lying to my colleagues and Juan’s loved ones, and then having that made public.” The press had been relentless in their coverage of her role in perpetrating a fraud, as they called it. Even after Juan had issued a statement saying that he’d personally asked her to keep the secret, the story showed no sign of dying down. Something else would have to happen to knock it out of the headlines. In the meantime, she was taking a serious beating.

“While I have you all to myself, I need to tell you I heard from Collins Worthy.”

Nick was immediately on full alert, the way he got any time his mother intruded into their lives. “What’d he want?”

“To plead her case, to ask you to give her another chance by asking me to talk to her.”

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