Page 5 of State of Alert

Nick had to pull himself together and do what needed to be done to get justice for Juan. He’d take five more minutes with Sam and the comfort only she could provide, and then he’d get back to being the president.

“What can I do for you?” she asked.

With his arm around her, he brought her with him when he sat back against the sofa. “This is what I need most.” They both had a million things they should’ve been doing, but none of that mattered during the five minutes he was taking for himself.

She rested her head on his chest and kept an arm around his waist. “I wish there was more I could do.”

“I’m sure you’ll do plenty to find the person who killed Juan.”

“Everything I can.”

“Don’t you need to get back to work?”

“Not yet.”

“I heard you got Tom’s killer.”

“We did.”

“I heardyoudid.”

Sam shrugged, as if that arrest seemed like a lifetime ago now that a new crisis had arisen.

“I have to call Juan’s mother.”

“I’ll be right here with you when you do.”

“I don’t want to make that call.”

She tightened her arm around him. “I know, love.”

“If I could go back in time, I’d say an emphaticnowhen Nelson asked me to be his VP. Then people wouldn’t be getting killed because of me.”

“It’s not because of you. It’s because people who kill other people are assholes.”

“How can it not be related to their disapproval of me?”

“You know what I’ve learned after all these years on the job? Nothing is ever as obvious as we think it’s going to be. It’s always more complicated than it seems at first. As much as you liked and respected Juan, you didn’t really know him. You didn’t know what he did outside of work or who he was out of uniform. Anything is possible, right up to and including something totally random.”

“This wasn’t random. No way, and Juan wasn’t the type to besomeone different away from work. He was a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of guy, which is why I liked him so much. One of many reasons.”

“People show the world the person they want everyone to see. Behind the scenes is a whole other story—and that’s true for everyone.”

“It’s not true for you. You’re exactly who and what you appear to be in public.”

“But there are sides to me that the public will never see. Just like there’re sides to you they don’t see.”

“I guess.”

“Juan was a great man and a distinguished officer who was excellent at his job. Other than the things he chose to share with you, we know nothing about him.”

“I refuse to believe he was anything other than exactly what he seemed to be.”

“I’m so sorry you lost someone you cared about. He was a wonderful guy from what I knew of him.”

“He really was.”

Nick sighed, realizing his five minutes were up. “I need to make that call.”

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