Page 28 of A More Perfect Union

She ignored him andsat down behind her desk, the universal position of power. When they’d left theWhite House that morning he’d been itching to talk about their approach, butdidn’t dare for fear their fellow passengers on the Metro would listen in. Now,it was like he’d been lying in wait for her to get back to the office so hecould share his ideas about how the investigation should go.

“We’re not figuringanything out. We’re going to make sure Roo—Ms. Daniels and her team havewhatever information they need to conclude their investigation so GeneralBloomfield can put this behind him as quickly as possible.”

Dixon studied herhard for a moment, but she didn’t flinch, hoping he couldn’t read any of the rawemotion she still felt after seeing Rook at Arlington less than an hour ago. Henodded slowly as a smile crept across his face. “I get it. You’re right. Thequicker we get them out of here, the better.” He looked at his watch. “I’mgoing to grab some chow. You want to come with?”

“No,” she answeredquickly, relieved he had misinterpreted her response. She softened her tone.“I’m good. I’ll meet you back here at two.” She was starving, but she’d rathergo hungry than forego the opportunity for a break from Dixon’s chattering.

She sent a quickemail to Lieutenant Louden, to confirm he’d have a conference room ready laterthat afternoon. An hour wasn’t nearly long enough, but it would have to do.What she needed was a time warp to take her back to before she’d met Rook,before she’d become attracted to her, because that was the only way she wasgoing to be able to focus on the task at hand.

How had her worldscollided? She’d honestly thought that night at the park was the last time she’dsee Rook again. The idea hadn’t been unreasonable—DC was a big city and theydidn’t run in the same circles. Hell, she didn’t have any circles. Truth wasshe’d experienced a moment of relief when she’d spotted not one, but twofamiliar faces at the White House, but Julia and Rook were not her friends, nomatter how friendly they might seem. Something was off about this whole thing,and Zoey was convinced Rook’s involvement meant there was more to the wholeMcNair scandal than she’d been told.

She reached into herdesk and pulled out the notes she’d made while reviewing the file. LieutenantDonald “Donny” Bloomfield and three of his fellow officers had been suspendedfrom the graduate program and brought up on conduct charges at McNair after abust at a venerable luxury hotel in Maryland. Hotel security, responding tocomplaints from other patrons, had kicked Donny, his pals, and the girls outwithout contacting the police. But the room had been registered in Donny’sname, and it was probably just a matter of time before the press figured outDonny Bloomfield was none other than the well-known general’s youngest son.While the simple fact the general’s progeny had been tossed from a fancy hotelwould be embarrassing, it wasn’t a career-killer for anyone involved. But whenreporters started asking questions and found out high paid escorts were at theparty, things would get sticky.

Zoey flipped throughthe pages but didn’t find much else. In her view, the White House’s decision tohire Rook was overkill. You don’t flash a lot of cash if you’re trying to actpoor, and you don’t hire the biggest gun in spin if you don’t have anything tohide. She might not possess the same skill set as Rook, but she knew how toconduct an investigation and she knew how to keep a secret, despite what manyof her peers might believe. She supposed Rook might be helpful if they wound uphaving to navigate DC politics, but this entire case was nothing more than anembarrassing incident that should be handled internally.

Even as complicatedas things could get, Zoey had to admit she was looking forward to seeing Rookagain. Spotting Rook at the cemetery had spurred her curiosity and given her aglimpse of Rook’s vulnerability—a far cry from the commanding presence Rookdisplayed in public. If she had a chance, Zoey was going to try to peel backsome of the layers behind the very public persona of the charming Rook Daniels,but for now she needed to focus.

Zoey finished lookingthrough the file and then pushed it aside and rummaged in her bag for one ofthe PowerBars she usually kept on hand. Banana. Not her favorite flavor, butshe’d been down to the last ones in the box and she’d jammed this one in herpurse as she rushed out of the house this morning. Her alternative was towander the halls looking for food, but she didn’t want to get lost with only anhour until her meeting with Rook, and Dixon would be back before that. She toreopen the wrapper and bit off a hunk of the protein-filled wonder. She was stillchewing when the knock sounded on her door.

“Come in.” Annoyedthat Dixon hadn’t waited the full hour, she didn’t try to hide the exasperationfrom her voice.

Lieutenant Loudenpoked his head in. “Sorry to bother you, Major, but Rook Daniels is here foryour meeting.”

Zoey looked at theclock on her computer and back at Louden. Rook was an hour early. She was allabout the motto that early was the new on time, but this was crazy. Suddenly,she wished Dixon were around to act as a buffer because she had no desire towind up alone in a room with Rook. Or did she? “Thanks, Lieutenant, tell herI’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Louden cleared histhroat and pushed the door open a bit farther. “Sorry, Major, I guess I wasn’tentirely clear. She’s here, as in right here.”

Zoey looked past hisshoulder at Rook’s face and barely resisted the urge to tell him he should’veled with that information. Damn. “Come in, Ms. Daniels.” She started to dismissLouden but mentally calculated how long she’d have to deal with Rook on her ownand had an idea. “Lieutenant, where’s the closest place to get a sandwich?”

“Food court.” He usedhand gestures to give her directions. “If you get lost, just ask someone alongthe way.”

She had no intentionof asking anyone in front of Rook, so she hoped his instructions were as easyas he said. After she dismissed him, she stood up. “I’m starving. Come with meto get something to eat.” She didn’t wait for Rook to respond and instead tookoff walking down the hall. This was the perfect opportunity to set someboundaries and assert her authority, and as long as she didn’t get lost, itmight work.

The choices in thefood court were all waist-thickening nightmares of the fast food industry.Making a mental note that she needed to start bringing her own lunch, shescanned the menus for the least stroke-inducing item and finally settled on asalad with grilled chicken and vinaigrette dressing.

“Is that all you’rehaving?” Rook asked after Zoey placed her order.

“Yes. Are youeating?”

“I’m…No, thanks.”

Zoey took the papercup the clerk offered and started to turn toward the soda fountain, but insteadshe focused on Rook’s face. No familiar grin or knowing looks. Rook seemedtired, subdued and Zoey imagined what she’d witnessed at the cemetery hadsomething to do with her current state. She started to ask, but decided the onequestion would lead to many. She settled on a simple, “Are you okay?”

“What?” Rook askedbefore shaking her head. “I’m fine. Let’s just say this isn’t my favoritebuilding in the city.”

Zoey stared a littleharder, convinced there was more to it but didn’t want to push. Her missiondidn’t involve learning more about Rook’s feelings and it certainly didn’tinvolve soothing them. The personal peeling of layers would have to wait untila more opportune time. Still, she felt a little rude for eating in front ofRook. “I guess I should have asked you before we headed down here, but if Idon’t eat, I can’t be responsible for my actions.”

“I hear you.” Rookflashed a hint of a grin. “One of my associates is the same way. I keep herdesk stocked with candy bars for that very reason.”

Zoey picked up hertray of food and led the way to an empty table. “How many associates do youhave and why aren’t any of them here with you?”

“Five, includingGeorge.” Rook fiddled with a napkin, rolling it between her thumb andforefinger. “They’re all working on various projects, and I haven’t had time tofill them in on this one yet. Besides, I figured I could handle the first roundof interviews on my own.”

Zoey looked around.She didn’t need a security breach on her first day, but she didn’t see anyoneseated close enough to overhear their conversation. “You think we’ll need tointerview them more than once? I was under the impression they’d already beeninterviewed extensively by the MPs who investigated the initial complaint.”

Rook’s brow furrowed.“The MPs only interviewed the students from McNair, not anyone else.”

Now it was Zoey’sturn to be confused. “Who else would they interview?” She shook her head.“Never mind. Dumb question. You mean the escorts, right?”

---