Page 41 of Dangerous Mission

Her mom dropped in front of the couch with a glass of water. “Drink, dear.”

Axel came over and knelt beside her mom. “You had me worried, T.”

“It’s going to take more than a glass of water to take me out.”

He narrowed his eyes. “How do you know it was the water?”

She couldn’t help but wince. “Because it tasted off. Was I out very long?”

“Over twenty-four hours, dear. The doctors ran a test, and you were dosed with traces of diazepam, temazepam, lorazepam and ecstasy. He said it was very dangerous. Would also explain how it hit you so fast.”

She scrunched her nose. “Why?”

Nobody answered, which meant they didn’t have a clue. At least she wasn’t in the hospital.

Tex’s deep voice came over the phone. “I’m glad you’re back with us, Terri. Your man’s been on edge.”

Is he my man?They really needed to have a conversation, but it wouldn’t be easy with everyone around. “Thanks, Tex.”

Axel gently placed a kiss on her forehead. “We’re almost done. Do you want me to call the doctor back?” That’s when she noticed the phone on the pool table.

Her mom placed a hand on Axel's forearm. “I’ll take care of her. You go do what you need. We girls have this under control.”

He nodded before heading back to the table to sit with the men. Terri was a little surprised Angel wasn’t at the table but was instead sitting next to her.

“Anyone going to fill me in?”

Angel glared over at the table, mostly at Casanova. “They haven’t figured anything out. The person who put the water at the lectern went missing. Nobody on staff knows who they were. Tex is working on digging into the person who followed you with satellites. The footage is from so far back that it has to be someone you’ve known a long time. Your assistant is at the top of the list.”

“No. It’s not Renee. I think it has to do with the charity funding. They need to look into Senator Wilson, and I want to know when he started dating my ex-employee.”

Her mom patted her arm then stood and sat on the chair next to the couch. Terri couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her mom wearing no makeup and with her hair in a ponytail. Even her father wasn’t in a suit. When she looked closer, she noticed her mother's eyes were bloodshot.

“Sweetie, let them do their jobs. Can I get you something to eat?”

Terri's stomach growled. She sat up, and the world spun for a second. “I’ll come with.”

Angel rolled her eyes. “I’ll help her. If I weren’t as stubborn as you, I would make you stay here.”

“Stubborn is an understatement ” Casanova joked from across the room.

Angel flipped him off as she wrapped an arm around Terri.

“I'll get your other side.” Lucy put her arm around her, and the four of them headed to the kitchen.

The little walk made Terri feel better. She sat in a dining chair and glanced at the clock. It was ten at night. “You didn’t have to come to California, Mom, but I appreciate it.”

Her mom reached into the fridge and acted like she owned the place as she pulled out meat and cheese. Angel grabbed bread from the counter.

“One day, when you have kids, you’ll understand. Your sister wanted to come with us, but we kept her in DC under security. Griffen is flying back, even though we told him everything will be fine.”

Ashley was ten years older than Terri and hadn’t dealt with their father’s career as much while growing up. The media left her alone mostly because she kept her head down and worked at a research center for Alzheimer's disease. Terri had always wished they were closer. She’d been close to Axel's sister, since they were only a year apart, but when Axel left, Terri was so hurt that she stopped talking to her. Terri hoped she understood. A few times, Terri had caught sight of her at events but stayed clear, mostly because she reminded her so much of Axel.

Her mom slid a sandwich-filled plate across the counter.

Terri couldn’t hold back a moan as she bit into the sandwich. “This is good,” she said, not caring that her mouth was full of food.

“Well, that’s rude,” her mom huffed. “You made it sound like I wouldn’t even know how to make a sandwich. I know you were young, but your father and I haven’t always had money. Furthermore, when I was younger, my mom worked two jobs, and many nights, I had to make my own food.”

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