Page 80 of Power Surge

“What do you mean?” Trey asks.

Groaning, she reclines her head, resting it on the back of the couch. “Mom, Dad is great, but… you know.”

I frown at her. “No, not at all. What the hell are you talking about?”

“Listen, he's great—”

“You said that already, even though I highly disagree.”

“Can you let me—”

“From a partner standpoint, at least. And the sex? Meh.”

“Mom,” she screeches as she suctions her palms over her ears. I shoot Trey a sly smile before swinging my attention back to Taeler. “I don't want to hear about that. Now, can I fucking finish?”

“Even though you're carrying my grandbaby, I will ground you, Taeler Lynn. Watch your damn language and act like a fucking lady.”

“Pot, meet kettle,” Trey pipes up, then shrinks back when both Tae and I shift our irritation to him. Fist to his lips, he clears his throat. “Right, sorry. You were saying, Taeler?”

“All he did was talk about you and compare himself to Trouble!”

My mouth gapes. A glance at Trey shows him beaming with pride.

Men.

“He knew something was going on between you two, and I think he was a little insecure about it. That's the only thing I can think of, at least. Why else would he care what was going on?”

“Why else indeed?” I mutter. “Why didn't you tell me when he was here?”

She shrugs. “I liked having him here. You're gone a lot, Mom, which I get considering you're running the country and all, but it gets lonely when you're not around. When he was here, I had someone to talk to, someone who wanted to be around me instead of being paid to babysit me.”

A pounding on the door draws all our attention. Trey stretches toward the door and pulls it open.

“We have a problem,” Blake states before he's fully over the threshold, with Todd hot on his heels.

“Now I think you just don't know how to start off a conversation without your opening line.” Sighing, I direct my attention to Taeler. “Thanks for stopping by, but my five-minute break is officially over.” With a sad smile, I watch her waddle out. Trey shuts the door behind her, remaining inside the office.

Blake shoots him a reproachful glance.

“The president is injured. I'm not leaving her alone with you two.” His tone leaves zero room for negotiating.

“You first, Todd,” I say with a small flick of my wrist.

“The Egyptian president is demanding more answers from you after yesterday’s mishap—”

“Mishap,” Trey cuts in, the word as sharp as a machete. “It was an assassination attempt on his soil.”

“He claims to have no prior knowledge of the attack, and with their casualties, it looks bad. I think we need a show of force—”

“For the final time, no, Todd. I am not sending in our military to retaliate,” I seethe. No way will I reveal the plans about Delta Force. The fewer people who know about those plans, the better. It’s the best way to ensure the mission goes as planned and the insurgents are caught unaware. “I told the president every detail of the attack once we landed. We were there to visit them, to calm their fears and answer questions. Which we would have, except we were attacked at the first damn stop. Our own embassy at that. Us planning it—” I stop short. Todd’s words replay in my mind, snagging on one bit of information. “What do you mean,theircasualties?”

“Three bodies were found amongst the crowd after we were already in the air.” I flick a quick look at Trey in an attempt to confirm or deny Todd's statement. “They were all shot once in the head execution style.”

Clenching my fists, I fight the nausea rolling in my gut. “And they think it was us.”

“We know it was us,” Trey says. Gone is my lovable, mischievous Trey; now standing at full attention is Agent Benson. Which I have to admit is fucking hot as hell. “Smith took the rogue Egyptians out. He states they were part of the attack, firing into the crowd and assisting in creating chaos, yet the Egyptians report there were no guns found on their bodies.”

I mull over his words as I point to Blake. “Your turn.”

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