Page 63 of State of Retribution

“Thank you for this.”

“No problem.I want to help figure out what happened to my friend.”

After she left the room, Sam turned to Freddie.“Will you let Vernon know we’re heading back to Adams Morgan?”Vernon had waited inside the front door for them.

“Yep.”

Deb returned less than five minutes later, which Sam appreciated.

“Would you like to come, too?”Sam asked Joe.

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Fine by me.Any friend of Archie’s…”

“He speaks highly of you.”

“That’s nice to hear.He’s an excellent cop.”

“He says the same about you.”

Chapter Thirteen

They left the apartment and took the elevator to the ground level, accompanied by Vernon.“Joe and Deb, this is Secret Service Agent Jimmy McFarland.”

“Nice to meet you,” Joe said.“I admire what you do.”

“Thank you,” Jimmy said as he held the door for them.

“Where’re we going?”Sam asked Deb.

“Power Yoga on Columbia Road Northwest, the seventeen hundred block.”

“Got it,” Vernon said.

“This is so cool,” Joe said when they were on the way.

“Vernon and Jimmy make it fun,” Sam said.

“Is it weird to need a detail?”Joe asked.

“It wasn’t something I thought I needed as a law enforcement officer myself, but I’ve learned to choose my battles.Vernon and Jimmy are great.We’ve found a nice groove, and their protection allows me to do my job without worrying about the things they’re paid to worry about.”

“Plus, we get a lot of work done while someone else does the driving,” Freddie added.

“That, too,” Sam said.

“We were sorry to hear about what happened at the egg roll,” Deb said.“That sounded terrifying.”

“It was, especially since we were briefly separated from our kids.”

“Do they know any more about who did it?”Joe asked.

“Not that I’ve heard.”

“My friends and I think it’s really cool that you’re still working now that you’re the first lady,” Deb said.“That includes Harlowe.She told me she’s a fan of yours and your husband’s.We have that in common.”

“Thank you.I love the job.I wouldn’t want to give it up.”

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