Page 102 of Now or Never
Inside, she went over and sat on the carpeted stairs in the lobby. The whole place had been turned into some kind of elaborate reception with bar height round tables covered with tablecloths around the room, each with hors d’oeuvres and groups of champagne glasses.
Jax winked at her, then went to talk with Bruce and Amara.
Kenna sighed, glad this ridiculous farce would be over soon. But apparently, they were being forced to endure this reception event with high profile government officials, a glaring secretary of defense and the FBI and CIA directors.
Maizie came over. “I still can’t believe we’re in the White House.”
Kenna held out her hand, and Maizie sat beside her. “She destroyed your privacy.”
“Ramon and Zeyla have been working on that for me. We’d already come up with an airtight backstory. I just didn’t think I’d have to use it. Turns out I’m a runaway from Canada and a tech genius. No one is going to discover the truth.” She hesitated. “Hopefully.”
Kenna bit her lip, because anyone who’d known Maizie when she was a captive child bride had seen her face all over the media. The teen would be under full-time protection for the foreseeable future.
Craig Stairns wandered over and stood in front of them. “Not the outcome I expected when we got kidnapped from the house.”
Maizie leaned against the outside of Kenna’s arm. “Me either.” She shook her head. “I’m not used to being ‘escorted’ places by federal agents. Is that normally what it’s like to be kidnapped by them?”
Kenna shook her head. “There’s nothing normal about any of this.”
“I know.” Maizie nodded. “Because we’rein the White House.”
Stairns snorted. He looked at Kenna. “It’s good to see you.”
She held out her hand as he helped her to her feet, then gave him a hug. “It’s really good to see you, Craig.”
He chuckled. “Elizabeth wants the president’s autograph before she leaves.” He shook his head. “I’m glad she came with us, even if it was technically a kidnapping.”
“At some point, you should let it go.” Kenna backed up and sat on the stairs by Maizie again. “But not for a while.”
Any further conversation about that was going to happen in Colorado and not here in the vestibule just inside the North Portico. These walls definitely had ears, and not just whenDominatussat in the president’s chair.
No way was Kenna going to believe this farse was anything but Miriam Tetherton’s attempt to seize control. She had no idea where Petyr had gone after the military base, but she planned to track him down before leaving the area.
Kenna glanced from Stairns to Maizie. “Does the lawn have room for one more vehicle?”
Maizie’s eyes widened, and she gasped. “You’re coming to stay?”
Kenna hugged the young woman she and Jax had adopted. Her daughter. “I need a safe place to have this baby, and I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather do it than at Elizabeth and Craig’s house.”
“You need to see Cabot! She misses you.” Maizie put her head on Kenna’s shoulder. “We all do.”
“Jax and I will be there.” Kenna smiled.
They’d talked about it just this morning. After joking that they should park the RV in the Rose Garden because it would be a safe place to live. But the reality was, neither of them had any desire to be near Miriam Tetherton. They would only be dragged into it all again, party to some drama she concocted, and they’d find themselves working for her—forDominatus.
Jax came over with a plate of meats and cheeses, surrounded by a fan of crackers. “It’s not a cheeseburger, but I figure it will do.”
“My hero.” She took the plate and shoved a bite of cheese in her mouth.
“Can I ride back to Colorado with you guys?” Maizie asked. “I need to commune with Jolene.”
Kenna’s gaze found Jax’s, and she widened her eyes.
He grinned. “I love that idea. We can go visit the world’s biggest rubber band ball. Maybe we can all convoy, and you can ride for a while with Ramon and Zeyla and then with us for a while.”
Maizie hopped up. “Yes!” She hugged Jax and rushed off.
Stairns shook his head and walked away smiling.
