Page 112 of State of Grace (First Family 2)

“If it’s him, it’ll be a thing, since we just slapped a lawsuit on him.”

“If it’s a thing, we’ll handle it. Keep me posted?”

“I will.” Sam leaned in to kiss him. “Thank you for this.”

“Thank you, my sexy cowgirl.”

“Yeehaw!”

“And the outfit, too. Keep those coming.”

Sam got up to put on her robe. “I’ll see if I can top this one.”

“Yes, please.”

“Don’t forget to clean up your rose petals, Mr. President, or you’ll set off a scandal among the housekeeping staff.”

“I’ll take care of it. Be safe out there, Samantha. I love you madly.”

She was about to leave the room, but returned to him for one more kiss. “Love you just as madly, and I’m always careful. I have so much to live for.” After another kiss, she said, “Get some sleep.”

“I’ll try.”

The last thing she wanted to do was leave him, but she tried to respond to every homicide, even if that meant leaving her husband to sleep alone while she hit the streets and went without sleep. The job stopped for nothing—even the president.

As Sam stood over the bludgeoned body of Bryson Thorn, she knew she had to take a step back from this one, which was why she’d requested Gonzo be called to the scene.

“What’ve we got?” he asked when he arrived ahead of Carlucci, who’d been asked to assist SVU with a sexual assault.

“Bryson Thorn, age forty-one. Found out here in the yard by his wife when she returned home from dinner with friends. That’s her over there.” Sam nodded to the hysterical woman being comforted by Patrol officers on the pool deck. “Full disclosure—Nick and I just sued him for violating the terms of the NDA he signed by releasing photos of Nick at the twins’ birthday party.”

“Oh shit.”

“I’m going to need you to take the lead on this.”

“Yeah, sure. I can do that. What do we know?”

“Nothing yet. His wife came home and couldn’t find him, so she came outside to see if he was in the pool and saw him over here.”

“A place like this must have cameras.”

“That was going to be my next question.”

“Before you go, will you hold the flashlight so I can take photos?”

“Sure.”

After he was done taking photos of the body from every angle, Gonzo said, “I’ll take it from here.”

“Thanks,” Sam said, frustrated to have to take a back seat on this one, but the last thing they needed was conflict-of-interest claims. She returned to her car and called Nick on the BlackBerry.

“Didn’t I just see you?”

“You did, and you’re going to be seeing me again very soon. Our vic is Bryson Thorn, so I’ve asked Gonzo to take the lead. I’m giving you a heads-up so you can prepare for when word gets out that the guy we’re suing has been murdered.”

“I’ll let Christina know.”

“Sorry to add to your already overflowing plate.”

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