Cam reached for her shoulder holster but Blair got to it first and held it up so Cam could shrug into it. She pressed against Cam’s back, caressing the tops of her shoulders and down her arms. When she reached her hands, she slid her fingers between Cam’s.

“Tanner was here earlier. I think she wanted to come with you.”

Cam shook her head. “We’re using more civilians than we should already, but since I know I can’t keep Tanner from sending her people out on the water to do perimeter surveillance, I asked her to head up that part of the operation. But there’s no way I’m letting her get anywhere close to Henry.”

“I wish you didn’t have to get close either,” Blair said, meeting Cam’s eyes in the mirror over the dresser. What she saw made her tighten her hold on Cam, wrapping their joined arms around Cam’s middle, as if she could keep her safe within her embrace, forever. “You’re worried about something. What is it?”

“The problem is we can’t really get close enough,” Cam said, “so we’re going to be relying on some pretty dicey technology. That’s not the way I like to do these things.”

“No, I know,” Blair murmured. “You like to be right there yourself. Is it selfish of me to be glad that you’re not going to be able to stand in front of her if someone starts shooting?”

Cam eased out of Blair’s embrace and turned. “No, it’s not selfish. I wouldn’t feel any differently if the positions were reversed. This is just one of those times when it’s actually better to be close to the line of fire.” Cam kissed her before walking to the closet to retrieve her windbreaker. “But we have an experienced team, and with Stark and Mac here coordinating and Tanner’s people on the water, we’ve got all the bases covered. It’ll be fine.”

“Where’s your vest?” Blair said sharply.

“In the truck.”

“Tell me you’re going to wear it.”

“I will.” Cam grabbed Blair and kissed her again, harder this time. “We’ll need to debrief as soon as we’re done, so it might take awhile before I can call. Don’t worry, okay?”

“I’ll try.”

She stepped back, but kept a grip on Blair’s forearms. “If for any reason Stark wants to evacuate, it might be tomorrow or the next day until we reconnect.”

Blair narrowed her eyes. “Why might Stark want to evacuate?”

“We don’t think Matheson will try to hit here, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“Blair,” Cam said pleadingly.

“Cameron. When will you stop trying to protect me?”

Cam shrugged ruefully. “Probably never.”

Blair stroked her face. “All right. Good enough. Then just answer when I ask, if you’re not going to volunteer the information.”

“If Stark loses communication with us for any reason, we’ve agreed that she will get you out. It might be something as simple as the satellite link going down, so there’s no reason for you to worry if it happens.”

“You can’t honestly believe that.”

“The only person at risk here is Valerie,” Cam said. “That’s the truth.”

“Don’t think I don’t care about what happens to her, Cam,” Blair said, “because I do. I like her. Diane loves her. I don’t want anything to happen to her.” Blair tangled her fingers in Cam’s hair. “But you are my lover, and you come first, before anyone. Before Diane. Before my father, before this country.”

Cam held Blair’s face as gently as she could and caressed her mouth with her lips. As she kissed her, she whispered, “The same is true for me. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“How’s the leg feeling?” Paula asked as she buttoned her shirt.

“Good. Steady.” Renée slid an extra clip of ammunition into her jacket pocket. “Did you post extra people on the beach?”

“Yeah.” Paula threaded her belt through her holster and snugged the buckle down. “We tightened the perimeters and doubled the guards. Matheson is not coming ashore without us knowing it.”

“What about the road?” Renée sat on the bed to lace her boots. It still hurt to squat down or bend over. Fortunately, she wasn’t going to be doing much moving once they got on board the boat.

“We put up roadblocks diverting everything except local traffic, and we’ve got two people there to check any cars coming through. Fortunately, island traffic is really light this time of year.”

“Yeah, I know. If this had been summer, it would’ve been a nightmare.” Renée walked to Paula and snaked her arms around Paula’s shoulders. “Don’t take any chances, okay? I don’t have to tell you how good Matheson’s people are.”

Paula thought back to the attack on the Aerie and the insane few moments when the automatic weapons fire was all she could hear. It seemed almost incomprehensible that six short weeks ago an attack like that had been beyond imagining, and now she was preparing to protect the first daughter of the United States against a possible assault by a group of US extremists as if it were business as usual.

“The commander was right moving us here. It’s more defensible than if we were almost anywhere else. But don’t worry, at the first sign of any problem, I’m moving her.”

“Good.” Renée kissed her quickly. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Hey,” Paula said, stopping Renée with a hand on her arm. “I know you want this guy. We all do. Just…just don’t take any chances, okay?”

For the first time, Renée recognized that Paula was worried. Worried and trying not to burden her by saying so. For the last two days, they had both been so caught up in planning the operation that they’d barely had a moment alone together. When they had taken a break, they’d had little energy to do more than fall into bed to catch a few hours’ sleep before getting back to work. And, she had to admit, she was excited about another operation and thinking about nothing else. She was eager to get back into the field, and hungry, aching, for payback. Ever since 9/11 she’d felt impotent, and the thwarted raid on Matheson’s compound had only added to her sense of helplessness. Now she had a chance to settle the score, and that was all she’d been thinking about.

“Hey, sweetie, I’m sorry,” Renée said. “I’ve been running on autopilot since yesterday morning. God, I want this guy so bad.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to take Henry alive?” Paula asked.

“That’s going to be Valerie’s call, I think,” Renée said, sitting down on the edge of the bed and patting the space next to her. “Sit with me for a minute.”

Paula sat beside her and slipped an arm around her waist.

“If Valerie reads Henry as still friendly, she’s going to recommend a meeting between the three of them—her, Cam, and Henry—someplace on neutral territory. If she doesn’t trust Henry or if Matheson shows, I think Valerie is going to make a different call.”

“That’s got to be tough after all the time they’ve worked together,” Paula said.

“She’s ice.” Renée said it respectfully. “She’ll do whatever needs to be done.”

“I know. We all will.” Paula kissed Renée and squeezed her hand. “Try not to mess your leg up again tonight.”

“I won’t.” Renée smiled, tightening her grip on Paula’s hand. “By the way, I love you like crazy.”

“Same here,” Paula whispered. “Same here.”

“All set?” Cam asked as Valerie joined her and Savard in the kitchen.

“Yes. Where are the others?”

Cam tilted her head toward the closed doors of the adjoining room. “Operations center. Do you want to look at the setup?”

“No,” Valerie said. “I’m sure Mac has everything under control.” Valerie stood next to the table where Savard was drawing a clear solution from a 50cc glass vial into a 1cc syringe and unzipped her jeans.

“How does your neck feel?” Savard asked as she opened a foil wrapper and extracted an alcohol swab.

“A tiny bit sore,” Valerie said, rubbing a fingertip lightly over the spot just below her ear where the transdermal microphone had been inserted that morning. “How do you read it?”

“Loud and clear,” Savard said, pointing to the wireless receiver that was barely visible in her ear. “Right leg or left?”

“Left.”

Savard pulled on gloves, swabbed Valerie’s upper thigh with the alcohol, and palpated for the femoral pulse. When she found it, she inserted the needle half an inch away, drew back until she saw venous blood, and injected the Neosynephrine. “You’re going to feel your heart race in a few minutes, but the peripheral vasoconstriction won’t be maximal for an hour and a half to two hours.” She met Valerie’s eyes. “Once this starts working, your skin is going to be damn cold and if he touches you, he’ll know.”

“If he touches me it will only be for a second and I don’t think he’ll notice,” Valerie said as she zipped her jeans.

Savard gathered her equipment. “Wear as little as you can on the boat on the way out to drop your core temperature even more. I don’t know how well this is going to work. I’m just guessing on the dosage.”

“I dressed light and I’ll take my jacket off. I’d go in the water, but he’ll notice if I’m wet.”

“We can’t risk you getting that cold,” Cam said, shaking her head. “If you have to go into the water for any reason later on, and you start out with a core temperature that low, you won’t last thirty seconds.”

Valerie smiled. “You’ll be there before that.”

Cam said nothing.

“See you later,” Savard said, touching Valerie lightly on the arm before leaving.

“There’s a car outside to take you down to the marina,” Cam said as she and Valerie walked toward the front door. “I’ll ride with you.”

Valerie stopped. “No. Stay here. I know how many last-minute details there are to check. I’m all right, Cameron.”

The hallway was dimly lit, and Cam thought Valerie looked almost ghostlike in the shadows, as if she were already gone. It made her uneasy, and she unconsciously reached out and touched her cheek. “You’re not going to be alone out there.”