Cam smiled, but at the flash of fire in Diane’s eyes, she quickly smothered it. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“Do you want to speak to her alone?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Diane gestured to her robe. “Give me a second to throw on some clothes. I need coffee, anyhow.”

“Thanks.”

“Cam,” Diane said, partially closing the door, “I want to apologize for some of the things I said to you before. I know Valerie went out there because she wanted to, and you risked—”

“Diane,” Cam murmured, shaking her head. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. We’ve all been under a lot of strain.”

“You saved her life.”

Cam glanced across the dimly lit room to the quiet figure in the bed, thinking of where they had begun. “Then we’re even.”

“What happens now?” Diane asked.

“We take back control of our lives.”

Five hours later, Blair and Cam walked into Lucinda Washburn’s office. Lucinda’s only concession to the fact that it was a weekend was that she wore a gray sweater, casual black trousers, and low heels instead of a suit.

“I’d like to hear your preliminary report before I send it on to Averill,” Lucinda said, referring to the security adviser.

In other words, Lucinda would put in writing whatever she wanted the official story to be after she’d heard the facts. Cam sat on the sofa with Blair beside her and waited while Lucinda gave someone instructions to hold her calls before taking her customary seat across from them.

“I take it this unscheduled visit means something important broke?” Lucinda said.

“We’ve located Valerie Lawrence,” Cam replied. “Her Company handler, known to us at the moment only as Henry, is dead. I’m confident that he was the source of the security breach and not Valerie.”

“Excellent,” Lucinda said. “When will we be able to debrief Lawrence?”

“You won’t,” Cam answered.

Lucinda showed no change in expression when she shifted her gaze to Blair. “Would you mind excusing us for a few moments?”

“You know,” Blair said, leaning back and crossing her legs, “I really would.”

“Blair,” Lucinda said with the merest bit of heat.

“Luce,” Blair snapped, “you were the one who suggested using my best friend to lure Valerie out into the open. You wanted me involved then, and now I am. So I’m not leaving.”

Cam decided it might be wise to forestall the fireworks that were sure to come. “Valerie Lawrence is a member of my homeland security team, and any information she may have will be relayed by me if I feel it necessary. My agents will not be debriefed by anyone else.”

“Since when is Ms. Lawrence part of your team?” Lucinda asked.

“Since noon today.”

Lucinda folded her hands in her lap and appeared to be lost in thought. “How secure is her identity?”

“I’m not certain,” Cam said, “and neither is she. Henry has always been her only personal contact, but undoubtedly there are records of her somewhere in the Company system. However, the right word in the right place can take care of that.”

“What do you propose?” Lucinda asked.

“I propose that Valerie Lawrence died at sea in the same unfortunate boating accident that killed her handler.”

“I think you’d better fill me in on the details.”

Cam gave her a rundown of the events, and as she spoke, Blair shifted closer and took Cam’s hand.

“You executed a CIA handler?” Lucinda said incredulously.

“Jesus, Luce,” Blair said.

“I did, yes,” Cam said evenly.

“And you’re certain it was warranted?”

“Yes,” Cam said. “He was a traitor and he was about to kill Valerie Lawrence, or cause her to be killed.”

“What about this missile you described?” Lucinda’s eyes narrowed as she visibly assessed, ordered, and prioritized information. “Can we trace it back to Matheson somehow?”

“Doubtful. The boats and whatever might remain of the SSM are in several hundred feet of heavily trafficked waters. Salvage would draw unwanted attention. I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”

“All right.” Lucinda tapped her fingers soundlessly on the arm of the chair, an action that nevertheless had the impact of a gavel falling. “The official line is that Agent Lawrence died at sea during a meeting with her handler. And now what?”

“We’ll arrange for her to have a new identity,” Cam said, “and she’ll join my team as the counterintelligence chief.”

“I know we told you to pick your own people,” Lucinda said, “but—”

“You did.” Cam leaned forward, tucking Blair’s hand against her middle. “If you’ve changed your mind, then I resign.”

“Not many people try playing hardball with me, Deputy Director Roberts.”

“I can appreciate why. But I’m not playing. I didn’t ask for this job, and if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it the way I see fit.”

“You’ll continue to report to me and, through me, to the security adviser.”

Cam nodded. “Agreed.”

“How do you assess the danger to Blair?”

“Currently, I don’t see her as a target. Matheson needed to eliminate his contact in the Company because he knew we would be searching for it. Who knows how much Henry knew about Matheson and his operation? Matheson risked exposure and possible capture to deal with Henry, but it was a calculated risk and for the time being, it’s paid off for him. Now, I think he’ll go underground and consolidate his power base.”

“Makes sense. What about the long term?” Lucinda asked.

Cam grimaced. “Eventually, once Matheson has rebuilt his forces, I think…” she hesitated and glanced at Blair. “I think he’ll make another attempt on Blair.”

“To what end?” Lucinda said.

“Blair is as much a figurehead as her father, and striking at her would not only privately undermine the president, but also publicly demonstrate that he is incapable of protecting the American people, even his own daughter.”

“Interesting theory,” Lucinda said, rising and beginning to pace. “That makes Blair as important to national security as—”

“Blair’s sitting here,” Blair said, giving a little wave with her free hand.

“Sorry,” Cam said.

Lucinda laughed and regarded Blair with her hands on her hips. “You wanted to stay, Blair. I never said we weren’t going to talk about you.”

“Including me usually works better.” Blair shifted her focus from Lucinda to Cam. “Just how long have you been working on this hypothesis?”

“Since the attack at the Aerie. There had to be some compelling reason to risk something like that—for Matheson to send his best men on a suicide mission. Why you? Why not the president?”

“Because,” Blair said slowly, “if my father were killed, he would become a martyr. The people would demand an explanation, if not retribution. Congress would rush to allocate money and personnel to find out what happened. But if he remains in office while his ability to lead is called into question and his authority is eroded, just the opposite happens. The political and economic ramifications would be devastating.”

“Yes.” Cam brushed her thumb over the top of Blair’s hand, which she cradled between both of hers. “All this means is that you have to be careful and we’ll all have to be vigilant. That’s nothing new.”

Blair smiled and skimmed her fingers over the edge of Cam’s jaw. “Thank you. I know what it means.”

“How close are you to getting Matheson?” Lucinda asked impatiently.

“Not close enough.” Cam frowned. “We won’t find him through any direct channels. He’s not going to return to his home base, or call upon men he served with, or contact remaining family members. He’s going underground. And the only way to find someone who has done that is to uncover a link to potential associates.”

“And that is the slowest route,” Lucinda said with a sigh. “Just ask the FBI. How many people have been on their Ten Most Wanted list for a decade or more?”

“Exactly. We’re compiling extensive profiles of known or possible contacts, but we need to expand our investigation to include paramilitary organizations. We might just stumble over him or someone who can lead us to him.”

“You’ll need more people for that.”

“We’ll need information analysts and data collectors based here in DC, but none of them will require critical security clearance. I want to keep the core investigation with my personal team working out of New York City.”

Lucinda sat back down. “Who don’t you trust here?”

“The better question is, who do I trust.” Cam shrugged. “I trust you, but there are too many eyes and ears in this building and all over this city.” Cam laughed bitterly. “Hell, the CIA put people inside an escort service. You can bet they have them in the White House.”

“It’s unorthodox to work that far outside the system.”

“Matheson came after Blair,” Cam said flatly. “I’ll do whatever I have to do with or without anyone’s approval.”

Lucinda glanced at Blair. “It boggles my mind that you haven’t killed her.”

“It was touch and go for a while when we first met.” Blair smiled softly and entwined her fingers with Cam’s. “Once you get to know her, of course, you discover…she’s just as dangerous as she sounds.”

“And what about the wedding,” Lucinda said dryly. “Considering recent events, have you two decided to take the prudent course and delay?”

Cam eased back against the sofa and said nothing.

“We’re getting married Thanksgiving weekend in Colorado,” Blair said. “You can try to keep it a secret if you want to, but it’s going to leak and we all know it, so you might as well go ahead and announce the details.”

Lucinda shook her head. “You’re sure?”

“We’ve been sure for a long time,” Blair said.

“And until then?”

“We’re going back to Whitley Point,” Cam said, “to finalize details for purchasing the house. We’d also like to arrange for renovation of the Aerie.”