you so much,” he whispered against her lips as he continued to slide his fingers in and out of her, bending them to reach the place that set her off.
Sam spread her legs farther apart to give him better access and opened her mouth to his tongue. He was right about one thing. If they were going to be stuck here indefinitely, she was going to enjoy the reunion with her beloved husband.
IN THE MORNING, Sam and Nick gathered their loved ones in the common area to explain why they’d been brought to the underground bunker. While the little ones played in one of the bedrooms under the watch of two agents, Nick filled in the others on what the letter said and what the FBI and Secret Service were doing to find the person who’d sent it.
They had debated about whether to include Scotty in the briefing but had determined that he and Brooke were old enough to know the truth.
“You must get threats all the time, Nick,” Spencer said. “What was so different about this one?”
“Several things. First of all was the timing. It was sent to my office when the whole world knew I was in Iran, helping to negotiate the arms agreement.” He lowered his voice to add, “Second, and more important, were the photos included with the letter.”
“What photos?” Tracy asked.
Nick passed them around.
Sam, who’d seen the images earlier, watched each of the adults as they realized who had been threatened.
Angela brought her hand to her heart, her eyes darting around frantically.
Spencer put his arm around her.
“Dear God,” Nick’s dad, Leo, said before he passed the photo of his sons at day care to his wife, Stacy, who gasped.
“Whoever sent the threat has been watching our family,” Nick said. “As you can see, they know where to find each of the kids.”
Scotty stared at the photo of himself at baseball camp while Brooke did the same with the picture of her at work.
“They were watching us?” Brooke asked in a small voice that tugged at Sam’s heart. After everything her niece had been through last winter, it was infuriating to see her scared again when she’d made so much progress toward putting her life back together.
“I’m not telling you this to scare you, Brooke,” Nick said. “We thought it was only fair for you to know why you’re here.”
“How long do you think we’ll have to stay here?” Graham asked.
“I wish I knew,” Nick said. “The FBI and Secret Service are doing everything they can to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible.” After a pause, he continued. “Look, everyone, I know this sucks, and I feel so bad having to put you all through it, but I didn’t know what else to do after I saw those pictures when I was on the other side of the world.”
“You did the right thing, Nick,” Skip said. “The only thing you could do in light of those photos. In your shoes, I would’ve done the same.”
Sam could see that her father’s words helped to relieve some of Nick’s burden.
“I never would’ve gone to such extremes if I hadn’t thought it was necessary,” Nick said. “I hope you know that.”
“We do,” Celia said. “Of course we do, and you know, I was saying to Skip this morning that we need to make the best of this situation. How often do we get to spend this kind of time with the ones we love the most? Everyone is so busy and rushed these days. Let’s try to enjoy being together while they investigate.”
Sam smiled at her stepmother. Leave it to her to see the positive in an otherwise sucky situation. “I think that’s a great idea, Celia.”
“So you’re going to relax and enjoy the break from your real life?” Nick asked with a smile.
“Well, I meant everyone else should.”
The others laughed at her comment, which broke the tension somewhat. And then she noticed Scotty still staring at the picture of himself at camp. She nudged Nick and nodded toward their son.
“I’ll keep you all posted to the best of my ability.” Nick stood and went over to where Scotty sat. “Can I see you for a minute, buddy?”
Scotty looked up at him. “Um, yeah. Sure.”
Nick led Scotty into their bedroom.
Sam followed them and closed the door.
“Are you okay?” Nick asked.
“It’s just kinda weird, you know? That someone was watching me at baseball camp.”
“It’s really weird,” Nick said, “and you’re absolutely right to feel violated.”
“I guess I’m still getting used to all of this,” Scotty said. “People knowing who I am and stuff.”
Sam could see in Nick’s expression and the tense set of his shoulders how much he disliked being the reason that people now recognized their son.
“I’m sorry to have put you in that position. It’s a lot to ask of you and Mom and the rest of the family.”
“I’m not sorry,” Scotty said fiercely.
“You’re not?” Nick asked.
“Of course I’m not. You’re the best possible vice president we could have, and I don’t want you to feel bad. It’s not your fault that people are weird.”
Sam and Nick laughed, and the look her husband sent her made her heart ache with love for both of them.
“Thank you, buddy.” Nick took the photo of Scotty at camp from him and ripped it up. “Don’t ever forget that the Secret Service is watching over you no matter where you are. They’d never let the weirdos get anywhere near you.”
“I know. Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”
Nick wrapped his arms around his son and hugged him. “I know you can, and that makes your mom and I very proud of you.”
Sam joined them in a group hug. Because she knew it would set Scotty off, she went up on tiptoes to kiss Nick over the boy’s head.
“Eww, gross! I’m right here!”
Sam laughed at his predictable reaction and made kissing noises behind Scotty’s back.
“I’m out.” Scotty scooted from between them and bolted for the door.
“He’s something else, that kid of ours,” Nick said.
“He certainly is. Just like his father.”
Nick smiled down at her, but she could see the weariness in the hollows under his eyes. Despite Scotty’s assurances, Nick wouldn’t truly rest until the FBI got to the bottom of the threat against their family.
* * *
WITH SAM OUT for God knew how long and Captain Malone on a personal day, Gonzo was asked to handle the morning media briefing on the floater and the results of the autopsy. Facing off with the ravenous media was never his favorite thing to do, and it was especially unpleasant with the sun beating down on him relentlessly. It took about four seconds to sweat through his shirt.
“At thirteen twenty-three yesterday, we received a 911 call about a body in the Anacostia River, just south of the John Philip Sousa Bridge. Tactical Response teams were dispatched to the scene, where a female victim was recovered. The body was brought back to headquarters and an autopsy performed by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Lindsey McNamara. Dr. McNamara has determined the body is not that of missing college student Ruby Denton. I repeat, the body is not Ruby Denton.”
“How