Radclyffe - Honor Reclaimed

"She'll be briefed next."

"I want to take my team with me. There are two buildings on site—a smaller guesthouse that will work for my people."

"There's been a development in that regard," Lucinda said in a tone that put Cam instantly on guard.

Displacing Blair, she sat up in bed, totally focused. "Yes, ma'am."

"There'll be one more agent joining your team, as well," Lucinda said.

There it is. The price I have to pay for Savard and Davis.

"Coming from where?"

"Ah, that's classified, but I'm sure the agent will fill you in as needed."

Cam almost laughed. She'd be told what the NSA or the DOD or the CIA wanted her to know, and nothing else. Whether it would be the truth or not was always in question. She lifted her watch from the bedside table. 0545.

"I'm briefing with my team at 0700. Your agent can catch up—"

"Not my agent," Lucinda interrupted with a hint of uncharacteristic annoyance. "I don't appreciate having this forced on me any more than you do."

"Sorry, ma'am. I was out of line."

Lucinda sighed. "You're just not accustomed to up-close-and-personal politics, but I'm afraid that we're all going to get a lot more used to it in the future."

"I don't play politics where Blair is concerned."

"Things have changed. We all have to play the game now, Cam."

Blair felt Cam stiffen and heard the anger in her voice. She shifted closer, tucked her arm around Cam's waist, and then gently kissed the tip of her shoulder. "It's okay, sweetheart."

Cam caught back the next ill-advised comment and stroked Blair's hair. Then she took a deep breath and gathered her control. "Once I know today's schedule, I'll give you a contact time and place for the agent to join us."

"That won't be necessary. I expect she'll be arriving at your location in about forty-five minutes."

"Someone's in a hurry to find out what we're doing," Cam said dryly.

"There's a great deal of maneuvering going on down here between the various agencies. No one knows who's going to come out on top in the scramble to reorganize the security network, and everyone is afraid of being cut out."

"I can't be worried about egos and personalities. Everyone on my team has to be willing to take orders from me."

"You have my word on that."

"Thank you," Cam said, knowing that was the best assurance she could have. Still, she knew that this new agent would be reporting whatever intelligence they uncovered to her own superiors. Cam would have to keep a very close watch on the flow of information, because she had no idea whom she could trust.

"And, Cam," Lucinda said, "I wasn't given a choice about this. Be vigilant."

"Yes, ma'am. I always am." Cam disconnected and tossed the phone onto the bed. "Son of a bitch."

"What did she say?" Blair asked.

Cam made a conscious effort to rein in her temper. She stroked Blair's shoulder and back, waiting for her irritation to fade. "We're a go for Whitley Point."

"Oh, good. God, I'm glad. Can we go today?"

"Yes." Cam kissed Blair and drew her more closely into her embrace. "As soon as you collect your canvases and Stark gets the team together."

"What else did she say? What upset you?"

Cam shrugged. "Oh, just the usual bureaucratic bullshit. It's nothing."

Blair pushed herself up on her elbow, sweeping her hair out of her face with an irritated gesture as she fixed Cam with a hard stare. "Don't give me that crap. I heard your voice. You were furious. What did she say?"

"I'm getting another agent foisted on me from somewhere. FBI, NSA, who the hell knows. Probably someone being put in place to report on anything we turn up."

"You mean like.. .a snitch?"

Cam laughed. "Christ, that's a good word for it. I believe, though, they would be considered a counterintelligence agent. Someone whose job it is to gather intelligence about possible threats to national security. It's a very vaunted position."

"Well I'm sure it is, but we don't need them spying on us."

"I'm surprised Lucinda couldn't block it." Cam confessed. "Someone with a lot of power behind them wanted this to happen."

Blair relaxed against Cam's shoulder, aimlessly smoothing her hand up and down Cam's stomach. "I'm sure you can handle it."

"Your faith in me is inspiring," Cam said in a lighter tone. "I should get up. Our new team member is due here in half an hour."

"They were certainly eager to get him on board."

"Her."

"Oh really?" Blair's hand stopped moving. "You know, I seem to be surrounded by an inordinate number of female spies."

Cam laughed. "Baby, we're not spies."

"Oh, all right then, spooks." Blair began stroking again, her fingertips brushing back and forth through the curls at the base of Cam's belly. "Still, I wonder what that's about."

"Probably coincidence." Or maybe someone thinks you'll be more open around women. They don't know you very well. Cam covered Blair's hand and guided it lower. "I have to get up in two minutes."

Blair bit Cam's shoulder once more and slipped her fingers slowly inside her. "Make it five."

Cam lifted her hips to take her deeper and instantly felt her clitoris surge back to life. "Don't think so."

"Try," Blair murmured as she rose above her, angling her arm to claim her more fully. "And don't close your eyes."

"Christ," Cam muttered, her vision wavering, "you're tough."

Aware only of Blair inside her, somewhere beyond the boundaries of her flesh and blood, she climaxed to the beautiful sound of Blair's laughter.

Chapter Fourteen

Saturday, September 15

B lair found Diane entertaining Stark, Patrice Kara, and Greg Wozinski with stories of their youthful indiscretions over coffee and croissants in the living room. Fortunately, they seemed to be getting the G-rated version.

"Diane," Blair said mildly as she reached for the coffee carafe, "I prefer that you not educate them in all my techniques for eluding surveillance."

All three Secret Service agents laughed, although Hara and Wozinski cast obvious sidelong glances at each other. Blair caught the looks and surmised that they had heard of her tendency to ditch her assigned protectors with regularity. Laughing, she said to Stark, "I see you've briefed them thoroughly."

Stark answered with a deadpan expression. "Of course. That's standard operating procedure,"

"Where's Cam?" Diane inquired.

"She'll be right out. She's... "Blair had been about to say arranging a briefing with Savard when it occurred to her that Cam might not want to disclose the nature of her special investigation to Stark or the other Secret Service agents. "She's on the phone."

"Here," Diane said, holding out a cup of coffee. "Why don't you take this to her in case she's going to be a while. She's probably ready for it by now."

"Thanks." Blair accepted the mug and turned toward the hallway, but at that moment, Cam walked in.

"Is that for me?"

Blair held it out. "Compliments of Diane."

"Thank you," Cam said before taking a sip. She looked at Stark and said, "Can I see you for two minutes, Chief?"

Stark quickly set her cup aside and bounded up. "Sure thing, Commander."

They walked to the other side of the room and stood facing the balcony. Cam kept her voice low when she spoke. "I'm expecting an agent to meet me here in the next few minutes, so you might alert your ground team. Then I'm going to head over to your apartment for a quick briefing with Savard and Davis. I imagine Blair will want to go to the loft as soon as possible."

"I've got the vehicles standing by, and I called in two extra people from the swing shift," Stark said. "We're covered."

"I'd prefer it if you could wait for me, but I know she's not going to want to. I'll have to meet you there." Cam looked once in Blair's direction and saw that she was deep in conversation with Patrice Hara. "Make sure you check the high ground, Stark, before you let her exit the vehicle."