Radclyffe - Oath of Honor

“No apologies necessary. And it’s Wes,” Wes said, seemingly willing to accept the change in subject. “Not a Northern girl?”

Evyn snorted. “Miami, born and bred.”

“Ah,” Wes said. “The winter can do funny things to your perceptions sometimes. Just remember, spring always follows.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind when my ass is freezing off,” Evyn muttered.

“If you think that’s in danger of happening, you should come in out of the cold.”

“I’ll take that under advisement,” Evyn said lightly, wondering if the warmth in Wes’s gaze just might make the cold a little more bearable. A warning twinge flagged that as a dangerous line of thought, and she wisely squelched it. “We brief daily at zero seven hundred in PPD command center in the Old Executive Office Building. You should plan to be there as soon as you’re officially on board. I imagine all the bullshi—paperwork and getting moved and such will take a few days.”

“Actually, no. I’ll be in DC tomorrow. I’m riding back on Marine One today.”

Evyn narrowed her eyes. What the hell? Why hadn’t Tom said anything? She hated being out of the loop when anything affecting her job was at issue. “On whose authority?”

Wes’s face shuttered closed. “Lucinda Washburn’s.”

Evyn bit back a comment—Lucinda’s word was law at the House. Maybe Tom could shed some light on why the rush to get Masters to DC. “Good. You should make the briefing tomorrow, then.”

“I’ll do that. Then I have to meet my team.”

“You can do that after we review our schedule for the orientation,” Evyn said. “Unless we have an away trip or you have a medical emergency, you’ll be detailed to me until further notice.”

“Thank you, Agent. I’ll report to you in the morning, then.”

Wes turned and walked away and Evyn looked back out the window. Wes obviously was used to calling the shots, but PPD was running this show. She’d just have to get used to it. Twilight enveloped the island, turning the ocean black. The sensation of having slipped out of time faded and the normal chaos of Evyn’s life crowded back in. She welcomed the tension and the wariness, feelings she understood.

Chapter Five

The wedding celebration wound down around 2000 hours, and after the good-byes had been said, Wes followed the group returning to Andrews with the president. While the president boarded Marine One along with Lucinda Washburn, his security chief, staff, and med unit, Wes ducked under the rotors and clambered up the stairs into the body of a nearby VH-60N Whitehawk helicopter, one of several helos identical to Marine One idling on a large expanse of cleared land behind Whitley Manor. On the flight back, the decoy helos would fly alongside Marine One in a complex aerial shell game of shifting positions to obscure which aircraft carried the president, in the event of an attack.

Wes glanced around, saluted a vice admiral already seated in the single seat directly behind the cockpit, and took one of the three seats on the bench along the wall. Two marines in full dress uniform boarded and sat beside her, followed by Evyn Daniels and the male agent who’d been at the gate with her earlier. As soon as they were strapped in, the helicopter lifted away, making conversation impossible. Evyn, in the jump seat directly across the narrow aisle from Wes, pulled a small electronic device from the pocket of her black trench coat and started to scroll.

Looking out the window next to Evyn, Wes watched the lights of Whitley Island growing fainter and finally disappearing beneath the low-lying cloud cover as the convoy headed out over water. Wes shifted her gaze from the night to Evyn, whose profile was softened by the dim glow of the cabin lights. Her burgundy hair fell forward over her cheek in loose, thick waves, and she absently pushed them away as she focused on the small screen in her hand. The movement was wholly unconscious and lent her an air of vulnerability Wes suspected she would disavow. A small frown line bisected the smooth skin between her arched reddish brown brows. She had that on-the-job look and was probably getting some kind of status report. She hadn’t looked at Wes once. Annoyed that she didn’t register on Evyn’s radar and annoyed at herself for caring, Wes wondered which woman she’d met that day was the real Evyn Daniels.

USSS SA Evyn Daniels was obviously competent, dedicated, and all business—that much had been established with their first encounter at the gate. But Evyn was more than just a suit with a gun and badge. For a few moments when they’d stood at the windows overlooking the shore, they’d talked of things that went beyond aimless party chatter. They’d shared something of themselves, something Wes usually only did with family and close friends. With everyone else, she discussed cases and assignments—safe, common ground. She’d been the one to strike up the conversation with Evyn, also unlike her. But she’d been drawn to the faraway look on Evyn’s face as she’d stood alone against a backdrop of sea and sand—looking remote and somehow sad. And very beautiful. Evyn had been easy to talk to, showing glimmers of humor and warmth, at least until the subject of Peter Chang had come up. Then Evyn had revealed a well of anger she’d quickly suppressed. When Wes had shifted the conversation to safe ground and the subject of business, she’d instantly missed their brief but unexpectedly intense connection.

Evyn’s slip when Chang was mentioned made it pretty clear she didn’t think Wes was the right person for her new job. Ordinarily Wes didn’t concern herself with what anyone other than her commanding officers felt about her and her performance, but it bothered her that Evyn didn’t believe she had earned the post. What Evyn thought mattered, personally and professionally, so she was going to have to prove to Evyn she was capable of the job. After all these years, she’d thought she was past that. She hadn’t needed or wanted to prove herself to anyone in a long time.

The day had been full of surprises, mostly unwelcome ones. She hadn’t felt so displaced since she’d left home for the Naval Academy and had been cut loose from her strongest support system as abruptly as a blade across her throat. At first, she’d missed her mother’s unwavering belief in her and her sisters’ humor so much she’d thought she might break. She hadn’t broken. She’d reached inside herself and found their voices alive and strong in her heart. She’d adapted, she’d adjusted, and she’d triumphed. Now she was back in unknown waters, with no place to live, a new command, and, apparently, the need to prove herself to Evyn Daniels.

*

Evyn’s push was waiting at the House when the motorcade from Andrews pulled into the south drive. Tom had texted they’d debrief in the morning. As soon as POTUS was on his way into the residence, she was done. She headed toward the west gate and the Ellipse where she’d parked her car. Up ahead, she recognized Masters walking toward Pennsylvania Avenue. She hesitated, giving her time to get ahead of her. In the next second, she sped up, refusing to think about why.

“Hey,” Evyn called, catching up to Wes at the corner. “You need a ride?”

Masters looked at her, clearly surprised, making Evyn feel like a bigger jerk for even thinking about leaving her to fend for herself in the middle of the night. But Wes made her so damn uncomfortable—she didn’t know what she was doing. “I’ve got a car.” Now there was a fairly brainless statement. “Let me take you.”

“Thanks,” Masters said. “I’m okay. I’ll grab a cab. I’m just going across town to a hotel.”

“It’s almost twenty-three thirty, Captain. Not a great time of night to get a cab in this part of town, and definitely no time to be out and about alone.”