“So you’re not worried?”

He paused, long enough to tell her his true feelings. “I don’t want to be, but I am. A little.”

“Me too.”

Nick’s phone buzzed with a text message. He pulled the phone from his pocket to read it. “Your dad, sisters and entire squad are here waiting to see you. Can they come in?”

“My dad is here? He hasn’t left the house in weeks!”

“His baby girl was taken hostage. Where else would he be?”

Goddamn tears! She swiped at them and then regretted it when her bruised face protested. “My dad and the girls can come in. Ask the squad to come back tomorrow. And tell them thanks for everything today.”

He typed the message and returned his phone to his pocket. When he started to get up, Sam stopped him.

“Stay right here.”

“Your dad is coming in.”

“He knows we sleep together.”

“But does he want to see it?”

“I don’t care. I need you right here.”

“Then I’ll stay right here.”

The whir of her dad’s wheelchair was audible through the closed door. Sam would know that sound anywhere after three years of listening for it. They could hear her family members speaking to Brant before Tracy came in first, took one look at Sam and burst into tears.

“Oh my God, Sam!”

Angela was right behind her and held the door for Skip.

“Goddamn,” Angela said, covering her mouth with her hand when she saw Sam in the bed.

“Do I look that bad?”

“Worse than the pistol-whip,” Tracy said bluntly.

“Much worse,” Skip added after taking a shrewd, assessing look at her. “Stahl did this to you?”

“Dad...”

“Don’t Dad me. Tell me what happened.”

“You’ve already heard.”

“Not from you.”

Knowing she’d have to do it again for the record probably tomorrow, Sam took them through the whole thing, beginning with Lori Phillips’s murder and culminating with her return trip to Marissa Springer’s house. “I’m so freaking pissed with myself,” she concluded. “I did everything wrong today.”

“How so?” Angela asked.

“She never should’ve gone back there without telling someone where she was going, and she shouldn’t have gone in there alone—once, let alone twice, knowing the beef the Springers have had with the department,” Skip said.

Sam shrank into the bed, hating that she had disappointed him.

“That said,” Skip continued, “it happens. We get shorthanded with a hot case to contend with, and we do what’s got to be done. And that’s what you were doing today. Working the case. Doing your job. Trying to help to free your colleagues from the veil of suspicion. You did what anyone would’ve done.”

“I didn’t get any hint of anything to be worried about with Marissa the first time,” Sam said.

“That was probably part of their plan—play the part of the wounded mother and lure you back there on the guise of something that would help the case. I could fucking murder that bastard Stahl for this.”

“Someone else will take care of that for us when he gets to prison,” Sam said.

“That’s a small comfort when I look at your bruised face and smell the gas he planned to burn you with.”

Sam shuddered at the reminder as both her sisters sniffled.

“Close call today, baby girl. You’re going to need to take some time to process what happened and deal with it before you go back to the job. You won’t be any good to anyone if you go back too soon.”

“I know,” Sam said with a sigh.

“So you’re actually going to take time off and not argue about it?” Tracy asked, incredulous.

“Yeah, I am. I’ve got some things to take care of and Dad’s right. If I’ve lost my edge, even temporarily, I’ll be no good to anyone.” She could only hope her edge would come back at some point or she’d be totally fucked on the job. “Gonzo is coming back. He can cover for me for a while.” She looked at Nick. “Tell them about Scotty’s biological father.”

“What about him?” Skip asked. He and Scotty had become close pals and the alarm in her father’s voice wasn’t lost on her.

Nick filled them in on what was going on.

“He can’t take him away from you,” Skip said.

“We won’t let him,” Nick assured him. “Andy says everything is on our side here, especially the fact that Scotty wants to be with us.”

“Does he know?” Tracy asked.

“Yeah, I talked to him earlier. He was upset but determined to do what’s necessary to finalize the adoption.”

“I can’t believe his father didn’t know he existed,” Angela said. “Imagine what a shock that must be to find out about a kid that way.”

“We have to hope he’ll be satisfied to meet him once and let that be that,” Nick said.

“What if he isn’t satisfied?” Tracy asked.

“I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Nick replied grimly.

Sam didn’t even want to think about that possibility.

“On another note,” Nick said, “I made some calls today and found out about a spinal cord research study that’s underway at the NIH. They’ve had some breakthroughs with spinal cord patients who experience painful sensation in their limbs. I told them about you,” he said to his father-in-law, “and they’re very interested in seeing you.”

“Are they?” Skip said.

“Dad, that’s amazing,” Angela said. “They might be able to help you.”

“Thank you so much, Nick,” Celia said.

“Yes, thank you,” Sam added with a warm smile for her husband.

“They want you to come in next week. Is that possible?”

Everyone watched Skip expectantly. “Yes, that’s possible. Thank you, Nick. Even if nothing comes of it, it’s nice of you to try.”

“Something will come of it,” Sam said. The alternative was unacceptable.

* * *

They let Sam leave the hospital late the next afternoon and by dinnertime, she was settled on the sofa at home, surrounded by family, friends and colleagues. The abduction and rescue of the nation’s second lady had dominated local and national news all day. Unfortunately, it had also drawn unwanted attention to the fact that she had chosen to forgo Secret Service protection.

“It shouldn’t be up to her,” one pundit declared. “This is a national security issue. Once the crackpots hear that the vice president’s wife is unprotected, she’s going to be a target for every lunatic who has a beef with the United States.”

“Turn it off,” Nick said. “I’ve heard more than enough.”

“Wait, I want to know more about how I’m a national security issue.”

“Samantha.”

“Fine.” She hit the power button on the clicker. “He ruins all my fun.”

Nick scowled at her playfully, trying to hide that he was deeply concerned about all the same things the newspeople were talking about. Before yesterday, no one had paid much attention to the fact that she had declined protection. Now everyone was interested, including the Secret Service and Nelson’s team, which had been more involved with and interested in their new vice president—and his wife—in the last twelve hours than in the last six weeks combined.

The thought of the crackpots taking an interest in his Samantha was making Nick crazy. That his new job could’ve opened her up to that kind of exposure was something he hadn’t fully considered beforehand—and that made him doubly crazy. That he’d thought they’d somehow go on like before. How could he have been so naïve?

Unsettled by the disturbing thoughts circling through his mind, he got up from the sofa and went into the kitchen, looking for a drink.

Christina was right behind him. “How you doing?”

“Fantastic. Never better.” He poured two fingers of bourbon and held up the bottle.

She shook her head. “No, thanks.”

“Want wine or something else?”

“I’m good. I’m worried about you though.”

“And I’m worried about her, as usual.”

“I can’t believe it was someone from her own department who did this to her.”

“He’s had it in for her for a long time. We failed to have the imagination to suspect he’d be capable of something like this, although after he tried to kill her once, we should’ve known he wouldn’t stop at that.”