AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My mom was a model. I inherited her build.”
“Yeah, yeah, well, you’re not a model, so you can actually eat more than two olives a day.” He turned off the TV. “The restaurant downstairs isn’t bad. Do you want to grab a sandwich before we return to the scene of the crime?”
“We’re about fifteen minutes away from my house. There’s plenty to eat there.” Narrowing her eyes, she wedged a hand on her hip. “Are you putting off going back there for some reason?”
“For some reason? Let’s see, I have to pretend I’m engaged, have to pretend I’m someone else, my boss’s boss was just murdered there.” He stood up and stretched. “Seems to me I have a lot of reasons.”
“Sounds like a whole bunch of whining to me. Besides, what is all that compared to a cupcake?”
“You have a point there.”
When they arrived back at the house, everything looked normal—except for the yellow tape that still fluttered in the crisp breeze, the men and women in dark suits and dark glasses milling around, and the press hovering like a bunch of vultures across the street. Completely normal.
The security detail in front of the house waved them through, and they ducked into the house. Claire tilted her head back to take in the towering Christmas tree at the end of the foyer, which had been restored to last night’s glory.
Mike whistled. “The Christmas tree is redecorated and all of the windows have already been replaced. Your stepfather must’ve had an army out here.”
“It took an army.” Spencer jogged down the staircase. “I hope you two had a good day and were able to set this all aside.”
“We did.” Claire hooked her arm through Mike’s. “Any leads? Did the FBI find the valet yet?”
“Nothing yet, although they’re splashing a composite of him all over the news. You haven’t seen it yet?” Spencer placed a well-manicured hand on the curved balustrade at the bottom of the staircase. “Where did you go today?”
Mike pressed his shoulder against hers. “We drove down to Mount Vernon and then to a very special place in Maryland.”
She stiffened, but plastered a smile on her face and nodded.
“What’s so special about Maryland?” Spencer cocked his head, but the smile on his lips didn’t reach his eyes.
“Oh, Mitch.” She tapped his arm. “I thought that was supposed to be our secret.”
“Now I’m really intrigued.” Spencer leaned against the banister as if he had all day to listen, and panic flared in her chest.
Mike ran a hand through his dark hair. “Claire and I communicated a lot face-to-face through our laptops, and I proposed to her while she was in Maryland. I wanted to visit the exact spot in person.”
“Modern technology. I’m glad I’m not dating these days.” Spencer winked.
Claire gritted her teeth behind her smile. He didn’t have to date. He just bedded half the women who worked for him.
“Are Lori and Ethan home from the party yet?”
Spencer raised his eyes to the ceiling. “I was just upstairs getting a detailed account. Lori’s getting him all packed up for tomorrow—that is, if you still want him going out to the Chadwicks’.”
“Don’t you think it’s even more important now after what happened last night?”
“I don’t think anyone here is in danger. Some terrorist organization targeted the director and was successful. We’re not expecting any more hits.”
Because you got what you wanted?
“You sound so confident.” Claire hugged herself. “I’m not so sure about that. Has anyone taken credit yet? Director Haywood’s assassination was a huge coup. I can’t imagine the people responsible won’t want to crow about it.”
Spencer reached out and patted her shoulder, and she tried hard not to recoil. “Don’t concern yourself with it, Claire. You don’t want to go down that road again, do you?”
Her nostrils flared and her palm tingled with the urge to slap his smug face.
As if sensing her urge, Mike took her hand and circled his thumb on her palm. “Claire’s just asking normal questions. I think we all wait for the other shoe to drop when something like this happens.”
