Alessandra was heading his way with a tray. On it, there were cups of coffee, and a plate of cookies.
On her face was the deep look of concern that he was already feeling in his gut. In all of his years, he’d never seen her this rattled, and that was saying a lot.
Elizabeth was titanium.
“Is she going to be okay?” Lessa asked. “I’m worried about her. This was close.”
He kept his voice down.
“Yes, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried too. Go make sure she’s okay. I’m calling her men, and they are going to lose their goddamn minds. Devon Slater is going to hear about this, and know that we’re helping her. You’re not leaving the White House or my sight until he’s put in a pine box. Am I clear, Lessa?” he asked.
She stared into his eyes.
“Someone’s bossy.”
Oh, he was.
“My child isNOTdying, and my woman is not being murdered. Clear?”
She put his hand over her belly, and their baby was moving around. It made her weepy seeing how protective he was, and how lucky she’d gotten.
“I’ll be all over you like woman on man,” she joked. “Naked.”
It calmed him down.
His daughter was kicking, and he was going to make sure she was safe.
He spoke to his child.
“Little Fiona, I love you,” he admitted. “And mommy. You’re both my girls.”
Yes, yes, they were.
Lessa gave him a kiss on the cheek, and he swiped a cookie as she did. With a wink, she headed inside, and Gabe walked to the Oval Office to kill two birds with one stone.
Inside the room, Kate Natalia stood as soon as he entered.
“Hey. I thought you forgot about me,” she said, smiling, and then saw he wasn’t.
That said it all.
“Uh-oh. What happened?” she asked.
He sat behind the desk.
“Remember when I told you that Elizabeth was dealing with a mess?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
“Well, it just came for her. One of her Marines was killed, two others were injured, and she was almost assassinated by a Russian spy. We are up to our eyeballs with issues.”
Kate gasped.
“Oh, my God! Is she okay?”
Honestly, he wasn’t sure. She would either pull through and regroup, or she would crash and burn. That’s why he’d authorizedThe Hunters.
