Page 19 of Booked for Theft

Well, that would complicate matters. It was one thing to help fulfill a dying man’s last wishes. It was another to dance with the President of the United States. Again.

However, for the sake of the young man in need of working lungs, I would—and I’d volunteer to assist with the operation to give him the best chances of survival.

In a way, Senator Thaddens would live on.

“Where are you at?” Emma asked.

“At work.” I told her where the library was. “There’s a suitable spot for a helicopter next to the Met. I can be there in a few minutes.”

“Perfect. Give me a minute.” It was closer to five minutes, and Mickey watched me the entire while. “All right. They will have a helicopter there in no more than ten minutes. President Castillo asks me to thank you. He appreciates your efforts.”

“If you’d like, inquire with the doctor if they would like me to assist with the transplant. I can help manage blood and oxygen flow while they work. I’m sure if President Castillo is offering his blessings, there shouldn’t be any liability issues if the young man in question consents. And I don’t cost anything to add to the team. I’m a volunteer.”

“I’ll do that. Thank you so much, Janette. You have no idea how much I appreciate this. Even if it’s under such terrible circumstances.”

“I’m so sorry, Emma.”

“I know. I have a few books to give you. We talked about you and your love of those old beloved books of his, and he wants you to have them. He’d already emailed the attorney with the alteration for his will, but it never got signed. But I’m sure it’ll be fine. He was so delighted to meet someone who loves old books as much as he does.”

“There’s really no hope for him, is there?”

“There’s really not. The first scans showed his entire heart is damaged, and even if it heals, the scarring would make it almost impossible for it to beat properly, even with a pacemaker. It was only good fortune he had the heart attack in the Capitol Building. One of his fellow senators performed CPR until the ambulance arrived. But the doctor thinks he was already entering brain death.”

Catastrophic heart attacks could do just that. “And even if he survived, he might not ever regain his mental acuity.”

“That’s right.”

I could understand how letting go could be much easier than holding on. Had I lost my mental acuity, I doubted I would have been willing to hold on when my foot had been broken and my prospects for the future rather dismal. “If he wants his death to be the life of many others, I’ll do everything I can to make that happen,” I swore.

“That means more to me than you could ever know, Janette. Thank you.”

I hung up, and rather than break down and cry like I wanted, I sighed and said, “Can you tell our boss I’m going to be out? Senator Thaddens is not going to make it, and they’d like to donate his lungs to someone in the hospital in dire need of a transplant. They’re compatible. I’ve been requested to make sure as much of his body can be used for donation as possible.”

“I’ll take care of it. Do you want me to call Bradley?”

“Actually, yes. Tell him I’m getting into a helicopter with some strange politicians to meet with the President of the United States. Apparently, he was visiting with Emma and Senator Thaddens when I called.”

“Emma?”

“His wife.” I sighed again. “Please ask Bradley to come pick up Ajani. However much I’d love to take her with me, she’d hate the helicopter ride.”

Mickey nodded. “I’ll make sure your fluffy goddess makes it home. Anything else you need?”

“Actually, yes. Saturday, I need everyone to come to my new place. You can thoroughly scold Bradley for his secrecy, and we can make it a housewarming party at the same time. We’ve picked a date for the engagement party, and the women are coming with me. The men are going with Bradley. We’re going shopping, and then we’re planning the party. In exchange for accepting torture, I will feed you the best order in money can buy.”

Mickey rolled his eyes. “It’s about time you two decided to get a move on. When will the engagement party be?”

“In about six weeks. We’ll discuss that more on Saturday. I’m going to haul ass to the Met. Knowing President Castillo, the helicopter will be waiting for me by the time I get there, and that’s hurrying it up to cross the street.”

I beat the helicopter to the open yard near the Met by less than a minute, and I wasted no time climbing inside. While I’d been aware the Secret Service and other protection agencies within the United States had posts across the country, I’d truly thought it took longer than five minutes to prepare a helicopter, get flight clearance, and land in a rather public place.

I spotted at least ten people with cameras, and they surely snapped many a photo of me scrambling inside, careful to keep from losing my head.

One of the men, wearing a suit as the protective services often did, helped strap me into the seat and put a helmet onto my head. After adjusting the straps, he said, “Can you hear me, ma’am?”

“I can,” I replied.

“Excellent.” It took him a slick ten seconds to close the door, take the seat next to me, and get strapped in. “We’re good to take off.”