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As I climbed into the backseat of the vehicle after my father, Colt’s hand briefly brushed against the small of my back, as if giving me a boost. The feel of it was so absentminded though, he didn’t seem aware of doing it.
He slammed the door behind me and then hurriedly climbed into the passenger’s seat.
“I can’t believe this,” Dad said, bringing his head down to his hands. “This was an attack on me, wasn’t it?”
“I’m not one for speculation, Speaker,” Colt responded. “I’m just doing my job.”
“Who sent you?”
“The campaign. We were informed that you were here on business, and that extra safety precautions needed to be put into place since you are in consideration for the vice presidency of the United States. You’re a target for enemies now.”
Dad swallowed. He glanced toward me, and I could see the panic he attempted to hide. He took my hand and squeezed it. He then turned back to Colt.
“Where the hell was my usual team? Didn’t they sweep this place?”
“I’m not sure sir, we weren’t in contact with any of them. My team was an extra precaution, only to be mobilized if needed. Honestly sir, I didn’t want to have to work this week.”
“No, I guess you didn’t.”
“Your team?” I choked out, the dust still coming up from my lungs.
Colt passed us waters and we all began to drink.
“Yes, my team. I work in private security for high level assets.”
It looked like we both had our secrets.
“Thank you for getting us out of there safely. I’ve got my daughter with me and if anything had happened to her…” He took a deep breath. “Listen, just know that if you are ever back on U.S. soil, you’ll have a job. No doubt about it. Just look me up.”
Colt nodded. “Thank you, Speaker Finley, that’s very kind of you. But I’m just doing my job, sir.”
He made eye contact with me once more before he turned around. Back to business.
Things with Colt, whatever had been there, was over.
CHAPTER 5
Natalie
6 months later
My home had sported a pretty impressive library for as long as I could remember. It’s beechwood floors and tables were in perfect condition, and the bookshelves were lined with virtually everything—from literary classics, to cozy reads, instruction manuals, study-guides, and encyclopedias. Multiple computers—laptops and desk-tops—had been purchased and placed for visitors who wanted to do research.
I used to think it was a little too much as a child, fearing my friends would think I was from a family of nerds. Now, however, I couldn’t be more grateful to have such a space readily at my disposal. Although there was a nice library in the neighborhood, I’d learned the hard way that being the daughter of a potential vice-presidential candidate made it difficult to maintain privacy. I supposed it would have been different if I was still a child. As an adult though, I was fair game for the press. This had already been the case somewhat when my father was just Speaker of the House, but it was nothing compared to what we experienced now. I could hardly imagine what it must have been like for the families of actual presidential candidates. It gave me a headache just thinking about it, and I certainly didn’t need any more of a headache than I already had, considering I was in the midst of studying for my BAR exam.
Throughout school, I’d always made fairly good grades. Nevertheless, I’d always had terrible test-anxiety, which had unfortunately followed me right into adulthood. Final exams had been a nightmare and prepping for things like the ACT and SAT had been nothing short of torture. There was just something about standardized tests that made me panic and subsequently made my mind go blank. No matter how well I knew the material, being officially tested on it was always anxiety-provoking.
It had been my intention to dedicate several hours before lunch to studying. However, that hadn’t been working out well. My mind kept wandering, thinking over my father’s schedule for the next few weeks. Not only was I his main emotional support system, but I had become his unofficial secretary as well. Granted, it was by choice—I worried about him so much that I became obsessed with keeping track of his whereabouts at all times. Things just hadn’t been the same since our time in Turkey; that explosion had shaken both of us to the core. We didn’t want to be paranoid, but at the same time, we knew it was impossible to tell where an enemy may be lurking at any given point. Our peace of mind had been shattered.
With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair and stared idly at the opened book before me. The words blurred together and a deep boredom threatened to knock me off my studying schedule for the rest of the day. One too many more days like this and I could kiss my career ambitions goodbye. Frustrated, I drummed my fingers on the table, vaguely aware of my father’s voice droning from somewhere down the hall. At first, I figured he was taking a phone call, but then I noticed an additional voice present.
I listened, wondering if I should see who Dad was talking to. But then I reminded myself that if it was any of my business, he would have called me to join them by now. He knew that I was studying and therefore was not to be bother me unless it was something important. So clearly, whoever he was holding an impromptu meeting with wasn’t important enough to involve me. Nice that he was trying to give me some privacy.
Sighing again, I sat back up in my chair.
Focus, Natalie, focus.
Resigning to the fact that my studying wasn’t going to do itself, I reached for the hair-band on the table and tied my hair into a sloppy bun. I then stood up to stretch, getting my blood flowing and hoping it would improve my concentration. I contemplated getting a snack to appease my stomach that had been growling for the past fifteen minutes, but then I figured if I studied for at least a half-hour straight, I could reward myself with a snack break before resuming.
