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“Crap of my own. Making appointments to see two families that hate my department because of the deplorable way their missing-person cases were handled years ago.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, the reception was a bit chilly, but that’s to be expected. They were done dirty by Stahl and the department.” She crossed her arms and turned to him. “I miss my dad all the time, but at times like this, I yearn for five minutes with him to ask how Stahl could’ve gotten away with everything he’s apparently done. It boggles the mind.”
“I’m sure it does for those of you who work inside the lines, rather than outside.”
“For sure,” Sam said. “I wonder more than anything how he did all this without anyone questioning him.”
“From what I know about him, it seems like he was a lone wolf. People didn’t like him, so they gave him a wide berth, which created opportunity.”
“That’s very true,” Sam said. “I remember being a kid and my dad ranting about what a son of a bitch he was.”
Nick drew her into his embrace. “I hate the thought of you having to work under his command and put up with his crap.”
Sam shivered as she breathed in the familiar scent of him, the scent of home. “Those were some of the most difficult years of my life. Between him and Peter, I was utterly miserable.” Sometimes she still couldn’t believe she’d actually married Peter Gibson while Nick Cappuano was out there somewhere.
“I wish I’d been there for you.”
“Me, too. I wouldn’t have been miserable if I’d had you to come home to.”
“Enough of this sad-sack stuff,” he said. “We’re here to celebrate two years of the best marriage in history, so what do you say we get back to it?”
“I say yes, please.”
“How about another walk on the beach? I need some exercise.”
“Let’s go.”
Smiling, he kissed her cheek. “You know it’s never that simple. Let me talk to Brant.”
As she watched him go, they were anything but relaxed, as she’d hoped they’d be on this getaway. It seemed as if the whole world was conspiring to keep them from enjoying their vacation. The reemergence of Leonard Stahl and his evil acts wasn’t helping anything, nor were Nick’s concerns about the people constantly coming for him. Not to mention wondering about how his mother had made bail or where she was hiding out.
At this rate, it would take an act of Congress to save this vacation.
Chapter Nine
Nick was still processing the information that’d been conveyed to him during the latest briefing. A military coup was taking place in Niger, Russian and Chinese ships were positioned off the coast of Alaska, intense storms were expected in the Midwest, and a standoff was underway at the southern border between immigration officers and armed bandits. Any one of those things would be a lot on a given day, but taken all together, they had him buzzing with stress as he contemplated the ripple effects of each situation.
Thankfully, he had an amazing team of experts working on each issue, as well as a host of other concerns, even as they planned a state dinner for the Canadian prime minister and his wife that would occur next week.
So many things were happening all at once. It made his head spin as he tried to keep up with it all while making high-stakes, consequential decisions that affected people around the world. No matter where he went or what he did, there was no escaping the staggering weight of that responsibility. He understood now why American presidents aged dramatically during their time in office. The burden was heavy and relentless.
He opened the front door to the rental house and found his lead agent right where he expected him to be. Brant was nothing if not predictable.
“What can I do for you, Mr. President?”
“We’d like to take a walk on the beach.”
“I’ll get that set up for you right away.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem, sir.”
Asking for permission to leave the house reminded Nick of the tiny apartment where he’d grown up with a grandmother who hadn’t wanted the bother of raising her son’s child. But she’d also wanted to know where he was every second of every day, which had driven him mad the older he’d gotten. The memories of those years had been front and center since his mother’s arrest, which had resurrected emotions tied to that time in his life that he’d much rather forget. Why was it that the most painful events in a lifetime were the ones that never seemed to fade with time? If anything, they became more vivid as the years went on.
Using his personal phone, he texted their friend Avery Hill, who worked for the FBI, asking for an update on his mother’s case. Every text had to be carefully considered, pros and cons weighed against the fallout of a text being made public. Despite a rough start to their friendship, when Avery had barely managed to hide his feelings for Sam, Nick had come around to being tight with him, especially since he’d married their close friend Shelby.
