Campaign of Desire (CSA Case Files 4) (18 page)

“I can take care of myself.”

Those words reminded Lach of Phoebe and he sighed at the misconception. “I’m not saying you can’t. You would be the first to say we work better as a unit. This is no different.”

“I want him. Alive.” Taryn’s declaration was said with vengeance. “Ryland knows about Yvette. I guarantee he knows exactly how I’m related to her and yet I’m the one who has to investigate my family to find out why a woman who is connected to me was involved with an assassin.”

“Life’s not fair.” Lach wasn’t the type to sugarcoat anything and he wasn’t going to now. Taryn was military and she knew exactly how this worked. “You’ll do what you have to do. It’s who we are.”

“Well, this little chat made me feel better.” Taryn pushed up her glasses and scrunched her nose.

“If you’d wanted that, you’d have had Chinese for dinner and cracked open a fortune cookie.”

“Yada, yada.” Taryn finally picked up her mug. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“If that’s what you want to call it,” Lach said, making a facial expression so she knew that he didn’t. She laughed, but he didn’t correct her assumption that he was kidding around. He was dead serious. “Have a good night.”

“Night.”

Lach made a quick detour to his cubicle, although why they’d even given him one he didn’t know. He was rarely in the office and only then when his presence was required. His desk was still clear, just like he’d left it. He stood there for a minute, debating if he should meet up with Jax and Emily at Masters. It wasn’t like he was going to play. He’d resigned himself to the fact that the only woman he wanted was Phoebe, and although there were complications to getting what he wanted, she was now within his reach—give or take a few weeks. He thought back to their conversations and her words echoed in his mind regarding what she really wanted to do with her life, which was travel to other countries and be in the thick of things instead of behind a desk doing administrative work. That left only one question. Did that make her a flight risk?

Chapter Fourteen

L
ach listened as voices rang out in his earpiece, the security detail checking in from their various posts. The Dunaways were in the middle of primaries and they were now holed up in a hotel in some godforsaken city. He’d lost count of how many municipalities they’d traveled to in the last month, but the polls had finally started reporting in January and would continue into June. There was a good four months left, but at least they’d gotten some initial primary states out of the way. Senator Dunaway was leading by two percent with only fifty percent of the votes turned in for tonight’s election. It was set to be a long evening.

“Lach,” Kimmie said hesitantly, as if she didn’t want to disturb them. “I wanted to thank you.”

Lach and Ethan were in the hotel suite with the Dunaway family, although given the size of the living room, the two men had managed to stay out of the way. They’d added additional men to the details in recent weeks, just as a precaution. The hotel was as secure as it was going to get. They’d swept the entire floor for electronic intrusion and threats of any imaginable type. Kimmie had remained in front of the television with her father, sister, and at least half the staff for most of the evening. Why they’d all needed to be here was beyond Lach’s comprehension. He would have thought they’d be more useful back at campaign headquarters.

“For?” Lach asked, curious as to why Kimmie was thanking him.

Lach heard chatter on the line, but it was just two agents verifying a guest’s access who’d wanted to gain entry to the floor with control. The entire level had been wired to a central control room set up with every kind of electronic surveillance gadget that would aid them in detecting a threat. It was also the hub that all the security details worked out of daily.

“I see how Phoebe is around you and how she listens to what you have to say.” Kimmie shoved her hands inside her black pants. It was the first time he’d seen her in dress clothes versus her usual sweatshirt and jeans. Lach wasn’t sure where she was going with this conversation, but it was clear she didn’t want to be over with the crowd. “The two of you seemed to have formed this friendship. I can imagine how hard that was, especially given what happened in Iraq. Ethan has barely spoken to me since I confessed.”

“We take loyalty to heart in our line of business, Kimmie.” Lach wasn’t keen on the fact that Phoebe had shared their past with Kimmie, but then again, they were sisters. He should have expected it. “It’s vital.”

“I never would have hurt them,” Kimmie exclaimed, her brown eyes widening in shock that they might think she actually would. “They were empty threats.”

“I didn’t say that you would physically hurt your father or sister. There are different kinds of loyalty, but trusting your family takes precedence.”

“I know Phoebe has my best interests at heart, but she doesn’t always listen to me like she does you. I have a feeling that if you weren’t around, she wouldn’t have forgiven me so easily.”

“Are things better between the two of you?” Lach asked, looking across the room at Phoebe as she stared intently at the numbers on the television. He’d been observing her all evening, wondering how he’d lasted months not caving in and fucking her until she couldn’t walk. It was getting to the point where he didn’t think waiting for a horizontal structure was going to happen. “I can see how you’re trying to make amends to them.”

“I’ve been keeping my head down and studying, doing my best to keep out of their way.” Kimmie gave a sad smile as she watched her family. “The reality of what was going to happen to my life had me panicking. I reacted without thinking. I’m not proud of that.”

“No
but
in there?” Lach knew that Ethan could hear every word that he and Kimmie were saying. The man still didn’t bother to look their way. “Maybe you have learned a thing or two.”

Phoebe had turned to speak with someone when her eyes caught his. He was still in awe that she could be so beautiful, even after having been up for over twenty hours. The make-up she wore accentuated her features, while he swore she wore that pink lipstick just to torture him. She wore a burgundy business suit versus a dress, although the suit was cut exactly right. She probably wore some designer who would get credit come morning after Phoebe’s picture was posted in every newspaper and shown on every media outlet. Her high heeled shoes made her calf muscles taut, although he could definitely think of other things that would do the same, such as having her wrists bound and drawn tight over her head to an eyehook in a ceiling. Her tiptoes would be the only thing touching the ground.

“You should go join them,” Ethan said, motioning with his head toward the large group. “Show them you mean what you say.”

“I’m going to be sad to see you guys go.” Kimmie gave them a wink before doing what Ethan suggested.

“Does she know something we don’t?” Ethan looked questioningly at Lach.

“You know that the Secret Service wasn’t too happy that Dunaway didn’t notify them about the original threats from Ward. Crest has been using what influence he has to keep them at bay, but now that Dunaway has taken the lead in the primaries the White House isn’t going to give him a choice.” Lach saw Phoebe excuse herself and start walking his way. “I figure we have twelve hours before they descend and walk off with our charges.”

“It’s about fucking time,” Ethan murmured, having seen Phoebe headed their way as well. “I went out and bought a fire extinguisher today. Wasn’t too sure the two of you were going to last.”

Lach shouldn’t have been surprised that Ethan, or for that matter the rest of the team, could see the attraction between him and Phoebe. Of course, Kimmie mentioning Iraq just confirmed it. His friends knew him well enough to know when Lach’s behavior altered slightly, although it was doubtful anyone else did. Phoebe was well practiced in keeping her private life just that and she’d been doing a damn fine job. Not even Mooney had said a word and nothing had been leaked to the press. It would have all been rumor anyway.

“You two don’t have to stand so far away.” Phoebe threw Ethan a smile, but her blue eyes remained on Lach. He heard Ethan cough but purposefully ignored him. “You’ve been with us through these past few months. You’re just as involved in this process as we are.”

“No,” Lach corrected, maintaining his position by the entrance. “We have nothing to do with the election. Our job it to keep you secure.”

“If we weren’t safe, there wouldn’t be an election.”

“Touché,” Ethan muttered.

Lach eyed Ethan until he held his hands up in mock surrender. He was smart and walked away toward the group. He motioned for a couple of people to move away from the window and went about drawing the shades closed once more. One of the young interns kept opening them and Ethan gave another warning. A round of cheers echoed throughout the room as more poll results came through, spreading out the margin between Dunaway and his running mates.

“So what happens tomorrow?” Phoebe asked, her gaze direct. “I’ll be honest with you, Lach. I’m tired of waiting.”

“Until the reins are handed over to the Secret Service, we’ll continue as things are.”

“You don’t give an inch, do you?” There was admiration in Phoebe’s voice, although her blue eyes showed the frustration they were both feeling.

“I am who I am.” Lach studied her closely and saw the slightly bruised flesh beneath her eyes. She was tired. Phoebe had been running herself ragged with eighteen to twenty hour days. Mooney and Dunaway were doing the same thing, but Lach didn’t care about them in the same manner. The damnedest part of all this was that there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. At least not now. “You keep referencing the change in our relationship. Just be sure you’re ready for it.”

Lach had kept his oath and made sure that they didn’t cross the line into a territory that would be filled with landmines. He had stood back and let Phoebe do her job, not saying a word. Had it been his place, he would have made sure she ate correctly, had the proper amount of sleep, and maintained her health. There were times he made suggestions, although she didn’t always follow through. She was independent, which he admired, but sometimes it was to her disadvantage.

“Is that a threat, Mr. McKinnon?” A smile appeared on those soft pink lips of hers, as if she were enjoying this cat and mouse game. “I can assure you that I’m ready for anything you dish out.”

“Go back and join your family, Phoebe,” Lach ordered, knowing this wasn’t the place to be having this conversation. “We’ll have plenty of time to discuss where things might be headed.”

Lach saw hesitation in Phoebe’s eyes. He knew the second the words left his mouth that she’d latched on to his indirect reference to their future. There were things they needed to talk about, which was why he’d kept things vague by saying
might be headed
. She’d misunderstood once again, but he wasn’t going to correct her. He lived a lifestyle that he enjoyed. It was a part of who he was. There were moments, especially when he felt her body heat, that he envisioned what it would be like to have her at his mercy and had no doubt she would enjoy the pleasure he could give her. And then there were times when he wasn’t sure she would understand that part of him. He wasn’t used to uncertainty and he looked forward to when their cards were laid on the table. Until then, he wouldn’t commit either one of them to anything that wasn’t certain.

“Phoebe, this is a big day for your father. It’s a key state.” Lach didn’t want to be the reason that she missed out on Dunaway’s victory. “Go.”

Phoebe’s hair was styled differently today with most of the strands pulled back in a clip. There were still some tendrils loose and as was her habit, she tucked them behind her ears. She truly was a beautiful woman and he knew that should Dunaway win this race and make it through the elections in November, Phoebe would be in the eye of the public. He was concerned about her reaction to his predilection when it came to the bedroom, but could he handle the life that she was about to be thrown into? She walked back into the throng of people, maneuvering her way to stand beside her father who happened to be sitting in a cushioned chair. She placed her hand on his shoulder as they continued watching the results, although she glanced Lach’s way occasionally.