First Family (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 4)

Jane looked like she wanted to laugh. “I’m very upset too. And regardless of how this turns out, they’ll still have a job. I can’t say the same about you.”

“About us ,” he reminded her.

“You know, a little self-control, that’s all it would’ve taken.”

“It was like a disease. You know it was. In all honesty I have to say I’m stunned actually that nothing has ever come up before now.”

“Stunned? Really? When I was behind you all the time picking up the pieces? And you’re stunned?”

“I didn’t mean it that way.”

“What other way could you possibly have meant it?”

“Now is not the time to be divided, Jane. We have to stand together on this. If we’re going to survive.”

“I guess we’ll have all of our golden years in which to fight.”

“If that’s what you want,” he said coldly.

“What I want is not to be on this plane going to where we’re going.”

“How did he sound on the phone?”

“Determined. Full of anger and hatred. Can you blame him?”

“You think he was being straight? I mean, it seems like such a small thing to do in return for, you know…”

“Would you rather he killed Willa?” she said darkly.

“That wasn’t my point! Don’t put words in my mouth.”

A knock at the door interrupted this bickering.

It was Larry Foster, the protection detail chief. “Sir, the flight crew has our ETA into Huntsville in about one hour and thirty minutes. It’s fortunate that they just opened a new runway that’ll support an aircraft in this class.”

“Fine, right.”

“And then we are to go on to another location.”

“You were given the coordinates.”

“Yes sir. We have them.”

“Well, is there a problem?”

“Sir, can I speak frankly?”

Cox glanced at his wife and then turned back to Foster. “Go ahead,” he said tersely.

“This whole thing is a problem. We have no idea where we’re going, or what we’ll be confronted with. I’m understaffed on this and don’t have even one-quarter of our regular support and equipment. My strong recommendation is that we turn around and head back to D.C.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Sir, I’m very strongly recommending that we don’t go through with this.”

“I’m the president. I just wanted to go for an unscheduled trip. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Foster cleared his throat. His clenched hands evidenced the anger that he was feeling but trying hard not to show. “The other issue is we don’t have a motorcade, sir. And the destination in question is about eighty miles southeast of the airport in Huntsville.”