At the Pleasure of the President (The Perfect Gentlemen 5)

No, he needed to call it like it was. Elizabeth had likely killed the report.

She’d also been the one to “find” the blackmail letter. Everything pointed to her. She’d even been recommended by his father, who almost certainly knew something…or had at one point. Information had to be buried in that foggy brain of his.

His father was the key to unlocking this mystery, but Zack couldn’t get the man to say anything lucid. He’d tried to question his dad many times over the last couple of months. He’d asked about the years they’d spent in Russia. He’d asked about his mother’s death. He’d absolutely asked why his mother had talked constantly about a mysterious baby when she’d been drunk.

Had that baby been the real Zack Hayes?

But whenever he posed these questions to his father, the man always stared at him as if he didn’t understand. Or he would melt down into a tirade, and Zack would have to bring in the nurse to sedate him.

“I’m looking into what happened with that FAA matter, but I have to be quiet,” Roman murmured. “Connor is taking point on that. We’ll figure this out. You haven’t done anything to compromise yourself or the country. Honestly, now that we’ve got Mad back, I’m more positive than ever that we’ll win this fight.”

“We don’t even know precisely who we’re fighting.”

Roman stared at him for a moment, an almost nauseating sympathy in his eyes. “We’re going to have to deal with Elizabeth.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do.”

“By bringing her to Mad? By letting her in on all of our secrets?”

“She already knows them. If she’s half the spy you seem to think she is, I assure you she already knows everything there is to know about me.”

“And if she’s not, then you’ve wrecked the best relationship of your life. Don’t pretend you don’t love her and this isn’t killing you. For what it’s worth, Gus loves her, too. Honestly, I don’t know what to think anymore and I’m sick of playing the bad guy. I’m only looking out for you.”

If there was one thing in this world Zack could count on, it was that Roman Calder always had his back. “I don’t want to believe Elizabeth had anything to do with this mess, but all the roads lead back to her.”

“Maybe that’s because someone’s trying to divide us.”

Zack clung to that suggestion like a damn life raft. “She would be the easiest one to get to. Mad admitted he isn’t sure about Elizabeth, either. But maybe he has some insights. When I told him I was having her brought here this weekend, he didn’t argue.”

Roman held up a hand. “Look, regardless of whether she’s done anything wrong or not, you’re going to rest easier if you know she’s safe. I think you should try to repair your relationship with her.”

“Maybe, but—”

“There are two ways to think about this. If Liz isn’t involved in this conspiracy, then someone on the opposite side is damn smart. They’ve figured out what she means to you and they’re using her already. Pushing her away didn’t stop them in the least. But if she’s in on it…”

“Then keeping her close is the best idea.” Zack always felt better having his conclusions seconded by a master politician. “And maybe if she’s not involved, letting her in will go a long ways to repairing our friendship.”

Roman rolled his eyes. “You mean you might finally get her into bed. That will go a long way to fixing you two. But just in case, maybe we should run a little test.”

“What do you mean?”

Roman had his scheming face on. Of course most people would simply call that his face in general because Roman was almost always plotting something. “Give her some information no one but the two of us knows, something false. If it gets out, we know she’s involved.”

And if it didn’t, then he might still have a shot at some kind of happiness, however temporary it might be. Though he had to consider all the ramifications of being with Elizabeth. “I still need to keep my distance. I don’t want her tied too closely to me if it turns out I’m a Russian plant. I won’t ruin her life that way.”

“Let’s take it one day at a time.” Roman clapped a hand on his shoulder. “And tonight, let’s just be happy our asshole friend isn’t in the grave and that he might have useful information so we can end this once and for all.”

Zack grimaced. “I know…”

“Come on, man. Don’t feel guilty or wallow yourself into misery. Let’s have one night where we’re just happy that we’re all together again. How much do you want to bet that Everly and Sara both slap the shit out of Mad?”

He smiled at that before reality intruded again. “Gabe needs to talk to Sara before she sees Mad.”

How would the expectant mother handle her lover coming back from the dead?

“She’ll be happy…eventually. She’s got to understand he did this to protect her. I believe that part of his story,” Roman said. “Now, let’s take a deep breath and get ready for the storm. I hear the chopper coming in.”

Zack felt his whole body tense because that meant Elizabeth was here. She would walk in any moment with Gus, Lara, and Holland.

Minutes later, he heard the door open. The click-click-click of Gus’s heels followed. Naturally, she was carrying a bottle of his best tequila. He should have known if he disrupted that woman’s party, she would simply make another one.

“All right, guys, we’re here. Your explanation better be excel…”

Augustine Spencer looked across the great room and fell uncharacteristically silent. She simply stood, rooted, staring at the dead man who looked very much alive. Lara and Holland joined her, each blinking in shock at Mad with their jaws hanging open.

“Hey, Gus.” Mad might care about the other ladies, but Zack knew damn well Mad had always adored Gus. She’d been his touchstone for years. “I thought you might forgive me for hijacking your party.”

Roman stepped up beside him, watching his fiancée with concern.

Gus gasped and tears started. “Yep. You’re forgiven.” She walked toward Mad, her arms wide. “I knew you couldn’t be dead. Something inside me kept insisting. You bastard.”

But she threw her arms around him and cried.

Lara had her hands on her hips. “I’m glad you’re alive, Mr. Crawford, and I’m eager for an explanation. But we’ll need to talk about the environmental impact of your faked demise.”

Connor managed to cup his wife’s shoulders before she could start the lecture. He knew exactly how to get her attention. He started kissing her.

Dax moved in on his wife, Holland, taking her hand and explaining with quiet words, stopping when she had questions.

Elizabeth stood apart from the rest. She still wore the suit she’d worked in all day. The Secret Service must have nabbed her before she could change for Gus’s impromptu party. It didn’t matter. She was the most gorgeous woma

n he’d ever seen.

And Zack didn’t know for certain, but he’d bet she would be absolutely stunning wearing nothing at all.

She turned to him, and those crystal blue eyes caught his. Caught was the perfect word. Every time he looked at her, that’s how he felt. Years ago she’d caught him, and even now she refused to let him go.

He couldn’t think of another woman, hadn’t been able to in forever. He’d gone out with several of the world’s most celebrated beauties for appearances’ sake. A few had even indicated they were receptive to far more than a friendly dinner. Zack couldn’t stand the thought of touching them. Not a one of those women moved him.

He watched the moment Elizabeth decided to be brave. She squared her shoulders and those eyes went steely as she marched his way.

His heart rate ticked up, but he was sure no one would be able to tell. He’d learned early in life how to hide almost everything he was feeling. His father would have preferred that he feel nothing at all, but he’d been satisfied that Zack was usually quite good at putting on a bland face.

She wouldn’t be able to tell that his dick had stirred to life the way it always did when she was around. He could ignore his physical needs easily—with the singular exception of this one woman. Sometimes, like now, he wished he’d never met her, never known how good it felt to be in love.

“Mr. President, I understand why I’m here now, but I’m going to need to get back to DC tonight. The Secret Service agent told me they’re sending the chopper back shortly. I’d like to be on board so I can do my job.”

She didn’t understand anything at all. He hated the fact that she called him Mr. President now, even when they were alone. Sometimes, he played a sick game with himself to see if he could fluster her enough to let his first name slip past her gorgeous lips. He always felt a rush of triumph when it did.

“You’ve been assigned a room. If you need anything, let me know and we’ll have someone get it for you. Since we’ll be here for a few days, I’ve already sent one of the interns to your place to pack a bag for you.”