First Family (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 4)

THEY HAD SETTLED on a Boeing 757 that the secretary of state used to fly before she’d been upgraded to a wide-body 767–300. The plane had been kept at Andrews Air Force Base along with the rest of the presidential fleet. All government markings had been previously removed and it was now primarily used to shuttle agents, aides, and the press, as well as necessary equipment.

The secretary of state had a private office and bedroom on the plane and that configuration had not changed. It was in the office where the president and Mrs. Cox were sitting when they went wheels up from Andrews a few hours after Jane Cox had burst into the Oval Office and planted a golf ball in Thomas Jefferson’s left eye socket. The rest of the plane housed a hastily assembled skeleton crew of Secret Service agents who were more bewildered than anything else by what was happening.

The president sat looking at his wife, who was hunched in her seat staring at the floor. When they reached their cruising altitude, the president undid his seat belt and looked around the quarters.

“Nice office. Not as big as mine on AF-One, but nice.”

“I’m sorry, Dan. I’m sorry you didn’t get to ride in your usual big toy.” Her arms were folded across her chest and she was looking at him with alternating expressions of fear and hopelessness.

“It that what you think al

l this is? Toys?”

“I actually don’t know what I think right now. No, actually I do. I think we’ve finally reached rock bottom.”

He took off his shoes, rubbed his feet, and paced around the cabin.

“I don’t even really remember it.”

“I’m sure you don’t. But I do.”

“I’ve changed.”

“Okay.”

“I have, Jane. And you damn well know it.”

“Okay, you’ve changed. That does not help the present situation.”

He sighed and sat down next to her, massaging her shoulders. “I know it doesn’t. I know this has been hell for you.”

She slowly looked at him. “He took Willa because of this.”

“So you told me. No, so you screamed at me.”

“You said you couldn’t compromise the office of the president in order to get her back.”

“That’s right, Jane. I can’t. Even if this mess weren’t my responsibility I couldn’t.”

“Our responsibility.”

“Jane—”

She took his hand in hers. “Ours, she said softly.”

“I don’t know why you ever stayed with me, really.”

“I love you. Sometimes I don’t know why, but I do. I attached my star to yours, Dan. We shot to the sky together.”

“And we may fall back to earth just as fast.”

“We may.”

“This election is mine to lose. Haven’t had one of those in this country in a while.” She said nothing. He glanced at her. “Do you think he’ll keep his word? If we do what he asked?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know the man. All I know is that he sounded like someone who had it all figured out. Not just us, but what he wants.”

“The Secret Service is very upset at all this.”