Madam President (50 page)

After a snack of fresh fruit and milk, they returned to Lauren's room to do a puppy check. Dev was dismayed to find that Princess had delivered not only a third, but a fourth puppy. "Holy cow!" she exclaimed, fending off Lauren's playful slaps. "They are so, so..." she searched her mind for an appropriate word.

"Cute!" Aaron provided helpfully, still a little dazed from his nap. He positioned himself in his mother's lap so that they could peer into the puppy crate together. "Now there's enough for us each to have our very own!"

And so it begins...
"Aaron, we are not keeping these puppies."

Aaron's bottom lip immediately poked out. "Awww, Mom..."

"Aw, Mom..." Lauren echoed him cheekily.

"No." Dev glared at the writer. She put Aaron down and tried to look firm about her decision. "No. And that's final." She ignored Lauren's muffled snort.

Gremlin had finally gathered his courage and was standing on his hind legs, his front paws hanging over the edge of the crate as he peered down at his growing family. He looked at Dev and growled in warning, protectively baring his teeth.

Dev only laughed. "Oh, don't worry about it, buddy. They are
all
yours." She started herding the children away from Princess and the squirming puppies so that the detachment process could begin.

All three kids began whining and dragging their feet.

Just as Dev was about to lose control of her brood, Emma poked her head inside Lauren's room. Upon seeing the impending disaster, she took charge, reining in the Marlowe children and escorting them out of Lauren's room.

"Thank you, Emma!" Dev called out to the nanny as the door shut.

When they were alone, Dev opened her arms and Lauren stepped into them without hesitation. She hummed her delight at having the smaller woman wrapped tightly in her embrace. They both stood in total silence. Devlyn needed the wordless comfort, and Lauren was more than happy to oblige. "Don't suppose we can spend all day like this," she finally sighed.

The blonde woman tightened her grip on Dev. "I'm game if you are, darlin'."

Dev smiled into Lauren's hair, enjoying the light scent of her shampoo and the closeness of a friendship she'd come to cherish. "I need to get back there."

Lauren let out an unhappy breath. "I know. I haven't been able to keep up with much that's been happening. Between the puppies and the kids it's been crazy. I tried not to have the television going when we were together." She shrugged. "Ashley heard some people talking and had some questions that I thought you'd want to answer yourself." She stopped and rubbed her cheek against Dev's shoulder. "Were very many people hurt and killed?"

"One is too many. But, yeah, several people were killed. I checked the numbers one more time before I left the Situation Room, and deaths had gone up to ten and forty-six injured. Initial numbers weren't as high as we suspected they would be, but they've been slowly climbing because of injuries in nearby buildings that weren't initially included in our figures or weren't reported. And some of the more seriously injured didn't make it." Dev stared at the far wall as she thought. "I'm going to be pretty busy over the next couple of weeks. I'll be doing a lot of traveling, meeting with governors, mayors, and community groups."

"I know." Lauren's voice took on a no-nonsense tone. "I'm coming with you. It's important for me to be there for you too, Devlyn. Like you were there for me at my mom's funeral. Not to mention that it's critical for the book."

Silence.

Lauren frowned, an uneasy feeling blossoming in the pit of her stomach. "Dev?" Lauren frowned.

Dev cursed under her breath and braced herself. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. But it's not safe for you to come on this trip."

"Oh, no! No, you don't!" Lauren tried to pull away, but Dev held her tight.

"No." She set her jaw. "I mean it, so there is no sense in arguing with me on this."
Even though you
usually win our arguments.
"I'm not going to clear you for this trip, Lauren. It's too dangerous right now. Lots of people are scared and upset. And people who are scared and upset do stupid things. I won't risk your getting hurt."

Lauren's temper began to rise, and an angry flush started working its way up her neck. "I won't be coddled! And if it's too dangerous for me, then it's too dangerous for you."

"I don't have a choice. I can't appear to be afraid to be seen in public. One of the points in going is to make sure that people see that this administration won't be bullied." Dev's eyes flashed with anger. "That
I
won't be bullied. This is my job."

"And what about my job?" Lauren snapped back. "The book-"

"Is not worth risking you over!" Dev consciously lowered her voice and grabbed hold of her emotions. She knew she was being overly cautious. But she kept thinking of what she'd already lost and what she wasn't willing to risk. The rational part of her mind told her that the Secret Service could keep Lauren as safe as they could keep her. Then again, she'd been shot three times.

"What happened to unlimited access?" Lauren demanded.

"This is not about that, and you know it."

Lauren finally pried herself loose from Dev's embrace. She couldn't get good and pissed off when the older woman held her in her arms. Lauren needed distance. Even if it was only a foot or two. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin defiantly. "After the assassination attempt we still went places together. Why is this so different?"

"Because this is hot on the heels of something that has the public in an uproar. And half of them are insane on a good day! But when things like this happen, the crazy ones get even crazier and the extremists more extreme. And that anger is directed at the piss poor government that they didn't like to begin with. People protest, people riot. And since yesterday there have been several credible threats made against me, the Vice President, and Air Force One." Dev threw her hands in the air. "Now is just not a good time! It's not forever, Lauren. I promise. God, with everything else that's going on right now, I just can't handle worrying about you. I couldn't stand losing you too. Please."

Lauren went stone still. "How credible?"

"Even David is worried."

"Then you should stay!"

"I can't. But you can." Dev's eyes begged her to agree.

The President's words were soft but fierce, and the biographer felt herself caving in without wanting to.
For God's sake, not the 'sad eyes'. That's not fair!

"Please, just this once give in. For me. Please," Dev whispered. This was far more than just business. She was playing on Lauren's affections, and she knew it. But this wasn't a game, and if Dev had to fight dirty, she would.

The writer could see real fear in Dev's eyes, and she exhaled explosively, running a slightly shaky hand through her pale hair. She looked away from Devlyn and bit her tongue to keep from continuing to protest.
Damn, you fight dirty.
She scowled at her options, and when she turned back, intense, gray eyes bore so deeply into the President that she sucked in a surprised breath. "Swear to me that you'll do everything David says when it comes to security."

Dev blinked a few times. She wasn't expecting that. "Uh..."

"Promise, Devlyn! Or, so help me, I'll follow you around on a commercial plane if I have to, like some sort of damned groupie!"

Dev nodded, letting out a long, relieved breath.
Yes. Thank you.
"I promise."

"I can't believe I'm letting you get away with this." Lauren shook her head, then pushed her glasses higher up on her nose. "I'm going to worry about you the entire time you're gone."

Dev stepped forward, and, seeing no resistance in Lauren's face, put her arms back around the smaller woman. "Thank you, Lauren. I know you think this is silly. But I swear to you it's not."

A pale eyebrow lifted.

"Okay," Dev conceded, "not completely silly."

"Just this once, Devlyn." Lauren sighed. "Next time I'm not letting you off the hook so easily. We'll duke it out like always."

Dev crossed her heart. "Next time you can pitch a fit for a long as you want... and then give in."

"Don't push it." But Lauren couldn't help but crack a tiny smile.

Dev smiled back and lifted Lauren's chin so that she was looking deeply into her eyes. She didn't stop to think about what she was saying, or the fact that she hadn't ever said it out loud to Lauren before. "I love you so much it hurts," she whispered fervently. The words dropped effortlessly from her lips. And in that instant, she wondered why in the hell she had waited so long to say them.

Lauren closed her eyes and buried her face in the crook of Dev's neck. Hot tears pricked her eyes, and she let them come. Dev's arms tightened around her, and she sighed, absorbing the sweet pleasure of the moment. "You-" Lauren stopped and swallowed hard, collecting herself. "You are shameless and will say anything to win an argument," she teased weakly. She squeezed Dev hard and dropped a tender kiss in the hollow of her throat, pulling back to meet glistening blue eyes. Her heart swelled, and she promised, "I love you too."

*
 
*
 
*

David handed Dev the report as soon as she walked into the room. "We've got them, Madam President." He smiled triumphantly. "A militia group out of Oregon. They claimed responsibility about twenty minutes ago, and what specifics they let slip about the bombings were enough to confirm that their claim is legitimate. We've already got a bead on their location. They've been under minimal surveillance for months. Although, obviously, we didn't know they were planning anything like this."

"Everyone involved in the decision making process, in the Oval Office now," Dev ordered, already heading for the room herself. She wanted to be comfortable when she heard this.

She settled in behind her desk, while everyone else filed in and remained standing. They all stood, waiting for David, who took a seat across from Dev. The next twenty minutes were spent briefing Dev about the militia group and the FBI's plan to go in and 'neutralize' them. She asked every question she could think of and soaked up the intelligence information like a sponge. There were several minor clashes between agencies over exactly how this 'neutralization' should take place, but Dev felt those disagreements helped to flesh out important considerations that shouldn't be ignored.

When the last briefing was over, Dev remained silent for several moments, absorbing what she'd been told, her mind running through the several scenarios that had been laid on the table for her consideration. Finally, she took a deep breath and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I need you to step outside for a moment while I consult with the Chief of Staff." Dev's request was met with murmurs of agreement, and the room cleared in a matter of seconds.

David studied the President attentively. "You know what has to be done, Dev." He sighed, and his gaze dropped to his hands. "We need to take them out before they do more damage."

"Women and children?"

The red-haired man chewed the inside of his cheek. "Yes." David looked at his hands again. "The Director of the FBI confirmed that there will very likely be women and children in the compound. Dev, they brought them in months ago as a 'fuck you' to you. The families are there to act as human shields against government invasion."

"We were just kids, David, but do you remember Waco?"

"I do, Madam President, but this is entirely different." His mind flashed to the television in his parents' living room, filled with images of flames, explosions, and body bags. "These people have struck out against the nation as a whole. They've
already
killed. They are large and organized. We got very lucky in tracing their location to this Oregon compound. They have 'hidden' camps all over the country."