Her desk phone rang as she was getting up to return to the observation area.

"This is Tim Russo returning your call about Elle Jestings."

"Yes, thanks for getting back to me. She's been arrested on murder charges and has requested an attorney from your firm to represent her."

After a long pause, he said, "I'm afraid that won't be possible. Mrs. Jestings has an outstanding balance on her account that exceeds fifty thousand dollars. We're unable to do any more work for her until the balance is settled."

Sam tried to imagine how this news would go over with Elle and couldn't help but smile. "I'll let her know. Thank you for returning my call."

"No problem."

Sam got up and went straight to the room where Elle was being held. "I just got off the phone with Tim Russo."

"He's on his way?"

"I'm afraid not. He said your account with his firm is in arrears to the tune of fifty thousand dollars, and until you've settled up with them, they're unavailable to do any more work for you."

"You can't be serious," she said, her face flushing with rage. "They were my father's attorneys for forty years! They wouldn't dare say no to me!"

"I believe they just did. Shall I call the public defender's office for you?"

In that moment it seemed to occur to Elle that she was screwed. As she dropped into a chair, her silk dress billowed out around her before collapsing against her legs. "If it's that or nothing, make the call."

"Very good."

"You don't need to enjoy this so much."

"I don't enjoy anything about murder, except for catching the scumbags who did it and sending them away for life. That part I enjoy very much. You may as well get comfortable, Mrs. Jestings. You're going to be here a while."

By the time they got the DNA results back from the lab as well as the report on the knife that confirmed the presence of Willie's blood and Horace's fingerprints, as well as Boris's fingerprints on the steering wheel of Willie's car, it was after four in the morning. Sam, Hill and Cruz spent the next three hours typing up their reports and filing them.

At eight o'clock, Sam placed calls to Carmen Vasquez and Carla Lind to let them know arrests had been made in their husbands' murders. While it might have been cowardly on her part, she refrained from informing them that their husbands had been unfaithful. Both were still dealing with the grief of their sudden losses, and giving them the rest of the story at this time would've been piling on. They'd find out soon enough.

After she gave a brief statement about the arrests to the media, she was about to finally go home when she remembered she'd never filed a report on Stahl's attack. It took another hour to pound that out, and by then her eyes were gritty and raw. Although she was anxious to see Scotty before he left with Mrs. Littlefield at ten, she stopped first at her dad's house to update him on the case and to find out what had happened at the doctor's appointment.

"Are you crazy kids up yet?" she called out as she walked into the house to find her dad and Celia sitting at the kitchen table. "What's going on?"

"Have you been up all night, honey?"

"Just getting home now, but we got it sewed up."

Celia held up the front page of the Star where a banner headline read "Star Publisher Elle Kopelsman Jestings Charged in Vasquez, Lind Murders." The picture of Sam dragging Elle into HQ was plastered under the headline.

"I can't believe she was involved," Skip said. "Her dad must be rolling in his grave."

"I suspect he's been rolling for some time as she drove his company into the ground."

"Want some coffee?" Celia asked.

"No thanks. I'm going home to crash." She sat for a minute. "I heard you're being admitted for some tests. What's up with that?"

"They think the bullet might be moving," Celia said grimly.

"What does that mean?"

"It may have to come out."

"But they said that would be too dangerous."

"Yes, and it would still be dangerous, but it might be more dangerous to leave it if it's moving."

Sam's exhausted mind struggled to process what her stepmother was saying. "If they take it out, will he regain feeling in his extremities?"

"They don't know," Skip said.

"But maybe?" Sam asked as a surge of hope shot through her.

"They don't know what to expect," her dad said again. "It's a very unusual case. Has been from the beginning."

"When are you going in?"

"Next week. After the election, don't worry."

"Don't plan it around us! Do what's best for you!"

"It'll keep until then, baby girl," Skip said. "I want to see my son-in-law reelected before I steal the spotlight for a day or two."

"Are you sure it's okay to wait that long?"

"It's fine," Skip assured her. "Everything is going to be just fine. I don't want you to worry. Now come give your dear old dad a kiss and go home to bed. You're about to keel over from exhaustion."

Since Sam couldn't deny that, she got up and did as he asked, hanging on to him for an extra minute before she released him and went to kiss Celia's cheek. "Keep me posted."

"You know we will, honey."

Sam left her dad's house and walked the short distance to the ramp that led to her own home. Inside, she found Scotty having breakfast with Shelby. Judging from the chocolate smeared all over Scotty's face, Shelby had made chocolate-chip pancakes.

"Sam! You're home. Did you figure out who killed Willie?"

Sam bent to kiss his forehead. "I sure did. Three people are in jail right now."

"I hope they never get out."

"I doubt they will. Mrs. L will be here in a few minutes. You need to go wash your face and brush your teeth."

"Okay!"

"Grab your overnight bag too," Shelby called after him.

Sam took the seat he'd abandoned and tore off a bite of pancake from the stack on the table. "Thanks so much for staying here last night."

"I'm happy to do it whenever you need me."

"It's a huge help."

"I enjoy being with him. He's delightful."

Sam smiled. "Yes, he is."

"You look done in."

"I'm ready for some sleep."

"What time does your handsome hubby get home?"

"I'm not sure. He said sometime this morning."

"I'll get out of here so you two can have some alone time."

"Since we'll probably be unconscious for most of it, you don't need to rush on my account."

"I've got a wedding to check in on later today, and a hot date for lunch tomorrow." Her grin stretched from ear to ear. "I need to get my nails done and my hair colored."

"Ah, did a certain FBI agent finally call you?"

"Yes, he did. He wanted to go today, but I didn't want to be too available."

Sam laughed at her logic. "Good. I'm glad you heard from him. He's a nice guy. You could do worse."

"He's easy on the eyes. That's for sure."

"If you say so."

Shelby giggled as she got up from the table and made quick work of cleaning up the kitchen. "So why doesn't Nick like him?"

Taken aback by the question, Sam struggled to find an answer that didn't require the actual truth. "Who knows? Guys are so weird."

Thankfully, Shelby didn't choose to pursue it any further and chatted about her night with Scotty as she finished loading the dishwasher.

Sam forced herself to stay awake until Mrs. Littlefield arrived to pick up Scotty for their outing.

He gave Sam a big hug before he left. "Tell Nick I'll see him tomorrow."

"I will, buddy. We'll be there to get you in the afternoon. Have a good time."

"We'll have a great time," Mrs. Littlefield said as she ushered Scotty out the door with his Secret Service detail in tow.

Shelby left a short time later, and Sam trudged upstairs, going directly to the shower where she nearly fell asleep standing up. As she was combing her hair, she caught her first glimpse of her injured neck. "Holy shit," she whispered as she took in the vivid blue marks. She was glad to know her nemesis had gotten the worst of it, but Nick would flip when he saw her latest collection of bruises.

And how had he known about the altercation with Stahl anyway?

"Secret Service," she whispered to her reflection. Of course they had a direct pipeline to Air Force One and would've informed him of what happened in his absence. It had probably upset him to hear that she'd been hurt when he was too far away to do anything for her, which in turn upset her. She didn't like being the cause of his distress.

Sam dried her hair, secured it into a loose ponytail and wandered naked into the bedroom, eyeing the big bed with lust in her heart. Then she thought of the loft and decided that's where she wanted to be when he got home.

Still naked, she went upstairs, landed facedown on the comfortable double lounge chair and pulled a soft blanket over her. Sleep swooped down on her immediately. She fell asleep smiling, knowing she'd wake up to her husband's handsome face and get to spend an entire day completely alone with him. She couldn't wait to see him and to tell him all about what'd happened while he was gone.

Nick dropped his duffel bag inside the front door and laid his garment bag over the sofa to deal with later. He kicked off his shoes and took the stairs in stocking feet, anxious to lay eyes on his wife, even if she was sound asleep. He'd take what he could get. In the bedroom, he was surprised to find the bed empty and the blinds open to the late morning sunshine.

"Where the heck is she?"

And then he knew. Smiling, he took the stairs to the loft two at a time. She was curled up on her side, and the dip of the blanket revealed a bare shoulder, the graceful curve of her back and a tantalizing view of her gorgeous ass.

Nick licked lips gone dry and quickly shed his own clothes into a pile on the floor that was most unlike him. He'd showered and shaved on the plane before they landed so he wouldn't have to do anything when he got home but snuggle up to his beautiful wife in bed.

He'd talked to Scotty on the way home, so he knew she'd worked all night and managed to close the Vasquez and Lind cases. His Secret Service detail had filled him in on the arrest of Elle Jestings and her bodyguards.

Nick curled up to her warmth and pulled the blanket over both of them as he put his arm around her and breathed in the familiar scent of home.

She murmured in her sleep as her hand covered his, aware of his presence even in slumber.

He wanted her urgently but would never wake her after she'd gone so long without sleep. It was enough for now to hold her close, to feel her heart beating under the hand he'd rested on her chest and to enjoy the singular feeling of her naked body pressed against his.

The trip had been long and grueling. He'd slept only sporadically, especially after the conversation with the president had him running the different scenarios and failing to figure out how to fit the president's offer into their lives in a way that made sense for all of them.

Sam turned over and opened her stunning blue eyes. "You're home." Her voice was hoarse with sleep and sexy as all hell.

His gaze traveled immediately to the angry bruises on her neck, which he traced with a light fingertip so he wouldn't hurt her. "I hope I never see that bastard Stahl again. I might have to kill him for doing this to you."

"Don't do that. I need you too much to have to arrest you for murder."

He brought her in tight against him and sighed when her arm curled around him.

"Missed you so much," she said. "I hated that I couldn't even talk to you."

"I hated it too. I was very anxious being so far from you guys with everything that's gone on lately. I couldn't wait to get home, especially after I heard about what happened with Stahl."

"So the Secret Service ratted me out on that, huh?"

"Yes," he said, chuckling, "they certainly did."

"Tattletaling-yet another reason to keep them far away from me. It was cool being on Air Force One?"

"It was an amazing experience. I wish you and Scotty could've come with me."