He put his arm around her and drew her in close.

She nuzzled her nose into his neck, drinking in the scent of the cologne he'd recently applied. It was one of her favorite smells in the entire world. "Would you stay home if I asked you to?"

"Would you stay home today if I asked you to?"

"Yes," she said with a sigh, his point clear. "But you'd never ask me to."

"No, I wouldn't."

"It scares me."

"It scares me every time you walk out that door, knowing there're people out there who hate you just because of the badge you carry. Not to mention your psycho ex-husband who hates you because you love me. It scares me to know that you can nearly get shot in the face when you stop to buy a bagel."

Nick pressed a line of kisses over the fading scar on her face, earned during a robbery she walked in on over the summer. When she'd jumped the guy from behind, he'd pistol-whipped her face, laying open her cheek.

"I don't like it when you pit your much bigger fears against my smaller, mostly insignificant fears."

His chuckle rumbled from his chest as he pressed another kiss to the top of her head. "I'm not a hundred percent sure I can go yet. It'll take some juggling of campaign events."

Was it wrong of her to hope he couldn't get out of them? "But you want to go. Right?"

"Babe... It's the president and Air Force One. Yeah, I want to go-but not just because of the super cool plane. Where we're going, why we're going... It's important or I'd never do it."

"I understand."

"Do you really?"

"Not yet, but I'll try to get there by the time you go."

"While you were in the shower I was thinking about Scotty. With Willie being murdered, I might need to stick around for him."

"It's a quick trip, right?"

"They said we'd be gone about forty hours total."

"I can handle things here for forty hours."

He squeezed her again and kissed her. "You're the best wife ever."

"We both know that's not true."

"You're the best wife I've ever had."

Sam laughed and slugged his arm as she got up. "I walked right into that. Can you and your detail give me a lift to HQ on the way to the Hill?" It was out of their way, but she knew he would do it if he could.

"Happy to, but where's your car?"

"Cruz is meeting me there with it. I didn't want to stink it up."

"So how'd you get home?"

"I stunk up a patrol car."

"You're all heart, babe."

"Aren't I?"

"I'll wait for you downstairs."

"I'll be quick." In the bedroom across the hall that served as her closet, Sam found a clean pair of jeans folded neatly on a shelf that was now devoted to jeans. The unusual organization stopped her short. Who had done that? Ugh, Tinker Bell!

Sam needed to tell Shelby to expend her organizational energy elsewhere. She liked her mess exactly the way it was. She pulled on a wool sweater and found socks and a pair of hiking boots to complete her ensemble. If she would be putting in long hours, she'd be doing it in comfort.

She ran downstairs and heard Nick talking to someone. He was in the kitchen with Shelby, going over one of her famous lists.

"Morning," she said to Sam. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." It was rather nice to have freshly made coffee waiting for her. She'd give Shelby that much credit. "No organizing my closet, Tinker Bell."

"I didn't do hardly anything in there."

"The jeans were folded."

"Oh my God," Nick said, scandalized. "You didn't!"

"I did," Shelby said with a teasingly glum expression. The tiny blonde wore a pink sweat suit that resembled high fashion on her. "My apologies. It won't happen again."

"Good," Sam muttered, not amused by their teasing. "Ready to go?" she asked Nick.

"Whenever you are. I've got Scotty after school," Nick said to Shelby. "I'll take him back to the office with me for a couple of hours."

"He'll enjoy that."

"What kid wouldn't?" Sam asked. "All that legislating and backstabbing." She shivered. "So exciting."

As Shelby giggled behind her hand, Nick shot his wife a playful snarl and headed for the living room. "Let's go, Lieutenant."

Taking advantage of a second alone with Shelby, Sam lowered her voice. "You asked out Agent Hill?"

Shelby seemed shocked by the question. "How do you know that?"

"Yes or no. Did you?"

"Maybe. Now tell me how you know."

"He might've mentioned it to me."

"You saw him? Where?"

"At work. Duh. Where do you think I saw him?"

"I bet he looked good enough to eat."

"I refuse to dignify that with a response. You may be hearing from him."

"Oh my God. Seriously? Tell me everything he said."

"As fun as that return to high school would be, I've got to get to work. Keep him far, far away from here. You got me?"

"Why don't you like him?"

"Come on, Sam," Nick called.

"Far away. That's all I'm saying." Sam left the room before Shelby could continue the conversation. She grabbed her coat, strapped on her weapon, shoved her badge and notebook into her back pocket, and put her cuffs in her coat pocket before she ran out the door.

Nick was already in the black SUV with the tinted windows. One of the agents waited for her at the curb, holding the door for her.

When she got in, Nick was on the phone with Christina.

Sam buckled in as they pulled away from the curb. Even though she'd made fun of the lack of excitement at his office, she loved watching him in senator mode. He consulted with his chief of staff about the invitation to join the president for a quick trip.

"I'll tell you when I get there," he said, glancing at Sam.

"Why does she get to know where you're going, but I don't?" Sam asked.

Nick held the phone away from his mouth. "Because she has a security clearance, and you don't."

"I need to get me one of them." Agent Hill had rubbed his top-secret clearance in Sam's face, using it as an excuse to insert himself into the Kavanaugh investigation. Despite his staring issues, he wasn't a bad guy and had been invaluable to her during that case. Not that she'd ever tell her husband that. He saw red where Agent Hill was concerned.

She checked the clock on her phone. It had been an hour since they found Willie, and it would be a while yet before Lindsey had anything for her. So she would start at Willie's home address and then head for the ballpark with Hill. As always, the media would be on her like white on rice the second the word got out about Willie's murder, but she could handle the reporters. She'd stonewall them the way she always did for as long as she could.

Nick ended the call with Christina and tucked his cell phone into his suit coat pocket. "What're you thinking about over there?"

"Where to start to find a murderer when everyone in the city had a motive."

"That's a tough one, but you'll figure it out. You always do."

"If I'm allowed to run it."

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"Farnsworth doesn't want me on the streets with Arnie's people running loose."

"Can't say I disagree with him, babe. A lot of Arnie's followers are among the affectionately termed 'loony fringe.' I wouldn't put it past them to take a shot at you looking to vindicate him."

"Be that as it may, Arnie's ass is staying in jail. We've got him screwed, glued and tattooed."

Nick chuckled. "I'd never heard that expression until I met you."

"See how I've broadened your horizons?"

His hand landed on her thigh. "Speaking of broadening horizons... Have you given any more thought to what we talked about the other night?"

She'd thought of little else until she found Willie Vasquez dead in a Dumpster. "Some."

"And?"

"I don't know yet."

"Do you want to talk about it some more?"

"At some point."

"I'm not pressuring you, babe. You know that, right?"

"I don't feel pressured."

"Good." He squeezed her thigh and removed his hand. "I'd never want that."

Her body tingled at the reminder of their most recent interlude in the loft he'd put together to remind them of their honeymoon in Bora Bora. Their sex life had heated up even more than usual over the summer, and they'd been doing a lot of experimenting ever since. "I know." She paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I need to tell you something."

"What's that?"

Even though it went against her nature to be forthcoming with potentially troublesome information, she'd learned the hard way to be truthful with her husband. It saved her a shitload of aggravation where he was concerned. "Hill has been promoted to agent in charge of criminal investigations. He's moved to D.C. permanently. He grew up with the Feds' owner, Ray Jestings, so we'll be calling on him for assistance with the investigation. I wanted to be upfront with you about his involvement, so there's no trouble between us over it."

Nick's expression never changed, but his lips tightened, a sure sign that he was annoyed.

When they arrived at HQ, the agents brought the SUV to a stop outside the main entrance. "Thanks for telling me about Hill." He looked over at her, slaying her with those amazing hazel eyes that saw right through her. "You've come a long way, babe."

"What does that mean?"

"Not that long ago, you would've kept that tidbit to yourself and hoped I wouldn't find out you were working with him again. While I wish he'd go away and never come back, I'm glad you told me yourself."

"Even an old dog like me can learn a few new tricks. I can be trained."

Rolling his eyes, he let out a guffaw of laughter. "You? Trained? That'll be the day." He leaned over to leave her with a kiss. "I love you."

She patted his face and kissed him back, even though they were outside HQ and inside her no-PDA-zone. The tinted windows on the SUV preserved their privacy. "Love you too. I'll see you when I see you. Take good care of our kid later. He's going to need a shoulder."

"He'll have both of mine for as long as he needs them."

"He's a lucky boy."

"I'm the lucky one. Be careful. Watch your back."

"I will. Don't worry."

"What? Me worry? Go to work, babe."