“But it beats the alternative.” Sam took hold of her husband’s hand, hoping to calm the agitation he felt whenever he was reminded of the many restrictions of being vice president.
They said their goodbyes to Gonzo and loaded up the SUV for the ride back to the District.
“He seems really good,” Nick said when they were on the way out of Baltimore.
“So much better than he was,” Jeannie said.
“I’m fuming about him pleading to anything,” Sam said.
“Ah, yeah, we could tell,” Freddie said. “As usual, you had no poker face.”
“It’s complete bullshit,” Sam said. “I’m not about to pretend otherwise.”
“Is there anything that can be done?” Nick asked.
“I’m going to talk to Malone,” she said, referring to the detective captain who was her boss and mentor. “And the chief.”
“Gonzo sounded pretty determined to take the plea,” Freddie said tentatively.
“He’s going to screw his entire career if he takes that plea,” Sam said. “We can’t let that happen.” She caught Freddie and Jeannie exchanging concerned glances and knew what they were thinking. Tommy’s recovery was fragile. This was what he wanted. And she respected that, but if there was anything she could do to save him from taking this massive hit to his career, she was going to do it.
Her phone rang with a call, and the single word on the caller ID made her groan. “Dispatch.”
Which meant someone in the District had been murdered, and that was now her problem.
Chapter Two
“Lieutenant Holland.”
“Lieutenant, we’ve received a report of a body found in a garage off MacArthur Boulevard in Kent.”
Sam ducked her head to see out the window to figure out where they were. Greenbelt, Maryland. “I’m about fifteen minutes outside the District. Have Patrol secure the scene until my team can get there. Don’t let anyone in or out.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Let them know I’ll be about an hour.”
“Will do.”
Sam slapped her flip phone closed and filled in the others. “Figures it had to be on the whole other side of the city.”
“Murder is inconvenient that way,” Nick said, “or so you tell me.”
“Yes, it is. This means you’re in charge of dinner, baths and bedtime.”
“I can handle it.”
“I know.”
He put his arm around her, and Sam took the minute with him while she could, disappointed she wouldn’t get to spend the evening with the kids when they got home. Since Aubrey and Alden had come into their lives, Sam had a whole new appreciation for working mothers and the challenges of trying to balance it all. It was tough, even with the tremendous help that Shelby provided, especially since the twins had joined their family. Scotty had been quite a bit older than the twins, who’d soon be six, when he joined their family and much more self-sufficient from the get-go.
The motorcade pulled onto Ninth Street and stopped in front of the double townhouse Sam and Nick called home.
“Thanks for the lift,” Freddie said, kissing his wife and sending her home in his car while Jeannie said goodbye to Michael.
“Let me run in and get my stuff,” Sam said. “Be right back.”
Nick followed her up the ramp that had been installed for her late father so he could come visit them in his wheelchair. One of these days, they needed to see about removing the ramps at her house and his, three doors down. But not today.
A new agent was working the door and opened it for them.
“Good evening, Mr. Vice President, Mrs. Cappuano.”
“Evening, Henry,” Nick said.
Of course he knew the agent’s name. He knew everything.
Sam grabbed her keys from the hook in the kitchen where she kept them, ran upstairs to the master bedroom to retrieve her cuffs, weapon and notebook from the bedside table drawer and returned to the kitchen to speak to Nick. “Tracy promised to have the kids home by six, and there’s leftover pizza from last night if you don’t feel like cooking.”
“We’ll figure something out.”
Sam wanted to be there to help him figure it out, but duty called. “I guess I’ll see you when I see you.”
He put his arms around her and kissed her. “Be careful with my cop. She means everything to me.”
“Take good care of my family. They mean everything to me.”
“I gotcha covered, babe. Don’t worry.”
“I’ll try to call the Littles before bedtime.”
“I won’t promise it in case it doesn’t happen. We’ll be fine.”
Sam had to pull herself away from him. “Love you.”
“Love you too. Be safe.”
“I will.”
Henry opened the door and nodded to her, probably wondering who she thought she was, running around without her own detail.
She walked down the ramp to the sidewalk, where Freddie and Jeannie waited for her.
“All aboard,” Sam said.
They got into the tricked-out black BMW retrofitted for her as a surprise from Nick. Sam joked that she could survive a nuclear explosion in that car, but it wasn’t far from the truth. She used her flashers to get them across the city as quickly as possible, but Sunday-night traffic was light to begin with.
Sam took a call from Captain Malone when they were about five minutes out. “What’s up?”
“Heard we caught a new one and was just checking in.”
“Not sure what we’ve got yet. I’ve got Cruz and McBride with me, and we’re almost there. We were on the way back from seeing Gonzo.”
“Let me know what you’ve got when you can.”
“Will do. Can we talk tomorrow about Gonzo?”
“What about him?”
“He’s about to accept a deal on misdemeanor drug charges.”
“I heard about that.”
“And you’re okay with it?” Sam had to remind herself that going ballistic with her boss wasn’t the best idea.
“I’m not thrilled with it, but it’ll take care of the problem and allow him to keep his job.”
“Without any chance of ever being promoted again? That’s complete bullshit, and you know it.”
“I do know it, but I also know there’re people within the department who aren’t going to let this go, and he’s better off to plead than have it become an even bigger deal. Especially right now when his sobriety is fragile. I talked to him. This is what he wants.”
“It’s freaking infuriating that he’s having to put up with this shit because of people who’re coming at me. This doesn’t even have anything to do with him.”
“He’s the one who scored pain meds on the streets, Sam. Not you.”
“You know as well as I do that the only reason he’s having to plead this out is because of Ramsey’s beef with me.”
“It might’ve come to light without Ramsey.”
“No one else is looking for shit to pin on my team.” Sam wasn’t sure how to process the sheer rage she felt at this drug charge putting the brakes on Gonzo’s career.