“Its a great time, Blair said emphatical y. She tilted her head back and
kissed the side of Cams jaw. “Cam has to go to work and I dont
have anything planned until this afternoon. Once the lights a lit le bet er,
Im going to paint.
“Il let Stark know so she can organize your teams, Cam said as she
careful y loosened her hold on Blair. She would have preferred that Blair
stay close to the compound, but that wasnt her cal anymore. Plus, the
whole team would be heading to Boston the next day for the
fundraiser. Maybe if Blair had the opportunity to relax today she
might not resent the upcoming restrictions so much.
She kissed Blair lightly. “Have fun. Im heading down to the
guesthouse.
“See you later,
darling.
“You wil , Cam
murmured.
“Sorry about that, Tanner said after Cam had left. She strode across the
kitchen and looked out the back door. A member of her private
security force stood guard on the rear deck. “When Stark asked me to
assign some of my security of icers here, she requested the ones with
military training. Combat troops. She turned to face Blair. “I know you
cant tel me anything, but I just wanted you to know that Adrienne and I
are prepared to do whatever you need us to do.
“You two have done enough. Im not even sure we should have come
back here. Blair loved the island and she loved this house. But part of
what made the property so perfect for their needs was that it abut ed
Tanners estate. They had no year-round neighbors to the north and
Tanners house, which occupied half of the island, was less than a mile
down the beachclose by if they needed her, but far enough away for
privacy. “I feel like Im taking advantage of our friendship. And
Adrienne shouldnt feel obligated
“Adrienne is a naval officer. Do you think I could convince
her that it
“God, this is hard.
Tanner walked over to her and put her arms around her. “It
is. But it would be harder if you didnt let us help.
Blair rested her forehead on Tanners shoulders. “Youre
helping. Not just with your security people, but because you
understand. Thank you.
“Youre welcome. So, lets get Diane and go cruising.
Blair laughed at the line that Tanner had always used when
they were planning to sneak out for a night of partying. She
squeezed Tanners hand, grateful that despite all the changes, the
love that the three of them had forged had never faltered. “Im
afraid this time, were not going to be able to duck security.
“No problem, Tanner said, grinning. “Ive already pissed off
your lover once today. Im not about to push my luck.
* * * * *
“So, Cam said, taking a chair across from Davis and Savard at
the sleek glass and wood table that now served as their
conference table. They had turned the first floor of the
guesthouse into their base of operations. Davis had the
computers up and running and networked. The dining room did
duty as their file room. All things considered, it was a better
working area than the converted storage closet they would have
worked out of in the West Wing. “Lets prioritize.
No one took notes. Everyone understood that there would be
no reports generated by their work, and the only files would
be the ones they appropriated from other security agencies.
“First order of business is to find Matheson, because we have
to assume that there will be another attack on Egret. He and
his organization will lose credibility if a failed attempt is
allowed to stand. Cam careful y kept her voice and face from
showing her rage. “We can assume he will either establish a
new paramilitary base of his own or join forces with another
one. Hell need a network in order to reestablish himself.
“A guy like that wont give up control easily, Savard said. She
wore
jeans and a dark blue polo shirt. Shed pul ed her hair back into
a loose ponytail, and she looked more rested than Cam had seen
her in weeks.
Cam nodded and pointed the pen shed been rol ing between
her fingers at Davis. “He didnt do much to hide the
compound in Tennessee because he didnt expect us to come
after him. This time hell take more precautions. Background
himhis family by blood and marriage, the military academy and
its faculty, donors to the school, previous graduatesanyone who
might have purchased or inherited land. For now, Id prefer a
covert examination of the academy files, because anything else
is going to tip him off. She shrugged. “But the academy is the
logical place to start. We know he recruits there. If I have to, Ill
confiscate every scrap of paper in the entire place.
“The FBI should have files on the other patriot organizations, Savard
