by Lisa Durkin
Jackson looked at Reynolds. “Is this the best Homeland and the FBI can do to catch this guy?”
Reynolds answered grimly. “He’s a criminal enterprise. He knows the laws as well as we do. She’s right. I don’t see another way. This guy isn’t going to give us anything else to pick him up on.”
“So we just wait around for something else to happen?” Jackson exclaimed, his voice angry.
Rory knew how that felt, the helplessness of not knowing when or how things were going to end. That was her life three years ago and now it was repeating. She looked down and noticed she was holding her left wrist again. She immediately released it and looked at her engagement ring, drawing strength. Not this time, she thought.
“Are you going public with the news of Tagg?” she asked.
The secretary answered grimly. “No. We weren’t going to release the news of a federal agent’s death in the home of a member of Congress.” He turned to Jackson. “Congressman, I understand your anger and fear for the congresswoman. This situation is dire. But I believe the current strategy is working. We could continue to draw them out and dare them to act.”
“That strategy has left one man dead, a highly trained agent. I’m not looking to sacrifice my fiancée for this, Reynolds. I need to take her far away from this and you need to get this handled any way you can. There are other ways.”
Reynolds’s voice rose too. “I’m more angered than anyone that we’ve lost a man. But now is not the time to change plans. We need to move forward with more publicity.”
“More publicity! For Christ’s sake, Marty! Tagg is dead, his fucking throat cut in Rory’s home! I’m not going to allow you to dangle her like a carrot anymore. This is insanity. Is this the best the agency has to offer? Because I have to tell you, I’m not impressed with how this is proceeding at all.”
“Jackson, please,” she said calmly.
“No, Rory! No, this is it! I’ve never seen such lack of planning in my life, sitting around waiting for something to happen, an agent killed under their noses…”
“I know,” she said with such strange calm that Jackson stopped and looked at her. “I’ve been here before, remember?” She looked to Secretary Reynolds.
“We will protect the congresswoman, sir. We will apprehend these fuckers…excuse me, ma’am.” Reynolds tried to regain control.
“I have some questions,” Rory declared calmly.
“Ma’am.” Reynolds steeled himself.
“How was it that Tagg was alone in my condo? I thought there were to be two-man teams at all times?”
“Yes, ma’am. But with you and the congressman in Maine, we cut back to only one.”
“I see.” She thought for a moment. “How do you think Roan entered my condo then? You said no forced entry.”
“We suspect the door must have been unlocked.”
“Isn’t that strange? That door’s kept locked. They even track it in their logs, I’ve seen them.”
“There may have been a moment, an anomaly that we can’t account for. It happens. Perhaps he took the garbage out and forgot to lock it.”
“Wouldn’t that be in the log? What about the security cameras?” They all looked at her. “I just wonder how my door is continuously breached without force, and the security cameras capture nothing. Like the night the box appeared, or even the two times prior to my contacting Tagg. Does Roan Sullivan have a key?”
Manus piped up. “The locks were changed, remember, Congresswoman? And we’re not sure how, but they’re averting the cameras.”
She looked at him. “This just doesn’t make sense.”
“None of this makes sense,” Jackson sneered. “This can’t go on.” He turned to Rory. “Fuck this. You’re not staying here anymore. We’ll go away until things settle down.”
Secretary Reynolds implored him. “Congressman, we should maintain appearances. Now they know the authorities are involved. The congresswoman is right. If you go into hiding, we’ll miss our chance to end this.”
“Seems to me you’ve missed a couple good chances,” Jackson shot back. “We’re going.”
Rory looked at Jackson as he finally met the end of his rope. Seeing that his patience was gone, she considered the situation.
“I’ll do an interview.” They looked at her. Jackson was impatient and Reynolds weary.
“What’s that going to accomplish?” Jackson barked.
“An interview?” Reynolds asked, ignoring him.
Rory looked at him and swallowed her fear. “I’ve never spoken of the incident three years ago…about what Aidan Sullivan actually did to me and my father.” She looked down and swallowed hard, not believing what she was saying. She looked up again, her gaze steely. “But I could do an interview. Maybe if I discuss some of it, Roan will seek to silence me. It would disparage his brother and their family.”
There was astonished silence. She turned to Jackson. “Let’s stay at the InterContinental. They know we’ve stayed there before, remember? We’ll stay there and I’ll set up an interview right away. If you’re all correct, and my forward momentum is what angers Roan and galvanizes him into action, then let’s anger him. Please, Jackson, we need this ended.”
Jackson had begrudgingly agreed with the plan after some time talking things through with Reynolds. He had remained angry though. He spoke in clipped words on their car ride to the hotel and when she apologized for the situation, he curtly reminded her it wasn’t her fault. They checked into the same honeymoon suite at the InterContinental and Rory wondered what to do. She had never dealt with Jackson like this. He had never been angry with her before.
Besides dealing with Jackson, she was feeling nervous and melancholy. The implications of Tagg’s murder were settling in her mind. The taste of fear had returned. She quietly unpacked her bags, placing her clothes in the drawers and closet. Jackson brooded.
“I’m going to shower,” she murmured, and shut the door behind her. She moved to the sink and looked in the mirror, seeing that same frightened woman of three years prior. She looked down at her engagement ring and closed her eyes, wondering how the fuck she was supposed to keep level in this mess.
The bathroom door opened and Jackson slowly came and stood beside her. He leaned against the counter and searched her face. Rory couldn’t tell what he was thinking. She held her breath, almost afraid of what he was going to say.
After a moment, he lifted his hand and brushed her hair back, caressing her cheek. She leaned into him.
“I’m sorry,” she said, tears escaping.
“Shhh, don’t. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m sorry,” he said, taking her into his arms.
He burrowed into the crook of her neck and inhaled. “I’m sorry for being an ass. I’m scared for you and I was being angry.”
She cried harder and he held on tight. “I thought you were done with me.”
“Never. I can’t live without you. That’s why I’m so pissed and scared.”
“I know,” she said as she pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I’m so scared, Jackson. Tagg…” She couldn’t bring herself to talk about what had been done to Tagg.
“I know, baby. I know.” He held her tightly as they both worked through their fear and emotions.
“I can’t believe you still want me with all this trouble.”
“I want you forever, no matter what. We’ll get through this. We’ll get him out of our lives.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Oh yes you do.” They stared into each other’s eyes and heat sparked between them. Fed by love and need, the show of loyalty and danger, their mouths collided.
Jackson picked her up and threw her on the bed in the bedroom. He pulled his sweater over his head. “Get naked.”
She didn’t question him, only stared at him as she pulled her sweater off and started to unfasten her jeans. This was what they needed. They both felt it and Rory knew that his show of dominance, while it made her hotter than hell, was what he
needed to assuage his helplessness and anger.
“Don’t,” he said when she started to remove her bra. “Just like that.”
Rory watched as he started to remove his pants. It made her wet, the way his arm and shoulder muscles danced when he moved. He pushed his jeans down, freeing his long, hard cock. She felt her nipples tighten.
“Over here, on your knees,” he directed her roughly. She quickly knelt before him on the floor. “Take the bra off now.”
She obliged and looked up at him. “Touch them.” She didn’t hesitate. The fire in his blue eyes was so intense she couldn’t wait to give him exactly what he asked for.
She cupped her breasts and squeezed them together, massaging them. His mouth opened slightly as he breathed in. His eyes glowed.
“Pinch the nipples,” he growled. She did, as he began to stroke himself.
“Stop,” he commanded. She stopped and looked up at him. He was still holding himself. “Touch me,” he groaned.
She took his cock into both hands and pumped him. He moved his hips into her hands, breathing hard and moaning. “Put it in your mouth.”
She took him into her mouth. She licked and sucked him hard. He tasted so good. She took him to the back of her throat, sucking harder and moving faster over his shaft.
“Stop,” he commanded sharply. She immediately stopped and looked up at him. His eyes were on fire and he moved back. “Lean over the bed.”
She spread her hands on the mattress and braced herself. She thought she knew what was coming and she was more turned on than ever. His hardness and dominance made her so needy she couldn’t wait to feel him pushing inside her.
He approached her and stood behind her, “I need to fuck you,” he said. “But before I do, I want to slap your ass so badly. Can I slap your ass, Rory?”
She didn’t think twice. “Yes,” she breathed.
His big hand caressed her ass. “Can I slap you hard?”
“Yes.”
He raised his hand quickly and slapped her so hard that it threw her forward. He grabbed her hips.
“Are you okay?” His voice was still controlled, hard.
“Yes.” She wasn’t sure why she liked it so much. It was so erotic and hard. She felt it in the depths of her channel.
“I’m going to slap you again.”
Rory braced herself and he slapped her again. She moaned and he smacked her harder, the stinging sensation making her hotter. He changed direction and hit her on her opposite cheek. She leaned into his hand as it came down again and again, the slapping sound another sensation.
He stopped and pulled her hips toward him. Breathing hard, he placed the wide head of his cock at her entrance. He pressed inside her and reared back before pounding hard again and again. She grunted and grasped the comforter in her fists as she took the beating he gave her. Hitting her square on that sweet spot, she quickly climbed to orgasm and screamed his name as she came and came. She felt him pull out of her and spurt his come on her ass and sex before pulling her back to him and collapsing sideways on the bed.
They lay there catching their breath. After a couple minutes, Jackson went into the bathroom and brought back a wet washcloth. He gently wiped her off, caressing and kissing her stinging ass cheeks. He returned to the bed and wrapped her in his arms.
“Did you like that?”
“Oh yes,” she breathed. “I like everything you do to me.”
“Really? God that makes me happy.”
She smiled at him. “I’m determined to think of a creative way to add ‘spanking’ to our wedding vows.”
“That’s my girl.”
Monday morning Jackson dropped Rory at her office door. He kissed her and they clung to each other before he had to hurry to his first meeting. They both had a lot to catch up on after being gone since the previous Wednesday but neither was ready to be without the other after enjoying so much time together. Or perhaps it was the threat that loomed over them. Either way, Rory thought as she watched him disappear down the hall, she had an interview to plan.
Jackson still wasn’t keen on the idea. He had argued that he didn’t want her talking on national television about what had happened, that she shouldn’t have to give herself up like that. She had told him that it was her story and she would be the one to use it if she needed to. She could tell that comment reminded him of his party’s attempt to use her, which pretty much silenced him. Besides, she had told him, she was going to control the topic, only talk about what she wanted to. Nothing would be discussed about the fact that she had been pregnant. She was adamant that news would never be known.
After catching up with Nicole and the rest of the staff, which included congratulatory hugs and fawning over her engagement ring, they got down to business. They got her campaign manager, Sabrina, on a conference call, and started to weigh their best options for the interview. She wanted it to happen as soon as possible, and they ran down the possibilities.
After some review, it was apparent that nobody wanted just Rory. They wanted both Jackson and her. Every request was for the happy couple. Rory didn’t know how he would feel about that. The three of them caught up on other business and decided to regroup after Rory had spoken with Jackson.
Rory turned to Nicole. “Now that we’re alone, I need to talk to you about things.” Rory explained the real reason for the interview and watched as Nicole became horrified after learning about Tagg.
“Holy shit, Rory. Murdered in your home? I can’t fucking believe this,” Nicole said with tears in her eyes.
“I know. Please, let’s try to act normal. I need it,” she implored Nicole.
Nicole eyed her worriedly but nodded. “Of course.”
“Good, now bring me up to speed on what’s been going on around here.”
Jackson took over, his earlier reticence abandoned. His people helped set up the interview, a live Valentine’s Day segment for Dateline. While they were at it, his publicist talked them into a photo shoot and an interview by a reporter from the Washington Post. Rory’s head spun. She hadn’t even known Jackson had a publicist.
Jackson became excited at the prospect of the photo shoot, saying he was happy to have engagement photos and portraits of them together. She kissed him hard. His enthusiasm was so sweet. They made photos in both formalwear and casual clothes and some in jeans and sweaters at Jackson’s request. The pictures came back gorgeous. Rory’s favorite was one where Jackson sat behind her. She had turned to him and they had laughed. Jackson’s eyes smiled the most in that one.
They were busy with those events, plus fundraisers and a Kennedy Center ballet performance. Valentine’s Day was Thursday, and the closer it got, the more nervous Rory became. To make matters worse, the paparazzi had begun following them again. They had figured out Rory and Jackson were staying at the InterContinental. Jackson laughed it off, explaining they were renovating his condo and had decided to set themselves up at the hotel.
Chapter Thirty-Four
They rode in the livery car to the studio where the interview was to take place. Nicole and Jackson’s people had arrived earlier to see to the details. His sharply dressed publicist had taken charge. Tensions mounted as Rory and Jackson became anxious thinking about what questions would be asked. She had assured him more than once that she could handle anything this woman could throw at her.
She looked out the window, remembering her first day in Congress and the questions from the press. Today’s interview would be conducted for Dateline by that same reporter she’d spoken to first, Allison Roberts. Rory remembered how that blonde bitch had tried to broach the topic of the incident that day. Roberts hadn’t been her choice; she was chosen by the show. They needed somebody on-site in DC.
Jackson squeezed her hand and she smiled at him. He was so gorgeous. His dark, thick hair shining and his strong features so handsome. She looked at his full lips as his mouth curved into a beautiful smile.
“Will you be Congresswoman Dorn after we marry? I’d understand i
f you don’t want to change your name.”
Rory smiled. She was onto Jackson’s tactics. Anytime she was dwelling on the situation, or on anything unhappy, he tried to distract her with the good stuff. It always worked.
“I haven’t had much time to think about it. I’m pretty traditional, maybe hyphenate? I don’t want my constituents to mistake me for anybody else.”
He beamed and kissed her hand. “That would make me happy. I want you to have my name. You know I want everybody to know who you belong to.”
She loved his possessiveness. She thought of their life together. “Where will our residence be? I mean, I live in Ohio and you live in Maine. And we both live in DC as well. How’s that going to work?”
He pulled her to him. “When we’re in Maine, we’ll be Mainers. When we’re in Ohio, we’ll be Ohioans. When we’re in DC we’re members of Congress, right?”
“You’re willing to be an Ohioan?”
“Well, part-time,” he quipped. “You’re willing to be a Mainer part-time, right?”
“I think my backside has already proven that.”
The sound stage was amuck with people moving bright lights and umbrella reflectors. Nicole and the crew settled Rory and Jackson on a yellow loveseat, on a set that looked like somebody’s living room. There was even a fake window and fake outdoor scene. Everybody was working very hard at being fake, Rory thought.
She and Jackson had changed into more casual clothing. He wore a black shirt, charcoal sports coat and pants, and she chose a dark lavender knit dress. Nicole assured her this was her best color. She looked in the large mirror that a crewmember held in front of them while her hair was fussed over. His sports coat showed the broadness of his shoulders, while her clingy knit dress showed her small sleek figure. Now they both looked like they belonged in a Ralph Lauren ad. Jackson caught her eye in the mirror and winked, no doubt guessing her acerbic thoughts over all the fuss.
Across the room, a door opened and Rory knew that Ms. Roberts was imagining trumpets sounding at her entrance. Blonde hair flowing, she floated her way to the armchair that sat opposite them. It took all Rory’s concentration not to roll her eyes.