Will tensed, waiting for his chance.
“You’re going to close it, I presume?” Elizabeth asked, trying to draw Carter into conversation. She stepped to the side of the desk. Carter wasn’t fooled. His lips turned down.
“What is this?” Carter asked, trying to read the screen. He tapped a key. Tapped it again. “It’s frozen. Start it up, you little shit!” he spat.
Elizabeth took a step forward. Step away, Will thought. Away!
“Can’t,” she said, and it took a second for Will to realize she was speaking to Carter and not to him.
“The program’s self-destructing,” Carter howled angrily, tossing the computer to the floor. “A kill switch. You triggered a kill switch.” His voice became soft and dangerous. “That was very, very stupid.”
Will bent his knees, leaned forward.
Elizabeth dove for Carter’s shooting arm and pushed it wide. Carter stepped to the side, off-balance, but still pulled the trigger just before Will crashed into him.
The shot was deafening despite the silencer, but Elizabeth didn’t stop. She wriggled her way out from between the men and swung her elbow into Carter’s ribs. He doubled over with a grunt and grabbed her around the waist. Before he could secure his hold, she reversed direction, elbow out, and hit him square on the temple. Will landed a punch to Carter’s ribs on the other side before Carter shoved Elizabeth away and landed a left-handed punch to Will’s solar plexus.
Elizabeth still clung to Carter’s right arm, keeping the gun pressed between his hand and the floor. He delivered a painful kidney punch to her exposed back before Will delivered another blow to his jaw. Carter grunted and his grip on the weapon slackened. Elizabeth shoved it away, but the carpet slowed it down.
“Damn you, Bennet,” he cursed, plunging a hand into her hair and grabbing it at the roots. “If I’m going down, so are you.” He pulled her to her knees and reached for the gun.
Will was there before him.
“Lose something, Carter?” he asked, from no more than ten feet away, then steadied his aim. “Let her go.”
There was a loud banging on the door. “Police! Open up, Mr. Darcy!”
Will leveled the gun up and repeated the demand. “Let her go.”
“I think I’d rather have the police bust in here and see you holding a gun on me,” Carter grinned, though his face had paled. His hold on Elizabeth’s hair tightened. “I was going to retire on that money, but I suppose I could sue you for pain and suffering and make some of it back.”
Someone kicked the door. “Open up!” There was the sound of a key card being used and then the door was hit by something—but the deadbolt had been engaged and the door didn’t budge.
Elizabeth kicked a foot behind her, but Carter sidestepped it. He responded by yanking her head back farther and hooking the crook of his arm around her neck, exerting pressure to constrict the carotid arteries. “I’m only doing this to keep you from killing me,” he said, smiling at Will. “Put the gun down and I’ll let her go.” Elizabeth clawed at Carter’s arm, leaving four deep scratches in his skin, but he just flexed his arm tighter around her neck and her arms fell away. “Put it down, and let’s both give our stories to the police.”
Will forced himself to remain calm. Carter had Elizabeth in a blood choke—a tight one. It wouldn’t constrict her breathing, but it was cutting off the blood to her brain—and blood chokes were fast. She didn’t have long. Her face was already flushed a beet red and her movements were growing weaker. If Carter didn’t release her after she passed out, he could kill her.
“Back off,” Carter said, “and I’ll relax the hold.”
Will took a step back.
“Toss me the gun,” Carter said. Will didn’t move, but he saw Elizabeth going limp, her eyes beginning to roll up into the back of her head. He held the gun out, and Carter reached for it.
There was a loud bang at the door, and Will instantly dumped the ammunition and sent the gun over his shoulder, the bullets catching the light as they spilled out over the carpet. Carter’s eyes followed the weapon, and Will used that split second of inattention to grab Carter’s outstretched arm. He yanked the man forward, off balance, and then punched him under the chin with everything that he had. Carter lost his hold on Elizabeth as he was knocked flat on his back. He didn’t make any immediate move to rise.
Elizabeth remained motionless where she’d fallen for a moment, then dragged herself a few feet away. Will knelt next to her, but she held up a single hand to wave him off. “Are you hit?” she asked, her voice quavering.
“No,” Will reassured her. “It went into the bathroom wall. Are you hurt?”
She shook her head slightly. “Get Carter.”
There was another bang at the door. This time it was the sound of a sledgehammer against steel. Will rose and looked to where Carter had fallen.
Carter had recovered enough to flop over on his stomach and push himself to his feet. He had already staggered outside. Will frowned. How did Carter expect to escape from a third-floor balcony?
“I’ll be back for my money,” Carter said over his shoulder before he disappeared. “Don’t think we’re done.”
Will took a step outside after him but just as he passed over the threshold of the slider he heard someone yell, “Stop right there!”
He stopped.
“Raise your hands in the air.”
Will grimaced but complied. “I’m Darcy!” he yelled. “Carter’s getting away!” He didn’t know how he was getting away, exactly, but the police needed to know he wasn’t the gunman.
Carter smirked back at Will and stepped up onto the corner of a low wall and tossed his right leg over the plexiglass extender, preparing to jump across a two-foot gap to the adjacent balcony. He took his hand off the plexiglass and dragged his left foot up and over behind him, but he was little off-balance from the punch, and he was still looking behind him. The toe of his boot caught the top of the plexiglass, and the unexpected obstruction pitched him forward. Will watched, horrified, as Carter’s arms began to windmill and he turned wildly to try and grab something, anything to keep him from falling.
It didn’t work.
The man didn’t scream, or yell, or cry out, even. He just vanished over the balcony’s edge.
Before Will could say anything, someone grabbed his wrist from behind and put him in handcuffs. He didn’t resist.
“Is Elizabeth all right?” he asked.
“Why don’t we go ask her?” the officer asked. He turned Will around, and he read the man’s nametag. Jeremiah Hill.
Despite Will’s protests that Elizabeth should be seen by a doctor, she was handcuffed as well. They were led downstairs, in the elevator this time, towards the back exit.
There was an ambulance out front and several police cars, but strangely, no reporters. Nobody seemed to be in much of a hurry. Will didn’t want to see where Carter had fallen, but they were hustled right past a lump covered by a black tarp. He saw Elizabeth’s serious, appraising glance, and he focused on her instead.
The tattered skirt of Elizabeth’s dress did nothing to protect her from the cold breeze
outside, and she was shivering. Will wished he could offer her his coat, but he’d left it upstairs, and with the handcuffs, he couldn’t have put it on her anyway. She and Will were placed in the back seat of the same squad car, and Will was relieved that at least the heater was on. The doors shut, and two officers were already sitting in the front seats, though the car didn’t move. Elizabeth laid her head on Will’s shoulder.
“I’m going to need a lot more therapy,” she said with a sigh.
Will kissed her head. She needed him to make her feel better. “Can it be sex therapy?” he asked in a low voice, then, after they heard a snort from the front seat, leaned over and whispered in her ear, “please?”
She sat up. “I’d hit you if my hands were free,” she informed him bluntly. She shifted uncomfortably, staring unhappily at her bare legs. “And I told
you this skirt was too tight.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
It took hours and Annesley dressing down several detectives to work through everything that happened to the satisfaction of the Capitol police. Because Will had seen Carter fall over the side of the balcony, his interview was lengthy, but eventually, he was released. He strolled into the lobby shortly after midnight to find Elizabeth waiting for him there. They arrived back at their hotel to find a small police team still investigating. There were reporters there too, but they slipped in the back way to avoid them. Upon arrival, though they found their bags packed and waiting for them at the front desk; they were politely but firmly asked to find another place to sleep.
Will expressed his dissatisfaction, noting with asperity that it was the hotel staff who had allowed a killer into their locked room, but the front desk clerk was firm. Will made a call the hotel where Oscar and G were staying and booked a room there. Hungry and exhausted, they’d ordered some take-out, purchased an ice pack for Will’s swollen hand, and hauled everything over to their new place. It was close to two in the morning when they finally tumbled into bed.
Elizabeth thought longingly about the five hours of sleep she’d had that morning. She’d been awakened at seven, dressed in a clothes Annesley had brought with her—a navy suit and shiny red pumps, which the lawyer called “party-neutral”—and hustled over to one of the many Senate buildings. She’d been shuffled from committee to committee all day. It was nearly four. G had finished hours ago.
A few people wandered into the room and took their places at the table.
“How are you today, Ms. Bennet?” the chair asked.
Elizabeth pasted on a smile. Hungry.
“We know you had some training at Twenty-Nine Palms,” the gray-haired man said.
Some, she thought sarcastically.
“We’d like to discuss how well you think that training did or did not prepare you for the events of the past eight months.”
She answered all their questions with a cool professionalism. She was quite proud of herself and thought she would at least be able to give a positive report to her attorney. The idea of handing a clean report card to Annesley tickled her.
At last she was released only to be escorted to the Emerging Threats and Capabilities subcommittee meeting. The same two Marines who’d been accompanying her all day were waiting for her at the door. “Do you think,” she asked them innocently, “that you’ve ever seen so many senators at work at the same time?”
She was rewarded with a pair of ghostly smiles.
The Emerging Threats subcommittee members seemed restless, and Elizabeth surmised they’d been waiting some time for her arrival. Still, they made no move to begin, just continued chatting to one another. Probably making dinner plans. Her stomach growled.
Would it be rude to look at the time on my phone? She wondered. Annesley had made her turn it off and put it away. Evidently, it was bad form to take calls in the middle of testimony.
She looked up at the men waiting for the questioning to begin and thought about what Annesley would say. Yeah, it’d probably be rude. She took a breath. Just let it happen. This is part of the story. Stressing out won’t make it go any faster.
She closed her eyes, opening them again as she let her annoyance drain away and felt a renewed sense of purpose.
“How are you today, Ms. Bennet?” the chair asked. Elizabeth opened her eyes and pasted on a smile.
Will checked his watch again. Georgiana had completed her testimony hours ago, and he’d asked his uncle to take her back to the hotel.
He’d been able to do a lot of business while he waited, and he’d caught a little extra sleep, too, but a part of his mind was disengaged, always watching for Elizabeth to return. Surely they couldn’t keep her much longer. He removed his Bluetooth earpiece and dropped it into his laptop case before putting it all in the trunk of his rented car and returning to the foyer of the Capitol building.
He frowned when he at last saw her emerging from a set of doors down the hall. She was alone.
“That,” Elizabeth called to him from about twenty feet away as she walked through the security, “is a ponderous scowl, sir.” She stopped in front of him and yawned. “I can’t believe you’re still here waiting, but I’m glad you are.”
Will gave her a kiss before giving the ends of her hair a gentle tug. “Where’s Annesley?”
She cleared her throat. “Dunno. The second set of meetings were closed. They wouldn’t let her in. Haven’t seen her since about one.”
“That can’t be right,” Will said, his face full of thunder, wondering how he’d missed her and realizing he’d been in a meeting. “Uncle Terry said . . .”
“Stand down, Marine,” she broke in with a small smile. “They just wanted to pick my brain.”
Will pursed his lips and stepped back, holding her at arm’s length to have a look at her. Elizabeth appeared tired, but otherwise none the worse for wear. “Well,” he asked, “did they at least feed you?”
She shrugged. “Annesley had a protein bar in her purse. She gave it to me around noon.”
Will glanced at her askance as they walked out to the car. “But it’s nearly six. Aren’t you starving?”
Before he could open her door, Elizabeth threw her arms around him. “No,” she assured him. “I’m actually standing here in my blue suit and my ruby red shoes, and I was just wondering . . .”
“What?” he asked, drawn in by her teasing tone.
She hummed a little and held tight. “If I click my heels together, do you think we’ll wake up at home?”
He chuckled and brought one hand up to cradle the back of her head. “I’m not sure it works that way.”
Elizabeth pulled back. “I suppose we should have dinner with G and take her to the airport,” she said, reaching a hand up to touch Will’s cheek. “And then tomorrow morning . . .” He caught her hand and held it there for a moment.
“And then what, love?” Her palm was warm, and he kissed it.
“Hmm,” she said, contentedly, eyes still fixed on his. “And then, Will, you should take me home.”
He studied his shoes. It was his disappointed look, and Elizabeth tried not to smile.
“All right,” he said. “We can do that.”
Elizabeth shook her head slowly. “Will, look at me.”
He met her gaze again.
“Take me to our home.” She clicked her heels together once and gave him a lopsided grin. “There’s no place like home.” She stepped in to lay her head on his chest. “As long as you’re in it.”
They were all at the restaurant together when Terry Fitzwilliam received a text. He glanced at it, then stood. “Excuse me a moment,” he said gallantly, before striding away.
“So, G,” Elizabeth said, turning to the girl and reaching for a slice of bread, “Did you train with plates, or are you just a natural?”
“I didn’t even think, really,” G replied with an embarrassed shrug of her shoulders. “I saw, I grabbed, I swung.”
“Natural, then, for which I thank you,” Elizabeth said, nodding approvingly. “And, unlike me, you seemed to get your testimony right the first time. How’d it go?”
Georgiana said, “It was all right, I guess. I told them exactly what happened, how Juraj approached me, how I think he got information from my phone, all of it up to you meeting me in Palo Alto.” She reached for her water. “They took a lot of notes.” She took a sip and frowned. “They were pretty much all old, so it was like admitting to roomful of grandfathers that I’d been an idiot.”
Will tried to contradict his sister, but Oscar shook his head to silence him, and Elizabeth broke in. “You were, kind of.” She ignored Will’s glare to continue. “But you weren’t any more an idiot than millions of other girls your age who would be flattered by the attention of an older man.” She waited until Georgiana met her gaze. G still looked skeptical.
Elizabeth took a bite of her bread. When she swallowed,
she added, “That’s why they were all taking notes. They all have grandchildren.” She tossed a look of triumph at Will and finished by saying, “Do you think the boys are any better?”
“They’re not,” Laura Annesley said confidently. “Trust me.”
“Can you imagine your brother and Richard at your age, being approached by a beautiful older woman?” Elizabeth grinned. “There’d be no state secrets left to tell.”
Oscar laughed. “She’s got you there, Will.”
“I’m not sure how I got involved in this conversation at all,” Will replied drily, taking a sip of his wine.
“I seem to recall a story,” she teased, “about you and Richard both trying to impress a pretty girl who wasn’t interested in either of you.”
Georgiana snorted. She grabbed her napkin to cover her mouth.
Senator Fitzwilliam appeared next to the table with Senator Everest in tow. They both sat. “What did I miss?” he asked, glancing around at each face.
Both Georgiana and Elizabeth began to laugh, but G couldn’t stop. It was as though they could all see her physically unwinding. Elizabeth met Will’s suddenly appreciative gaze and gave him a wink.
“Nothing, Senator Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth said playfully.
The older man glanced between her and Will. “Uncle Terry,” he said.
Elizabeth was startled into silence until Will laughed at her. “Thank you, sir,” she said, then grimaced. “I mean, thank you, Uncle Terry.”
Uncle Terry cleared his throat and picked up his menu. After they had all ordered and he had conversed quietly with Everest for a few minutes, he leaned back in his chair and eyed Elizabeth speculatively. When she noticed his appraising gaze, she paused, assuming he was about to say something. When he didn’t, she decided to prompt him. “Uncle Terry?” Both Will and G lifted their eyes to her. “Is there something on my face?”
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