"I'm not going to apologize," I said right off. "That hasn't happened for at least ten years. Hopefully it won't happen again."
"Cara, what hasn't happened in ten years?" Gavin's voice was gentle. Where did that come from? It was as far from what he'd been last night as it was possible to be.
"Don called it crying jags. It happened a lot in the first five years after Howard Graham, well," I didn't finish. "Only once in a while after that before it finally went away. Until last night."
"Cara, I am not Howard Graham."
"I know."
"Cara, I will not touch you in anger."
"Gavin, you say that now. What if I make you mad again? Howard Graham always promised my mother that he wouldn't hit her again. Until he'd get drunk the very next day and break his promise." I pulled the compress off my eyes and the light in the bathroom made me squint and ramped up the headache.
"Headache?"
"Migraine."
"Worse."
"Yes."
"He yelled and cursed, didn't he?" The subject had changed again. Gavin now knelt next to the bathtub, taking the compress out of my hand and settling it over my eyes again. "While he beat you and your mother."
"And before and after, don't forget that." I slipped down farther into the water. There was no bubble bath in this water, it was perfectly clear. Gavin could see every bit of me. I felt a little embarrassed, but then he'd seen every bit of me for a while, now. Gavin took the mesh sponge, dribbled body wash on it and proceeded to give me a slow and lazy bath.
After a while, he began to talk. First in Italian, then switching to French. Telling me how beautiful I was. He kissed my hands and my fingers. Traced my collarbone and ni**les with the sponge, and then with his fingers. Said he loved my ankles and kissed those when he lifted them out of the water. And then he started to talk about Howard Graham.
"How could he harm this?" Gavin ran fingers down my ribs. "Could he not see how fine and beautiful it was? Why would any man harm a child, even if it were not his?" Gavin leaned in and placed a kiss—the first of the evening—on my mouth. "Cara, when you are away from me, I dream of your mouth." He kissed me again. Eventually he pulled me out of the tub after the water had cooled quite a bit, wrapped me up in my robe and carried me out of the bathroom.
"There is our little rose," René said when Gavin carried me into the kitchen to feed me a bag of blood. At least two-thirds of a bag, anyway. Winkler, Roff and Tony watched as I had my meal.
"Our girl is fine except for the terrible headache," Gavin put the rest of my blood back in the fridge. I think they all heaved a sigh of relief.
* * *
"We have records of deposits, as well as the aliases and the addresses of several homes across the globe connected to those aliases," Bill thumped a thick folder down in front of Admiral Hafer. "Along with names of contacts. Rahim Alif has no loyalty to you, Admiral. He's been handing out information right and left about you. Now, suppose you tell us what you know and which information you've handed to the enemy, or so help me, I'll see you crucified."
Admiral Hafer sat in one of the interrogation rooms at FBI Headquarters, casts on one arm and both legs. He'd been inside those rooms before, only on the other end of the questioning. He knew the drill. He also knew exactly what was going to happen to him. His ex-wife and his son would be crucified with him and they hadn't even suspected. Alif hadn't been the only one pulling his strings, he now knew. The powerful vampire Xenides had gotten Alif involved to begin with. It was a game to Hafer in the beginning. He just hadn't realized how far it would go or how deeply it would wound the country. He suspected now that he'd been under some sort of compulsion all along, but Director Jennings wasn't going to accept that as an excuse. Admiral Hafer's career—and his life—were over.
* * *
I was huddled against Gavin's side as we watched the early news before dawn. The news crews had gotten word that something had gone down at Camp David two nights before and were pressing the White House for information. Eventually the White House Press Secretary held a press conference, explaining that campers had gotten lost and wandered into the space normally off-limits to visitors. He denied any altercation and said the situation was resolved amicably. That made Gavin snort while I laughed.
"How is you headache, cara?" he leaned down to kiss my forehead.
"Better. I hope it goes away when I sleep," I yawned.
* * *
Xenides had seen the misdirected information released by the White House and wanted to shout and tear the hotel down. Alif captured, Hafer captured or dead, five of his vampires dead—he hadn't gotten an answer when he'd tried to call and the three research biologists Frazier had trained were likely dead as well. Xenides' anger was at a dangerous simmer, but he still had several trump cards up his sleeve. He'd see about putting those into play very soon. Meanwhile, he cursed the vampires who'd died; they'd failed him for the last time.
Chapter 13
"Wear this, cara." Gavin had packed for me, with Roff's help, when we'd left Oklahoma City. Now he was holding up the dark green dress that he'd paid a fortune for last year in Dallas. It was V-necked with long sleeves, hugged my br**sts and waist and had a flared skirt that came tastefully to my knees. There was a pair of brown designer heels to go with it. We had an invitation to the White House and Bill told Winkler that the President wouldn't accept no as an answer. Therefore, we were going. Bill sent a limo for us so we packed into it; Gavin, René, Winkler and Tony all dressed in expensive suits.
I hadn't seen Michael in days, only now learning that the werewolf agents Renfro and Delgado had taken him with them to do a bit of moonlighting. I hoped he was happy and impressing Director Bill. Roff had no desire to go with us to the White House and Bill said it was all right if he didn't come. Just as well, I wasn't sure how to explain to the President that not only was he entertaining vampires and a werewolf but a genuine alien as well.
We almost had a private audience with the President and First Lady—Bill was there, the Vice President was there, and the Speaker of the House. Apparently, he was in on the secret too, though I'd never met him before. He knew Tony; that much was certain. Secret Service agents led us into the oval office, the doors were closed and we were offered drinks. We were all seated comfortably while we talked with the President, the First Lady and the others.
"Lissa," the President finally said, "I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate what you did for me earlier. If you hadn't come along, things might have turned out badly."