going on. Even though the president agreed to get in the game with us, he has yet to show his hand. I’m not sure what he’s expecting from us in return.”
“But it was an excellent start,” Sean insisted. “President Tucker was eager to form an alliance with us, and he seemed quite willing to trust us.”
“Because he wants something,” Gregori muttered.
“At least we have his support,” Roman said. “What about the other men?”
Gregori took a deep breath. “The Homeland Security guy was ordered to get rid of the video, but he doesn’t really trust us because I refused to give him a list of all the Vamps in the country.”
Angus winced. “Nay, we canna do that.”
“The CIA director wants to be our ally so he can use us as a weapon against their enemies,” Gregori continued. “The secretary of defense and national security advisor are suspicious and not readily inclined to trust us. General Bond of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would prefer to wipe all the vampires off the planet. That’s why I didn’t think we should remain at the safe house in D.C.”
A moment of silence settled in the room.
Roman sighed. “I guess it will take them a while to learn to trust us.”
Gregori nodded. “I tried the safe-and-harmless routine, but they were interpreting that as weak and worthless, and they only want us around if we’re useful. I had to prove we were worth saving, or they might agree with the general that it was better to just eliminate us.”
“So how much did you tell them?” Zoltan asked.
“Tell them?” Sean scoffed. “He showed them. He bent an iron rod, zipped around at vampire speed, teleported, and threatened to break the general’s neck.”
Everyone gasped.
Gregori shot Sean an annoyed look. “It was a demonstration of strength so they would respect us.” He adjusted his tie. “I believe it was an effective strategy.”
“Apparently so, since you weren’t arrested,” Emma said. “And the president agreed to help us.”
Gregori shrugged one shoulder. “He has an agenda. A humanitarian mission, he called it, that involves teleporting somewhere.”
“We can do that.” Angus leaned forward. “Did he say where?”
“No.” Gregori fiddled with his cuff links. “But I believe it involves taking his daughter.”
Angus sat back with a surprised expression.
“You mean Madison Tucker?” Olivia asked.
Gregori shook his head. “The oldest daughter. Abigail.” He was met with blank looks. “She’s not well-known.” But she was fascinating.
A small part of him was excited about seeing her again. He wanted to know what she was up to, why she was hiding, what made her tick. And how good she would feel in his arms. He winced. She’s the president’s daughter, you fool. A bigger part of him knew she represented sheer disaster. If the CIA knew what kind of thoughts he was having, they’d have a hit man assigned to him in a second.
“You don’t like her?” Emma asked.
He stiffened. “What?”
“You were scowling,” Emma said.
“Oh.” He shifted in his chair. “I’m . . . not happy with the . . . uh, situation.”
“Yeah, it’s a bad situation,” Sean agreed. “The president asked Gregori to introduce his daughters to the vampire world. He wants to see if Abigail can get along with us.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. “The president wants you to take his daughters out? You mean like a date?”
Gregori gritted his teeth. “It’s not a date. It’s a . . . diplomatic mission.”
Sean nodded. “Exactly. It’s serious business. The girls will arrive in Manhattan tomorrow with a Secret Service detail.”
Phineas snickered. “Can you handle two women, bro? Or do you need a little help with your date?”
Gregori jerked at his tie. “It’s not a date. It’s a damned babysitting job. The president made it clear. If the girls are harmed in any way, or just unhappy about how the evening goes, then the whole alliance will be canceled.”
Roman
“But it was an excellent start,” Sean insisted. “President Tucker was eager to form an alliance with us, and he seemed quite willing to trust us.”
“Because he wants something,” Gregori muttered.
“At least we have his support,” Roman said. “What about the other men?”
Gregori took a deep breath. “The Homeland Security guy was ordered to get rid of the video, but he doesn’t really trust us because I refused to give him a list of all the Vamps in the country.”
Angus winced. “Nay, we canna do that.”
“The CIA director wants to be our ally so he can use us as a weapon against their enemies,” Gregori continued. “The secretary of defense and national security advisor are suspicious and not readily inclined to trust us. General Bond of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would prefer to wipe all the vampires off the planet. That’s why I didn’t think we should remain at the safe house in D.C.”
A moment of silence settled in the room.
Roman sighed. “I guess it will take them a while to learn to trust us.”
Gregori nodded. “I tried the safe-and-harmless routine, but they were interpreting that as weak and worthless, and they only want us around if we’re useful. I had to prove we were worth saving, or they might agree with the general that it was better to just eliminate us.”
“So how much did you tell them?” Zoltan asked.
“Tell them?” Sean scoffed. “He showed them. He bent an iron rod, zipped around at vampire speed, teleported, and threatened to break the general’s neck.”
Everyone gasped.
Gregori shot Sean an annoyed look. “It was a demonstration of strength so they would respect us.” He adjusted his tie. “I believe it was an effective strategy.”
“Apparently so, since you weren’t arrested,” Emma said. “And the president agreed to help us.”
Gregori shrugged one shoulder. “He has an agenda. A humanitarian mission, he called it, that involves teleporting somewhere.”
“We can do that.” Angus leaned forward. “Did he say where?”
“No.” Gregori fiddled with his cuff links. “But I believe it involves taking his daughter.”
Angus sat back with a surprised expression.
“You mean Madison Tucker?” Olivia asked.
Gregori shook his head. “The oldest daughter. Abigail.” He was met with blank looks. “She’s not well-known.” But she was fascinating.
A small part of him was excited about seeing her again. He wanted to know what she was up to, why she was hiding, what made her tick. And how good she would feel in his arms. He winced. She’s the president’s daughter, you fool. A bigger part of him knew she represented sheer disaster. If the CIA knew what kind of thoughts he was having, they’d have a hit man assigned to him in a second.
“You don’t like her?” Emma asked.
He stiffened. “What?”
“You were scowling,” Emma said.
“Oh.” He shifted in his chair. “I’m . . . not happy with the . . . uh, situation.”
“Yeah, it’s a bad situation,” Sean agreed. “The president asked Gregori to introduce his daughters to the vampire world. He wants to see if Abigail can get along with us.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. “The president wants you to take his daughters out? You mean like a date?”
Gregori gritted his teeth. “It’s not a date. It’s a . . . diplomatic mission.”
Sean nodded. “Exactly. It’s serious business. The girls will arrive in Manhattan tomorrow with a Secret Service detail.”
Phineas snickered. “Can you handle two women, bro? Or do you need a little help with your date?”
Gregori jerked at his tie. “It’s not a date. It’s a damned babysitting job. The president made it clear. If the girls are harmed in any way, or just unhappy about how the evening goes, then the whole alliance will be canceled.”
Roman
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