Katherine shut the door behind her.

“Someday? Someday. Warner?” Carolyn shouted. “There’s a press conference scheduled for this afternoon.”

“So, give the press conference. Then we’ll let the program die a silent death.” Warner walked to the door, a condescending smile on his face. “The polls just don’t support it.”

“That’s a lie, and you know it.” The bastard was enjoying this, she thought. “I won’t let you get away with this. Warner. I swear it.”

“You don’t have the balls to fight this war. And, Carolyn, like you said, it is war.”

Jack paced from one end of Katherine’s town home to the other. He couldn’t prove that Carolyn had issued the orders to have him beaten, or that she’d had anyone else killed, but the evidence against her continued to mount.

How was he going to tell Katherine? He believed she was in danger, and needed to quit her job. She was going to be furious when he told her that he suspected Carolyn was behind these reprehensible deeds. She probably wouldn’t believe him, Jack realized, but he knew he had to try.

One thing was sure, he had to distance himself from Katherine. Jack headed for the bedroom to pack his few possessions. Every minute he stayed with her jeopardized her safety. Carolyn, or whomever, wanted him dead. He feared that if Carolyn and her cronies connected him to Katherine, she might become another in a long list of casualties.

Carolyn’s hand shook as she reached for the phone on her desk.

She held her breath until she heard the sound of her lover’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

“He shut down my program.” A sob broke her voice. “I swear he planned it all along. I felt like a trapped fly watching my own wings being pulled off. And he enjoyed it, he actually enjoyed it.”

“I was afraid this would happen.” he said.

She rubbed her forehead with the fingertips of her free hand. “My God, it’s everything I’ve worked for, my life’s commitment. The entire reason I’ve stayed married to the son of a bitch. Now, I have nothing left. Nothing.”

“Will you finally agree to let me help you?” he asked.

“How?”

“You let me worry about that. Do you still have access to treasury funds?”

“We’ll be doing our final invoices for the task force in the upcoming weeks.” Carolyn said.

“Perfect.”

“What’s going on, Jack?” Katherine asked as she walked through the front door and encountered his luggage on the entry floor.

Jack came out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a dishtowel.

“Taking a trip?” Katherine put down her briefcase, not meeting his gaze. He could tell she was trying desperately to hide her hurt.

He shook his head. “We’re taking too big a risk. If they find out we’re involved…”

Her eyes wide, she said, “What are you talking about? If who finds out?”

“I’m not sure. But I think your boss has something to do with it.”

“Carolyn?” Her voice rose in volume. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Please, sit down,” Jack said, “and we’ll discuss this.”

“I’m fine where I am. I’m not sure what you think Carolyn has done, but I can assure you she would never do anything to hurt anyone.” She stood, fists propped on her hips, her chin set at a defiant tilt.

“Kate. I know she’s your friend, and that may be the very reason you aren’t seeing the truth.”

“Can you prove these accusations?” Anger resonated in her voice.

“Not yet. But I have substantial evidence.” He walked to the desk, and showed her the E-mail to Cain signed with a C. “And. I have Adam Miles’s journal that links Carolyn to Cain.” He didn’t bother telling her about the recording that he’d gotten at the bridge. Without the tape, he’d never prove it was Carolyn’s voice.

“I don’t believe any of this.” Katherine said. “There has to be a logical explanation.”

“Maybe there is. But until this is resolved, we should live apart.”

“You’re not responsible for me. I can make my own decisions.”

He sighed, then approached her. “I’m afraid I’m putting you in danger,” he said softly. “In fact, I know I’m putting you in danger. Regardless of who put out a hit on me, I can’t, in good conscience, expose you to this kind of danger.” He pulled her to him, but she stood stiff in his arms. Putting his hand under her chin, he lifted her face so he could look into her green eyes. “Okay. I should have talked to you before I packed. I apologize.”

She met his gaze. “I’m afraid, Jack.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Afraid that you’re irrationally obsessed with this whole thing. First, a complete stranger meets you at the Golden Gate, and you take his word as gospel. Then, you’re convinced it’s Mark Dailey.”

“I know it all sounds odd.”

“Odd? It’s more than odd. And now you’re pulling up E-mail messages from an address that could belong to anyone, and you’re telling me it’s the First Lady communicating with a mercenary.”

“Katherine, do you know how many investigations I’ve done in my years as a reporter?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Thousands. And most of them started out with much less to go on than this.”

“I’m not doubting your professionalism. I just think you’re too personally involved because of your father.”

“Oh. I’m personally involved, all right,” Jack said. “And I’ve got bruises all over my body to prove it.”

“You’re on the wrong track. Carolyn is a great person. I won’t stand by and watch you attack my friend. This is wrong, Jack, very wrong.”

“Is this a deal breaker for our relationship?”

She stepped back. “Maybe. I’m not sure.”

Jack started to speak, then stopped. His gaze locked with hers, he clenched his jaw as he fought his emotions.

“The break will do us good,” she said. “We’ve been moving fast, probably too fast. We both need time to think.”

“You think that’s what this is about? That I need time to think?” Jack asked.

“It makes more sense than the alternative,” Katherine said.

Jack shook his head. “I don’t deserve this. I’ve never been anything but straight with you. And I’m getting sick of being accused of underhanded behavior. I don’t care if you think I’m off base on my investigation, but I do care that you doubt my integrity. I don’t use words like love, lightly. And I do love you. Try not to forget that, Katherine, while you’re thinking.”

He picked up his bag and walked out the door.

Carolyn walked toward the Oval Office. Her footfalls echoed in the evening quiet. She’d given a lot of thought to Warner’s rejection of her War on Drugs proposal, and decided that she just needed to reason with him. Her program could build his legacy, a legacy she knew he cared about preserving. She intended to point out that killing her task force, to satisfy a personal vendetta, would only hurt his presidency.

She stopped in front of the Oval Office door, took a calming breath, then knocked.

“Come in,” Warner said.

Carolyn swung the door open, then gasped.

Edmund Lane pulled his cigar from his lips.

“Good to see you, Carolyn.”

Warner leaned back in his chair, set his feet on his desk, and crossed his ankles. “How can we help you?”

Cigar smoke hung thick and dense in the air. “Can I speak to you alone?”

“No.”

Carolyn met his gaze. “I wanted to discuss my press conference and your presidential legacy.”

Warner reached in his pocket and handed Edmund a dollar bill.

Edmund laughed as he took it. “You should never underestimate my knack for predicting human nature. She’s right on schedule.”

Carolyn felt the blood rushing to her face.