Chapter 9

Angela

Angela's body trembled with anger. She struggled to maintain her calm as Benji presented the incriminating photos. The feeling of exposure and vulnerability was unbearable. It was one thing for her security detail to witness her public displays of affection, but Benji was never meant to see it. She had always planned to be the one to explain their relationship to him. Now, her carelessness had led to this, her son now sporting a black eye and facing a school suspension.

"Things like this aren't supposed to happen," she said for the hundredth time.

Marcus Kepler, Director of National Intelligence, paced on the far edge of the office as he talked on the phone. Penny had stepped out to take a phone call. Tristan sat on a couch, talking on the phone. The Vice President, Mariah Coolidge, sat on the other couch, whispering with her husband.

No one was listening to Angela. She was alone, anxious, and afraid.

She picked up the tablet from the desk and stared at the picture again. No matter how many times she wished for it to happen, the picture of her and Blake on her balcony would not change. It wasn't even a horrible picture. People would describe the picture as sweet and tender if she had been anyone else. Blake held her close and rested his chin on her head. She was in a nightgown, and he was shirtless. That was the worst part.

But she wasn't just anyone else, and Blake wasn't an ordinary man.

Penny returned to the office, passing Marcus. She walked over to her, bent her head close, and whispered, "Mr. Sullivan just called."

Angela's eyes opened wider. "Give me your phone." She held out her hand.

Penny stepped back. "We ended the call, Madam President."

"Why didn't you let me talk to him," Angela snapped.

Penny's face dropped. "I'm sorry, but there was so much commotion in your office that I didn't think you'd want to be interrupted." She pulled out her phone. "I have the number. I can call him back."

Penny didn't deserve her anger. Angela's stomach tightened even more. She'd already excused herself once and barely reached the bathroom before getting sick.

"I'm sorry, Penny," she said. "I didn't mean to snap at you. This isn't your fault."

Penny hesitated a heartbeat. "Ma'am, if I could be so bold, and I'm not stepping out of line, this isn't your fault either."

Angela clicked her tongue. "I rarely step out on the balcony because I know there is no privacy."

"Ma'am, you're entitled to privacy." Penny held up her phone. "Would you like me to call him back?"

Angela let out a big sigh. "No. He's busy, I'm sure, and there's nothing he can do to fix this."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Mariah got off the couch and walked over to the desk. "How are you doing?"

Mariah had been Angela's first pick for a Vice President. Many of the stuffy politicians in Washington had a hard time with one set of ovaries in the White House, but two were almost intolerable. Angela had a lot of faith in Mariah. If Mariah decided to run for the next election, Angela would support her one hundred percent because Mariah had the political ambition she lacked.

"I've been better," Angela said.

"Those pictures of you were taken illegally, and we will find out who took them."

"That's great, but they are already out there. We can't change that."

Mariah squeezed Angela's hand. "How do you want to proceed?"

Angela rolled her eyes and shrugged. "I wish I knew. I'm too mad to think straight. Maybe letting Alistair go was a mistake."

Mariah pulled up a chair to the front of the desk. "May I be honest, Madam President?"

"Mariah, please call me Angela. I have never felt less presidential than I do right now."

"Madam President, you will always be the right person for this job. Forgive me, I mean Angela."

"Your vote of confidence means the world to me."

Mariah waved a hand in front of her face. Her husband, Robert, pulled up another chair and sat beside her.

"Do you know how many men have sat behind this desk who have done incredibly horrible things? At least you didn't have an affair like so many of the male presidents."

Angela smiled at Robert and then at Mariah. "I hope you two are ready to walk in my shoes."

"What do you mean?" Mariah said. "You can't resign over this."

"I'm not resigning, but I doubt I'll be re-elected now."

"Nonsense," Robert said. "This will blow over, and everyone will be focused on someone new. I heard something about a senator from Texas who had a little too much fun while in Arkansas."

Angela snapped her focus on him. "Did you say Arkansas?"

Robert chuckled. "Yeah, and from the gossip going around town, there are pictures."

When had Arkansas become such a hotbed of activity?

Tristan ended his call. "Madam President, your new personal guard just finished all the formalities, and he will be up momentarily."

"Oh, I didn't realize you got someone new," Angela said.

"He's only new to the White House. It's someone you know already."

"Who?"

"Doyle McNealy." Tristan went to a side table and poured a glass of water.

"Doyle?" Angela asked. "Do you mean like Doyle, Doyle? The one I met just a few months ago."

"Yes, that Doyle."

"I didn't think he was that trustworthy," Angela said.

"Do you think we should bring in anyone with a questionable background," Mariah asked Tristen. "It seems like there are enough issues without adding more."

Tristen ignored her. "Doyle is loyal to whoever adds money into his bank account."

"And what if someone else adds in more than we are?" Mariah asked.

Tristen glanced at Mariah and then turned back to Angela, ignoring Mariah.

"I made a few calls and found him. He's in between assignments, so to speak, and available."

Angela glared at Tristen. It didn't matter who or what he was. She would not tolerate rudeness in her office. "Director, you need to answer the Vice President." She emphasized his title more, hoping to remind him that he served Mariah just as much as he served her.

He pressed his lips together, and Angela noticed the same hot temper in Blake's eyes. She missed him.

"Yes, Ma'am." Tristan turned his body to face Mariah. "To answer your concerns, Madam Vice-President, I've known Doyle for a long time. He's trustworthy, and once he's committed, he's loyal to the end."

Angela wasn't sure about Doyle's background. He showed up one night while she and Blake were at his family homestead, planning Benji's rescue. Up until thirty seconds ago, she didn't even know he had a last name. He played an integral part in destroying Xerxes' lab and confused Keyser by stealing Xerxes' power box for him but keeping the primary power source to give to Tristan.

"Will he be committed to Angela?" Mariah asked.

"Sure, why the hell not? I had nothing else better to do."

Everyone turned to see the man standing at the door. Angela recognized his face, but nothing else about him was familiar. He was clean-shaven, with shorter hair than before, and a well-fitted suit. He ignored everyone and walked straight to Angela, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

No one said anything. No one moved. No one seemed to know what to do.

Angela cautiously pulled her hand free. "Mr. McNealy, a handshake is more appropriate."

Doyle studied the office, turning twice to see everything. "When I'm with a beautiful woman, it's never her hand I want to shake."

Robert lunged for him. "What the…"

Tristan stepped in front of Robert and held out his hand to prevent an incident. He cleared his throat. "Let me introduce Doyle McNealy. Doyle will be standing in for Blake whenever she needs security."

Doyle walked to a couch, sat at one end, crossed one leg over the other, and rested an arm on the back. "Tristan told me your dragon had to go catch bad guys. So, it looks like you're stuck with me, Doll."

Mariah got out of her chair. She pointed a finger at Tristan. "Is this your idea of a joke?"

Doyle moved too fast for Angela to see what happened. One second, he was sitting on the couch like a cocky jerk, and the next, he had Tristan in a choke hold, kneeling on his knees. "I assure you, Madam Vice President, I do not take my work lightly. I was hired to take care of the President, and I will give my life to keep her safe."

Penny screeched and lost her balance.

Angela gulped her next breath and slumped against the back of her chair. She'd seen Tristan fight, and he was a fierce fighter. If Doyle could take him by surprise, he'd be able to keep her safe against anything.

Tristan tapped Doyle's arm and, in a strained voice, said, "Let me go."

Doyle released Tristan, brushed off his jacket sleeves, and straightened his tie. "Are there any other questions or concerns?" He sat on the couch again.

Mariah turned to Angela. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Excuse me?" Angela asked.

"You've surrounded yourself with supernatural creatures that we know nothing about. They are violent. Can they be trusted?"

Not you, too?

Angela wanted to scream. If Mariah were against supernatural creatures, it would be that much harder to pass any legislation. She was the last person Angela thought would pass judgment.

"With all due respect, Madam Vice President, there are just as many humans, if not more, who are violent and cannot be trusted," Tristan said. "We've been fighting with humans for centuries without any recognition. If the President trusts us, and you trust her, then you should trust us."

Angela searched Mariah's face for any indication of her true feelings. Unlike Alistair, she saw no hate but genuine concern. Mariah didn't see supernaturals as monsters. She saw them as new and unknown.

Robert stood behind Mariah and put his hands on her shoulders. "You've been with Angela for a long time. The two of you have accomplished more than anyone thought possible. If Angela believes in what she's doing, you should too."

Mariah looked up to her husband and squeezed his hand. Angela had never been envious of Robert and her until that moment. It was the first time she had thought about how all of this must affect Robert. Marriage was hard enough without adding a stressful job into the mix. Robert had been supportive of everything Mariah wanted to accomplish. He quit his job to move to Washington. He paraded around town, filling the shoes of both the Second Lady and the First Lady, and he did it with a smile on his face. He handled every sexist comment and joke that came his way with a cheerful response. His standard response was, "I do it all for love."

Angela stretched an open hand across her desk. "Mariah, I have never felt more sure about this. Supernaturals deserve to be treated as citizens of this country. I trust them, and I'm in love with one of them."

Mariah put her hand in Angela's, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. "Okay. Then tell me what you need me to do."

Angela pushed out a breath she didn't realize she held. She looked over to Tristan. "You need to show her the report."

Tristan nodded.

Marcus walked back into the office.

"Good, I'm glad you're back," Angela said to him.

"Madam President, I looked into the matter you asked about, and you were right." He glanced around the room.

"And?" Angela said.

Marcus hesitated. His eyes settled on Doyle. "I'm not sure this is the best place."

Angela nodded. "The people in this room are the only people on my staff that I trust. Whatever you were going to say to me, you can say to them."

Marcus pursed his lips and nodded. "Mmmh, okay. Your hunch was right. Marine One had just been serviced the morning of the explosion."

"Is it possible that something wasn't put back together correctly?" Angela asked.

"I suppose anything is possible, but it's highly unlikely," Marcus said.

"What about the other thing I asked you to do?" Angela said.

"I took care of that, too. That was the second phone call I took. Forgive me for stepping out of the office, but the call wasn't clear on my cellphone. I also thought it better to take the call on a phone with no chance of compromise."

"Again, I ask you, and?"

Marcus sighed. "I took the python shifter you suggested to the warehouse where they staged the recovered debris. He smelled burnt almonds and smoke."

Mariah asked, "What is he talking about? What's going on?"

Angela got out of her chair and turned her back on everyone. Someone was lying. The security committee led by Beatrice Van Houten declared the explosion was caused by equipment failure. How did they come to that conclusion when it was clearly wrong? She made a mental note to look more into Senator Van Houten and every member of that committee.

After several minutes, she turned around. "A bomb, not mechanical failure, destroyed Marine One."

Penny gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

Mariah stood out of the chair and walked close to Angela. "Do you realize what you are suggesting?"

"I do. Blake smelled it a millisecond before it went off. He was able to wrap his wings around me and keep me safe."

Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose. "I did a little more digging and found the original report. It was supposed to be destroyed, but it wasn't. The original committee believed all the evidence pointed to a bomb." He let his head fall back and glanced at the ceiling for an extended heartbeat. Then, he made direct eye contact with Angela. "Madam President, someone wanted you dead."

Doyle clasped his hands, fanned them out, and cracked his knuckles. "And I guess that's why you need me." He shook out his hands and rubbed them together. "Here, I thought this was going to be a boring job. It sounds like the fun is just getting started."

Tristan said, "What do you want to do, Madam President?"

Angela put her hands on her hips and straightened her back. She stood in a Wonder Woman pose for almost a minute, thinking about what to do next. Blake would know what to do without thinking about it if he were here. But he wasn't here, and he wasn't the one in charge.

She walked to the front of her desk. "Before I do anything, I want to make sure Benji is safe." She pointed a finger at Tristan. "Do you have agents who can pass as humans with no doubts?"

He nodded.

"Good. I'm sending Benji to stay with my parents for a while,

Angela pointed to Mariah. "I want you to continue your normal routine, but I want the best guards we have with you-" she pointed to Robert, "- and you, at all times. Please stay here in the White House for a little bit."

She held up a hand as if stopping herself from speaking. "No, cancel that. Benji is going to stay with my parents. That's why I need the most human-passing supernaturals you can find. Send them with Benji." She waved a hand between her and Mariah. "We're going to Camp David."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Mariah asked.

"No, but I'm not sure staying here is wise. I need to get away from the crazy place and think. Anyone we need to talk to will come to us. Maybe this craziness over that stupid picture will have blown over when we come back."

"I have one meeting tomorrow that I can reschedule," Mariah said. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay here?"

Angela made a circular motion with her finger. "Like I said, y'all are the only people I trust. I think we'll be safer and work better if we're all together."

Tristan said, "I'll get on the security right away." He walked out of the room.

Angela pointed to Marcus. "I know this isn't one of your duties, but I need you to make sure all of Alistair's passwords were deleted. Is there a way to see if he took anything he shouldn't have?"

Marcus gave her a quizzical look.

"He resigned," she said matter-of-factly

"Oh," Marcus said. "Yes, I will see to that personally."

Angela pointed to Mariah and Robert. "Let's plan on being there tonight for a late dinner. Does that give you time to get your stuff together?"

Mariah and Robert stood next to each other. He took her hand. Mariah nodded. "Yes, Madam President, we will be ready."

They started to leave the room, but Mariah stopped, walked back to Angela, and hugged her. Then, she and Robert left the room.

Angela sat behind her desk. "Penny, we need to talk."

Penny stepped over to her. The poor girl's face had lost all its color. She had better toughen up because Angela needed her.

Angela opened a file on her desk. For a heartbeat, she imagined herself drowning in manila folders. She ran her finger across the top page. "I found out that you participated in the White House Fellows Program."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"What was your intent in participating in that program?"

Penny tilted her head to the side and drew her eyebrows together. "I wanted to learn as much as possible about how politics work behind the scenes."

Angela closed the folder and leaned back in her chair. "Why didn't I know about this earlier?"

"I'm not sure, Ma'am. It's on my resumé. I assumed you saw it before hiring me."

Angela clicked her tongue. "You'd like to think I did. I don't have the energy or the time to spare your feelings. I hired you as a favor to my daddy."

"Excuse me?"

"My daddy and your daddy play golf together. My daddy owed your daddy a favor for something. I'm not sure what. He asked me to hire you to settle that favor."

"Oh." Penny bit her bottom lip and lowered her eyes.

"Don't be sad. I may have hired you to make my daddy happy, but I kept you for me. You have been an incredible asset. I'm not sure I would have survived that first week if you hadn't been there."

Penny raised her eyes to Angela and gave her a half smile. "It's a true pleasure to work for you, Madam President."

"I hope you mean that because I'm about to ask you something that will prove tougher than anything else you've done for me."

"I'm ready to do whatever you need me to."

"Good." Angela paused. "I want you to be my Chief of Staff."

Penny slightly swooned and braced herself against the desk. "Excuse me, but did I hear you right?"

Angela nodded. "Yes, you heard me right."

"But I'm not qualified for that job."

Angela opened the folder again and scanned the papers. "I disagree with you. You have everything I would want in a Chief of Staff. Honestly, the only difference between what you're doing now and what you would do in this role is that you will work with all my staff, not just me."

"Um, yes, Ma'am."

"I know you have connections with almost everyone in this town. You are smart and wise beyond your age. Most importantly, you have proven your loyalty to me, and that's what I need more than anything right now."

"I'm greatly honored, Madam President. Again, I'm not sure I'm qualified."

Doyle, who had appeared disinterested until now, got off the couch and stood by the desk. "Oh, stop with the false modesty. It seems like this is a great opportunity, and you should take it."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Your job is to protect me, not speak for me."

He clasped his hands behind his back. "I am protecting you. I'm protecting you from wasting your time." He pointed to Penny. "Look at her. You can tell by her body language that she's going to say yes. So, I'm just speeding up this process."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Please let me do my job."

Doyle bowed his head and walked backward to the couch. "Fine, fine, fine. Carry on."

"Well, how about it," Angela said to Penny.

Tears welled in Penny's eyes, but she stood straighter and held her head high. "I would be honored to serve you as your Chief of Staff."

Angela clapped. "Perfect. You'll need to get ready to go with us to Camp David. Will you have enough time?"

Penny nodded.

"Perfect. I will write a press release and deliver it before I leave." She got out of her chair, stood in front of Penny, and held out her hand. They shook hands. "I will come up with a way to celebrate your promotion later. For now, let me say congratulations and welcome to the team."

"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you, Ma'am." Penny headed to the door.

"Oh, and Penny," Angela said, "do you have any connections in Arkansas?"