Desire by Lesli Richardson

Author:Lesli Richardson [Richardson, Lesli]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lesli Richardson
Published: 2018-12-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

We ride through DC streets, and it even fucking looks hot outside. It’s been an unseasonably hot May. Thank god this is an indoor event. My office set it up to be a little bit of a photo opp, people can get pictures of me walking from the motorcade into the front door.

“By the way, saw that comment you made to Bill Graham at WaPo in that article on your dad’s bill,” I tell him, unable to hold back my grin. “Bet your old man is steamed.” The article actually came out last week, but I didn’t see it until this morning when I was playing catch-up on the toilet with my phone.

Kev smiles, but it’s the smile of Prophet, the successful political operative. “Well, he’s the one trying to cut VA benefits. If he didn’t want me to call him out on his shitty bill, he shouldn’t have put his name on it as a co-sponsor.”

I grin. The bill has zero hope of making it out of committee, it’s more some play to a base he thinks he has, but Kev slammed him damned good on it.

When we arrive in front of the venue, there’s a large crowd, larger than I expected. “Uh, wow. Lots of kids.” In fact, there’s a lot of school-aged kids here today, which is great.

Including a group not much older than Hudson right up on the barricades, cheering as the cars pull up.

As I get out, I start to follow my detail, but those kids, man. They look happy to be here, happy to see me.

“Rope line,” I call out to John, who’s now about ten steps ahead of me. I veer off at a ninety and ignore the swears from my detail. I know Kev’s right behind me, shadowing me, keeping an eye on the time and he can be my bulldog to get me into the building if this takes too long.

I start to shake hands, take selfies with the kids, working my way through the group of kids. I’m trying to say hi to them, focus on them, ignoring the angry buzzing around me of agents trying to reconfigure themselves with my last-minute plan change.

I mean, I know better, don’t leave your detail behind, but also I drilled into these same agents rule one is you keep your eye on the protectee and expect them to veer off.

Ha. Training refresher. I know I put at least half my guys through this same exact scenario when I was still in and working with them.

I’m about two-thirds through the rope line when I notice a man push his way forward. But before I can really process what’s going on, Kev has launched himself in front of me and shoving me back, making himself big in front of me—he’s got good form—and screaming as I hear three pops.

Time doesn’t really slow down.

Adrenaline dumps into your system and it’s sort of the body’s natural time warp for fight-or-flight instincts to kick in. Senses are heightened, your world shrinks into a tight ball right where you need the focus.

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