I hold back a sharp laugh at their ridiculous stunt. Piper's eyes widen to the size of the moon as she watches the President glower at his wife. Seriously glower. Charlie straightens to full height and snaps off a solute when he growls, "We'll address this later." But her smile reveals she's not afraid of the upcoming conversation.
"I look forward to it, Mr. President," she says in a superb Marilyn Monroe impression.
These two are fun to watch, his flexing hand, her batting lashes, and then Charlie breaks the hold he has on her gaze and winks at me. Taking Piper's hand, she leads her to the corner while McKenna resumes his place on the couch. "We're sorry to interrupt, just pretend we're not here."
McKenna rolls his eyes to the ceiling as if searching for peace of mind. A deep breath later, he must find it, because his attention is back on me. "As I was saying, my wife, although impetuous and spoiled by my own hand, is my world. She can be incredibly convincing. And last night I was persuaded to alleviate your concern."
"Yes, sir."
"I expect all of you to keep this in the strictest of confidence." He waits for the mirrored Yes, Mr. President to come from behind before continuing. "Shortly after enlisting, Commander Gavin Lawless was commissioned by the CIA as an operative."
Holy Christ. My pulse spikes. "He was a spy."
"His is an agent, yes. A good one, Lieutenant Commander, one of the best in the Middle East. As way of protection, his cover had to be infallible, and the CIA took great strides to ensure his defection was unquestioned. That everyone who knew him believed him a traitor."
"My father is alive?" The truth sticks in my throat as emotion bubbles up behind it.
"He's imbedded deeply in Afghanistan."
"The Bamyan providence, with Asil Marik."
The President nods. "You've pieced information together correctly. He is in fact working to disrupt the flow of illegal arms trading. But he's also funneling out information so we're able to dismantle the terrorist sects piece by piece. His mission is important to our success in the region. You understand why we'd like to keep him there, and keep him safe in perilous circumstances. If Marik suspects anything, Gavin Lawless's life is forfeit."
I close my eyes against confirmation of Dad's patriotism and bravery. At the same time, my chest constricts, fearing I'll lose him when I just learned he isn't lost to me after all. But knowledge is enough to ease my burden, if only a little. "Thank you, sir."
He smiles. "Your gratitude is best delivered to Charlie. As much as I respect you and your family, she has a way of-"
A rapid-fire knock renders him silent. The door to the Oval Office swings open and Evan Daugherty, Chief of Staff, hangs in the balance of the entryway. "Mr. President, sir," he says, swiftly walking and bending to McKenna's ear. Holding his tie to his chest, Daugherty goes on for a half minute and when finished, he stands. His gaze finds mine for a heartbeat, but he turns to watch McKenna stride across the room to pick up the phone.
"Yes," he barks into the receiver. "When? And where did the intelligence come from?" The President sits behind the Resolute desk, snapping open a laptop. "Send me the feed. And you're certain it's him?" He studies the monitor, and I watch so intensely I catch the slight flutter of his lashes and the hint of a wince. "What's the plan?" The President looks up to find me, and the same knowledge I appreciated a minute ago rips through my abdomen. "I want to be kept up to date. If the team breathes wrong I want to know."
I swallow and stand, stalking to the President as he hangs up. "It's my father."
He nods. "After missing his mark twenty-four hours ago, he fell silent. He's vanished."
"Who's going in?"
"Team Four, as soon as his location is confirmed."
My team. Piper, JT, Justin-they flash in my mind, quick blasts of indecision. I've waited twelve years for this day to arrive, for my father to be within reach.
But Piper.
JT.
My family.
The President's gaze is steady and penetrating as he assesses me. After a minute, he nods. "I'll make arrangements for you to catch a flight out of McNair. But you'll need to leave now." He glances behind my shoulder and then back to me. "I'll have a car pull around front."
He stands and holds out his hand. I take it. "Thank you, sir."
"Be safe, or you'll have to deal with my wife."
And Piper. As I turn, I look past Charlie to find my girl's eyes flare wider but otherwise she's statue still, staring directly at me. I go to her, my fingers sliding into her platinum pink hair, and I tilt her face to mine.