“Day after tomorrow,” he said.
Everly forced herself to hold her smile while she told Austin she’d have Bella ready to go, but she was sweating by the time she passed through the kitchen on her way to her suite.
Bella was asking Lucia a dozen questions about what the woman was cooking for dinner. Everly ran her hand over Bella’s hair as she passed. “I’m going to change. I’ll be right out, honey.”
Inside her room, she closed the door, turned to face it, and rested her head there. A day wasn’t enough time. She needed to get into those files, dig up more information to show Roman. Inside, she felt jumpy. She had the urge to try to convince Hix to postpone the trip, but he was too damned suspicious. Which left Roman, who was equally as hard to convince once his mind was made up.
She found her mind wandering toward disobeying orders and circumventing the team to keep Bella with her father. And shit, when had her dedication to her job and her duty to her team come second? It was the whole reason she was here in the first place. Yet just the thought of the team grabbing Bella and the trauma that would cause the little girl and Hix tore at Everly’s heart.
When had the line between professional and personal disappeared? When had her loyalty shifted from her team and the men she trusted with her life to Hix and his daughter?
She pulled out her phone and dialed Ian. “Hey,” she said when he answered. “I have a problem.”
Gianna pulled the collar of her light wool trench coat tighter at her neck against the crisp DC breeze. She crossed her arms and wandered in a circle around the statue of Ulysses S. Grant at the Capitol’s reflecting pool.
“Wind’s picking up.” Roman’s smooth, deep voice sounded so clear, Gianna thought she could look over her shoulder and find him right there. But she was glad he was a quarter of a mile away. It was already hard enough to focus with this continual path of heat between her ear and her heart.
“Yep,” she said. “It was supposed to be in the fifties tonight, but the wind drops the temperature ten degrees.”
Gianna found herself wishing she could take advantage of all the heat Roman’s muscular body radiated. The thought made her mind drift back in time, to the way they’d pushed all the sheets and blankets to the floor, so needy for skin, they couldn’t bear a stitch of fabric between them. The memory created a familiar ache in her chest.
“Coffee with Baileys is sounding really good right now,” she told him.
“I was just thinking a shot of whiskey would do the trick.”
Gianna laughed softly. When she reached the front of the statue, she scanned the people milling around the reflecting pool, getting in their run for the day, or just using the space as a shortcut from one place to another.
She spotted Paige Seaver coming toward her, her signature sleek bob of dark hair bouncing against the shoulders of her overcoat. The woman had pep in her step, and she beamed at Gianna as she approached. Without breaking stride, the senator opened her arms wide and walked straight into a hug with Gianna.
“I was so excited to hear from you.” Senator Seaver leaned away but kept her hands clasped on Gianna’s arms when she asked, “So, what’s the good news? When do we get our baby back?”
Gianna smiled and hooked her arm through Paige’s, pulling her into a stroll. “About that… I need to ask you some questions.”
“Of course, of course. Anything you need.” She heaved a sigh and looked out over the water. “You should see Clyde’s face light up every time I mention her.”
“I’m sure.” Gianna really liked Paige’s husband. He reminded her a lot of Steven. And thoughts of Steven reminded her of why she was here in the first place. He’d been Clyde’s pride and joy.
“Aren’t the cherry blossoms budding perfectly this year?” Paige said, smiling up at the limbs overhead just coming to life with greenery and pale pink buds. “I hope this cold snap doesn’t cut their bloom short. I so want Mirabella to see them.”
Paige sighed. “So, what’s the status on our little muffin? I miss her so much. I saw Evelyn at Eastern Market last week—Evelyn Gutierrez, Mirabella’s nanny,” Paige clarified. “And we talked about Mirabella for almost an hour. Can you believe that? She said she would be interested in returning when Mirabella comes home.”
Gianna listened patiently, but knowing Roman was hearing and assessing everything created a weight on Gianna’s shoulders. “That’s wonderful.” She steered Paige to the edge of the pool and eased to a seat on the concrete bench surrounding the water. “Look, Paige, I’m going to be straight with you.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
The woman’s dark gaze was open and warm, and she held Gianna’s hands in the warmth of her own. For a moment, Gianna wondered if this was what it would have been like if she’d had a mother. She liked to think so.
Gianna took a fortifying breath before she dove in, knowing this probably wouldn’t be a comfortable conversation. But to put Roman’s mind at ease, Gianna forged ahead. “The intel I received from the DOD on Hix isn’t matching up with the information from the woman undercover.”
Paige’s smile melted away. She searched Gianna’s gaze and shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“I need to know how confident you are in the intel Dougherty provided.”
“Two-hundred percent,” she responded without hesitation. “I’ve known John for years. Hell, decades. He’s a decorated veteran and highly respected on the Hill. Why? What is the undercover saying?”
“She reports that Hix is a devoted father. That Mirabella is happy and carefree and wants for nothing.”
Paige smiled again, but this one was a little sardonic. “Is your undercover young?”