Page 99 of State of Retribution

“I hear your concerns, and I respect your position, but my wife will remain on the job for the duration of my presidency.It’s our job, yours and mine, to make that as safe as we possibly can without limiting her ability to move around.”

Ambrose didn’t like that answer.He didn’t like it at all.But he only said, “Yes, sir.”

“Is that all?”

“I also wanted to give you a heads-up as to why we’d originally requested this meeting with you and Mrs.Cappuano.We wanted to speak to you about your high school plans for Scotty.”

“He’ll attend Eastern, beginning in the fall.”

“We wondered if you might consider a private school with enhanced security.Not that the District schools aren’t safe, but the public schools do present some additional challenges for our team that wouldn’t be present in a private school.”

“I hope you’re not referring to socioeconomic or racial concerns.”

“Of course not.We’re mostly focused on logistics versus population.”

Nick wasn’t sure he believed that’s all it was.“Sam and I are both products of public schools, and we’re big supporters of public education.”

“Yes, sir, but we’re looking at it from a security point of view.Having him on a campus with gates would be preferable to a more accessible location.”

“I’d prefer to wait until my wife is present to discuss this any further.”

“Understood.I’ll return with the rest of our team in a few minutes, then.”

“Thank you, Ambrose.”

“My pleasure, Mr.President.”

When he was alone, Nick stewed over the information Ambrose had provided.Scotty would be heartbroken if he couldn’t attend high school with the friends he’d made in middle school.Through hockey and other activities, he’d made some good friends, and the thought of disrupting his life any more than it had already been by Secret Service agents and the move to the White House made Nick feel terrible.

With every passing day, his job seemed to make the lives of his family that much more complicated and dangerous, or so it seemed to him.No one would be talking about taking Sam off the job or sending Scotty to private high school if he wasn’t the president.

He disliked a lot of things about this job, but the challenges for his family were right at the top of that list.Hearing Ambrose say his team was concerned about Sam’s job becoming even more dangerous had hit him in his most vulnerable spot.

At his morning briefing, he’d been shown a video of the incident in Adams Morgan.Nick had braced himself for the sound of the gunshot, for Jimmy’s instant reaction and how he’d saved Sam’s life by diving on top of her, but nothing could’ve prepared him to witness just how close he’d once again come to losing her.

In some ways, he felt like they were playing a gigantic game of Russian roulette by having her working on the streets, hunting down murderers.But if he asked her to quit, he’d be asking her to stop being who she was, and he simply couldn’t do that.Not to mention, she’d never forgive him.

His admin, Julie, came to the door.“Mrs.Cappuano is here, Mr.President.”

Nick forced himself to rally, to smile, to welcome her with a hug.“Nice to see you, Mrs.C.”

“You just saw me two hours ago.”

“That feels like a long time ago.”

“Has it been that kind of day?”

“Aren’t they all that kind of day?”

He sat with her on the sofa, holding her hand and breathing in the distinctive lavender and vanilla scent that came with her.

“Look at us,” Sam said.“Chilling in the Oval Office like it’s no big deal.Just another day.”

“Is it becoming routine?”

“Not quite there yet.”

“Me either.It’s still surreal, even almost six months later.”

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