Page 28 of Caught
“Old boys’ club, eh?”
“More like gal pals. The Solicitor General and the AG are both women.”
“When did that happen?”
“It’s called progress, Leilah. You must have been so busy being the only woman on the circuit that you missed it.”
She grinned. “So we have forty-two minutes. I can beat that.”
“I have no doubt.”
Her grin faded. “But how are we going to get in? Especially you. You look like you’re about to go log-rolling.”
“As it happens, Grover was also a member of the Constellation Club, and he maintains an active membership. I made a reservation for us in his name. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. As for our clothes, one thing I’ve learned about the uber-powerful is that they don’t worry about things like that. They assume they’ll be welcomed with open arms no matter what. And you know? Usually, they’re right.”
“Let’s hope it works.”
“It’ll work. But if you find it motivational, the club is in the heart of Georgetown, renowned for its shopping.”
“You still have Jake’s gangster roll?”
“I do,” he confirmed.
“Hold on,” she told him. “Let’s see what Meredith can do.” She floored the gas, and the car leapt forward with gazelle-like grace.
13
Ryan checked his reflection in the boutique’s three-way mirror. He adjusted his tie, smoothed his hair, and glanced at his watch. They were still good on time. The plan was to let the ladies get into their second martinis while DCIS got a team into position. He pulled out his phone and read the last text from Trent:
DCIS is on board. Agents are on the way. Sec. Def. reaching out to AG’s assistant to call her away for an emergency. Can’t have her getting this on her shoes. Sucks to be Solicitor General, I guess.
He smiled. Not really. The U.S. Attorney General was a true political appointee. She was a household name, even if Leilah Khan didn’t know of her. The Solicitor General’s name was the answer to a particularly difficult trivia question. She’d emerge unscathed. And Ryan happened to know something about her personal background that made him glad she’d bear witness to Alice Broderick’s downfall. He suspected the Defense Secretary knew the same history and hadn’t called her away for that reason.
The dressing room curtains parted, and Leilah emerged. He pocketed the phone and sucked in his breath as he met her eyes in the mirror. She was, to put it plainly, a vision in red. A sleek column of red silk draped her curves like it had been cut for her. A matching red scarf covered her hair, and strappy black shoes with red soles completed the outfit.
“Wow.”
He winced. He sounded like a twelve-year-old boy. But she beamed at him.
“Wow back at you.”
He paid for their clothes with Jake’s ever-dwindling wad of cash and pocketed the receipt so he could reimburse him. Then he offered Leilah his arm.
“Shall we?”
“Let’s.”
She looped her elbow through his, and he tucked her arm against his side. As they stepped out onto the pavement, he almost forgot why they were strolling through Georgetown as the sun set over the Potomac River, lighting the Key Bridge’s arches with a warm orange glow. Her next question pulled him back to reality.
“Do you have the gun?” she whispered as they reached the gracious front portico of the Constellation Club.
“No. I left it with Jake. We don’t need it for this.”
“Okay.” Her smile faltered.
He stopped walking and turned to face her full-on. “Sparky, I promise. We’re going to be safe.”
She nodded, her eyes locked on his. “I believe you.”
