Campaign of Desire (CSA Case Files 4) (6 page)

Phoebe bit her lip to question that statement, but she felt ashamed at her reaction and kept her mouth shut. Her father did love her and Kimmie, but sometimes his decisions affected them in ways that he didn’t understand. Adding twenty-four seven guards to them wouldn’t make things any better. She’d won their last argument in regards to her missions for Crescent and she’d returned to Iraq without any further issues.

“All I’m saying is that there are better ways to spend money when security will be provided to us at a later date.” Phoebe felt a tremor run through her and she knew that Lach was looking at them through the glass. She refused to turn around and instead she took one of the guest chairs and tried to make herself comfortable. The heat on her back only intensified. “I’m surprised Paul thought this was a good idea.”

“It
was
Paul’s idea, although I’ll grant you that he wanted to go with a firm that was less expensive.” Stan looked down at his desk, as was his habit when he was trying to form his words carefully. Phoebe’s heart skipped a beat and waited for the bomb to drop. “There have been some threats made in regards to a partisan agreement on the Right To Work bill that is coming up for a vote by the Senate Labor Relations Committee. There are apparently people who do not care for my opinion on the matter.”

“I don’t understand.” Phoebe was trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together but coming up one short. “We give a press conference tomorrow in regards to your candidacy. Why would you receive threats beforehand?”

“Speculation is everything. Who knows? Maybe whoever it is thinks that intimidation will keep me from making the announcement.”

“They don’t know you very well,” Phoebe muttered, tucking her hair back behind her ears. Solutions to the problem ran through her mind and the only one that kept taking the lead was what her father had already done. She thought some more. “How bad are the threats? I mean, are they threatening not to vote for you or something worse?”

“I know where you’re headed with this, Phoebe,” Stan said, a reassuring smile playing on the corner of his lips. “This person has sent emails and letters that contain death threats. I’m not treating that lightly and I’ve taken certain steps that ensure our safety. All of us.”

“By hiring CSA,” Phoebe stated, finishing his sentence and then blowing at her bangs in frustration. She pulled the string that Paul had left dangling for her. “Is there a reason we can’t go with a firm that’s less expensive? Paul has a point.”

“I’m not using the campaign’s funds.” Stan stood up and removed his jacket, hanging it on the back of his chair. He went about rolling up his sleeves and she knew that he intended to work well into the night. “I will pay for this privately until the Secret Service takes over. As for CSA, that is not up for debate. You get what you pay for. CSA is the best and I am not going to settle for less. I taught you that early on.”

“Dad, I know that you have trust in Lach McKinnon, especially after Africa.” Phoebe could be just as cautious with words as her father and delicately framed her sentences. “I also agree with you that he is highly qualified, which is why he should be the one to watch over Kimmie. The man who followed her out the door seems a little young and—”

“Ethan Chambers is only a year younger than you, Phoebe.” Stan took his seat and leaned forward so that his elbows were on the desk. She didn’t have to be his daughter to admit that he was handsome and had a charisma that would charm the American people. Added to that was his belief that he could make this a better country and the citizens got the entire package. She was one of the few people in the world that saw his flaws. Unfortunately, society wouldn’t classify being overprotective a weakness. “Crest agrees that Ethan will blend in more on campus than McKinnon. Let’s face it, the man is a Titan.”

Phoebe wrestled with herself over telling her father what had happened in Iraq or keeping it personal. It wasn’t any of his business yet she needed some excuse not to have Lach back in her life. He’d made it abundantly clear that the sex they’d had was a one-time thing, and when pushed to clarify he answered exactly as she’d thought he would. He’d given her little choice and she’d gone on the defensive. She hated being on that side of the playing field.

Needing something to do in order to stall for time, Phoebe stood up and walked over to the small side table where her father kept a coffee machine. He worked hard and put in long hours, so it only made sense for him to have his own. It came in handy as she took a Styrofoam cup off of the stack and poured herself some.

“Is this where you tell me you had sex with him? That’s something I’d expect from Kimmie, but not you.”

Coffee sloshed over Phoebe’s hand and she cursed as she set both the pot and cup back down on the table. She’d always kept her personal life private, knowing her father would have had any man she was seeing investigated before their date had ended and lecturing her on how her behavior reflected on his public persona. She could only imagine his reaction to some of her past affairs, but she shoved that to the back of the long list of things her father didn’t need to know. She grabbed a napkin and dried her hand, ignoring the reddish tint to her skin.

“Why would you ask me such a question?” Phoebe finally had her composure and turned to face her father. He was studying her reaction but she’d already decided that he didn’t need to know specific details. “I don’t ask who you sleep with, although if I were to take a gamble it would be Natalie Olson. She can’t take her eyes off of you at those fundraisers and Senate dinners. And don’t ever ask me where Kimmie gets her non-filtered mouth.”

Her father had the decency to flush but the reaction was short lived. He pursed his lips and motioned to the men waiting outside that they could join them. A fleeting moment of panic shot through Phoebe as she debated on actually telling her father the truth.

“Just out of curiosity, would it have made a difference if I’d said yes?” Phoebe asked as she warily watched Lach and the other man walk toward the office door.

“Honey, you know that my family comes first and that I would love for you to settle down and give me some grandchildren. At least then I’d be assured of you remaining at home. If I thought Lach McKinnon could get you to do that, I’d shake his hand and give you both my blessing.”

Phoebe didn’t respond to her father’s comments, as the man in question entered behind whom she presumed to be was his partner. Even from this distance, it was as if Lach’s scent surrounded her. The afternoon they’d spent together seemed as if it were yesterday and the memory brought with it the hurt she felt at being just another notch on his proverbial gun.

She thought of what her mother would say in this moment and quickly looked down at her gray business suit cut just right over her hips. Annabelle would have told Phoebe to buck up and lift the sides of her lips as if she’d just received news that world peace had arrived and she’d had a hand in producing it. She had a feeling the total opposite was about to happen over the course of her father’s campaign—hell on earth—but that didn’t stop her from looking up with a smile on her flushed face.

Chapter Five

L
ach entered and remained quiet as Stan Dunaway made the introductions. He liked to watch and it was his experience that he learned more about a person through careful observation. Phoebe stepped forward and shook hands with Connor Ortega while offering Lach nothing more than a nod of acknowledgement. Her obviously fake smile told him all that he needed to know. She wasn’t any happier about this than he was. Hell, considering her parting words that last time they saw each other, she probably thought he wasn’t of the caliber of agent she thought he should be in order to be willing to give his life for hers. She’d certainly made her point plain, even to the most casual observer.

“Connor and Lach will be able to explain better how they plan to oversee our protection.” Mr. Dunaway offered them coffee before pouring himself a cup. Both Lach and Connor declined and once the pleasantries were out of the way, Connor took a seat while Lach leaned his shoulder against the glass window overlooking the bullpen. Paul Mooney joined them, dragging in another chair behind him and situating himself between Phoebe and Connor. Lach could see from Mooney’s face that his action meant little in regards to her and more of a power sign to signal his need for some control. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

“Phoebe, I’m sure your father has shared with you the threats he’s been receiving,” Connor said, starting off the conversation. Lach didn’t mind and crossed his arms, getting comfortable. It gave him time to notice the little details in her appearance, like the fact that she’d put on a light amount of make-up. The other times they’d been in each other’s presence her skin had been natural. He found that both had their attractions. “We’ve taken the written letters and we will have them processed for any fingerprints or DNA. As for the emails, our technician specialist in the office has already started to trace the IP trail back to the originating server.”

“How will this work then? If you catch who’s making these threats, will that end this?”

“This?” Connor looked between father and daughter, obviously not understanding exactly what Phoebe meant. Lach knew precisely what she was referring to and he tried not to take it personally. He failed. “I’m not sure I’m following. Your father has hired CSA to oversee three protection details. One for himself, one for you, and one for your sister. There will be three shifts, with three handpicked armed guards for each rotation. They’ve personally been selected by our boss, Gavin Crest.”

“I’m aware of who Mr. Crest is, Mr. Ortega,” Phoebe replied while adjusting the watch on her wrist. Lach cringed inwardly when her statement came out condescending. Had she truly meant it that way? He wasn’t so sure anymore, which truly grated his ego because he was damn good at reading people. “My question is once you’ve captured the perpetrator, will we still need protection? The cost for this is being footed by my father…personally.”

“That’s something for your father to answer.”

“Phoebe, I’ve already given my opinion,” Paul interjected, crossing his legs and seemingly annoyed that his view on the matter was ignored. Lach read the man’s dossier earlier and nothing stood out, other than his need to win. He was aggressive in his career and didn’t hesitate to make the major decisions. Lach could see why Dunaway hired Mooney, yet sometimes giving too much power to one individual was a mistake. “Even financed through personal assets…those are still resources that could be applied to more pressing needs.”

“Yes, we’ll continue to have protection,” Mr. Dunaway replied, shooting Paul a look that indicated he should keep his mouth shut. Lach wasn’t so sure Mooney knew how. “My running mates are Kaufman Rance and Philip Andrews. Rance is known for digging up dirt and using it any way he can to discriminate against his opponent. That kind of behavior riles up the public and I don’t want to have to waste time going through this again. We’ll be individually protected by CSA details until the Secret Service takes over. Subsequently, I’ll maintain a CSA personal security representative until the election.”

Phoebe tucked her hair behind her ears, although the strands had already been securely in place. The habit she had also seemed to be a nervous tick when she was uncomfortable and Lach wondered which part of what her father said made her agitated. Was it the fact that people would form opinions not in their favor over something untrue? Or was there something she didn’t want publicized?

“Getting back to how this will work, three details of armed guards will be provided for each of you.” Connor’s phone must have vibrated, for he stopped speaking briefly to pull it out of his jacket and look at the display. He promptly darkened the screen, but kept his cell in his hand. “I will oversee the detail for your father. Lach will be supervising yours and Ethan Chambers will in charge of your sister’s.”

“Which means?” Phoebe kept her eyes trained on Connor. Lach wondered if she would outright refuse his protection. He’d made it clear through his silence that he would do his job and keep things professional. Could she? “I just want to clarify so that I know who to give my schedule to.”