“Ostensibly, it’s for guests to use, but I think Mom and Dad are secretly hoping for grandchildren.”
“You’re not married.” Justice removed the dirty diaper and dropped it into one of those fancy disposals.
“Not even close. My career is too demanding.”
“DEA agent, right?”
“Yes. Brielle’s uncle, Caden McAdams, trained me before he retired. To be trained by a man who’s a legend was an honor. Absolutely the best experience of my life.”
Justice’s gaze kept straying to the sterling silver necklace she wore. A weird sensation crept across his skull. He could have sworn he’d seen one like it before. “Your necklace is lovely.”
She fingered it. “Thanks. It’s the only thing I own from my biological parents. I was found with it around my neck.”
Justice sprinkled baby powder on JJ. “Do you know who they are?”
Julia shook her head as she handed a clean diaper to him. “Not a clue. No one does. And, honestly, I don’t have a desire to know. Neither do my siblings regarding their birth parents. Mom and Dad have provided us a great life with every advantage, but most importantly, ahappylife.”
“That’s all that matters,” Justice agreed. He lifted his sleepy son into his arms.
“If you want, you can leave JJ in the crib, Chief McQuaid. We’ll take the baby monitor with us.”
“Sure.”
Justice laid his son in the crib and waited a moment for him to settle into sleep. He carried the baby monitor downstairs to the formal dining room where the others had already gathered around the walnut table. He saw Noelle snuggled in Brielle’s arms and approached them.
“Here, I’ll take Noelle upstairs to the nursery. JJ is asleep in a crib, and there’s a twin-sized bed, too.”
Brielle nodded and handed Noelle to Justice. He made his way back upstairs, settled her on the bed, tucked her in, andpressed a kiss against her forehead. “You have my heart for always, baby girl.”
When he returned to the dining room, he found a plate of pot roast, potatoes, carrots, and slices of warm Italian bread at his place. The family joined hands and bowed their heads for grace.
After Greg offered a heartfelt prayer, he lifted his wine glass. “A toast. Here’s to a successful campaign that ends in the White House. And to you, Justice, for agreeing to protect my wife.”
“Hear! Hear!” The adults clinked their wine glasses.
Due to unsafe weather conditions, the McQuaids spent the night with the Washburns instead of their hotel. In the morning, Barbara took Justice to meet her campaign manager, Warren Beecher, a no-nonsense expert in getting candidates elected to the presidency. The two previous Presidents both served consecutive terms, largely in part to Beecher’s style of sticking to the issues and the candidates’ platforms, as opposed toadhominemtechniques that only served to muddy the waters. He didn’t always support a candidate who was a shoo-in; he supported the one with the clearest vision moving forward. Once elected, it was up to the candidate to prove himself, or in this case, herself, if Barbara won the election.
Beecher impressed Justice with his coolheadedness and modesty. Though he could brag about his past success, he kept the focus of their meeting on Barbara’s qualities that Beecher wanted to capitalize on.
“She’s a working mother of five successful, adopted children, none of whom have ever been in trouble, not even a traffic ticket. No drugs, no drinking, they’re almost too good to be true.” Beecher smiled. “Trust me, the vultures and the naysayers will be digging deep for some mud to throw at her and her family that they think will stick. It won’t. Barbara and Greg have impeccable pasts. No accepting bribes, no extortion, faith-centered marriage. They’re living the American Dream. And thebest part is, theyworkedfor it. Neither comes from a wealthy family.”
“Those are important points,” Justice commented.
“The press will take an interest in Barbara’s decision to appoint you and your officers as her security team, and there might be some accusations of nepotism, considering that the President himself has fast tracked your Secret Service applications, especially ahead of other qualified candidates.” Beecher’s eyes turned steely. “But no one is going to question your service record or your performance as Chief of Police. However, you and your officers have had a tumultuous four years, and I need to know everything. Don’t gloss over any of it.”
Justice nodded. “It started when I lost my entire SEAL team…”
The interview lasted three hours. Beecher took copious notes as Justice relived how he, Brielle, and his team prevented Axel Anderson from executing his master plan for a social revolution; how they dealt with Axel Jr.’s goal to annihilate them; how Hutch stopped Axis and Axalia Anderson from wreaking more havoc; how Luca went on the run with Mallory when she was falsely accused of murdering her husband; and how Tawny exposed corruption in the Department of Corrections when she went undercover.
When Beecher asked about his adoption of Rosie, raw emotion swelled in Justice’s throat and tears burned in his eyes.
“I killed her brother to protect her. He murdered his entire family. When he came after Rosie, I didn’t have a choice. I had to put him down. Later, we believed he’d somehow been recruited by Axel Anderson.”
Justice breathed deeply to compose himself. “It took years of patience, prayer, and therapy for Rosie to undo the damage I’d caused when I took that shot. She’s a vital part of our family, and Brielle and I love her as much as we love Noelle and JJ.”
Satisfied with Justice’s explanation, Beecher ended the interview. “You and your officers have two weeks to get your affairs in order, Chief McQuaid. We hit the campaign trail March first.” He handed Justice a folder. “Our itinerary. If it changes, I’ll text you.”
Justice shook his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Beecher.”
