testimony to the woman's willingness to put herself in danger to protect another. Her stomach churned at the image of Cameron lying wounded on the ground, and for a second she hesitated.
'Step behind me, please,' Cam ordered steadily. Turning to the door, her gun now at shoulder level, she said, 'Who's there?'
'Stark and Mac,' Mac replied.
Cam opened the door to the length of the security chain and peered out into the lighted hallway. Mac and the young female agent stood outlined in the doorway. She lowered her gun and opened the door to admit them. As they passed her, she briefly checked the hallway beyond, then reholstered her service revolver and secured the door.
'Have you got the tapes?'
'The tapes and dinner,' Mac responded, unpacking several bags. He looked at his boss, knowing that she must be tired and hungry. The President's daughter was watching the commander as well. He couldn't quite describe the look on her face, but it seemed to be a mixture of fascination and uncertainty. There was something else there as well, something that reminded him of the way men looked at women. It was the first time he had ever seen anything so blatantly sexual between women. He wondered for a moment if the Commander was aware of it, or even if Blair Powell was.
'Right,' Cameron responded. 'Everybody grab whatever you want to eat and let's start looking at these tapes. Ms. Powell, I'm afraid I'm going to a have to ask you to sit through this with us. It will be tedious, but you may recognize someone.'
'Of course,' Blair said in a strangely subdued tone of voice. 'Didn't someone promise me a Corona?'
Cam of looked at Mac with a raised eyebrow. 'Mac?'
'Coming up,' he said as he reached for the phone to call room service.
Three hours later the pizza boxes were empty, a six pack of Corona was gone, and daybreak was not far away. They had watched tapes from the previous three days and had found nothing out of the ordinary. It was unlikely that anything would turn up in surveillance from earlier in the week. Beginning with the morning shift, the agents would have to begin the labor-intensive job of interviewing all of the building's employees as well as everyone known to have made deliveries.
'Let's take a break everybody,' Cam said with a sigh. 'Mac, Stark-brief the others on what we need from the interviews. I'll stay here with Ms. Powell. Let's plan on another update at noon.'
When the two agents left, Cam turned to Blair. 'You should get some rest. This evening, I want to go over anything you can remember from the past few weeks that might have been unusual.'
'Right.'
Blair stopped at the door to the master suite, turning to look at Cam. 'You should get some rest too,' she said quietly.
Cam smiled slightly. 'My thoughts exactly.' She gave Blair an oddly gentle look. 'I know this is hard for you. Just bear with me for a few days, and hopefully we can get back to normal.'
'Normal?' Blair said with a tinge of sadness. 'Commander, I wouldn't recognize it.'
Cam stared thoughtfully after her as Blair closed the door between them. She could feel the loneliness penetrating the air, surprisingly so much like her own. She pushed the thought away, and stretched out on the couch, finally giving in to her fatigue.
When she awoke sometime later, she found a light cover had been placed over her. She was momentarily disoriented. The curtains were drawn, and the room was in near darkness. There was the sound of quiet breathing in the still room. After a moment, she could discern the shape of someone sitting nearby.
'Couldn't sleep?' Cam said into the darkness.
'No, I always have difficulty falling asleep anywhere other than my own bed.' A hint of sarcastic laughter followed. 'That's probably why I never spend the night with anyone.'
'Leave the door open, and try again,' Cam suggested. 'Sometimes the sound of another's breathing is all we need to hear.'
Blair was stunned. She hadnt meant to say anything, and the gentle response caught her off-guard. She couldn't remember the last time she had allowed anyone this close. It frightened her, and she resorted automatically to her long practiced defenses. 'I think it might be better if you joined me in the bedroom. I can guarantee you at least one of us would sleep eventually.'
Cam shifted to a sitting position, spreading her arms out along the back of the sofa. She looked towards Blair's face in the shadows. 'I'm not available.'
The words came quietly, and in a tone that might have suggested regret. Nevertheless, the rebuke stung. Blair knew that in her heart her offer had been serious.
'You certainly seemed available last night,' Blair said sarcastically.
'That was just biology,' Cam said gently.
'Biology!' Blair snorted. 'Is that what we're calling it now? You were hot, and you were ready. Deny it if it makes you feel any better, but I know what I felt.'
'I'm not denying anything. What I am saying is that nothing can happen between us.'
Blair eased herself out of the chair and approached the sofa. She leaned down, placing an arm on either side of Cam's body. Their faces were only inches apart. 'Relax, Commander. I'm not asking for a lifetime commitment. Why pretend you don't want me to touch you?'
Cam remained motionless. The air around her was charged with sexuality. Heat radiated from Blair's body, and the faint scent of excitement caused her own blood to surge. She was quite sure that Blair knew she was aroused. She couldn't alter the pounding of her heart or the quickening of her breath.
'Ms. Powell, I do not want you to touch me.'
