approached you in some way?'
Blair hesitated briefly, then met Cam's penetrating gaze steadily. 'Not exactly. He sent a message saying he wanted me to meet him.'
Doyle rose halfway from his seat, barking out, 'When did this happen? Why weren't we made aware of it? If this is some kind of attempt by the Secret Service to cut us out of the loop, I'll-'
'I didn't tell anyone,' Blair interrupted him by saying.
He was left momentarily speechless as he slowly sat back into his seat.
'Why not?' Cam questioned softly.
'I didn't realize at the time that it was significant,' Blair answered, her eyes shadowed with worry. 'He'd been sending messages regularly, mostly e-mails and the - videos. You know that - I reported that. I thought it was just more of the same.'
Cam's stomach turned as she recalled the explicit images that Blair had received, and the graphic messages describing in excruciating detail what this nameless, faceless man fantasized about her. 'What was it this time?'
'It was just another message,' Blair said, her voice trembling slightly. 'At least that's what I thought. I just logged on and it came up on the screen. He said- he said he'd been waiting for me, and he couldn't wait any longer for me to make up my mind. He said he would have to do it for me.'
Stark looked at Doyle accusingly. 'I thought you had someone monitoring her servers? How did this message get through and we didn't know?'
'You're out of line, Agent,' Doyle growled.
'She has a point. An important one,' Cam stated. 'Why didn't any of us know this?'
Savard looked the length of the table at Blair and asked, 'When was this?'
'Ten days ago,' Blair said quietly. She looked at Cam. 'The day you came back.'
Blair didn't need to say anything. Cam realized that part of the reason Blair hadn't informed anyone about the message was because she hadn't been thinking about the threat to her life. Her attention had been focused on Cam's sudden reassignment to the security detail.
Savard continued, 'It could have been a virus implanted previously and activated by something as simple as a piece of code buried in an innocuous e-mail advertisement. Even though Ms. Powell's system has been swept, it doesn't mean he hasn't infiltrated something else more recently.'
Blair looked at Lindsey Ryan, her face pale. 'Did he kill Jeremy Finch because I ignored him? Is it my fault?'
'No,' Cam said quickly.
'Commander Roberts is right,' Ryan interjected. 'You're not responsible for Agent Finch's death. The only one responsible for that is the individual who placed and triggered the bomb. There is no way you could've satisfied his demands, because he is not even aware of what actually drives him. Regardless of what you do or do not do, he will never be content.'
Doyle took that moment to add contemptuously, 'Youare certainly not to blame. No one would have been able to plant a bomb if security measures had been adequate.'
His criticism was clearly directed at Cam, but it was Mac who responded. 'You son of a bitch,' Mac exploded, rising from his chair.
'Mac,' Cam said firmly, her voice carrying a clear command.
Mac remained half-standing, his hands braced on the table, his expression murderous as he glared at Doyle.
'Let's take a break,' Cam said calmly, pushing back her chair. She stood but didn't move until everyone but she and Doyle had left the room.
'If you have something to say to me, Agent Doyle, say it now,' she said, facing him squarely.
He shrugged, his expression smug. 'Youlost a man, Roberts, not me. I have no idea why you're still in command, but I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you.'
Cam waited until he had walked out before she sank slowly into her seat. She would have argued if he hadn't been right.
'Cam?' Blair said from the door of the dining room. 'You don't believe that, do you?'
Cam had been staring blankly down at the table, and at the sound of Blair's voice, she straightened quickly, forcing a smile. 'Eavesdropping on Federal business, Ms. Powell?'
Blair shook her head, refusing to be distracted by Cam's admittedly charming smile. Cam's automatic attempt to hide her feelings didn't mask the pain in her eyes. 'I heard what Doyle just said, Cam,' she said softly, crossing to stand beside the table. 'He's wrong to blame you.'
Cam sighed wearily. 'No, he isn't. A man died under my command, Blair. That's my responsibility.'
Blair's first instinct was to argue, because she couldn't bear to hear the anguish in Cam's voice. She understood Cam's feelings of accountability, even though rationally no one could be expected to anticipate every eventuality. It wouldn't matter to Cam, Blair knew. Not only was Cam trained to assume the blame, Blair knew that she was just made that way. It was one of the reasons she admired her, and, she admitted reluctantly to herself, it was also one of the reasons she loved her. Unfortunately, it was also one of the things that was keeping them
