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Angela wanted to scream. If Mariah were against supernatural creatures, it would be that much harder to pass any legislation. She was the last person Angela thought would pass judgment.
“With all due respect, Madam Vice President, there are just as many humans, if not more, who are violent and cannot be trusted,” Tristan said. “We’ve been fighting with humans for centuries without any recognition. If the President trusts us, and you trust her, then you should trust us.”
Angela searched Mariah’s face for any indication of her true feelings. Unlike Alistair, she saw no hate but genuine concern. Mariah didn’t see supernaturals as monsters. She saw them as new and unknown.
Robert stood behind Mariah and put his hands on her shoulders. “You’ve been with Angela for a long time. The two of you have accomplished more than anyone thought possible. If Angela believes in what she’s doing, you should too.”
Mariah looked up to her husband and squeezed his hand. Angela had never been envious of Robert and her until that moment. It was the first time she had thought about how all of this must affect Robert. Marriage was hard enough without adding a stressful job into the mix. Robert had been supportive of everything Mariah wanted to accomplish. He quit his job to move to Washington. He paraded around town, filling the shoes of both the Second Lady and the First Lady, and he did it with a smile on his face. He handled every sexist comment and joke that came his way with a cheerful response. His standard response was, “I do it all for love.”
Angela stretched an open hand across her desk. “Mariah, I have never felt more sure about this. Supernaturals deserve to be treated as citizens of this country. I trust them, and I’m in love with one of them.”
Mariah put her hand in Angela’s, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. “Okay. Then tell me what you need me to do.”
Angela pushed out a breath she didn’t realize she held. She looked over to Tristan. “You need to show her the report.”
Tristan nodded.
Marcus walked back into the office.
“Good, I’m glad you’re back,” Angela said to him.
“Madam President, I looked into the matter you asked about, and you were right.” He glanced around the room.
“And?” Angela said.
Marcus hesitated. His eyes settled on Doyle. “I’m not sure this is the best place.”
Angela nodded. “The people in this room are the only people on my staff that I trust. Whatever you were going to say to me, you can say to them.”
Marcus pursed his lips and nodded. “Mmmh, okay. Your hunch was right. Marine One had just been serviced the morning of the explosion.”
“Is it possible that something wasn’t put back together correctly?” Angela asked.
“I suppose anything is possible, but it’s highly unlikely,” Marcus said.
“What about the other thing I asked you to do?” Angela said.
“I took care of that, too. That was the second phone call I took. Forgive me for stepping out of the office, but the call wasn’t clear on my cellphone. I also thought it better to take the call on a phone with no chance of compromise.”
“Again, I ask you, and?”
Marcus sighed. “I took the python shifter you suggested to the warehouse where they staged the recovered debris. He smelled burnt almonds and smoke.”
Mariah asked, “What is he talking about? What’s going on?”
Angela got out of her chair and turned her back on everyone. Someone was lying. The security committee led by Beatrice Van Houten declared the explosion was caused by equipment failure. How did they come to that conclusion when it was clearly wrong? She made a mental note to look more into Senator Van Houten and every member of that committee.
After several minutes, she turned around. “A bomb, not mechanical failure, destroyed Marine One.”
Penny gasped and put her hand over her mouth.
Mariah stood out of the chair and walked close to Angela. “Do you realize what you are suggesting?”
“I do. Blake smelled it a millisecond before it went off. He was able to wrap his wings around me and keep me safe.”
Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose. “I did a little more digging and found the original report. It was supposed to be destroyed, but it wasn’t. The original committee believed all the evidence pointed to a bomb.” He let his head fall back and glanced at the ceiling for an extended heartbeat. Then, he made direct eye contact with Angela. “Madam President, someone wanted you dead.”
Doyle clasped his hands, fanned them out, and cracked his knuckles. “And I guess that’s why you need me.” He shook out his hands and rubbed them together. “Here, I thought this was going to be a boring job. It sounds like the fun is just getting started.”
