A Conflict of Interest

“You don’t know that she’s his daughter.”

“Do you think the terrorists care? I was convinced by those pictures. And I’m pretty sure the rest of the nation was convinced by them, too. Do you think the president will take the chance that’s she’s not?”

Max’s body became alert. “So, you’re saying the president slept with Eleanor Albert.”

Lynn’s face paled a shade. “I’m saying nothing of the kind.”

But Max pounced on her small misstep. “If he hadn’t slept with her, this couldn’t possibly be a matter of national security.”

For a moment, Lynn was speechless.

Cara stepped in. “Who told you Ariella was going to Potomac Airfield?”

Max twisted his head to look at her. His eyes were cool, his expression a perfect, professional mask.

Cara pressed him. “Come on, Max. You don’t want Ariella hurt any more than we do. She’s innocent in all this. She needs Secret Service protection.”

“No kidding,” said Max. “And did you tell her that last night?”

Cara blinked, her insides clenching up.

He continued, “Did you tell her she needed the Secret Service?”

There was only one way for him to have known Ariella had come to Cara. “Of course I did. I begged her to let me help. I just finished explaining that to Lynn.”

Max turned back to Lynn. “You want to know my source? Ariella is my source. I know she went to Potomac Airfield because I drove her there. She’s gone, Lynn.”

Lynn sat up in her chair. “Why on earth didn’t you stop her?”

“Because the power of the press doesn’t extend to kidnapping and forcible confinement. She’s a grown woman. She’s an American citizen. And she’s free to come and go as she pleases.”

“Is she still in the country?” Cara asked.

“She told me she had her passport.”

“You didn’t report on any of that last night.”

He slowly turned back to Cara, his expression reproachful. “I didn’t, did I?”

“You want points for that?” Cara demanded.

“It would be nice. A little credit. A little consideration. Maybe a scoop or two. I ran into Ariella. I offered her assistance. And I put her safety and the good of my country ahead of my own interests. She was determined to leave D.C. without notice. I thought it was best to give her a fighting chance at successfully doing that.”

Cara found herself nodding in agreement with his words. She knew from personal experience that there’d been no talking Ariella out of her plans. She only hoped she came back soon. A DNA test was in everyone’s best interest.

Lynn’s demeanor changed. “The White House appreciates your efforts,” she told Max.

“I would imagine you do.” He came to his feet. “I’m not the bad guy here. But I do have a job to do.”

As he left the office, Lynn’s phone rang. Cara quickly took the opportunity to jump up and go after him.

“Max?” She hurried down the hall.

He stopped and turned back, and she canted her head toward her own office.

He followed her inside, and she closed the door. Sure, he’d done the right thing. But he wasn’t completely off the hook.

“Where did you run into Ariella?” she fired off.

“Logan Circle.”

“My apartment.”

“Yes.”

“You stalked her.”

He moved toward Cara, making her heart reflexively race and her breath go shallow. It didn’t seem to matter how hard she fought or how much logic she sent through her brain, over and over again. She was compulsively attracted to Max Gray. It seemed to be embedded in her DNA.

“Really?” he demanded. The distance between them was far too small. “That’s what you think? That I was staking out your apartment on the off chance that Ariella would come by?”

Cara admitted the mathematical odds had been low on that happening. She took a step back, bumping against the edge of her desk.

His eyes glittered meaningfully as he moved again, keeping the distance static. “You can’t think of any other reason? None at all?”

“I told you no, Max.”

“I was there for my watch.”

“We both know that was a ruse.”

“Yeah. We do. But you won’t let me play it straight, Cara. I have no other choice.”

“Your choice is to stay away.”

“That’s not working for me.”

There was a shout in the hallway and the sound of two sets of footsteps going swiftly past.

“We can’t do this here,” she told him.

“When and where?”

“Never and nowhere.”

“Wrong answer.”

“It’s the only answer you’re going to get. I have to go to work, Max. In case you missed it in the papers, we’re having a crisis.”