Free Conspiracy by Kate Gordon Page B

dinner since the death of his wife, and he looked extremely nervous. Ian filled in for the agent with the injured ankle so we could both play Peeping Tom on them.
    This was the first time I’d had to deal with my boss dating. It had to be awkward, having an entourage for an intimate dinner for two, and I wondered how Hornet would handle it.
    He had chosen a popular downtown restaurant, and as the black SUV Tony preferred pulled up, people gathered around and stared. High-profile people were common in Washington D.C., but not often the president or vice president. Tony made quite an impression with his dark good looks and his vice presidential entourage. Viv had opted to meet Tony at the restaurant, so I signaled for my team to do a sweep of the area. I already had a couple of men on site to check things out and prepare a secure area.
    I accompanied Tony as he walked up to the entrance, followed by more agents. We entered and found our table in a corner of the room. Three surrounding tables had also been reserved and were currently occupied by other agents, male and female. Viv had not yet arrived, but we were ten minutes early. Tony ordered a glass of white wine and we settled in around him, trying to be unobtrusive. Ian was a few feet away, and when no one was looking, he winked at me.
    I was a little worried. It was only a manner of when, and not if, the Olc would attack. As prepared as I tried to be for every eventuality, we were sitting ducks. The Olc knew exactly who Tony was now, and seemed to have the ultimate goal of his death.
    Tony looked up from the menu and shifted his gaze past me, smiling. Viv had just entered and he stood to greet her. She looked ravishing. Her hair was loose and casually fell to one side, revealing a bare shoulder and neck. Her ice blue dress draped loosely over one arm and stopped short of her knees, giving an excellent view of her long legs. The great thing about Viv was that she seemed as nice as she was beautiful. Even greater was the fact that she knew how to display her beauty without appearing self-absorbed. I was really enjoying getting to know her.
    I glanced over at Ian and he looked pretty stunned by Viv too, so I gave him the evil eye. Amusement crossed his face and I heard his voice in my head. “Just looking, darling. It’s you I love.”
    I shifted my gaze back toward Tony, and he was looking at me with a strange expression on his face. I was flustered—had he seen my interaction with Ian? Or worse yet, had he also perceived Ian’s thoughts? Then the look was gone and he directed all his attention toward Viv. He held a chair out for her, and they both sat down and talked for a few minutes before ordering. We were all far enough away that we couldn’t hear what they were saying, but throughout the course of the evening, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. They remained at the table until long after their dessert course had been removed and the bottle of wine was drained.
    Finally, Tony stood and helped Viv out of her chair. They walked to the car with Ian and me close behind. I heard Tony ask if he could take Viv home, and she agreed. I sat in the front seat, and Viv and Tony were in the back with a tinted glass screen raised between us. Ian was in the lead car and we drove away, headed for the address Viv had given the driver. We had about a twenty-minute drive across town. I could hear the low murmur of voices from the backseat and an occasional burst of laughter.
    It was all too ironic, really. Here we were, dancing around the vice president, protecting him and watching the attention and power he attracted from his position, and he was the heir to two kingdoms and didn’t even realize it. I had to wonder if the innate power he carried as an elf made him crave power in the human world as well.
    We arrived at Viv’s place and pulled into the below-ground garage. I didn’t know what the plan was, which made my job even harder. We never liked spontaneity as agents, but