Free Pandora's Box by K C Blake Page A

forward.
    He picked the envelope up.
    Madison flipped.   Somersault in mid-air, she landed on her feet behind him.   The impact of her feet against the concrete floor made a loud slapping sound, alerting the intruder.   He began to turn around.
    She grabbed his arm, spun in a tight half-circle, and used her hip to flip him over.   He landed hard on the ground, and she straddled his lean hips and looked down at his face.
    Tyler Law stared up at her, dazed.

    ******

Chapter Five

    No matter how many times Madison had been in the Oval Office, the room still had the power to intimidate her.   It wasn’t a feeling she was used to experiencing.   She felt very small in comparison, almost insignificant.   So many presidents had ruled the country from this room.   Powerful men making hard decisions.   She could picture them, each in their own time, sitting behind the large desk, talking on the phone to leaders in other countries.  
    She wanted to discuss Tyler with his father.   The president could stop his son from following her.   The day before, after catching Tyler in the alley, she’d reamed him out good.   Then left him standing in the alley with his mouth hanging open.  
    Tyler had insisted he hadn’t been following her, but she didn’t believe a mere coincidence had brought him to the alley.   If he hadn’t followed her, then he’d paid someone else to tell him where she had gone.
    She scanned the room slowly.   She took in everything at once, the books, the desk, and the president’s chair.   Her eyes lingered on the flag near the window for a moment.   Her father had instilled a strong sense of duty and love in her for America and a respect for the government, whether you agreed with the men in charge or not.   Duncan Grey had told her numerous times that it didn’t matter to him who the president was, republican or democrat; he would stand behind them.   If nothing else, you had to respect the office.
    There was no way her father would willingly try to kill a president.
    She didn’t care what it had looked like to the naked eye.
    Her father was innocent; it was up to her to prove it.
    The door opened and the president entered, leaving two men outside the room, intentionally shutting the door in their surprised faces.   He placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her cheek.   “How are you holding up, my dear?”
    “As well as can be expected under the circumstances, sir.”
    “I apologize for not getting in touch with you.   I wanted to, but we’ve been inundated with work.”   He smiled down at her, still grasping her shoulders.   “You must know I believe in your father’s innocence.   He was a great man and I am saddened by his loss.”
    His words were a comfort and Madison relaxed a bit.  
    The president circled his desk and sat behind it.   He gestured for her to sit in one of the chairs on the opposite side, which she did.   He continued to talk to her about her father’s years of service and tireless dedication to his country while he rifled through a stack of papers.  
    And Madison realized something in those revealing moments of distraction.   Although President Law was saying all the right things, there wasn’t an ounce of emotion in his words.   He was doing his politician-thing where he glossed over bad events, uttered a few sympathetic words, and went about his own business.   She’d heard him do it a million times.  
    But Malcom Law was a great man.   Wasn’t he?
    “You and my father were good friends once,” she said, trying to wring a sincere response from him.   “What happened?”
    “People grow apart.”   He shrugged.   “We were busy men filled with ambition, both climbing the slippery ladder of success.   There wasn’t time for socializing.”
    She dug deeper.
    “So you didn’t have a falling out over something?”
    President Law stiffened.   A muscle throbbed in his weathered cheek and he seemed to swallow convulsively.   “I