A few minutes later, everyone had settled in a loose circle around the low wide coffee table in the sitting area just to the right of the door. Cam sat on the couch next to Blair with Mac on her left. Felicia was next to him in one of the sling back chairs while Stark and Savard occupied a small loveseat on the other side of the table.

"I ran preliminaries on our team this morning," Cam said. "As we all expected, it was fairly nonproductive. I did turn up one interesting fact, however."

Beside her, she felt Mac stiffen and saw Stark's eyes widen with surprise, or alarm. Savard watched her intently. The only person in the room who seemed completely relaxed was Felicia Davis.

"It seems that Fielding was assigned as the FBI liaison in DC three years ago. The Bureau field agent he worked with was Special Agent Patrick Doyle.

"Jesus," Stark exclaimed. "He never said anything about knowing Doyle."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean anything," Mac hastened to add. "It's not like they were old friends or anything. Considering what an asshole Doyle turned out to be, he probably wanted to downplay any relationship they might have had."

Reluctantly, Stark pointed out, "Fielding was with us in San Francisco. And hed just gone off duty the night that Ms. PowBlair and the commander were photographed on the beach. He could have tipped someone to their location."

"Yes," Mac agreed grudgingly, "but there are plenty of other explanations for that photograph. The Bureau has agents there, and theyd most likely take pictures of anyone with no questions asked if a DC SAC ordered them to."

"At this point," Cam interjected before Mac and Stark ended up at odds, "I consider this only a coincidental association. It could be only a paper link-Fielding might never even have interfaced with Doyle in person. But it bears follow-up. Right now, we can't discount any potential connections." She had known her agents wouldn't like one of their own being looked at, and she didn't blame them. She would have been unhappy if they'd reacted otherwise. But it had to be done. "Savard? Can you run with it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. How about you two-any progress withmy background check?" Cam asked, looking steadily at Stark and Savard.

Savard cleared her throat. "So far, Commander, you're in the clear. We looked at...ah...family members and the list of intimate contacts you provided."

To her credit, Savard neither blushed nor looked away. Then she added, "Other than your association with the escort service in DC, we don't see anything that could potentially be an avenue for blackmail or future coercion."

"For now, we'll accept that as a dead end," Cam responded evenly. "If something turns up that does lead back to me, we'll look further."

"Yes, ma'am."

Turning to her communications director, Cam asked, "Mac?"

He grimaced, his frustration evident. "Id hoped to have more. I finally backtracked the photograph in the Post of you and Blair through the AP's source files and came up with the name of a freelance reporter. Eric Mitchell out a Chicago."

"Name mean anything to anyone?" Cam asked of the room in general. Everyone shook their heads in the negative. She nodded. "Go ahead Mac."

He ran a hand through his blond hair and blew out of breath. "I wish I could. I talked to him an hour ago, and he's uncrackable. I don't think he'd give up a source if President Powell flew out there and confronted him in the news room. The only thing hewould tell me is that it came to him via an anonymous email."

"I'm looking at that, Commander," Davis said quietly. «Newspapers arent particularly difficult to hack.

Cam raised an eyebrow but made no comment. "You think there's any value in bracing him in person, Mac?"

Mac shook his head. "Believe me, Commander, I would fly out there this afternoon if I thought it would do any good. He's not going to give us anything."

"All right," Cam said with a sigh. "Anything inhis background?"

"Nothing much, but I haven't looked too hard yet. I just came up with his name right before this meeting."

"Dig. There's got to be a reason that the source contacted him specifically. Find it."

"Roger that."

Finally, Cam looked to Felicia. "Any progress?"

Crossing one elegant calf over the other, Felicia Davis leaned forward, her hands loosely clasped in her lap. She was a stunning combination of composure and intensity. "I've just started, but I can tell you this-there is a concentrated exchange of e-mail and attached files going back and forth between a limited number of Bureau addresses and some offices on the Hill.

"Specifics?" Cam asked, her eyes glinting.This is what we need.

"Not yet. Ordinarily, I wouldn't even find this kind of traffic unusual, but every single message is encrypted and the source files are limited. It will take me a while to pinpoint the origination, but eventually, I ought to be able to give you not only thewho , but thewhat ."

"Excellent. While youre at it," Cam instructed, "see if you can trace those same e-mail addresses or copies of the messages to anyone in Justice or Treasury."

"That means a lot of transmissions to sort out, Commander," Felicia pointed out. "It's the most common pathway for legitimate intra- and interagency business these days."

"I know that. What we need," Cam said in frustration, "is to find out who is coordinating this operation.That someone must have all the information. We need a name." She stood, and the others followed. "I'll be in Command Central all day. If anyone getsanything , advise me immediately. I need you all to remain available to meet here at any time in case something breaks."

Everyone murmured their assent as they gathered papers and moved toward the door. When Blair closed the door behind the small group of supporters, she turned to Cam and said, "What do you think?"

Cam leaned against the back of the sofa, her arms crossed loosely over her chest. "I think Davis is onto something. Therehas to be a tie-in to the Hill, because I cant see the Bureau in this all alone even if itdoes have Hoover-esque overtones." She rubbed both hands briskly over her face and sighed.

"What is it?"

"Ive had three calls from Carlisle since 8:00 a.m."

Blairs chest tightened. "What did he want?"

"I dont know", Cam replied grimly. "I havent answered."

"What do youthink he wants?"

"To advise me of my suspension."

She started toward the phone. "Im calling Lucinda."

"Blair, no", Cam said softly. "This isnt your fight."

Blair stopped dead and stared stonily at Cam. "I beg your pardon?"

"This is internal something between Carlisle and me and whoever might be squeezing him on this". Cam held out her hands. "Come here."

After a seconds hesitation, Blair crossed the room and stepped into the space between Cam's legs, loosely wrapping her arms around her lover's shoulders, one hand going to the back of Cams neck. She stroked her gently. "Dont shut me out."

"I wont", Cam promised, encircling her waist. "But lets wait to pull out the big guns."

Blair laughed. "Lucinda would love to know you called her that."

"Speaking of the formidable Chief of Staff", Cam said, "what have you decided about making a statement to the pressabout us?"

"I believe Im at the point that if asked, I will acknowledge."

"Good," Cam murmured as she kissed Blair's forehead. "I think that's a very good idea."

Blair studied Cam's eyes, looking for any sign of worry. "Are you sure you're okay with that if I do? You're going to get most of the heat initially. Someone is bound to raise the issue that you took advantage of your position or that your effectiveness has been compromised."

Cam brushed her thumb against the corner of Blair's mouth, smiling when Blair quickly turned her head and kissed it. "I'm fine with it. I love you."

The words never failed to pierce her to the core, and, smiling, Blair pressed closer, her lips finding Cams neck before she rested her cheek on Cam's shoulder. "Well, I can testify to the fact that your effectiveness has not been diminished in the least."

"Good to know", Cam murmured.

Closing her eyes, Blair breathed her lovers scent and felt her heartbeat strong beneath her palm. Feeling inexplicably at peace, she whispered, "I love you, too, Commander."

*****

As the afternoon dragged by, Blair tried to occupy her mind with work. Usually, once she began applying paint to canvas, her focus was so intense that everything else would disappear from her consciousness. Unfortunately, it wasnt working this time. Frustrated, she set her palette and brushes aside and pushed both hands through her hair, glancing at the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes.

As she crossed the loft with the intent of calling the command center to ask Cam for an update, a knock sounded on her door. She detoured in that direction and sighed with relief when she saw her lovers face through the peephole.

"God, Ive been going crazy up here", she said as soon as she had the door open. She grasped Cams hand and pulled her inside, then kissed her swiftly on the mouth. "Tell me youve got something."

Cam shook her head, shedding her jacket to the back of a nearby chair and shrugging out of her shoulder holster. "Not yet, but Davis is hopeful that it wont be too long. Ive got to believe well turn up something soon."

We have to, because the clock is ticking faster than I thought.

"Maybe this reallywill be over soon", Blair said wearily. "At least we havent gotten any more envelopes with surveillance photographs of us inside."

"No, and I dont think we will either", Cam said, moving to the sofa and leaning back with a sigh as she relaxed into the cushions. Shed been hunched over a computer in the command center for hours.

"Why not?" Blair asked as she joined her.

"Because I think our theory that these came from a friendly source is correct", Cam said as she took Blairs hand, intertwining their fingers and resting them on her thigh. "I think they were meant to warn usor at leastyou -of the scope of the investigation and perhaps to give a hint of the intent. The first photograph was of you and I together, letting you know that our relationship wasnt a secret. But it wasnt as damaging as it might have been, because it wasnt clear that you were with a woman, and I wasnt identifiable. Plus, theres been no follow-up to that. A reporter wouldnt be likely to sit on that kind of juicy tidbit for long."

"I agree", Blair mused. "In fact this reporter in Chicago, Eric Mitchell, is probably dying for a follow-up. Obviously he hasnt gotten anything further or he would have run with it."

"Exactly". Cam rubbed her thumb over the top of Blair's hand as she spoke. "Then we have a photograph of me in a bar with a woman in a compromising position. As a result, we know that theres an active covert investigation of me.And it points to the kind of surveillance that only professionals can carry outa link to the Bureau or Justice."

"And finally", Blair said emphatically, "theres a picture of the woman youd been having a clandestine affair with."

"Hardly an affair," Cam objected hastily.

Blair raised an eyebrow. "Cameron, lets not split hairs."

"Point taken."

"Regardless of what you call it, Blair continued unperturbed, "the third photograph warned us that the escort service was under investigation, suggesting that the operation extended to personal lives possibly not just yours, but other influential people as well."

"Including the president", Cam added. "Id say that someone managed to draw us a pretty clear picture of what was going on without actually naming namesor risking exposure themselves."

"I suppose", Blair said softly, "they might have thought it would scare me enough to stop seeing you."

"Thereby giving you credible distance and keeping you clear of any scandal". Cams stomach tightened. "Everything points to a DC insider."

"RightDeep Throat," Blair said with a sigh. "I suppose it would seem like a favor to anyone who doesnt know how serious I am about you already."

"Does anyone know?"

Blair shook her head. "Only Diane. And your mother."

Cam stared at her for a second, then grinned for the first time in what felt like days. "I think we can rule them out. What about your friendsyour contacts? You seem to have a pretty well-positioned circle of insiders at that White House and other handy places."