Commitment Read Free Page A

tell me or not?” he asked.
    “I have a meeting with my father,” she answered as she buttoned her blouse.
    “Do you think he suspects?”
    The redhead let out an animated guffaw. “Suspects? What? That I am working with Dimitri?” O’Brien nodded. “No,” she continued. “I don’t think he
suspects
.”
    “Your father is no fool, Claire.”
    She turned to him slowly with a smile of satisfaction. “He doesn’t suspect. He knows.”
    “And that doesn’t concern you?” O’Brien was puzzled by his lover’s apparent lack of concern. Admiral William Brackett was considered by many to be the most powerful presence in United States intelligence circles.
    “Concern me? No. Why should it?”
    “Think you might be a bit over-confident,” he chimed.
    Claire chuckled. “Not at all. It’s useful to me.”
    “If you say so,” O’Brien answered.
    “Christopher,” she said, smiling as she slipped her arms through her leather coat. “I am no more on Dimitri’s team than I am on my father’s.” He looked at her skeptically. “I don’t care about their agendas.”
    “So? Then why? Why side with Dimitri?” he asked.
    “There are no sides, Congressman. You sound as if you think this is cops and robbers,” she mocked him. “No one is in this to protect anything or anyone but themselves.”
    “I’m not certain your father would agree.”
    “Developing a conscience?” she laughed. O’Brien’s expression hardened. “Be careful with that, Christopher. Don’t go getting heroic ideas now.”
    “I know my role.”
    “Yes. I suppose you do. I’ll see you,” Claire said as she reached for the door.
    “When?” he asked.
    “When it suits me,” she answered, closing the door behind her.

    Alex walked down the stairs of Government Center and stretched. This walk always reminded her of her father. In spite of all that she had learned these last few months, heading into Boston with the man she once revered as a hero still held fond memories for her. Now, those memories now made her heart ache. She reached in her pocket and pulled out her phone. She walked slowly, drawing out her pace as she waited for an answer.
    “Alex?” Cassidy answered.
    “Yeah.”
    “Where are you?” Cassidy asked.
    “I got called to a meeting in the city,” Alex responded. “Guess it was a good thing you twisted my arm into staying at my mom’s.”
    “What’s wrong?”
    Alex sighed. “Nothing; I just got off the T and…”
    “Started thinking about your father; didn’t you?” Cassidy asked gently as she allowed her fingers to trace the envelope in her hand.
    “Yeah. I did, but then I started thinking about you. I only have a minute, but…”
    “You started thinking about me? Really?” Cassidy asked.
    Alex chuckled softly. “Cass, I know we are supposed to get the tree, and all. And, we can, but…do you think maybe you and Dylan could come up to my mom’s tomorrow?”
    Cassidy tried not to laugh. “Any particular reason?”
    “Well, you know…my mom loves you guys and maybe since it is supposed to be nice…. Maybe we could come in here…to the city. The lights are up…”
    Cassidy smiled and shook her head on the other end of the phone. They had only made the trip into Boston a few times together over the summer. Cassidy had noticed that each time the short trek seemed to transform Alex’s lingering sadness over her father into a sense of peacefulness. It seemed to bethe one place Alex could remember the man who raised her fondly. “I think that can be arranged,” Cassidy smirked.
    “Good. Maybe Mom will come back home with us. I know she wants to see Nicky. Then I could leave my car here. And, you know she would love to decorate the tree with you and…”
    “I’m sold,” Cassidy responded. “Is it going to be a late night for you?”
    “Nah. I doubt it. Unless your buddy Pip wants to go shopping.”
    “You’re meeting Pip?”
    “Yeah,” Alex answered.
    “I doubt it is about shopping then,”