Power Switch (Power Play #3) - Kennedy L. Mitchell Page 0,74

seat with Randi, I shove him up front, mumbling something about safety and any other bullshit I can think of as an excuse for me to be in the back with her instead of him. “He got her on the way here” wasn't an excuse Tank was willing to hear when I first called dibs. But, me being me, I went rogue and now here I am, happy as a fucking clam in the back seat with Randi while Tank glares at me through the rearview mirror.

I raise my chin and smile when our eyes connect again. I don't stop my soft chuckle when he grumbles a few curses and tightens his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. He loves me. I just push the envelope sometimes. But let's be honest, Sam sitting up front isn't putting her or us in danger. Now if I would've been forced to sit up front while he sat inches from the one woman I want the most but can't have… well, then his life would've been in danger.

Adjusting in the seat, I shrug out of my jacket and toss it into the back. Randi's gaze stays out the window, seemingly deep in concentration as I attempt to get comfortable. Whatever happened in that room shook her. When I burst in with the other agents, she looked downright terrified. But of what? I'm guessing that's what she wants to discuss now.

“First of all, I feel like we need to get everything out in the open.” Randi doesn't turn from the window. Her hot breath fogs the thick glass where she's leaning so close her forehead is nearly touching it. “Kyle knows the front that Sam and I are a couple is fake. He didn’t say how, but hell, even my daughter knew we weren’t really a couple, so it wasn’t a shock that he didn’t believe it either. I never admitted to helping you, Sam, but I did confirm the DOJ is looking into some aspects of his decisions.” She sighs and presses her forehead against the glass.

Desperate to take a bit of the stress weighing on her shoulders, I slide my hand across the center seat and lace my fingers around her own. At my gentle squeeze of encouragement, her forehead rolls along the window until her hazel eyes meet mine.

“Earlier this year, Kyle put a bill in front of the house that would've stripped many Americans’ right to vote. It was worded in a way that no one noticed. Hell, I might not have even put it all together until it was too late if Kyle hadn’t brought it to my attention that first day in office.” Her attention focuses on our connected hands. “Trey here knew we wouldn't be able to stop it in the House or Senate without help. Which is why he's now in a forced relationship with Jessica Hawthorne.” A rustle in the front seat draws my attention to where Sam has now turned around, leaning against the center console staring at Randi. “I lied to you before, and for that I'm sorry, Sam. Trey and I aren't done, and honestly?” She clears her throat. “I don't think we ever will be.”

“Why keep up pretenses, then?” Sam asks, glancing between us.

I nod. “There are some things keeping me tied to Jessica for the moment,” I clarify. “I have to tread carefully because—”

“Because of me,” Randi cuts in. “If he goes back on some promises, ones he made to help us defeat the bill in the Senate, then he's sunk and I am too. I don't have a lot of support in this town, and right now I need all I can get, which means partnering with people and using others as leverage.”

Silence fills the SUV, the whirling of the tires zooming down the highway the only background noise as we wait for Sam to process everything we've known for months.

He sighs. Disappointment seems to waft off him, and I can't say I blame him. If I thought I had a chance with Randi, had hopes of her being mine, and then those were dashed, plus finding out it would've never happened to begin with? Fuck yeah, I'd be disappointed too.

“I can't say I'm surprised,” he says.

“I'm sorry.” Randi's shoulders round further.

“What's all this about?” I interject in an attempt to pull her out of whatever self-deprecating thoughts are running through her head. “Why are you bringing this up?”

“What happened in that room?” Tank's deep voice resounds through the