Snorted. “Right. You’re also like the eldest daughter we share with your dad. Both of us will feel a lot better about leaving our younger children here without us if you’re with them, too. Because you’ll be the most competent protector in this building once your dad and I are gone.”
Lizzie heaved a dramatic sigh but I could tell she was flattered. “Fine. As babysitting goes, I’m always up for hanging with Jamie and Charlie. Besides, that way you know where we are if you need to call us in for backup.”
Jamie beamed at her, petulance gone, presumably because Lizzie had chosen to stop arguing. Also possibly because of the backup comment, which Siler and I both had the brains not to react to. “I’m glad you’re staying with us, Lizzie. It’s always more fun if you’re with us.”
Charlie gurgled at Lizzie and floated the salt shaker to her.
“Charlie agrees,” Jamie said.
“Good to know, and thanks for the salt, Charlie.” She sprinkled it on her eggs.
Pointedly didn’t make any comments. Maybe Charlie guessed that Lizzie wanted salt, or maybe she put it on to make him feel good. Jamie could just be doing the big sister thing and “translating” her little brother’s sounds. Or she could be reading his mind or emotions. Or both.
“Kitty, darling,” Pierre said, possibly to fill the silence, “I’ll have your plate ready in a jiff.”
Gave Pierre a quick hug. “You’re the best.”
He whipped my plate down as I picked Charlie up and gave him his hug and kisses. “Mommy’s missed you, too, little man.”
Charlie gurgled at me. He was eight months now and I knew the toddler phase was just around the corner. At least, I hoped it was.
Jamie’s teeth had come in at four months, she’d become verbal almost immediately after, and started toddling around then, too. By the time she’d hit Charlie’s age she’d seemed like a child several years older than she was.
But Charlie was behind her, with no signs of catching up. Despite my prep, he hadn’t given the least indication that his teeth were coming, he wasn’t talking or even giving it much of a try, and he didn’t seem interested in walking. He was all about crawling, so there was that.
He was also all about lifting things with his mind. The best reason no one had given for why all the kids should stay home while I went around the world was that Charlie wasn’t really controllable in terms of what he lifted and when he chose to do it.
“Don’t worry, Mommy,” Jamie said, as I put Charlie back into his highchair and sat down between them. “Charlie will be just fine.”
Dad raised his eyebrow. “Are you worried about him?”
“Just normal mother worries.”
“Everyone goes at their own pace,” Dad said reassuringly.
“Charlie lifted everyone at the slumber party,” Lizzie shared. “So, he’s way ahead of everyone else on that skill.”
“Oh. Um, great.” Tried not to worry about that, or the idea that his teeth were going to come in while I was out of the country and Jeff was in the middle of negotiating the most important event in world history. Shoved the image of Jeff buckling in agony from feeling Charlie’s pain out of my mind—maybe teething would be easier this time. Whenever it happened.
Dad thankfully turned the conversation to the list of who was going with me, and by the time we were done doing roll call for my gigantic entourage, breakfast was done and Antoinette was texting me to advise that we were leaving in five minutes.
Hugged all the kids, Dad, and Pierre again. Then Siler and I headed back down to the basement.
“It’ll be fine,” he said when we were downstairs.
“What will be?”
“The kids. They’re talented above the norm, but you’ll handle it.”
“I want to worry about Charlie, but I can’t do that and do the job that needs to be done right now.”
“Then don’t worry about Charlie. Or Jamie or Lizzie. The best thing you can do for them right now is what you’re planning.”
Heaved a sigh as I grabbed my purse and the Rolling Action Arsenal. Put my purse on top of the rolling purse and wrapped the straps around the handle. Why make it harder on myself? “I’ll try.”
“Ready for action?” Siler asked, as he calibrated the gate.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good.” And with that, he grabbed my rolling bag and pushed me through the gate.
CHAPTER 52
I STUMBLED OUT into the White House Residence Entrance Hall. Buchanan was waiting there and he steadied me. “Why so shocked, Missus Executive Chief?”
Siler and my purse and rolling bag came through now, and he grinned at me. “Oh, the expression on your face.” He handed the bag’s handle back to me.
Took it. “What the literal hell, dudes?”
Siler shrugged. “You hate going through those. We’re on a schedule. It was faster to do it this way than be as nice about it as Malcolm tends to be.”
“Wow. Remind me to hurt you later.” Looked around. There were a tonnage of people here, including Mona and her entourage. “We’re gating it from here?”
“Yes, because we’ll need a large floater gate to take everyone as fast as possible,” Buchanan said.
Len, Kyle, and Adriana joined us. “Grandmother is going to stay here. She and Grandfather will be sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom.”
“I’m all for it. Why so, though?”
“To ensure that those who need to know are quite clear that we are on America’s side in all of this.”
“Works for me. Adriana, boys, I want the three of you sticking really close to me.”
Len and Kyle exchanged a look. “What about the Secret Service?”
“We’ll deal with them as we have to.”
Buchanan nudged me. “Someone saw reason.” He nodded toward the crowd. Francine was here, dressed pretty much like me, along with Colette.
“I look at it as whoever insisted on Francine coming along knows me very well.”
“That would be Mister Reynolds,” Len said.
“As I said. And it’s a smart plan even if I was the best-behaved girl in the world. By the way, where are the K-Nine guys and the sorta prisoners?”
“They’re here, in the underground section,” Kyle said. “Due to everything that’s happened, we didn’t want to release them or put them somewhere they could be hurt or taken. They were there for first contact with the Turleens, there are people who would want to get their hands on them.”
“They’re fine,” Buchanan added. “Being treated well, all of them. The dogs are getting spoiled by every White House staffer who’s in their general vicinity.”
“Good to know.” Wouldn’t have minded Prince coming along for this part of the mission, but reality said that he was safer where we had him. Besides, who knew how the various dignitaries we were going to see would react to a huge German Shepherd arriving along with the rest of us. We were literally an invading horde as it was.
“Attention please!” Antoinette shouted. The room quieted. “Thank you. We’re about to travel to Manama, Bahrain. We will be arriving inside the Al-Qudaibiya Palace. It will be early afternoon there. There is a possibility that food and drink will be offered to you. Please accept it graciously and do nothing to insult our hosts. This first stop is vitally important because it will set the tone for the First Lady’s entire tour.”