You?d think Shaun and I would be excited about a stop in our state?s capital, being California kids bred and raised. You?d be wrong. California is essentially a bunch of smaller states held together by political connections, water rights, and the stubborn refusal of any segment to cede the cash-cow name ?California? to any of the others. The California secessionist movement has been around since before the Rising?not the state quitting the country, but the various parts of the state quitting each other. Sacramento has no love for the Bay Area. We get the good weather, the good press, and the big tourism dollars, and they? They get the state government and a lot of hard to defend farmland. To say that there?s a little resentment there is to understate the case just a little. Whatever fellow-feeling Sacramento had for the rest of the state died when it stopped hosting the annual state fair and started hosting the annual ?everybody hide in their houses and pray they don?t die?-a-thon in its place.
The air was hot and so dry it seemed to suck the moisture out of my throat as we stepped out of the Sacramento Airport and onto the partitioned-off loading zone where we?d be meeting the senator?s convoy. It was late afternoon, and the sun was bright enough to stab at my eyes through the lenses of my sunglasses. I staggered, catching myself on Rick?s shoulder. He shot me a questioning glance. Silent, I shook my head. We were all feeling the strain, Shaun as much as any of us, and if Rick said anything, Shaun would spend the rest of the afternoon fussing over me. There was too much to do for me to let him do that.
Senator Ryman had flown in the day before, along with Governor Tate and most of the senior staff. We were supposed to be right behind them, flying commercial air rather than via private jet; unfortunately, a medical emergency grounded our plane in Denver, forcing us to wait on the tarmac with a hundred terrified passengers to see whether our aircraft was about to be declared a closed quarantine zone. I?ll admit, for a few guilty moments, I was almost hoping it would be. At least then we?d be able to get some sleep before heading back to our home state. I was really starting to worry about Shaun. It had gotten to where he only went to bed when I put him there.
A familiar black car pulled up to the curb, and the door opened to reveal Steve, implacable and hulking as ever. ?Miss Mason,? he said, with a nod in my direction.
One corner of my mouth curled upward. ?Nice to see you, too, Steve. What?s our plan for the afternoon??
?I?m your escort to the Assembly Center. The convoy leaves for the hall in ninety minutes.?
?That doesn?t leave much time.? I grimaced, grabbing a suitcase in each hand as Steve got out of the car and moved to start hoisting our equipment. Senator Ryman was giving a keynote speech to the California Republicans, and it promised to be the sort of evening that resulted in lots of sound bites, accidental quotes, and competitive reporting. We all needed to be on our game. I?d been hoping to manage it with more rest and less caffeine, but you can?t always get what you want. ?Thanks for coming to meet us.?
?Of course.? A second car pulled up behind the first, Carlos getting out and joining in the collection of luggage. Our keepers?the unfortunate Andres and a blank-faced woman named Heidi, who I suspected had only been assigned to accompany us because my eyes meant I would have to go for a private security screening, and they didn?t want ?private? to mean ?away from our guards??joined him, first in moving the luggage, then in his car. I suppose a night at the airport with the three of us had rather soured them on our company.
?Ready?? asked Steve.
?Ready,? Shaun confirmed, and we piled into the car, where blessed air conditioning washed over us. Steve glanced in the rearview mirror to be sure we were wearing our seat belts before turning on the flashers and pulling away from the curb.
I raised an eyebrow, and Shaun, taking his cue like a pro, asked, ?We expecting trouble, sport??
?There are a great many politicians in town,? Steve said.
I knew what that meant: It meant Senator Ryman was concerned that whoever had been responsible for the attacks on his campaign was here in the city and would try to take care of unfinished business. They only got Buffy on their first try, after all. I forced the jet of fury rising in my chest down, refusing to let myself get riled. He didn?t know the snake was in his camp; he didn?t know it was Tate he needed to be watching out for. So why the fuck did he let us fly commercial?
Shaun put his hand on my arm, seeing my sudden tension. ?Easy,? he murmured.
?Hard,? I said, and subsided.
In the carrier Rick was clutching, Lois yowled. I knew exactly how she felt.