“The best there is.” Wade made a play of punching Jean-Claude’s shoulder and let out a rolling laugh. Nola smiled. A long time ago, when Wade had discovered her singing the national anthem at her high school football game, she had adored his carefree laughter.

“Nola!” called out thousands of fans. “Nola!”

She stepped out the Gate of Heavenly Purity and onto a marble bridge. Wade kept half a step behind, but his gentle touch on her left elbow instructed her to pause for the cameras. Nola squeezed her arm against the feel of his hand to draw from his strength. Her other hand skimmed along the marble dragon head carved into the banister, rich and sensuous to her touch. For a wild instant she thought of jumping onto the sleek banister and sliding down, her arms and legs stretched out in abandon. “Whoopee!” she’d call out and slide right into the loving arms of these people—

“Nola! Nola!”

Around her, marble balustrades glistened in the moonlike glow that poured from concealed light panels, also a part of the set. Smiling at the popping flashbulbs and the miniature green tally lights of the live TV cameras, she adjusted the chiffon shawl of her dress so its blue-beaded edges would sparkle. She savored the excited faces and clapping hands. This was where she belonged, what she had worked for, for so long.

The bridge curved onto a red-carpeted path through the crowd. Policemen formed human chains to keep people back. There had never been this many. Nola flinched at the sight of her own security men shoving admirers and reporters away, but like gushing water, people rushed back to close in behind her as soon as her staff moved on. This, too, was orchestrated. The limousine could have whisked her away through the back gate instead of parking seventy feet away, but Wade knew to exploit every photo op, and she was grateful for it.

The small young woman moved so fast that Nola had no chance to comprehend what was going on. The woman with cropped black hair burst from the crowd, ferreted under the arms of the policemen, and thrust a bundle against Nola's chest. Someone yelled, “A bomb!” but instinctively, even before Nola's mind could register what her arms did, she grabbed it.

She was still absorbing the impact when the wriggling confirmed what some part of her already knew: It was a baby.

By then, the woman had sprinted away and disappeared into the crowd. The two security men chasing her halted in their tracks to scrutinize the sea of people. Network producers frantically gestured “Keep rolling!” Nola heard Wade’s “God Almighty!” mingled with the shouts of the paparazzi as their flashbulbs exploded in her face.