The sarcasm came through loud and clear. “He’s not my other partner, and he’s nothing like you. I much prefer you.”

“Right, because you can make me your bitch. Not as easy to do that to an FBI agent, is it?”

Sam fought the urge to squirm under the weight of his accurate assessment. “I do not make you my bitch.” It occurred to her that Nick had used the same term to describe what she’d done to him in bed.

“Oh, please. Give me a break. Only every day.”

“That’s not my intention.”

“Sure it isn’t,” he said, his words laced with humor.

“Am I a jerk to work for? Tell me the truth.”

“Shut up, Sam. You know I’m yanking your chain. Don’t go all serious on me.”

“Answer the question.”

“You’re not a jerk to work for, but you do like to make me your bitch. I don’t care what you say. You’ll never convince me otherwise.”

“It’s our thing. Our groove.”

“It’s a good groove, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“Of course not. We’re good together. We get the job done.”

“Yes, we do. There’s no one else I’d rather partner with. You know that, right?”

“Even Hill?”

“Especially Hill. He’s a good cop, but he’s no Freddie Cruz.”

“Awww, shucks,” he said laughing.

“Can I tell you something that you have to swear on a stack of bibles not to tell anyone else? Even Elin?”

“You know you can trust me.”

“Yes, I do, but this is huge.”

“Lay it on me.”

“I think Nick is going to Afghanistan with the president tomorrow.”

He took his eyes off the road for an instant to look over at her. “You think?”

“He can’t tell me where he’s going, which led me to my own conclusion.”

“Wow. That’s so cool. He’ll get to ride on Air Force One.”

“That’s the part he’s most excited about too.”

“Who wouldn’t be?”

“Me, for one. I’d much rather stay home than fly on the president’s plane—or any plane for that matter.” She paused for a long moment. “It scares me to think of him on that huge target with the Stars and Stripes painted on the side.”

“I’m sure they’re counting on the element of surprise to get them in there without incident.”

“No doubt. It’s not the going in that worries me. It’s the getting out. Whenever I think about that I break into a cold sweat.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Sam. It’s the president for crying out loud. The guy has more protection than any human being alive.”

“Still...”

He reached across the car to squeeze her hand. “He’ll be fine, and the trip will do wonders for his campaign and his career.”