First Lady or not, they were going to get a few things straight. He lowered his voice to a hiss. “You may think this is goddamn funny—playing the runaway princess, amusing yourself with the hoi polloi—but it isn’t a game. Do you have any idea what could happen if some kind of extremists got hold of you?”

“I have a better idea than you,” she hissed back. “And you’re the only person who knows where I am. Granted, your behavior can be a little extreme at times, but—”

“Don’t you dare start making jokes!”

She smiled at him and whispered, “This is more like it.”

His blood hit the boiling point. “You think this is funny?”

“Not funny. It’s just nice to have you back to your normal arrogant self again.” Her smile faded. “And I’m not amusing myself with the hoi polloi.”

“What else would you call it?”

“Freedom!” Her eyes flashed. “It’s the basic right of every American citizen unless she happens to be First Lady. You listen to me, Mat Jorik . . .” She stunned him by jabbing his chest. “In the past year, I buried my husband and got maneuvered into keeping a job I didn’t want. I’ve lived in the spotlight since I was born, doing the right thing, putting everybody’s interests in front of mine. If I’m being selfish now, well, that’s tough! I’ve earned it, and I’m going to enjoy every minute.”

“Is that so?”

“You bet it is, buster!”

He was the one who should be yelling, and he couldn’t figure out how he’d managed to lose the upper hand. “Who were you calling?” he snapped.

“Barbara Bush.”

“Yeah, tell me another—” He broke off as he realized it was entirely possible she had called Barbara Bush.

Her expression was annoyingly close to a smirk. “Do you know what she said just before I hung up?”

He shook his head.

“She said, ‘You go, girl.’ ”

“Uh . . . did she?”

“And Hillary Clinton said words to the same effect when I called her yesterday from that gas station.”

“You called Hillary—”

“You may not understand why I’m doing this, but they certainly do.”

“Did you—did you call them for a reason?”

“I’m not irresponsible, despite what you think. I’ve called someone nearly every day so the White House knows I’m still alive. Now if you think you know more about national security than I do, maybe you’d better tell me about it.”

He had a long list of questions he wanted to ask about that very topic, starting with how she’d managed to escape the White House, but they’d have to wait until he’d straightened her out. “I’m not saying that you’re irresponsible. I’m just saying that I don’t want you going anywhere without me. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”