Nick’s feelings for the woman who’d given birth to him were complicated, especially since she’d done nothing but cause him grief his entire life. Naturally, Sam felt protective of him and wanted her gone, but this…

Motherfucker.

He couldn’t begin to wrap his head around the potential disaster this would bring down on his fledgling administration.

Since Terry had Secret Service protection as his chief of staff, and they got him where he needed to be quickly, he arrived in the Oval Office fifteen minutes after Nick called.

“What’s up?”

Sitting behind the Resolute desk, Nick put his feet up. “You aren’t going to believe it.”

“Try me.”

“A while back, Sam asked Avery to take an ‘informal’ look at what my mother might be up to.”

“And…”

“How do you think operating a high-end escort service for the senior set in Ohio will be received?”

“Are you kidding me?” Terry asked in disbelief as he sat in a chair next to the desk.

“I so wish I was.”

“Holy. Fuck.”

Nick could see that, like him, Terry was struggling to process the news and the impact it would have on everything they’d been working so hard to accomplish.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Terry finally said.

“Me either.”

“Is there any chance Avery would back off the investigation?”

“Doubtful. The FBI isn’t known for turning a blind eye to crime.”

“Perhaps if the request came from the president himself?”

“I’m not doing that, Terry. That could cause an even bigger scandal if it got out. If she’s arrested, I suppose I can simply say once again that I have no relationship and have never had any relationship with her, and I fully support any prosecution the FBI and U.S. Attorney choose to pursue.”

“That could work,” Terry said. “It immediately separates you from her—and it’s also consistent with past statements you’ve made about your nonrelationship with her.”

“But it’ll still be a fucking circus if the mother of the sitting president gets arrested for prostitution—and a circus my own wife brought down on me.”

“Were you the president when she asked Avery to take a look at your mother?”

“No, but still… Even me being VP would’ve made this big news.”

“I’m sure Sam’s only goal was to remove her from your life.”

“It was, but I’m pissed that she did this without telling me.”

“Maybe that was because she was hoping it wouldn’t amount to anything.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“There’s no sense getting pissed at her, Mr. President.”

Nick scowled at him. “Call me Nick when it’s just us.”

“Nick… Don’t let this come between you and Sam. She was trying to help you get rid of your mother, which has long been your goal.”

“I suppose having her locked up in a federal prison accomplishes that goal.”

“We’ll set up a network interview, if it comes to that, for you to once again tell the story of how she’s barely been part of your life.”

“I really hope it doesn’t come to that.”