Sam returned and took her seat at the dining room table. She listened intently as Joey outlined the same plan he’d told them about the night before, but in a little more detail. “Everything we need is in the boxes I brought with me. Knowing you were probably going to want to bring that wolf, I got a special harness for Seeing Eye dogs. One of you will have to pretend to be blind. Sam?” She nodded.

“Okay, that’s taken care of. Mike rented a van that will seat all of you. Eric and I are going to pretend to be clerics, the rest of you will be nuns. We had to go to four costume shops to get enough habits. The clerical collars for Eric and me were easier to find. No one will question any of you, and no red flags will go up. We don’t want to scare off the senator. Mike and his people will be outside all the time.

“It’s my understanding the senator doesn’t know Slick. He knows of her because Sam talked to him about her famous model friend. It’s possible he’s seen her on magazine covers, but he doesn’t seem the type to read women’s magazines, so we’re winging this one. The plan is at some point during the dinner, preferably as the senator is waiting for dessert, Slick will leave the table to go to the restroom. She’ll pass the senator’s table. On her way back to the table she will stop and speak to him. She will call him by the name you all know him by. She will apologize for interrupting his dinner and ask him to come to your table to meet the other sisters, slash, ‘wives,’ and of course the two clerics. Now, this is where it gets sticky. He’s going to do one of two things. Either he’ll bolt, or he’ll try to bluff his way out of it. The ideal situation would be for his driver to take his mother home and for him to take a taxi back to his fancy digs at the Watergate. After he invites all of us to join him of course.”

One of the “wives,” a stunning blonde with inch-long eyelashes started to sputter. “What if he just takes off and disappears?”

Joey clucked his tongue. “This is not a rinky-dink operation even though it has all come together in a short period of time. Mike and his people, as I said, will be stationed outside and will simply follow the senator if he bolts. That’s not going to happen, so stop worrying.”

Pride rang in Kayla’s voice. “I think it’s foolproof.” She got up to hug her brother, then looked around at the others. “If my big brother says it’s going to work, it’s going to work.”