The senator raised his eyebrows. “It was important, and it was personal.” Suddenly, the senator’s eyes widened. “You were one of the recruits, weren’t you? That’s how you know about the mountain. I didn’t realize, Samantha. In a million years I never would have guessed.” He looked at her closely and lowering his voice, he said, “You love him, don’t you?”

“None of your damn business, Dougie.” Suddenly she knew the senator belonged to the consortium. Sam backed up and followed the others to the door. She looked back and waved to Joey and Hawkins.

Outside in the hallway, the women were so giddy they made Sam nervous. “Decorum, ladies,” Sam admonished, as she led the penguin parade to the elevator, through the lobby, and out of the building to where the van was parked.

Slick drove to Sam’s condo, dropped her off, and headed for the Airport Marriott. She called through the window, “Meet us at the United Bank in Quincy Plaza at nine in the morning, Sam.”

“Okay.”

Inside, Sam ripped at the nun’s habit as she ran to the bathroom to look at her rear end in the mirror. She was right; she wasn’t going to be able to sit for a week. Just as she started to take off the rest of the habit, Alpha appeared at her side.

“Oh, Alpha, I’m sorry. You okay? Look, I’ll feed you in a minute. First though, I need to…never mind. Just wait for me.”

The cool water on her rump felt so good she almost swooned.

Thirty minutes later she was walking around in a loose-fitting nightgown. She padded into the kitchen and pulled out food for the dog. She was about to set the plate on the floor when she noticed Alpha holding something in his teeth. He offered it up as he whined at her feet.

Sam reached for the small square of hard plastic. She looked at it, blinked, then blinked again. Pappy’s driver’s license. An expired driver’s license. Oh, God, he was here, and I wasn’t home. She sat down not caring that her rear end started to burn. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She was on her feet a moment later. She ran to the door and slid the card underneath. It slid easily. She opened the door and retrieved it.