The First Counsel Read Online Free PDF

ask.
    “With a package in his hand? You think he’s bringing reading material?”
    I don’t answer.
    Nora’s starting to get fidgety. She unhooks her seatbelt. “Maybe we should we go out and check on—”
    I grab her by the arm. “I say we stay here.”
    She’s ready to fight, but before she can, I see a shadow move out from the embankment. A figure steps back over the guardrail and into the light.
    “Guess who’s back?” I ask.
    Nora immediately turns. “He doesn’t have the envelope!” she blurts.
    “Lower your voi—” I fall silent when Simon looks our way. Nora and I are frozen. It’s a short glance and he quickly turns back to his car.
    “Did he see us?” Nora whispers. There’s a nervousness in her voice that turns my stomach.
    “If he did, he didn’t react,” I whisper back.
    Simon opens the door and gets back in his car. Thirty seconds later, he pumps the gas and peels out, leaving a cloud of dust somersaulting our way. He doesn’t put his lights on until he’s halfway up the road.
    “Should we follow him?” I ask.
    “I say we stay with the envelope.”
    “What do you think he has in there? Documents? Pictures?”
    “Cash?”
    “You think he’s a spy?” I ask skeptically.
    “I have no idea. Maybe he’s leaking to the press.”
    “Actually, that wouldn’t be so bad. For all we know, this is his drop-off.”
    “It’s definitely a drop-off,” Nora says. She checks over her shoulder to make sure we’re alone. “What I want to know is what they’re picking up.” Before I can stop her, she’s out the door.
    I reach to grab her, but it’s too late. She’s gone—running up the road, headed for the embankment. “Nora, get back here!” She doesn’t even pretend to care.
    I start the car and pull up alongside her. Her pace is brisk. Determined.
    She’s going to hate me for this, but I don’t have a choice. “Let’s go, Nora. We’re leaving.”
    “So leave.”
    I clench my teeth and realize the most obvious thing of all: She doesn’t need me. Still, I give it another go. “For your own sake, get in the car.” No response. “Please, Nora, it’s not funny—whoever he dropped it for is probably watching us right now.” Nothing. “C’mon, there’s no reason to—”
    She stops in her tracks and I slam on the brakes. Turning my way, she puts her hands on her hips. “If you want to leave,then leave. I need to know what’s in the envelope.” With that, she climbs over the guardrail and heads up the embankment.
    Alone in the car, I watch her disappear. “See you later,” I call out.
    She doesn’t answer.
    I give her a few seconds to change her mind. She doesn’t. Good, I finally say to myself. This’ll be her lesson. Just because she’s the First Daughter, she thinks she can—There it is again. That pain-in-the-ass title. That’s who she is. No, I decide. Screw that. Forget the title and focus on the person. The problem, however, is it’s impossible to separate the two. For better or worse, Nora Hartson is the President’s daughter. She’s also one of the most intriguing people I’ve met in a long time. And much as I hate to admit it, I actually like her.
    “Dammit!” I shout, pounding the steering wheel. Where the hell is my spine?
    I rip open the glove compartment, pull out a flashlight, and storm out of the car. Scrambling up the embankment, I find Nora wandering around in the dark. I shine the light in her face and the first thing I see is that grin. “You were worried about me, weren’t you?”
    “If I abandoned you, your monkeys would kill me.”
    She approaches me and pulls the flashlight from my hands. “The night’s young, baby.”
    I glance down at my watch. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
    Up the hill, I hear something move through the brush and quickly realize that Simon could’ve been meeting someone up there. Someone who’s still here. Watching us. “Do you think . . .”
    “Let’s just find the envelope,” Nora says,