Gold to Airy Thinness Beat

Chapter Twenty-Four

Stephanie stood rigid while the camera flashed, every nerve on edge. The photographer told her to move and she obeyed woodenly, switching to a side profile and staring blankly ahead.

Unfortunately, this gave her a direct line of sight to Senator Brandt standing against the far wall, watching her. When she'd seen him in the elevator the night before she'd been to stunned to do much more than stammer before escaping the second the elevator door had opened. From there she'd practically run to the bar where her men were.

Bucky had known something was wrong but she had feigned exhaustion, a claim she'd managed to thoroughly disprove by following him to his quarters later and backing him against the edge of his desk before he could ask her what was wrong. He'd allowed her to distract him but she knew full well the allowance was temporary. Bucky had never been one to let things go when he knew she was upset.

She usually had photo shoots the day after she returned from a mission and wondered if Brandt had planned his arrival to coincide with it. The feeling was amplified by the presence of the friend Brandt had brought with him, who even then was leering at her in a way that made her skin crawl.

He was the same one from before, an older man who, like Howard, had been born into wealth but, unlike Howard, had dedicated his life to being an unmitigated asshole. Had Stephanie realized he was around she'd have begged off the photo shoot altogether but, as it was, she'd gone in the hopes that Brandt simply wanted to be assured that his personal publicity stunt was still doing what he wanted.

She really should have known better.

The photographer snapped another shot and Brandt held up a hand to stop him before he could continue. He came forward and Stephanie tensed, crossing her arms self-consciously as the other man, whose name was William Cane if she recalled correctly, followed. Her outfit, which had always walked the lines of modesty, suddenly felt downright inappropriate, the skirt practically non-existent and the bodice far too low cut and tight.

"Where's the other one?" Brandt asked as he reached her. "The Solider or whatever they call him."

"He's certainly gotten quite popular with the women," Cane added, looking amused. "My wife can't get enough of him."

Stephanie managed to not grimace in disgust. "Sergeant Barnes isn't an official part of the campaign," she said, fighting to keep her voice level. She'd sent him to the Mess Hall ahead of her, both to keep the photographer from wanting to take photos of him and to keep him from seeing Brandt.

If Bucky met Brandt and Cane it'd most likely end with Bucky killing them. Then he'd wind up in prison and she didn't think she could survive being separated from him again so that meant she'd have to break him out which would lead to a whole host of new problems for them both.

Brandt waved a hand at the photographer and the rest of the crew. "You, go find Barnes and tell him to get down here. The rest of you take a break."

Stephanie tensed. "He doesn't really enjoy this. I was thinking of phasing him out."

Brandt gave her a look of derision. "Well, you don't make the decisions do you? I do. Barnes has been a cash cow for all the lonely housewives whose husbands are off on the front lines. I'm not cutting him out because you've got the limelight now and don't want to give it up."

That wasn't fair, or true, and Brandt knew it. Stephanie had never sought the spotlight and had willingly ceded it to Tony when he'd come along.

The photographer left to go find Bucky and the rest of the crew retreated to a far corner of the room, leaving her, Brandt and Crane relatively isolated on the other side.