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"Grounded?" I repeated incredulously

Ivy pulled into the driveway "Don’t plan on going anywhere for the next teeks" By the time she finished that sentence, her attention was clearly elsewhere I followed her gaze to a dark-colored sedan across the street

"Stay in the car," she toldher seat belt

A second later, she was standing in the driveway, and Willia toward her, like this was his house and she was the visitor

My hand went to the door handle Ivy told me to stay in the car I pulled the handle and cracked the door open She never said I couldn’t listen from here

William Keyes had the kind of voice that carried "We need to talk"

"You need to leave" Ivy’s voice went up on the last word

"I thought we’d reached an understanding When the president cahts on Edmund Pierce, you were supposed to back hiet the noht about the photo on my phone William Keyes had been there--wherever there ith Pierce and Vivvie’s father My hand curled tighter around the door handle

"I never agreed to anything," Ivy told the olderinvolved I wondered if Adaet your president in line" Keyes clearly meant those words as an indictment

"He’s your president, too," Ivy replied

"No," Keyes barked out "He is not, nor will he ever be, my president You’re the one who put hie and the popular vote"

Keyes scowled "You got hie and the popular vote!" He balled his hands into fists His index finger escaped, and he pointed it at Ivy "I taught you everything I knew, I lifted you up frohter, and you thankeda man I despise in the White House"

Ivy adopted an icy countenance "We came down on the opposite sides of a primary, William You’re the one who told et to come here now and ask me for favors"

"I da a phantom table

A car door slammed nearby, and they turned in unison

"The front lawn?" Georgia Nolan stopped several feet from them, flanked by Secret Service "That’s the location you choose for this discussion? Really, Williaaze lingered on Georgia I craned et a look at her face

They know each other It was there, in the way he looked at her They know each other very well

"We both know the Judiciary Committee will look more kindly on Pierce than some of his contemporaries" Keyes recovered his voice It was quieter than the one he’d used with Ivy, but just as authoritative

"Thank you," Georgia said, her tone dripping honey, "for your advice and counsel We will certainly take that into consideration"

That was a disia had ordered hihtened his tie, then issued a parting shot "It’s a pity about the doctor," he said "When aremoved froood for the adia said tersely "Our thoughts are with Major Bharani’s fa out of my head My hands went numb It’s a pity about the doctor

"Major Bharani is dead?" Ivy said "When?"

Neither the First Lady nor Adam’s father answered Their eyes were locked on to each other