The sweltering summer’s day made it too hot to wear. But she kept on her Jackie Onassis-style sunglasses. They were large enough to conceal her features so she wouldn’t be immediately recognized. After leaving the tour group in Lafayette Park, she had darted through a warren of back streets to get more distance between herself and the White House. Now clear of its oppressive shadow, Alicia finally felt able to breathe. She was free of all the surveillance cameras, patrols and restrictions that made her life a virtual prison sentence. She was free of the Secret Service. Free of her father’s control. And free of … Connor. After discovering he was her buddyguard, she simply couldn’t take it any more. She felt the walls closing in and desperately needed her own space. Her phone rang. Alicia looked at the screen and saw Connor’s name. ‘Why can’t you just leave me alone?’ she muttered, stabbing the screen with a thumb and rejecting the call.
