Mark Vincent has risen from senior special agent to Director of Interior Affairs in the WBIS. Lately, life has been sweet for him -- in addition to his promotion, he's found a partner in Quinton Mann, who can almost match his ability in the intelligence field, in spite of the fact Quinn's CIA. Mark has also found a condo in Alexandria with the help of Portia Mann, Quinn's mother, and it's closer to Quinn's town house than Mark's present apartment. Sweetest of all, Mark plans to take Quinn to his island in the Caribbean for the holidays.<br><br>Quinn's glad he has the holiday with Mark to look forward to -- something is going on at Langley, and he feels he's being kept out of the loop. To make matters even worse, useless missions and sleepless nights filled with nightmares are leaving him exhausted. But then his mother's life if threatened, and Quinn discovers the accident that resulted in her hospitalization was no accident. The obsessively self-absorbed Senator Wexler is involved, and while Quinn considers himself a civilized man, now he's out for blood.<br><br>Up until this point, Mark has stayed out of Quinn's CIA business. But hurting Quinn and those he loves isn't a smart move, and Mark has every intention of seeing Wexler pays. Quinn demands to come along, and while Mark isn't happy, he finally agrees, and they set out together to deal with the senator. There's just one catch: this will be the first time Quinn sees Mark at his deadly best, and Mark isn't sure how his lover will react.

Forever

“So the idea was to get her son out of the way so Wexler could get to her.”


“Didn’t I say that? She’s the woman who’ll bring him the White House.”


Talk about fucked up. Someone should have taught Senator Wexler that just because he wanted something didn’t mean he could have it.


“I see.” I was repeating myself, but Lapin didn’t notice.


“She and Mann are too close.” He frowned. “Each time Richard approached her, there was Mann, getting between them. Of course, that will all change.” He finished his drink.


“How? If you don’t mind my asking? It seems to me your plan has gone slightly…awry? Mrs. Mann is the one in the hospital, not Mann.”


“That has thrown a spanner in the works. Damn Mann. However, the senator has that in hand. He’s very close to someone in the CIA.”


“What does the CIA have to do with it? Mann works at State.”


“Are you really that stupid? That’s simply his cover.”


“I find that hard to believe. Mann is such a dilettante.” Sorry, Quinn.


Chapter 61