"Curious that you resisted my power," Gloria said. Eldon heard a smile in her tone, but it was a cold smile. "Also curious that the Secret Service wasn't around to protect her before the attack."
"What's going on?" Martha asked as she backed away from the lone man.
"We were ordered away, Mistress," one of the other men intoned. His voice conveyed his devotion to Gloria as he bowed to her. "We were told that she'd slipped into another room, and we were moved to keep her safe. Only when we arrived at the new location, there was a large explosion where we'd left, and the President wasn't where we were told she'd be."
"Who gave that order?" Gloria asked her sycophant.
"Shut up!" The single guard shouted. Everyone turned to look at him, and he realized he was caught. He started to chuckle.
Eldon tensed, ready to leap forward if the man decided to attack. Gloria held her hand up to him without looking back.
