AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just tell me these names are all Americans with previous top-secret government clearance,” Chandler pressed.
“Yes,” I gritted out, only willing to drop my concerns about their work in Amsterdam for a greater, more urgent issue—locating Diana.
“Surprised Camila Hart’s name isn’t on here,” Secretary Chandler said under his breath. “You don’t think she might be useful to have on this op?”
You know about her visions, don’t you? “She’s off-the-grid at the moment. If I have to locate her and pull her in, I will. But for now, she stays out of this.” I locked my arms over my chest, standing my ground. “This has to be handled my way. No questions. No objections. No need to know how. It won’t take long for people to figure out I had a connection to the lab considering I once owned Barclay Energy.”
“We figured as much.” The President’s brown eyes flicked from the list of names and back to me. “We assume you’ll have a plan for that?”
I nodded. “Get my people. Leak the story to the press. Add me to the wanted list again,” I quickly ordered. “Do that, and I’ll get Diana back. And fix this mess you’ve found yourselves in. Rescuing Diana is my priority, the rest of the plan can go fuck itself in the meantime.”
The President arched a brow. “What happened to you agreeing to my other team being search and rescue?”
“That was before I knew all of the details.” Before he could deny anything about Diana’s research again, I tacked on, “Also, finding Diana will help me figure out who’s behind the hit.”
The President took less than ten seconds to think about it, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder, focusing on Susan. “Find out who at the State Department speaks Serbian. Wake them up and get them here now.”
She started to leave but stopped in place when I asked, “Who else knows I’m being brought in? You said two others aside from the CIA director know I’m here.”
“The Secretary of Energy, Jared Felsely. And the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.” The President slipped his hands in his pockets, but I was more interested in the notable shiver from Susan.
“Which senator?” Eyes on Susan now, I couldn’t help but wonder, why she was looking at me like she’d seen a ghost.
“Are you familiar with Craig Paulsen?” Secretary Chandler asked.
Susan’s awkward throat clear as she resumed her path to exit the room had me stepping the fuck back. Memories crashed and burned through my mind. She knew something about that asshole. What else had he done to Diana?
I should’ve handled him years ago, but I’d been more dignified in my approach to pricks back then. Not anymore.
Once Susan left, I finally answered, “Yes, I know him. Why isn’t Felsely or Paulsen here?” I assumed the CIA director was busy working with POTUS’s SEALs, but the other two should’ve been present for a meeting like this. Then I could’ve hit Craig. Screw where I was standing, if he did anything to Diana, I’d stain the presidential rug with his blood.
“Felsely is handling the fallout. As for Paulsen, we thought it’d be best you two didn’t have a face-to-face,” Chandler shared. “He’s not your biggest fan. The only part of this plan he’ll like is?—”
“Accusing me of killing my wife,” I said gruffly, “and placing me back on the wanted list.” I pointed to the laptop. “I need a room to work in. I’ll make a copy of the footage for your Serbian translator, but the laptop never leaves my hands.”
“Set him up,” the President directed before Chandler could veto the idea. He motioned for me to follow him to a side door. “My private exit. Come with me.”
I reached for the laptop, closed it, then tucked it under my arm, quietly following the President from the Oval Office into a hall and down a back flight of stairs before turning into a small, nearly empty room. My belongings, including my phone, were there waiting for me. They must’ve been expecting the meeting would go as it did. The only curveball was the footage I happened to have because of my stalker issues.
“You sure you don’t want us to accuse you of something a little less harsh?”
“It’s the only way this will work.” I took a seat at the desk and opened the laptop. “I need my team at Falcon to work on the back end of things while I’m abroad. Give them clearance to this mission. Once you’ve read Gray and the team in, give them a list of the eleven other countries, and every person involved in the project.” I lifted my hand, preparing for him to object. “They’ll play ball with your SEALs, don’t worry. It’s not like my team hasn’t worked with your people before. We need all the help we can get.”
An unexpected smirk cut across his lips. “Your wife wanted you to be the President. At least, that’s what Susan told me. You’re good at giving orders, so what held you back from seeking Commander in Chief one day?”
I didn’t want to think about Rebecca, but in a way, she got what she wanted—I’d made it to the Oval. Just not how she’d planned. “I think you know why. I don’t like playing by the rules.”
“What part of me pulling you into this op suggests I do?”
Considering he worked with off-the-books SEAL Teams using dark money to bypass Congress to get shit done, I had to believe him.
The President casually winked, then quietly left. Once the door clicked shut, I focused on the laptop, settling in to replay the footage. I went back to the minutes before the alarms started wailing, when Diana had been alone in her office with a colleague.
Turning on the volume, I listened again to what I’d heard Diana say. I’d done my best not to react to her words in front of the others in the Oval Office, but I couldn’t hide it now.
“I’d wish my path never crossed with someone,” she said, and the look in Diana’s eyes had me uneasy again.
Me. It’s me, isn’t it? You wish you’d never met me. I didn’t blame her, but it was the next part that did a motherfucking number on me. The moment she’d changed her mind to wishing Rebecca never died cut me in half. Of course you’d say that. It was a good-person thing to say. She was someone I’d never deserve, but she had more than earned my help, and that I could give her.
