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Senator Clark entered the small room and shut the airtight, soundproof door. He was in a light blue shirt with a white collar and an expensive gold silk tie. He had left his suit coat across the hall in the larger conference room. He was far from enthused about the interruption, but he didn’t show it.
Clark remained standing. “What’s wrong, Peter?”
“Nothing we can’t handle,” answered Cameron with reserved confidence.
The senator eyed him cautiously. “Elaborate, please.”
“I received a phone call this afternoon from Mitch Rapp.”
Clark’s eyes opened wider. “Really?”
“Yes, but I don’t want you to be too alarmed. He doesn’t know my real name.”
Clark wasn’t sure if he believed Cameron. “How did he find you?”
Cameron held up his mobile phone. “He called me on this.”
“How did he get the number?”
“Villaume gave it to him.” Cameron neglected to tell Clark that this was an educated guess.
The senator took a deep breath and glanced over at the blank wall. “I thought you said Villaume wasn’t going to be a problem now that his large friend is gone.”
“I don’t think he will be.” Cameron lied, again neglecting to mention the conversation he’d had with Villaume earlier in the day.
“Well, I think him giving Rapp your number would fall into the creating problems category.”
“It’s not what you think.” Cameron held the phone up again. “There is no way they can use this to find me. It was purchased under a false name and was paid for with a credit card that can’t be traced to me. Villaume doesn’t know my real name; he knows nothing about me.”
Clark strained to keep his demeanor calm. None of this was good news. “You don’t feel the slightest bit threatened by Rapp?”
“No.” Cameron lied. “I can handle him.”
“I’m not so sure.” The senator looked away and said, “Maybe I should bring in someone else to take care of things?”
“No. I can handle it.”
“You’re sure?” The senator studied him.
“Yes.”
“How are things proceeding with the girl?”
“We have all of the information you requested.”
“All right.” Clark sat at the small table, and Cameron did the same. “Grab the girl, and be very discreet about it. Has Rapp shown up at his house yet?”
“No, and I don’t think he will until this thing blows over.”
Clark sat in silence for a while, concentrating on how to proceed. After several minutes, he began to tell Cameron what to do. His attention to detail was amazing. So much so that Cameron felt the need to take notes, but he knew better than to ask. After ten minutes of Clark talking and Cameron listening, the meeting was over. Clark had sent his minion on his way with very specific orders on how to proceed.
Clark stayed in the small room by himself for several minutes, taking the time to gather his wits before he went back into the other meeting. As he sat there, he thought of one thing he’d forgotten. This would be the end of his relationship with Cameron. Whether the man succeeded in taking care of Rapp or not, he had become too big a liability.
He had received confirmation that a man called the Colonel had accepted the contract on Cameron and was on his way to Washington. When Clark got home, he would have to put the Colonel in a holding pattern until this business with the reporter was taken care of. He absolutely could not allow Rapp to get his hands on Cameron.
ANNA RIELLY WAS tired. She’d just finished giving her last nightly news update and was packing up to head home. The rain had finally stopped. She did her first two stories standing under an umbrella on the north grounds of the White House. The dreary weather was affecting people’s moods, including hers. It had been a long week, and it was only Wednesday. All she wanted to do was go home, curl up in her own bed, and go to sleep. It would be nice if Mitch was there, but she doubted she would be that lucky.
She had told Liz all about her conversation with Mitch. She had yet to tell Liz who Mitch worked for or what he did, and Liz had been a good enough friend not to force the issue. Although Liz O’Rourke seemed to be relieved by the news that Mitch had contacted Anna, the same couldn’t really be said for Liz’s husband. Michael was not happy about the events of the last week, and Anna was still worried that he might use his contacts to start digging around.
