AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nash said. “He’s part of our legal team.”
Neither man seemed convinced, but they let it go. Necchi laid a cell phone on the table.
“I assume you won’t object to this meeting being recorded?”
Nash continued his valiant effort to be disarming. “Not at all. Now we have—”
“And by ‘we’ you’re referring to America’s Central Intelligence Agency.”
“I’m referring to the U.S. government in general. Now, may I continue?”
“By all means.”
“We have reason to believe that classified information stolen from us has been given to your firm.”
Both men looked a bit startled, and Nash raised his hand before that surprise could turn to indignation. “Unknown to you, of course. We are not suggesting any impropriety on your part. It would be in the form of a series of encrypted files that you would be asked to release if you aren’t contacted by your client on a given schedule.”
Rapp kept his gaze locked on the managing partner, who in turn kept his on Nash so as to avoid eye contact.
“We have many clients who have many schedules for many things,” Necchi said. “All completely legal.”
“Again, I’m aware of your firm’s sterling reputation and that you would have no way of knowing what’s in these files.”
“I assume that you’re not just here to tell us this? That you want something from my client?”
“In the past weeks your firm has been responsible for releasing information that’s compromised our national security and gotten a number of people killed. For obvious reasons, we’d like to see that stopped.”
“And how would you know what files this firm has released?”
“I don’t think that’s important right now.”
“Does this have anything to do with the Internet video of your Joe Rickman being tortured?”
“I don’t think that’s relevant to our discussion, either.”
“I, however, believe it is. And I find it odd that a group of jihadists would use a law firm to administer a series of schedules and triggers. Why wouldn’t they just release the information into the public domain?”
“Hard to say.”
“Do you understand what you’re asking, Mr. Blake? I presume your legal counsel Mr. Kruse does. You’re asking us to completely ignore our legal obligations in regard to this matter. In light of that, your equivocations are rather insulting.”
Rapp took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was willing—-actually anxious—to let Nash handle this. But there was a limit to how long he was going to sit there and listen to this bullshit.
“If that’s the case, Dante, I apologize. I certainly didn’t intend to give offense.”
“I have to wonder . . .” Necchi said, warming up to the subject. “Since I think we all agree that jihadists hiring this firm is absurd, who might have? Is it possible that Rickman himself is responsible? Perhaps he was afraid he was being targeted by your organization and was using the threat of releasing these secrets to protect himself?”
“That’s an interesting piece of speculation, but we seem to be ranging pretty far from the subject, don’t you think?”
“Is Mr. Rickman dead?”
“I don’t know Rickman’s status.”
Necchi clearly wasn’t buying that. “The CIA may be all-powerful in the United States, Mr. Blake. But not in Italy. We have laws.”
Rapp couldn’t help laughing out loud, and everyone turned toward him.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was just thinking about the scientists you put in jail for not predicting an earthquake and the fact that your former prime minister spent most of his time screwing underage hookers. But by all means tell us more about the integrity of your legal system. This meeting’s finally starting to get entertaining.”
