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East of Manassas

Virginia

U.S.A.

AND that?” Irene Kennedy said, pointing to a partially completed stone dome.

The afternoon had turned warm and the sky was marred by only a few white clouds to the east. Claudia had just mowed the lawn with a John Deere tractor that was her new favorite possession, and the scent of freshly cut grass still hung in the air.

“Pizza oven, I think.”

Kennedy took an austere sip of her wine, trying to hide her smile.

“What?”

“Most of us would have bet against Mitch Rapp ever owning a pizza oven.”

“Maybe I’m less of a one-trick pony than you thought.”

Her smile broadened. “The house is magnificent, Mitch. So is the location. I can see why you chose it.”

“There are still a few lots left if you’re interested. I think I could convince Steven to give you half off. Fifty cents.”

She shook her head. “Thank you, but I’m a city girl at heart. I’ll just hope you invite me back.”

Rapp nodded and took a less austere pull on his beer. In some ways they had become like siblings. Despite that, they rarely saw each other outside of work. Their lives were in a constant state of chaos and the normal things that normal people did tended to get lost in it. Even now, the reason she and her teenage son were there wasn’t because of him. It was because of Claudia.

He heard Anna walk up behind him and felt a tug on his pants leg.

“Can I take Tommy to see the barn?”

He glanced at Kennedy but she turned away, pretending to examine the landscaping. His reflex was to tell Anna to ask her mother but he fought it. Kennedy was testing him.

“Sure. But there’s still a lot of construction equipment in there and I don’t want you to get anywhere near it, okay?”

She grinned and then looked up at Kennedy. “Mom wants me to ask you if you want another glass of wine.”

“No, thank you, dear. One’s my limit.”

With that, Anna sprinted toward Kennedy’s son, who was standing in front of the sculpture near the gate, studying it with a slightly cocked head.

“Tommy!” Rapp shouted. “You’re in charge. Don’t do anything that’ll make me want to snap your neck!”

The teen gave him two thumbs up and jogged toward the gate, playfully nudging at Anna as she ran.

Kennedy watched them start up the road, not speaking again until they disappeared into the trees. “Terrifying, aren’t they? I make life-or-death decisions every day and more often than not it’s Tommy that I lie awake at night worrying about.”

“Yeah. I’m not sure I’m doing a very good job making the transition.”

“Really? My understanding is that you’re doing a wonderful job.”

“Did Claudia tell you that?”

Her only answer was another dainty sip from her wineglass.

“What’s happening with the little prince?” Rapp said, changing the subject to one he was more comfortable with.

“The president’s called a meeting with the Saudi ambassador.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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