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Rapp just stared at him, not sure he’d heard right. “You want me to replace Scott with the man who did this to him?”
Nash held his hands up in a plea for peace. “Not my idea, Mitch. That name came straight from Scott. He’s worried about you and he’s worried about his guys. Figures Azarov’s the best.”
“So that’s all you’ve got?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
Rapp pushed himself straighter in his chair. “Maslick’s a good man. His first command was a little rocky, but none of us could say ours went much better. He’ll get his feet under him.”
“He’s going to quit, Mitch. I’m telling you, if you put him in charge again, he’s going to walk.”
“I’ll talk to him. What about logistics?”
“We haven’t worked on it.”
“What do you mean? Why not?”
“You already know the answer to that, man. Scott wants Claudia. Irene wants Claudia. And Claudia wants Claudia. You might be picking up a pattern here. A certain name that keeps coming up?”
“She isn’t getting involved.”
“Then we’ve just managed to get absolutely nowhere.”
“I’ll convince Mas to take the ops job and you’ll get me some names for logistics.”
“I’d rather not, Mitch. If I do, Claudia’s going to find out and then she’s going to tell my wife and I’m going to catch hell.”
Rapp started for the door. “I don’t give a shit what you’d rather not do and I don’t give a shit what Irene thinks. You and Scott have forty-eight hours to get me that list.”
CHAPTER 14
The White House
Washington, D.C.
U.S.A.
WHEN Irene Kennedy entered the Oval Office, President Alexander was looking through the window at the sunlit landscape beyond. Normally he would have turned to greet her, displaying the southern hospitality that he was famous for. Today he didn’t acknowledge her at all.
For a politician, Alexander was a surprisingly reasonable and honorable man. His opponents tried to use his good looks and dimpled, million-dollar smile to paint him as naïve and weak. Those accusations couldn’t be further from the truth. He was an extremely intelligent and pragmatic man who cared deeply about his country. Like everyone in his position, he occasionally did the wrong thing for political reasons, but at least he did it reluctantly and with a strong grasp of the consequences.
The American people would be shocked to know that their affable leader’s greatest flaw wasn’t naïveté or weakness. It was rage. Instead of brief flashes of anger or occasional sarcasm to blow off steam, he bottled it up and eventually exploded. Kennedy had never spoken directly to the man about it, but the topic had once come up at a cocktail party she’d attended with the president’s aging mother. According to her, he’d been that way since he was a toddler.
Kennedy took a seat in front of his desk. As always, a steaming cup of tea was waiting for her on a side table. “Good afternoon, Mr. President.”
He didn’t respond, undoubtedly preoccupied with the meeting he was about to host. Of all the problems he had to deal with, Saudi Arabia was perhaps the one he despised most. It was a country with sufficient resources to provide prosperous lives for its citizens and be a force for good throughout the region. Instead, those resources had been used to enrich a handful of monarchs and to promote the cycle of violence and misery that the Middle East was currently mired in. There were enough horrifying problems facing the world without having to spend blood and treasure trying to deal with the self-inflicted ones.
When the president finally took a seat, he wore the relaxed smile the world was so familiar with. “Irene. A rare pleasure. You seem to be sending Mike Nash to deal with us politicians these days.”
Alexander was fond of ribbing the people who worked for him, but there was always a serious side to his jokes. A response was always required and it was best if it was an honest one.
“He’s good at it, sir.”
Alexander nodded. “Watch out for him, Irene. I don’t think he wants your chair, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one day he’s sitting in mine.”
Her eyebrows rose slightly. It wasn’t something she’d ever considered, but now that she thought about it, Alexander was right. He always was when it came to politics.
“I’m certain I’d enjoy working for him almost as much as I’ve enjoyed working for you.”
