AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes,” he said, his head bobbing in agreement. “There’s much still to be done. It’s an ongoing process, ever changing. Many situations are dynamic, swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other. While others are stagnant… Those tend to need a little… push.”
“Or a big push,” Hugo said. “You read the reports?”
“Yes,” Byron said. “The official daily briefings can be frustrating given our stalled position.”
“Agreed,” Hugo said.
“I’ve heard the same from other quarters. Which is why we need to get things moving as quickly as possible,” Byron said, turning his gaze to hers. “Hugo assures me we can count on your support.”
TWELVE
TESS LICKED HER LIPS. “My support?” She didn’t follow. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t—”
“Philip,” he said, chuckling. “Please call me Philip, Tess.”
Although it was like an order, she couldn’t absorb it. Calling him “sir” seemed like what a civilian should do. Damn, she’d never been star-struck. Never. Prominent or famous people didn’t cross her radar. Laying low and staying unremarkable reduced the likelihood of meeting a bona fide celebrity. The man was as close to royalty as they had in the States. His whole family was connected to running or protecting the country.
Byron’s father once held Presidential office too. His son was in the House. His daughter high-up in Homeland. Those were the only details she recalled from media reports.
“Hugo tells me you’re opening your own boutique in his hotel,” Byron said. “That’s exciting.”
In front of the current audience, it seemed pathetic… ridiculous even.
“He’s been generous,” she said, in an awkward position between the men. Insulting Hugo would be impolite, but she didn’t want Byron to think she was an airhead who equated her work with his. “With his home and his business.”
“Yes,” Byron said, his brows rising. “It’s been a full house for both of you. It can’t be easy to have so many people in one building.”
“Says the guy who lived in the White House,” Hugo said. “How many people you got moving through there on a daily basis?”
“It’s hardly the same,” Byron said, sipping his champagne, relaxing into his luxurious chair. “That was my work. I signed up for it… You didn’t sign on to have your place packed.”
“You’ve been to my parties, Phil. You know how many people we squeeze in there.”
The smile they exchanged was different, more knowing, like they shared an inside joke. Tess wouldn’t ask. She didn’t want to think of the president being involved in anything unbecoming or about what excesses Hugo might consider typical.
From the conversation so far, it was easy to deduce that the men were friends. More than just acquaintances, they shared an ease. Byron obviously knew Hugo’s residence was crowded. Did he know why? Did he know about Olympus? The organization had been around for decades. Neither Harry nor Daire had contradicted her when she’d said over thirty years.
The two men at the table were exchanging some pleasantries about the champagne when she interrupted. “Your father was in office when Olympus was established.”
Boom. Just blurt it out. Maybe that hadn’t been such a great idea. If Byron didn’t know the identity of the men taking over Hugo’s home, revealing the existence of Olympus could cause an international incident.
“That’s right,” Byron said, his smile less open.
“He knew about it,” Tess said. “He was involved in its creation.”
“Byron Senior was CIA director for several years,” Hugo said. “He knew a lot about the state of the world. About how bureaucracy could hinder progress.”
“And subsequent presidents?”
Byron shook his head. “Its inception was not a political move,” he said. “It wasn’t a presidential directive… It was personal.”
“As it is for all of us,” Hugo said. “It has to be.”
Her first thought was that Hugo didn’t have a clue how personal it was for others connected with Olympus. Men like Hugo and Byron had lives. They had careers and success and, in Byron’s case, a family. Things beyond what the Olympus agents were allowed.
“One,” she said, her eyes trained to his. “You’re One.”
His single nod gave her confirmation.
