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7
Rafe entered the Pentagon at precisely seven in the morning. He preferred to be here before all the ruckus started for the day. As it was he had a hard time finding a few minutes of peace between phone calls. His boss was out for the foreseeable future and he had a lot of interference to run.
Opening his laptop, the first thing that caught his attention was a search being performed on his boss. He scrolled through the data on his screen. Times his name had been typed in. Location pins where he was located. Sensitive information for just anyone to find.
The burning in his stomach felt like a gut punch. Picking up his cell phone he dialed his boss’s phone number.
"What do you need, Rafe?"
"I just opened my laptop to see someone searching your name. All of our geotags are lit up like a Christmas tree. Even your location. You need to power down and go dark."
"Doing it now. You have my burner number?"
"Yes. Check in twice a day."
"Roger."
He hung up and added tags of his own on the IP address the searches were coming from. All of them centered around three locations. Washington. Indiana. Kentucky.
Slamming the lid on his laptop, he packed it all back up and slung his case over his shoulder and he hustled from his office and the building. It would take him less than twenty minutes to arrive at the Washington address. Traffic considered. It was still early by political standards.
He tapped the Bluetooth in his vehicle. "Call Leesha."
"Calling Leesha." Came the robotic voice.
The phone rang twice before her voicemail picked up. As soon as the beep sounded, he left his message. "Leesha, I won't be in for a while. I had to run over to Washington on business. Please clear my calendar for the day. I'll let you know when I'll be back."
Tapping the end call button, he turned up the street where the pin on the map glowed bright red. The driveways in this part of town were in the back, so he parked on the street in front of the house. It was palatial and surrounded by large hedges and perfect landscaping. He knew where he was.
Taking a deep breath, he exited his vehicle and stalked up the sidewalk that led to the red front door. The bright flowers that bloomed up the walkway made for a pleasant walk. It created a happy feeling before guests arrived.
He alighted the three large steps to the covered landing. Pushing the doorbell, he heard the soft piano notes of Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major. He'd studied classical music for a couple of semesters, just enough that he could speak about it at high-class functions. It wasn't necessarily his type of music, but he recognized it.
The door opened and a woman in her early forties appeared with a smile on her face.
"Hello. How may I help you?"
"I'm here to see Adelaide Masters and company."
"Yes. Who may I say is here?"
"Rafe Martin."
"Yes, Mr. Martin. Please come in."
He stepped into the foyer of the home, which was larger than most people's living rooms. It was open and inviting. The marble floor gleamed in the light of the chandelier above. The large circular staircase hugged the wall to the right and gracefully widened at the bottom.
"Come into the living room please and I'll let Ms. Masters know you're here."
She led him to the left where a large room carpeted in white, with lighter toned furniture sat in perfect groupings for private chats. The stone fireplace flowed to the ceiling, much like his own. He halted before stepping onto the pristine white carpet, wondering if he should take his shoes off. The woman nodded. "It's alright. Please make yourself comfortable."
She left quietly, and he sat in a chair facing the staircase across the foyer and next to the fireplace.
Within a few minutes a gorgeous woman of Hispanic descent, with long dark hair descended the staircase. Though she wore jeans and a dark gray t-shirt, she looked like a goddess. Her movements were fluid. She practically floated.
He stood and watched her. The instant their eyes met he felt it. Something similar to an electrical current sizzled down his spine. The hairs at the nape of his neck prickled.
She floated across the foyer, her shoes barely making a sound. The instant she stopped in front of him, her hand held out in greeting, she said, "Hello, Rafe. I'm Adelaide Masters. Or Addy if you prefer."
