Executive Power (17 page)

"We know where the Andersons are?" asked a cautious Jackson.

"Yep."

Forester uncrossed his legs and leaned forward.

"We know precisely where they are?"

"Precisely," replied Rapp, "and we're going to go get them."

Light flurries floated down from the chill March evening sky as black stretch limousines cued up along Pennsylvania Avenue waiting to disgorge their important passengers under the north portico of the White House. The event was black tie; a state dinner for the Canadian prime minister. Irene Kennedy asked her driver to bring her around to the southwest gate. She didn't have time to wait in line.

A private word with the President was needed before the festivities started.

Trust was not something that came easily to the young director of the Central Intelligence Agency. She worked in a profession where things were not always as they first appeared, where people and countries were constantly attempting to deceive her, and even when she did trust someone there were motives to consider. Mitch Rapp was one exception to her rule. He was one of the few people who Kennedy could rely on.

God knows they had a different way of going about things, but Rapp was effective and his motives clear. He had nothing but disdain for the people who ran Washington. As the failed rescue mission in the Philippines had proved, the nation's capital had a habit of getting too many people, and too many agencies, involved in matters that could often be handled by a very small group. It didn't take a master of espionage to realize that the more players involved in an operation, the greater the chance for a leak.

This in essence was why the director of the CIA needed to speak with the President and General Flood this evening. Rapp had called to give her the good news about the Andersons, but then had made a somewhat unorthodox request. At first Kennedy didn't like it, but now, having had some time to think it through, she felt it held some real merit. It was classic Rapp and one couldn't really argue with his track record.

After a brief check by the Secret Service, the director's limousine was allowed admittance through the southwest gate. It pulled up West Executive Drive and stopped. Kennedy stepped from the back of the car clutching her black velvet wrap tightly around her shoulders with one hand and holding up the hem of her full-length evening gown with the other. A uniformed Secret Service officer opened the door for her and she hurried into the welcome warmth of the West Wing.

Kennedy walked through the ground floor past the White House Mess and the Situation Room and then up a flight of stairs and past the Cabinet Room. Outside once again, she walked quickly down the Colonnade. This was the way the President walked to and from work every day. She entered the White House and waiting for her in the tropical Palm Room was Special Agent Jack Warch, the man in charge of President Hayes's Secret Service detail.

"You look very nice this evening, Irene," the always gallant agent said.

"Thank you, Jack, and so do you."

Warch, like all the agents working the detail this evening, was dressed in formal attire. He offered his arm.

"The President and General Flood are upstairs waiting for you."

Kennedy liked Warch. He was a hardworking professional who adored his family.

"How are Sheila and the kids?" asked Kennedy.

"They're doing well. And Tommy?" Warch was referring to Kennedy's seven-year-old son.

"Growing like a weed… starting to get a little lippy." She shrugged.

"You know… all the stuff that goes along with being seven." Kennedy thought of adding that it might be nice to have a father around, but she didn't. It was not her style to act like a victim.

They entered the elevator that would take them up to the second floor of the residence. Warch placed his back to the wall and clasped his hands in front.

"How's my favorite counterterrorism agent?"

Kennedy looked at him sideways wondering if the comment was merely conversational or if Warch knew what Rapp was up to. He knew Rapp fairly well and in truth Warch could be trusted, but he was not in a need to know position.

"He's fine."

Warch looked uncomfortable for a moment and then said, "His wife cornered me just a few minutes ago. She wanted to know where Mitch is."

"And?" asked Kennedy.

The elevator stopped and the door opened.

"I told her I have no idea."

Kennedy stepped into the hall first.

"Do you have any idea?"

Warch frowned.

"No."

"Good," said Kennedy with a curt nod.

They both walked across the wide hallway that was more like a living room and stopped outside the door to the President's study.

"Irene," the agent said in a concerned voice, "I think someone needs to have a talk with Anna."

"How so?"

"I just think you should talk to her."

"And tell her about what covert operations the CIA is running?" asked Kennedy in a sarcastic tone.

"No." Warch's face twisted in disagreement.

"Of course not. But someone needs to tell her to stop asking all these questions."

"She's a reporter. That's what she does for a living."

"I know, but it's her husband, for Christ's sake, so it's only going to get worse. I think a little reassurance from you would go a long way."

Kennedy thought about what she might say.

"She's here tonight?"

"Yep."

On second thought, with Mitch out of town this might be the perfect opportunity for her to set a few things straight with his wife.

There had been a noticeable chill between the two of them and since both would be involved in Rapp's life for some time, maybe now was a good time for them to talk.

"All right, I'll try to have a talk with her later."

Warch knocked on the door to the study, waited for a second, and then turned the old brass knob and opened the door. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the commander in chief were sitting by the fireplace playing a game of cards. General Flood had a glass half-filled with a brown liquid that Kennedy guessed to be Knob Creek bourbon. As for what the President had in his glass she had no idea. He was a social drinker with no particular favorite. She'd seen him drink wine, both red and white, beer, vodka, scotch and bourbon, but she'd never seen him exhibit a single sign of inebriation other than a tendency to get a little more vociferous than normal.

Both gentlemen stood and complimented the director of the CIA on how nice she looked. Kennedy reciprocated and took a seat on the couch while the President poured her a vodka on the rocks. Kennedy had learned that it was better to accept the drink and nurse it rather than decline and have to reaffirm that she didn't want a drink five more times.

The President settled back into his chair and picked up his hand.

Looking over the top of the cards he asked, "Whose turn is it?"

"It's yours," replied the general.

Hayes started to pluck a card and then decided to put it back.

"So, Irene, what's on your mind?"

"We have a situation, sir, that I think you need to be aware of."

Kennedy looked briefly at General Flood to see if he'd told the President of their earlier conversation. He gave her no sign that he had.

Kennedy looked back to the President, who had finally decided on a card to get rid of.

"Several hours before dawn in the Philippines we inserted a team into the jungle of Dinagat Island to take care of the situation with General Moro. While en route to their primary objective, the team stumbled across hostile forces that they identified as a column of Abu Sayyaf guerrillas."

Hayes set his cards down. He did not like the way this sounded.

The last thing he needed right now were more U.S. forces killed in the Philippines.

"Please tell me there wasn't another ambush?"

"No, sir, there wasn't. The team was not sighted by the opposing force. They allowed the column to pass, and then went on to complete their primary objective."

Hayes looked a little confused.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Well"-Kennedy thought about it for a second-"I'd say it's more of an opportunity, sir, than a problem."

The President looked intrigued.

"Let's hear it."

"The enemy column was transporting the Anderson family, all five of them."

"You're serious?" asked a suddenly eager President.

Kennedy found the question a little strange since she was not known for her sense of humor.

"Yes, sir, the team split into two groups of two. One group went on to complete the primary mission while the other trailed the enemy column."

Now on the edge of his seat, Hayes asked, "Do we know where they are?"

Smiling slightly, she answered, "We have eyes-on intelligence, sir.

We know exactly where they are. GPS coordinates and all."

Hayes stood abruptly. A day hadn't passed in the last six months where he hadn't thought of that poor family.

"I want the National Security Council convened in the Situation Room in one hour." Hayes checked his watch.

"I'll find an excuse to get over-" The President noticed Kennedy wincing slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think we should go into crisis mode just yet."

Now the President was really confused.

"Why not?"

"Mitch has requested that we keep this very low-key. He's onboard the Belleau Wood right now doing a tactical assessment while our team is on the ground giving him a constant stream of intel on the target."

"What exactly do you mean by low-key?" asked Hayes.

Kennedy hesitated and then asked, "Do you trust Mitch, sir?"

"Of course I do."

"Well, he thinks that the Belleau Wood battle group has all the assets we need to pull off a successful hostage rescue, and in light of what happened the other night, he thinks it best not to get the entire national security apparatus involved."

Hayes folded his arms across his chest and stared into space for a moment. It was obvious he was torn between his trust for Rapp and his natural instinct to manage the situation.

"What type of timetable are we looking at?"

"The Philippines are fourteen hours ahead of us, sir. It's tomorrow morning there." Kennedy adjusted her glasses.

"The earliest we'd launch a rescue operation is after sundown, which gives us at least eleven hours to prepare. Mitch is proposing that we give him the authority to put a plan together on-site, and then report to us tomorrow morning, our time, before we launch the rescue."

Hayes thought about this for a moment and then turned to General Flood.

"What do you think?"

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs looked at Kennedy.

"What are we up against?"

"Enemy strength is estimated at sixty armed men… light machine guns mostly and a few RPGs."

As a soldier who'd been in battle, Flood was not a fan of micro-managing situations from thousands of miles away. He thought about the assets available and said, "The Belleau Wood has more than enough muscle to handle the job, sir. She has a task unit onboard, along with a platoon of Force Reconnaissance marines, and there's also an entire battalion of marines onboard for backup if things get hairy."

Hayes shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

"What's your recommendation?"

Flood checked his watch.

"I'd say let Mitch put a plan together. We can convene in the Situation Room in the morning and get a briefing before we give it a green light. Until then the best thing we can do is stay out of their way."

The President stood in front of the fireplace considering the advice he'd just been given. He shifted his gaze to Kennedy.

"Irene, I assume you agree?"

Kennedy's predecessor had taught her many valuable lessons. One of the better ones was that men of power were best persuaded by their own words.

"You've said it yourself before, sir. Mitch has a way of getting things done. I'd say the best person to handle this situation is right where we need him."

Hayes agreed with a curt nod.

"All right. Let's plan on convening tomorrow morning. In the meantime I expect the two of you will monitor the situation closely."

Both Kennedy and Flood said they would.

"Good." Hayes nodded and then said, "All right, then, if you'll excuse me, I need to pick up my date."

Flood and Kennedy took the elevator down to the first floor. For reasons of decorum and tone, more than for national security, a little subtlety was now called for. It was only one flight, but the stairs opened out onto the wide Cross Hall, where visitors were gathered waiting for the band to play "Hail to the Chief" and watch the President, the first lady and the Canadian prime minister and his wife descend the long staircase. The crowd that was assembled in the Cross Hall consisted of foreign Ambassadors, press, dignitaries, Senators, Congressmen, two Supreme Court justices and a bevy of celebrities and wealthy contributors.

The sight of the director of the CIA and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs descending the stairs together would lead to endless speculation that a crisis was brewing.

Kennedy and General Flood stepped from the elevator and were guided through the velvet ropes that cordoned off one end of the hallway.

They'd gone no more than fifteen feet through the well dressed crowd when the general was snatched from Kennedy's side by the majority leader of the Senate. Kennedy didn't slow for a second, lest the senator pull her into the group and begin pumping her for information.

In her mind a state dinner was not the place to discuss national security. She continued into the East Room in search of a drink. Now that she was at the party itself, she felt an urge to take the edge off.

She'd almost made it to the bar when a hand gripped her arm.

Kennedy turned to see a familiar and often unfriendly face.

"Hello, Director Kennedy."

Kennedy looked at the dazzling green eyes of the young reporter and smiled.

"Anna, for the last time, please call me Irene."

"I'm just trying to be respectful," replied a less than sincere Anna Rapp. She instinctively disliked her husband's boss. When pressed on the point by Mitch she had to admit that much of it had to do with the fact that Kennedy knew him better than she did.

"Hmm." Kennedy frowned, not buying a word of it.

Cutting straight to the chase, Anna asked, "Would you please tell me where my husband is?"

Looking at the pretty young reporter and thinking of her conversation with Jack Warch, Kennedy decided that now might be just the right time for the two of them to have a good talk.

"Anna, you look like you could use a drink." Grabbing her by the arm, Kennedy led her to the bar.

"Two cosmopolitans, please." The bartender nodded and went to work.

"Irene, officially, I'm on duty. I don't think I should be drinking a cosmopolitan."

Kennedy glanced sideways at her.

"Anna, I'm always on duty, and no offense, but my job's a little more important than yours. Besides"-she looked at Anna's strapless evening gown-"I don't think you're going to be standing outside in that little outfit giving any live updates."

Anna was slightly caught off guard by both the tone and the message.

This was the most she'd ever heard from the always polite, but tight-lipped Kennedy.

"No, its not that, it's just that whenever I'm at the White House, officially I'm working."

Kennedy ignored her, grabbed the two martini glasses from the bartender and handed one to Anna.

"Follow me."

Through the thickening crowd they went in search of a quiet place to talk. They garnered more than a few glances; both attractive women in their own right, Anna Rapp stunning and recognized by almost all, Irene Kennedy classy and reserved and also recognized by all, though for vastly different reasons.

As they continued through the East Room several people tried to stop Kennedy. Each time she smiled, apologized and kept moving. At the southern end of the opulent room they found a quiet spot and turned to face each other.

Kennedy held up her glass and in a conciliatory tone she said, "To your husband. One of the finest men I've ever known."

Anna wasn't sure how much she was supposed to read into the comment, but before she had time to really think about it Kennedy touched her glass and it was time to drink. The cold, fruit-tinged vodka went down smoothly. In a less confrontational voice the reporter asked, "So, tell me, where have you sent my husband off to this time?"

Kennedy took another sip while she thought of how best to handle this. Deciding on a bit of an unusual course, she asked, "Didn't he tell you?"

This threw Anna for a bit of a loop and then she caught the sarcasm.

"No, he didn't tell me, and you know he didn't. So why don't you?"

Kennedy literally never lost her temper, but this pushy reporter was begging to be put in her place. Where this lack of emotional control originated from she wasn't exactly sure, but she could hazard a guess.

It lay somewhere in the belief that Mitch deserved better. In a chilly tone she asked, "Do you have any respect whatsoever for your husband?"

"Of course I respect him," snapped Anna.

"Then why do you put him at risk by walking around like a put-off high school homecoming queen?"

Anna bristled at the comment.

"Don't condescend to me, Irene.

This is my husband we're talking about."

"Exactly"-Kennedy moved in closer-"and if you really cared about him you'd stop asking people where he is. You'd remember that he's very good at what he does, and you'd honor him by keeping your mouth shut." Kennedy leaned in so her face was just inches from Anna's and in a low angry voice said, "His job is infinitely more important than both yours and mine. Do you have any idea how many lives he's saved over the years?"

Kennedy saw the defiance in Anna's eyes and said, "Sure, all your friends in the media like to call him an assassin, but have they ever stopped to count the lives he's saved?" Kennedy didn't pause long enough to give her a chance to answer.

"Of course they haven't. He didn't just save your life that day upstairs, he saved dozens Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that maybe right now he's doing exactly that? That he's saving lives?"

Kennedy eased back a bit and looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was trying to eavesdrop. Turning back to Anna, she added, "Right now there's a family of Americans whose lives depend on your husband. A mother and father and three little children. Think about that for a minute." Kennedy looked at Anna with commanding eyes.

"Would you deny them the same gift of life that Mitch gave you?"

Anna was completely caught off guard. She knew that Kennedy was scheduled to attend the dinner. She had rehearsed this confrontation several times and it never played out this way. At no time was she ever supposed to be on the defensive. Kennedy was supposed to be backpedaling. Kennedy was supposed to be listening. Anna was supposed to be in control.

Slowly, Anna began shaking her head. Her mind was flooded with memories of that night, not so long ago, when Mitch had saved her life. Her thoughts turned to the Anderson family that had gone missing in the Philippines. They had to be who Kennedy was talking about.

She'd seen photos of them and their cute little redheaded children.

Anna could not deny them their best hope. Standing up a bit straighter she struggled to find the right words.

"Just knowing where he is and what he's doing, helps."

Kennedy nodded, satisfied that she had got the young reporter to think of more than herself.

"But I worry about him." Anna thought of her honeymoon and her husband's scarred body. Her eyes moistened.

"I worry that one of these times he's not going to come home."

Kennedy honestly felt for the young bride. Clasping Anna's shoulder, she smiled and said, "I used to worry about him too, until I realized that it's the other guys who are in trouble."

Anna dabbed a tear from the corner of her eye and said sarcastically, "Great. That makes me feel much better."

Kennedy smiled.

"Don't worry about him. I can tell you that he's nowhere near the action. He's helping plan the rescue, but will not be participating in it."

Distrustful but hopeful, Anna asked, "Really?"

"Yes," nodded Kennedy.

Anna let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Good. I just don't know if I could bear losing him."

Kennedy tried to see things through Anna's eyes. It had been so long since she'd been in love, and it was a very real possibility that she had never felt as deeply for her husband as Anna did for Mitch. Theirs was a passionate marriage born in the heat of battle. He had saved her life, and then she had given him the one thing he secretly yearned for: a real life.

There had been plenty of times when Kennedy had worried about Rapp when he was on operations. She loved him like a brother and stayed up late at night hoping he would return safely. Kennedy gave Anna an unusually warm smile and said, "I know how much he means to you, and if at any time I can help ease some of your worries, if I can answer some of your questions, then I will."

Anna was shocked by the generous and uncharacteristic offer. All she could do was smile and say thank you.

"All off the record, and never to be discussed with anyone else, of course," Kennedy said with a very serious expression.

"Of course." Anna took a drink of her cosmopolitan and studied her husband's boss. Maybe she'd misjudged Irene Kennedy.