This behavior didn’t alarm Dan, but he was quite confused. He guessed that it must be a personal problem because she couldn’t reply. If it was business, Sharon always spoke up. “Did someone die?”
She shook her head.
“Is George all right?”
“Yes. George was sent back to Kuwait by Levi.”
Dan wanted to scream. Levi again was fucking up what he was doing. Sharon still looked distraught, so Dan controlled himself. “Okay, I’ll have to have a little talk with Levi.”
“You’re off the case. Levi said he was dropping you from the operation. Then he said he was going to fire me.” Sharon began calming down.
Surprisingly, Dan felt relieved. “Well, I suppose it was bound to happen.” Since the strings were cut, he would be free to follow up on his own plan. “But he can’t fire you. Only I can do that.”
Sharon decided to tell. She’d rather have him hear it from her than anyone else. “He said he could have me fired because I’m a lesbian, Dan.”
Dan knew what the statement meant, but it made no sense. “What?”
“Levi found out that I’m a lesbian, and he said he could have me fired because of it.”
This was completely from left field for Dan, and he grasped at how it affected the sub operation. “He can’t do that, there are laws… I didn’t know you were a lesbian.” Dan didn’t know where to go with the conversation. The information answered many personal questions. It was tough for him to regain his composure, though. “I’ll admit that I’m a little surprised, but sexual preference is no reason to have you axed. After all, J. Edgar Hoover was homosexual.” He winced a little at the stupidity of the reference.
Sharon was glad he seemed to be taking the news well. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was afraid of how you’d react.”
“I understand, I guess. I’m having a little trouble swallowing all this at the moment.”
“It does take a little getting used to, especially from my end.” A weight disappeared from her shoulders, and Sharon felt much better.
Wanting the conversation to end, Dan changed the subject. “Now, what about George?”
“Levi had him come in. Then he told him to grab the next flight to Kuwait. Before that, he screamed at me because I didn’t know where you went. Then he said he was dropping you from the operation.”
“Well, I guess that’s that. At least I won’t have the bastard looking over my shoulder anymore.” There was a sense of relief in his voice. “Why didn’t he just call me?”
“Because he’s Levi, Dan.”
That was the only thing that remotely made sense to Dan. “What a fucking princess.”
“So we move on to the next project?”
“Yes,” he replied. “But the next project is—” Dan almost began to tell her about the sub and Kuwait and still being mixed up in the same situation, but his gut told him to keep his mouth shut. Throughout the whole operation, Levi seemed to know more than Dan wanted him to know. He always appeared at exactly the perfect moment. It was more than a coincidence.
Levi didn’t know that Dan had gone to Groton, though. The only difference there was that he didn’t tell Sharon where he was headed. This opened a whole new can of worms for him. He still trusted Sharon, but there was the possibility that somehow she was leaking the information. “Well, you don’t need to worry about it. In fact, if you have some vacation time, I want you to use it.”
Sharon didn’t understand. “Do you still trust me?”
“I do, Sharon, but I’m wrapped up in something deep. It’s out of the ordinary, and I have to handle it that way.”
“Dan. I must know. Is it because I never told anyone about…?” She was afraid of what the reply might be, but she respected Dan and felt that he would provide her with a straight answer.
“It has nothing to do with that. It makes no difference in your employment, no matter what the stigma.” He felt very strange responding to the question, and it clearly showed he was uncomfortable voicing the sentence. “It has everything to do with you being my secretary. I can’t leave anything to chance. What I am doing started before today’s talk.”
Sharon felt better. “All right, I’ll take some time off. If you need anything, call.”
“Keep your phone on,” said Dan. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you, but that’s the business.”
“I know.” She left the room and closed the door behind her. Sharon felt good. Her job was intact, she had a few days off, and her boss was a kind individual. She had a genuine warm feeling for him.
Levi picked up the phone on the first ring. Dan was calling.
“You’re out, Archer. I needed you here, and you were gone.”
“So I heard. I don’t think you should drop me from the case because of that.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ve already spoken to Anthony about it. He concurs. I can handle it from here.” Levi felt great satisfaction in the power play. Dan had lost the confidence of the director. It was obvious who would be at the head of the line when Anthony decided to step down.
“What about George? I heard you sent him back.” This was Dan’s only regret. George was his agent technically, and he didn’t like the idea of handing over what was his responsibility.
“Don’t worry about George. He’ll be back here soon.”
“Make sure of it.”
“He’ll get his retirement check. You needn’t worry about that.”
“He’s done his job—”
“He’ll get out when the op’s over! You don’t need to worry about George. There is nothing more to talk about.” Levi slammed down the phone.
In his office, Dan replaced the receiver. He had made sure that Levi rejected him completely so he couldn’t be called back in. Yet he battled a nagging ethical problem. He had to ask himself who he was really serving — his country or himself? If it was his country, then he should reveal everything he knew about the sub for the good of the operation and George. Yet he didn’t want to give Levi the opportunity to shoot him down again. He knew he wouldn’t last long once Levi reached the director’s chair, and he knew that he was out of the running for the moment. To keep the little tyrant from taking over the CIA, Dan figured he had to let him botch the op.
His stomach told him that Stemovich was going to raise the sub. The second the vessel surfaced in the Barents there would be hell to pay. It would catapult Dan back in the running, and Sukudo could mop up the rest. It was a personal goal, and Dan realized it. He also realized that it wouldn’t be a goal at all if Levi weren’t a sure lock for the job. This bothered him. He saw the whole picture. Men in other parts of the world were going to put their lives in danger for what? So a couple of CIA guys could fight it out over who would make the best director. Outsiders would scoff at this, but outsiders didn’t know the corruption of Levi Carp.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Haste
George stood outside Mohsen’s office trying to remember what he was going to say. He had rehearsed all day, but his mind drew a blank at the moment. I might as well tell them I work for the CIA. That would stop it in a heartbeat. He found this amusing, yet he knew that excuse wouldn’t do. And would probably end in death.
The door opened, and Mohsen’s aid nearly ran him over as he exited. “I’m sorry, my brother. May I help you with anything?”
“I would like to see Captain Mohsen, please.”
“I’ll ask if he has time. Who is calling?”