Kennedy pulled out the chair next to her and sat on her right.
“I want you to leave,” Ryden said.
Without a word Kennedy, got up.
“I want you to leave the White House.”
“You finally made the time to have me fired?” Kennedy asked coldly.
“Tell your superior you want a reassignment.”
“I won’t, because I don’t. If it’s any consolation, I promise not to talk to you anymore unless completely necessary, Madam President.”
“Please drop the Madam President bit.”
“I prefer we didn’t.”
“Fine, whatever,” she said. “But I insist you get out of here.”
Kennedy sat back down. “That sounds ominous.”
She shrugged. How was she going to make Kennedy realize she was in danger without telling her the truth? “Maybe it is.”
“I wish you would stop playing with me.”
“I’m not. I simply can’t say more.”
“I got that,” Kennedy said. “That’s been obvious since my first day here.”
Ryden forced herself to look at her. “Please, don’t fight me and don’t ask me why. Just do as I say.”
“I’m sorry. It doesn’t work that way.”
She placed her hand on Kennedy’s. “Listen to me.” She squeezed Kennedy’s hand. “You are in danger.”
“Why?” Kennedy looked surprised but didn’t pull her hand away.
“If I could discuss that, I would have already told you. But I can’t, so please don’t make me lie more than I already have. Just trust me when I tell you there’s a lot going on, things you could never begin to imagine. It’s not safe here, Kennedy, and your curiosity has rubbed some individuals the wrong way.”
“Moore and who else?”
Ryden looked away. “Who they are doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
“You can’t stop them.”
“I’m not alone. I have a very powerful company behind me.”
“More powerful than the government?”
“Just tell me if the CIA is involved.”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
“The CIA—to my knowledge, anyway—has nothing to do with it.”
“Will you tell me what your part in all this is?”
Ryden shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Can you at least tell me if you were threatened?”
“I was.”
“What would happen if these people and their game were exposed?”
Ryden tried to hide the shudder that went through her at the prospect, but the goose bumps on her arms betrayed her.
Kennedy must have noticed them, too. “I see,” she said quietly. “I’m going to make some phone calls—”
“No!” Ryden practically screamed and grasped Kennedy’s hand. “If they so much as suspect I had this conversation with you, they’ll…they’ll…”
“They won’t,” Kennedy said. “I’d never jeopardize you.”
How could Kennedy still be so sincerely interested in her well-being, after being told they were in dire danger?
“Please, Kennedy. Just leave.”
“I can’t.” Kennedy’s piercing blue eyes locked with hers.
“I know it’s your job to protect me, but I’m safer without you here.”
“Are you?”
“They can tell I…I like you. They’ll use that and then…”
“What exactly do they know?”
“That I like to spend time with you, talk with you.”
“What else?” Kennedy looked troubled.
“Oh, they don’t know about…that.”
“Which that are you referring to?”
“No one knows I broke into your room, got tipsy on your wine, and…whatever.”
Kennedy smiled. “You kissed me.”
Her face flamed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry about that, I—”
“Was confused, troubled, and lonely. Yes, you’ve made that clear. But I haven’t heard you say you regret it.”
“I…” Her breath caught. “No.”
“Good, because the only thing I’m sorry about is that you weren’t sober at the time.”
What Ryden wouldn’t give to be in another place and time right now.
“Is that why you’ve been pushing me away?” Kennedy asked.
“I don’t want you involved or hurt. I couldn’t bear that.” She looked down at their hands and realized she was absentmindedly caressing Kennedy’s palm. She started to pull her hand away but Kennedy stopped her.
“I don’t know what’s going on in this place, or how they managed to involve you, but I can see you’re somehow the victim.”
I’m the biggest con and liar you’ve ever met. Lying to the country was painful enough, but deceiving this woman was agonizing.
“I’m staying here with you, Elizabeth.”
Why wouldn’t Kennedy listen? She was beyond frustrated—with Kennedy’s stubbornness, with the mess she was in, and most of all, right now, with the fact that in the midst of all this chaos all she wanted to do was steal another kiss. “Kennedy, why can’t you just listen—”
“I’m staying. And not because you’re the president and it’s my duty.” She lifted Ryden’s hand and raised it to her lips. “But because you’re you.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Southwestern Colorado
Early next morning, March 8, one a.m.
Montgomery Pierce drummed his fingers on the conference table and studied Cassady’s face as she poured herself coffee and took a seat to his left. The dark circles under her eyes matched Reno’s, sitting to his right; none of them had slept since Jaclyn went missing. But despite the late hour, they were all alert and expectant because the front-gate guard had just phoned to announce Agent Chase’s arrival. Monty hoped their best tracker could come up with a lead, because so far they’d had no luck whatsoever finding out anything about TQ. He’d called every contact he could think of and come up empty. Reno had been working around the clock as well but so far could find no record of anyone with that moniker or initials, at least none that matched.
“I’ve been working for the company for twenty years, give or take,” Landis Coolidge said as she entered the conference room. “But you’ve never pulled me off a job before.” She nodded at Reno as she removed her blazer and draped it over the chair next to Cassady’s. “Hey, Cass, how’s life?”
“They clearly haven’t told you,” Cassady replied, studying her face.
Chase looked at Cassady, then at him. “Tell me what?”
“Jaclyn is missing,” Monty replied.
“What do you mean?”
“He means TQ is avenging her brother’s death,” Cassady answered.
Chase remained silent, staring past him, at the wall. Her jaw muscles twitched. Monty could see she was trying to hide her worry for Cassady’s sake. “Do we know if she’s alive?”
Monty looked at Cassady. “No, but I’m sure she is.”
“Damn it.” Chase retreated a couple of steps and leaned with her back against the wall. “Why can’t that woman stay out of trouble?”
“Have a seat,” Monty said. “I’ll tell you what we know so far.”
“I’m fine. Go ahead.”
Monty told Chase everything they’d learned to date and that searching for TQ was proving an impossible task.
“No one knows who she is or what she looks like. We might as well be looking for a ghost,” Cassady said when he’d finished.
“Ghosts don’t exist. This bitch does, and we have to find her.” Chase started pacing.
Monty had never seen Chase get upset; if she ever was, she never expressed it. But now she paced the room like a beast. “Maybe someone in China. The prisons. Can any of TQ’s contacts there ID her?”