Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm pierced the air.
Flynn looked upward and saw Lexie’s body looming over him. She shook her head as she looked down at him.
“What a mess! Scared of me, Flynn? I can’t believe the world’s best espionage agency couldn’t get anyone better to do the job.”
For years, Flynn suffered endless chiding from Lexie. She appeared to find some sick pleasure in mocking him. The fact that he owed her his life after the incident the night before made her even more insufferable.
Flynn groaned before hiding his eyes from her stare and the sun’s glare.
“You really are pathetic. There’s no way you’re going to thwart any plans the Kuklovod has.”
Tired of her incessant sniping, Flynn fought back.
“Tell that to their team in New York that tried to assassinate the President.”
“Wait, did they shoot the President? And you’re going to claim responsibility for stopping it just because he’s still on life support in some hospital? I’m sure you’ll get a nice thank you card from the First Lady for leaving her with an invalid to take care of for the rest of her life.”
Flynn started to respond and then stopped. It wasn’t worth it. It never was with Lexie. Her sharp-witted and often bitter tongue always left him overmatched. She would always believe herself to be superior. If he leaped a tall building in a single bound, she would explain it away or tell you about a time she leaped two tall buildings with only an hour of sleep the night before while capturing two of the three most elusive criminals in the world. The story would drag on about how incompetent the CIA was and if it wasn’t for her saving them from their own incompetence, they likely wouldn’t still exist. While mildly annoying, Flynn often enjoyed hearing her braggadocios claims. Lexie’s creativity impressed him the most.
“So what are we going to do?” Flynn finally said.
“We’re going to go get my missiles back — and you’re going to go back to the States as the hero who dismantled the Kuklovod.”
Lexie moved several feet away to the kitchen and began cooking a large omelet while she shared her objectives.
Flynn protested. “I’m not sure I’m on board with that plan.” He sat down in the kitchen, eyeing her every move.
“Which part? The hero part? Yeah, you’re right. Nobody would believe it. We should probably just amend that to you’ll be going back to the States in one piece.”
Flynn sighed. “Do you have to be so nasty all the time?”
“I’m not being nasty — I’m just being truthful. Do you seriously think America is going to lap up some story about their beloved conspiracy theorist saving them from the brink of war? Please.”
“They buy most of the war-time hero stories they are fed by the military.”
“Yeah, but that’s different. Those are soldiers. You know, people trained to kill enemies and protect us.”
Flynn tried not to let her get under his skin. He didn’t want to get too snippy until he had some of Lexie’s omelet on his plate. He eyed her carefully as she split it apart and served it onto two separate dishes. Flynn knew how she could get if he fought back too hard.
He freely continued his defense.
“And I’m not trained?”
“You’re a spy, not an assassin. Infiltrating the Kuklovod requires deft skills of both.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we’re combining forces then.”
Lexie stopped and shot him a look.
“Who said anything about combining forces? I said I’m going to retrieve the missiles and you’re going to go home. Where did you read into things that we were going together?”
Flynn stopped. No more biting banter. It was time to dig in.
“No, Lexie. I’m coming. You need me as much as I need you.”
“Speak for yourself.”
Flynn’s direct approach wasn’t working. He needed leverage on her.
“So, how’s your father doing?”
Lexie put her fork down and stopped. Her sudden shift in demeanor from tough gal to despondent woman signaled to Flynn that maybe the old Lexie was still in there somewhere.
“He’s doing OK from what I heard last.”
“How’s his cancer? Still in remission?”
“No, it’s come back twice since I saw you last. The doctors say he’s only got a few months to live. But you know my dad — he’ll fight until the bitter end. He’ll probably get twice as long as they say.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
Lexie furrowed her brow and stared at Flynn. “Do you not have any friends in the agency still?”
“Not many — but what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you haven’t heard about me. I’m on a watch list of sorts. There’s no way I can go back into the country without getting arrested.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Seriously, genius,” Lexie said, cutting deep with her sarcasm. “If you haven’t figured out that I’m not exactly on the up-and-up any more, your training has almost all been forgotten.”
“Well, maybe I can help you out there. Maybe get you in the country to see your father while there’s still time.”
Lexie started to tear up. She put down her spatula and sought out a tissue. Flynn knew how much she hated showing any kind of feminine emotion, especially water works. It wasn’t her style. Yet, here she was, dabbing her eyes and inhaling deep in an effort to fight back what she considered a sign of weakness.
“How could you do that?”
“Well, this mission is more than just rendering the Kuklovod’s missile arsenal inoperable. There’s something else.”
“Oh, what is it?”
“The Kuklovod has Sandford’s daughter, Sydney. They’re using her to blackmail Sandford into doing their bidding. And they’ll kill her if I don’t rescue her.”
“Why should I care about her?”
“Look, maybe if you come with me and we rescue her, I can pull some strings for you and get you back in the country. I know that Sandford would be willing to overlook whatever offenses the government has against you at this point.”
“Wasn’t saving your sorry butt last night enough? I could’ve left you for dead, but I like you too much. Now eat up.”
Flynn stared at Lexie. For all her sassiness, he still had a thing for her. His on-again-off-again flings with her in the field grew tiresome, mostly because he wished it would just stay on. Flynn knew at some point he had to move on, so he tried. Not seeing her for a long time made it easier. But here she was, warts and all, standing in front of him just like old times. And those feelings started rushing back.
He smiled as he gobbled down the breakfast. She smiled back.
“Eat up, Flynn. I guess we’ve now got a big day ahead of us.”
Flynn nodded. He thanked her for breakfast and took his plate to the sink once he finished.
Then he collapsed to the floor.
CHAPTER 52
Just before six o’clock on Sunday morning, Gerald Sandford rumbled down the hall of the third floor at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Members of the Secret Service nodded to Sandford and his entourage, already alerted to his presence and intention to visit President Briggs. As Sandford passed the final security checkpoint, one of the guards issued a perfunctory wave after acknowledging him with a salute. Sandford’s entourage remained there while he neared Briggs’ room. But just outside, Sandford met some resistance in the form of Dr. Grant.
“Hello, Mr. Vice President Sandford,” Dr. Grant said rather innocuously. But it irritated Sandford.
“Currently, it’s President Sandford — and I need to see Arthur Briggs right now.”