Kalinin grinned, then set his champagne glass down. He stepped closer, placing his hands on Christine’s waist. “Now where do you suppose those wires are hidden?”
Christine rested her forearms on Kalinin’s shoulders. “I’m sure you’d like to find out.”
Kalinin smiled, then leaned in for a kiss.
95
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
Two weeks after returning from Russia, Christine exited CIA headquarters at Langley and pulled onto the George Washington Parkway, traveling south against the early evening traffic leaving Washington, D.C. It’d been a long day and tomorrow would be even longer. She’d spent the day continuing her turnover with Director Cherry and would spend tomorrow attending the burial ceremony for the SEALs and Delta Force personnel killed in Russia. The thirteen-casket interment would be long, followed by a reception for the grieving families afterward, and she wouldn’t have time to see her parents. Today was more appropriate anyway, since it was her mom’s birthday. It was a half-hour before sunset; just enough daylight left to spend a few minutes with them.
After exiting onto Memorial Avenue, Christine pulled a worn yellow envelope from her glove compartment and retrieved a car pass, which she placed on her dashboard. She turned onto Eisenhower Drive, where a sentry examined the pass and waved her into Arlington National Cemetery. She continued down Eisenhower past the Tomb of the Unknowns, turned left on Patton Drive, then pulled to a halt beside section 70. She headed across the grass, passing gravestone after gravestone before stopping in front of headstone 1851.
There were two names on the marker: Daniel O’Connor on the front, and Tatyana O’Connor on the back. The lawn had been freshly cut and grass clippings were clinging to the headstone. She kneeled before the gravestone and brushed the grass off. She’d never known her father, who died before she was born, and Tatyana had passed away when Christine was in her twenties. It seemed so long ago. Christine was fresh out of college when her mom died, and Tatyana had never seen the woman Christine had become or what she had accomplished.
Childhood memories flooded her thoughts, and Christine smiled as she recalled her mom’s exasperated efforts to transform her from a tomboy into a proper girl. Nature had eventually taken care of things, and the boys that used to consider her one of the gang began to treat her differently. She remembered the first time Jake Harrison tried to hold her hand. As they sat on the edge of the barn loft overlooking his father’s farm, she had no idea what he was doing. When his hand touched hers, she moved hers away to make room for his. She remembered the crestfallen look on his face before he suddenly stood and left.
A reddish-orange light reflected off her parents’ white gravestone. The sun was slipping beneath the horizon, irradiating the cirrus clouds in a pink, red, and orange hue. She pushed herself to her feet, then headed to her car. In the distance, she spotted a man standing beneath a tree, watching her. She slowed her pace, trying to discern who he was. He moved toward her. When Christine finally recognized him, she stopped where she was. It was Jake Harrison.
On the C-32 flight home from Russia with the Navy SEALs, she’d arranged for a seat far away from Jake, then sank into it and closed her eyes. But instead of falling asleep, she relived those last few seconds dangling from the cliff, her hand in his, over and over. When the flight landed, she left without saying good-bye. In fact, they hadn’t spoken since they’d departed Russia’s Ministry of Defense building.
Christine waited until Jake stopped in front of her. She wasn’t sure what to say.
It looked like he was at a loss for words as well. Both stood quietly for a long moment.
“What are you doing here?” she finally asked.
“I stopped by to say hi to a few friends, then I saw your car. You’ve been avoiding me and I thought we should talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Christine considered leaving, but her words belied her true feelings.
“You haven’t forgiven me yet,” Harrison said. It was more a statement than a question.
“How can I? The odds of surviving that fall were near zero.”
“I didn’t have a choice. Extracting Kalinin was the primary mission. You were secondary.”
“So that’s it? The job came first and I meant nothing?”
“You know that’s untrue. Letting go of you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Christine heard the remorse in his voice. From a logical perspective, she realized he’d done what he was trained to do; saving Kalinin was more important. Emotionally, however, she hadn’t been able to reconcile his actions with those of a man who had once loved her; a man she thought — up until that moment — still did.
Her stoic facade began to crumble. She looked away, searching for words.
Jake stepped forward and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. She reacted instinctively, hugging his waist and resting her face on his shoulder as she’d done so many times while they dated. Neither one spoke as they stood there, and Christine fought to hold back the tears. She had many regrets in her life, but one stood out from the rest.
He said he would wait.
Jake broke the silence. “I hear you’re going to be the new CIA director.”
“So it seems,” Christine answered, her face still resting on his shoulder.
“That’s an odd career choice, considering everything you’ve been through.”
Christine shrugged, then repeated the president’s line. “I’ll have a lot more help staying out of trouble.”
She felt Jake’s arms relax, releasing her from his embrace. She didn’t want to let go. She held on for a while, then acquiesced and stepped back.
“What are your plans?” she asked. “Rumor has it you’re retiring soon.”
“I haven’t decided. But I plan to make a decision before Michigan’s next deployment.”
“If you get out,” Christine said, “let me know when you start looking for a job.”
“You offering?”
Christine smiled.
COMPLETE CAST OF CHARACTERS
BOB TOMPKINS — vice president
KEVIN HARDISON — chief of staff
DAWN CABRAL — secretary of state
BILL DUNNAVANT — secretary of defense
CHRISTINE O’CONNOR — national security advisor
BILL DUBOSE (Colonel) — senior military aide
LARS SIKES — press secretary
OKEY WATSON (General) — Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
BRIAN RETTMAN (Admiral) — Chief of Naval Operations
ANDY WHEELER (General) — Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
BOB ARONSON (Admiral) — Commander, U.S. Strategic Command
DUSTY RHODES (Vice Admiral) — Director, Strategic Systems Programs
DUTCH HOSTLER (Major General) — Commanding General, 1st Armored Division
JUSTIN WALKER (Rear Admiral) — Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command
MURRAY WILSON (Captain) — Commanding Officer
AL PATZKE (Lieutenant Commander) — Executive Officer
BILL HARWI (Lieutenant Commander) — Engineer Officer
KELLY HAAS (Lieutenant Commander) — Supply Officer
ED LLOYD (Lieutenant) — Navigator
TREVOR POWERS (Lieutenant) — Weapons Officer
VICTOR CLARK (Lieutenant) — Junior Officer
CAROLYN CODY (Lieutenant) — Junior Officer