The Invisible. Andrew Britton

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СКАЧАТЬ all—but it did put Harper in the uncomfortable position of having to call his old friend out of retirement. Moreover, he had had to figure out a way to accomplish that task, which at the time had seemed just short of impossible.

      Nevertheless, he had managed to do it. He didn’t regret asking more of a man who’d already given so much. Nor did he regret the methods he’d used to lure Kealey back into the fold. The story he’d spun in Oraefi wasn’t entirely a lie; Naomi Kharmai had trained extensively at the Farm and was more than capable in her new role as a field operative. Her instructors had all given her top marks, though to be fair, they didn’t have the full story on their prized student. But to Harper, that was immaterial. He knew that Kealey’s participation was entirely reliant on Kharmai’s—that he was only doing it to watch out for her—but if that was what it took to get the younger man into the fold, then so be it.

      In truth, he was deeply concerned about their underlying motivations, but as long as they were prepared to see it through, he was willing to set his reservations aside. He had set the wheels in motion, and that was that. If Saifi was, in fact, responsible for Secretary Fitzgerald’s disappearance, the stakes had just been raised dramatically, and while Harper despised clichés, he had to admit that one was applicable here: drastic times called for drastic measures, and that meant taking advantage of every resource, no matter how it was acquired.

      CHAPTER 12

      WASHINGTON, D.C.

      Twenty minutes after the briefing folders were handed out, the meeting came to a gradual close. The assembled officials got to their feet, following the president’s lead, and started to file through the door. As Harper collected his materials, Brenneman caught his eye and indicated, with a quick, familiar gesture, that he wanted a word in private. The deputy DCI moved to the side to allow for traffic and watched as Brenneman murmured his way through a series of sidebars. Before long, Harper was the only one left; even Robert Andrews, his immediate superior, had been asked to leave the room. Either that or he’d been politely ushered out, which made more sense to the Agency’s second-ranking official. While Andrews held the top spot, he wasn’t a career intelligence officer, and the president had always placed a priority on experience.

      Brenneman came around the table and extended a hand. “Thanks for waiting, John. I appreciate your patience.” He shook his head slowly, as if the enormity of the situation was only just hitting him. “It’s just unbelievable. The sheer audacity of these people….”

      “I know, sir, but we’ll find her, and we’ll bring her back.” Alive was the key last word of that sentence. Unspoken, of course, but nevertheless, it seemed to hang in the air. “You have my word on it.”

      “And the people responsible?”

      “We’ll find them, too.”

      Brenneman nodded and glanced over his shoulder to the entrance of the conference room. A man in a dark suit was standing just inside the door, which was still open. His hands were in front of his body, one folded over the other, but his attention was clearly fixed on his principal. Harper had been alone with the president dozens of times, but Secret Service agents didn’t differentiate between friend and foe; in their eyes, everyone was a potential threat. The constant paranoia was part of what made them so good at their work. “Sean, could you give us a minute, please?”

      The agent hesitated, then nodded brusquely. “Of course, Mr. President.” He murmured something into his sleeve and left the room. A moment later, the door closed with a gentle click.

      Brenneman extended an arm toward the table. “Please, have a seat.”

      Harper picked out a chair. Once they were both seated, the commander in chief leaned forward and emitted a weary sigh. Nearly a minute passed in silence, and then he spoke without warning.

      “John, how long have we known each other?”

      The question caught the deputy DCI off guard, but he sensed it was serious. “About six years, I believe. You were the president-elect when we first met. It was a month or two before your inauguration.”

      “That’s right.” There was a meaningful pause. “In all that time, I’ve never seen you outside of Langley or this building. Do you realize that? I’ve never once spent more than a few minutes talking with you about anything other than national security. I’ve never met your wife. I have no idea where you live.”

      “Mr. President, I…” Harper wasn’t sure where this was going, and nothing in his career had prepared him for this kind of conversation. “Sir, what exactly are you getting at?”

      The other man smiled mildly. “John, for all the good you do at Langley, you are not a politician, so you may find this hard to understand. Especially since you work in such a sensitive environment. But here’s the thing…You are one of the few people in government service who knows how to keep things quiet. We may not know each other very well, but I’ve told you a lot of things in confidence over the years, and I’ve yet to hear them anywhere else. In short, you’ve earned my trust, as well as my deep gratitude for your hard work in defending this country.”

      Harper nodded slowly; he was deeply surprised by the president’s candor. “Sir, I don’t know what to say. I’m pleased you feel that way, but it’s my job. I would never divulge anything you tell me in confidence.”

      “I know that, and that’s why I want to ask you something.” Brenneman hesitated, then propped his elbows on top of the table and interlaced his fingers. “Remember, I’m looking for your honest opinion here. I won’t accept anything less.”

      “Of course. It goes without saying.”

      “It has to do with Dowd’s comments early in the briefing. About my stance on the India-Israel deal and how it may have…precipitated this event.”

      Harper was already shaking his head emphatically. “Mr. President, you are not responsible for what happened in Pakistan. Not for any of it.”

      “But if there’s a chance I could get her back by opposing the deal, shouldn’t I—”

      “No.” Harper waited for the other man to meet his eyes. “Sir, it’s too late for that. If you renege now, you might as well negotiate directly with the terrorists, because that’s how it’s going to look.”

      “But that’s not—”

      “That’s how the American people will see it,” Harper repeated forcefully, “and that’s exactly how it will be perceived around the world. You have to stay the course. At this point, it’s your best option. Your only option, really.”

      “Stay the course,” Brenneman repeated slowly. He closed his eyes, lowered his chin slightly, and began massaging his temples. “I feel like I’ve backed myself into a corner on this, John. There’s no room to maneuver.”

      “I can understand why you feel that way, sir, but I repeat: this wasn’t your doing, and my advice stands. Our best bet right now is to investigate as thoroughly as we can, follow up every lead, while at the same time preparing for the people who did this to make contact. Which they will do, and sooner rather than later.”

      The president nodded, looked up, and straightened his tie unconsciously. “I’m confident the investigation will proceed smoothly. I have a lot of faith in the FBI. Especially in Director Susskind.”

      Harper nodded. “That’s understandable. СКАЧАТЬ