Cloud Dust: RD-1 (R-D #1)(44)



"This is ridiculous," I shook my head. "You shouldn't be chased out of your house."

"It's fine—I can visit her now and then. She'll still see me about as often as before," August shrugged. "That's if she doesn't come."

"You think she won't?"

"She's not fond of how the government rules my life," August grimaced. "If she comes, she'll be confined to the building unless we can get her out secretly. She likes to shop, so there's a big negative, right there."

"Sorry."

"Not your fault. I signed up for this, you know."

"Someday, you'll have to tell me that story," I said.

"I'll consider it. Furniture is on the way. Hopefully we'll have beds by nightfall."

"I hope so, too. I'm not fond of sleeping on the floor."

*

"We need a new Secretary of Defense," the President pushed a list of names across her desk toward the Vice President. "Anybody you want to add to this list?"

The Vice President, who'd formerly been the Secretary of State, studied the names. Five were listed. "Where do you think Cutter is? Are you going ahead with the plan to say he left the position for personal reasons?"

"For now. We know why he's on the run, but the country doesn't. He still has plenty of supporters, and if we cry foul without him there, they'll accuse us of all sorts of trickery."

"Or worse. He was hoping for the VP slot, wasn't he?"

"I believe that's true. We dodged a bullet on that one."

"We paid for it, too."

"Yes, we did."

"Too bad Safer is retiring. He's the best fit, but he doesn't want it."

"He wants to go fishing and spend time with his family."

"I have no problem with that. Look, Amelia, will we be able to keep them safe—the ones who saved my ass in London?"

"Two of them are dead, Jon. In the bombing."

"Fucking hell. Which ones?"

"Kevin and Ken. To keep the others safe, including the ones with you yesterday, we're officially burying all of them except Becker in Arlington."

"They're in that much danger?"

"We're in that much danger, too. Think about it—get us and them out of the way, the country is ripe for the picking. Somebody tried to kill me yesterday, remember? If Cutter wasn't in on that, I'll eat my desk with salt and pepper."

"I know. The whole thing is preposterous. When did Cutter become such a liability? It happened right under our noses."

"Cutter's been on the fringe for a while. I hoped offering him the Secretary of Defense position would settle things and bring him around. That didn't happen."

"So, he has Becker, now?"

"And his handler. I have no idea what he intends to do with both of them, but we're already preparing for the worst."

*

Corinne

Our beds arrived sometime after midnight. Until then, Rafe and I had settled in a corner of our bedroom and tried to nap as comfortably as we could. That didn't really work so well.

When the furniture arrived, I was grateful for the army of government employees who unloaded and placed all of it while the villa's new residents watched in bleary-eyed satisfaction.

I just hoped none of them recalled us afterward, or broke their oaths not to disclose any of it.

"Now we go to bed," Rafe said after we'd placed clean sheets and a blanket on the mattress.

"Yeah. Please don't wake me up in the morning."

"I'll see what I can do."

*

I'd been waiting on the photographs of Mary Evans. I had mixed feelings about them the next day. Rafe was with me as we looked them over in August's new office. James had barely gotten the computer hooked up—at least he had a hook-up. Mine was scheduled for the following week.

"This one," Rafe and I pointed to the same man simultaneously. I had no idea he was looking, just as I was. Not only for a connection, but also for revenge.

This one wasn't pulling the strings, but he wanted something from the puppet master—through Mary Evans. "What does he want, and what is he willing to pay for it?" I blinked at August.

"This is the one I hunt. The one most dangerous to your government," Rafe informed our handler. "He will stop at nothing to get his way."

*

Notes—Colonel Hunter

"This was part of the deal," I told Shaw. "Rafe gave valuable information to us in exchange for medical care and the drug, and we agreed that we'd allow him to hunt this f*cker down if he survived and the target was located. We didn't expect him to survive, or to be as useful as he is."

"A high-ranking officer in the Russian military is the target?" Shaw shook his head in disbelief. "This is a suicide mission for Rafe—admit it. It will kill Corinne to take him away."

"You think I don't know that? She's a hundred times better off if he's in the picture. The truth is, all the trouble we're having from the Russians? This guy may be behind it." I tapped the photograph lying on the table. "He's advising their President, and his advice isn't good for us or any of the surrounding countries."

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