Cloud Dust: RD-1 (R-D #1)(64)

Cutter's death left me with Mary Evans and General Baikov. I no longer had a link to those in the U.S. who were involved. No matter who they were, though, they had money. Enough to kill a Vice President in an attempt to take over the White House.

The President sat across from Auggie, Rafe and me, a solid frown on her face. As pissed as Auggie was, she may have been more so. I had to work to fight down a panic attack.

"We will discuss this later," Madam President said as the vehicle swung into the parking garage of a hotel. Police and guards swarmed the building as we climbed from the car and walked toward waiting elevators.

Rafe hadn't said a word the whole time, so I waited for his ass-chewing, too.

*

The service lasted three hours. I was grateful nobody shot at us during that time. Nobody spoke as we loaded into the vehicle to drive to the Governor's Mansion for the private meeting. I had a feeling Auggie and I were destined for a private meeting, too.

I wasn't wrong.

"What the f*cking hell, Corinne," August exploded the moment the door shut behind us.

"Sometimes I do know stuff," I said, attempting to control my trembling. "But I have my reasons, Auggie."

"You will not call me Auggie during this meeting. You lost that privilege the minute I learned you withheld information." His anger beat against my bruised emotions, making me want to cower away from him, and I certainly didn't want to point out that I'd withheld information from the beginning. He was pissed about many things and I was receiving the brunt of his fury. Anything else I said would only make it worse.

"You knew where Cutter was in Utah, didn't you?" he snapped. "We wondered how Nick was able to track him so easily. You gave him money and sent him straight to the location. If you'd told me, we could have brought all of them in—Becker included, and yet you take matters into your own hands."

I had no excuses he would listen to, and I'd already said I had my reasons. I remained silent and worked to keep my breathing even. Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, I repeated to myself.

"I'll have a talk with the President and we'll discuss your punishment on the flight home." August stormed out of the room, leaving me breathing raggedly and slumping in my chair.

*

Rafe didn't sit with me during the flight to D.C. I figured he was pissed, too—I could tell him where General Baikov was, no problem. What I needed was Baikov's information, and a dead Russian General did me no good whatsoever. Rafe intended to kill him the moment he found him, and that would cause another source of information to evaporate.

I worried that all my resources would end up dead and my leads would die with them. Fear and exhaustion plagued me during what felt like the longest plane ride of my life.

*

Confined to quarters, my computer was taken away and Rafe moved himself out of my suite. The worst of those punishments was Rafe's defection—he hadn't even given me a chance to explain. No, I wouldn't have told him everything, but he hadn't told me everything, either.

I had two weeks of solitary confinement in my rooms to consider my actions, as August and Madam President put it. Well, she wasn't getting my vote ever again.

*

Notes—Colonel Hunter

"Let's look at this from a logical standpoint," Shaw said. "You'd just gotten the notification from your wife's lawyer, you were secretly pissed that Corinne gave money to Nick to track down Becker, you learn she could have told you more about Cutter, including where he was, and you exploded."

"The President supported me the whole way," I blustered. Was I beginning to feel guilty?

You bet.

I felt responsible for the breakup between Rafe and Cori, too. I couldn't fix that; I'd lost it and told him she could see where Baikov was. His face went dark immediately and I knew I'd done the wrong thing.

Shaw was telling me what I already knew.

"We need her help," Shaw went on. "Face it, she's saved your life, the President's life, the sitting Vice President's life and the Prime Minister's life. Do you think for a moment that she wouldn't have told you if the President or anyone else was in danger? She didn't see the Sacramento bombing because she'd never seen Ted Ryan before he posted his video on the Internet. She has to see them, or haven't you figured that out, yet?"

"Stop," I held up a hand. "Look, I already feel like a bastard. You don't have to rub it in."

"She refuses to talk to me, now. I can't get to her. Right now, nobody can. She isn't talking and if what James tells me is true, she isn't eating, either."

"Fuck. Look, what's the word from Maye? Do we have anything?"

"There's a huge crowd of school kids scheduled for a tour at the museum tomorrow. It would be just like our quarry to hide in those numbers," Shaw observed. "I've already asked Maye to be extra careful and look for adults."

"Good. Keep me posted." I left Shaw's office as quickly as I could.

*

Ilya

Colonel Hunter called a halt to Krav Maga lessons while Corinne was confined to her quarters.

Just as well, I might have done inadvertent harm. Angry couldn't begin to describe how I felt. She could have given me Baikov's location after seeing his photograph. I could have taken the f*cker down immediately.