Oath of Loyalty (Mitch Rapp #21)(77)

“You’re not as young as you used to be, Mitch. But you always bounce back. Once all this is over, you can finish getting in shape and do your big race. Anna can’t wait to stand by the side of the trail and cheer you on. Who knows, maybe one day you two will do it together.”

The phone he’d left on his workbench began to ring and she released him so he could pick up.

“Hello?” he said and then mouthed “Irene” as Sadie continued to stare enigmatically at him.

She broke into a smile and mouthed back, “Say hi.”

Rapp made a beeline for the door, the sense of relief surprisingly powerful as he exited into the yard. Kennedy still hadn’t said anything, though, and he thought he might have lost the connection.

“Irene? Are you there?”

“How exactly did you think that would be productive?” she said, undoubtedly referring to the little prank he’d had Joe Maslick pull.

“Not productive,” Rapp said. “Just fun.”

“You made the Secret Service drag him out of a public appearance. Why in God’s name would you throw gas on this fire, Mitch? Particularly in your current situation.”

“Too much slinking around, Irene. I don’t like it. Now everyone’s on the same page.”

“You just basically told him the war between you is back on.”

“It was never off. And not only that, he didn’t come after me, he came after Claudia. I won’t tolerate that kind of behavior.”

“Before we had some room to maneuver. Now we have nothing.”

“Maybe. But now Cook’s even more scared. And he’s all over TV looking like the punk we both know he is.”

“Are you sure you want him this scared? Are you sure you want the president of the United States backed into a corner?”

“Yeah, Irene. I do. And you know why? Because I’m scared and backed into a corner. I’m afraid I’ve missed something that’s going to get Sadie killed. I’m afraid Cook’s going to grow a pair and come after you and the guys individually. I’m afraid he’s going to decide his administration can deal with the blowback from vaporizing Nick’s compound. And there’s nothing I can do about any of that right now. But what I can do is make sure he feels my breath down the back of his fucking neck.”

It was a long time before she responded. “Do you want to know what I see, Mitch?”

“Probably not, but I figure you’re going to tell me anyway.”

“I see two wounded predators eyeing each other over a dead gazelle.”

“Yeah? Well, let’s see who ends up getting to eat.”





CHAPTER 37


NORTH OF CAPE TOWN

SOUTH AFRICA

“WE’VE continued to monitor Ahmale Okoro’s communications with Anna, but we haven’t been able to glean any useful information. It’s likely that she’s being censored. The fact that she never lets anything slip about her location seems far-fetched otherwise,” Nasrin said over the encrypted line.

“IP address?” Cyrah said.

“Hidden.”

She was walking along a dirt track similar to the last one, but this time with clear skies and temperatures hovering around seventeen degrees Celsius. The dry, rolling landscape was empty in every direction, making her and the car she’d parked fifty meters back the only indication of human existence. She adjusted her headset to minimize the wind noise before speaking again.

“What about Morocco?”

Claudia Gould had flown to Cape Town on a commercial flight originating in the African nation and there was no indication it was a connection. More likely, she had been hiding out there and if that was the case, it was plausible that Anna still was.

“Nothing actionable. We found a vacation rental in Marrakesh that she might have stayed in and had it searched but, as expected, there wasn’t anything to be found.”

“I think we have to agree that this is becoming increasingly suspicious,” Yasmin interjected cautiously. “Why is the girl so well hidden if Claudia believes the attack on her was just the result of her history with Gustavo Marroqui? Clearly that problem has been solved. The separation must be difficult, and the house is set up for a long-term stay now. You yourself said the entire upper floor was undamaged.”

“That’s true,” Cyrah admitted.

“And Claudia never leaves the compound. Not to go to her gym, shop, visit friends…”

“She’s only been back ten days and they’re busy working on plans for the renovation. Also, I suspect their friends might be a little wary of them after what just happened. This doesn’t seem all that surprising to me.”

“Nothing does anymore,” Nasrin commented.

“I’m not getting dragged into another debate about this. And what you’re saying isn’t even accurate, is it? Claudia left to go to the store three days ago.”

“Your single-mindedness is what makes you capable of what you do,” Yasmin said, her caution growing further. “But we’re concerned that it’s becoming an obsession. Or worse, a frenzy. You seem to have taken the attitude that you’d rather die than fail.”

“We’re not going to fail,” Cyrah said, feeling a spark of anger in the pit of her stomach. This was a coordinated attack. The two of them had been rehearsing it.