Madame President - Tara Sue Me Page 0,24
extreme, Mr, Hazar. Surely, there’s more than that.”
“Outside of the fact I was already on Edward Rainer’s shit list for the way I questioned a representative of one of GBNCs biggest advertisers? No, that’s all there is.” I see no reason to tell her I’m looking into her staff because it’s not part of my GBNC assignment. However, while what I’m telling her is the truth, it’s not the whole truth. A lie of omission is still a lie.
My expression must have given something away, because I see the doubt in her eyes.
An observation confirmed with her next words.
“Let me make one thing clear to you, Mr. Hazar.” She takes a step back, and I’m once more impressed at how well she manages to compose herself the way she does. The look in her eyes leaves no doubt that she’d like nothing more than to rip me apart limb by limb. I haven’t fooled her a bit, she knows I’m holding something back, yet her voice is even as she continues. “I don’t trust you. I don’t believe you. And I don’t like you. I’m not sure what you and GBNC are up to, but I will find out. Do you know why that is, Navin?”
The use of my first name shouldn’t make me feel as if the floor’s about to disappear out from under me, but coming from her mouth it does. “Tell me.”
But instead of telling me, she walks to the office door and opens it. “Mr. Herdsman,” she calls and in an instant David is at her side. “Set up the call Director Wiggins requested.” As David runs off to do her bidding, she brushes by me, not looking my way as she heads toward her desk. “You’re excused, Mr. Hazar.”
Director Wiggins is the Director of National Intelligence. It hits me how I’ve done the exact thing I’ve warned people not to do.
I’ve underestimated President Anna Fitzpatrick.
Chapter Thirteen
Her
Conference Hotel
London, England
It’s the end of our first day of meetings in London and I should be dead on my feet. Between the jet lag, meeting everyone, the meetings themselves, and my phone calls with Director Wiggins, I should be ready to call it a day. But I’m not. I’m finally in a place where what I do can change things, where what I do matters. I won’t deny it, it’s a high unlike any other.
The meetings are important, so I don’t mind they fall so close to my inauguration. The goal is to bring numerous heads of states together to improve communication during a global crisis. It’s a meeting long overdue and all of us have ideas on the best way forward. Having discussions with the most powerful people in the world is heady, and I’m completely engaged during the meeting.
The overwhelming fatigue I keep expecting doesn’t even hit when everything is over. Or at least everything for the day. There’s a black-tie reception in two hours upstairs that will keep me busy until late. Maybe when it’s over I’ll be able to sleep.
Now that I have a few hours between events, I can finally look into the issue Director Wiggins called to discuss. I haven’t said anything to David yet, and it kills me because I’ve always told him everything. Based on what Director Wiggins said on the phone, however, my most prudent course of action is to keep what he said between the two of us for now.
According to him, his agents believe a person on my staff is giving information to the press. While normally I wouldn’t care what the press finds out, it seems to be confidential material that not many know about. It’s not quite a threat to national security…yet, but having a mole in my administration is not a good thing, especially during my first weeks as President. There are no words to describe the sense of betrayal I feel. Nor do words exist to convey my horror, knowing that in all likelihood, I hired someone who would sell me out. I consider them a traitor.
Moments before I was to hop on the plane to London, the Director called, saying he needed to talk with me before I boarded. Needless to say, I was late. I rushed to make it outside and arrived in time to see the press entering the plane’s rear entrance. Navin, of course, being the first to draw my attention, then I took a quick glance around at his colleagues, and that’s when I knew something was up. It