Power Switch (Power Play #3) - Kennedy L. Mitchell Page 0,7
as a sauna in hades today. I hate these humid summer days where Mother Nature attempts to smother you with the heat.
I pause at the closed door, half ready to get inside to the AC while the other part of me doesn’t want to face her. I hate disappointing the people I love. That’s due to those childhood years I spent doing whatever it took to make my parents proud of me, working for the parental love that should’ve come easily only to be rejected at every opportunity.
Instead of knocking, I twist the knob and push the heavy door open. Inside, a beta team agent perks his head up, eyes scrolling across my face and then down my chest before turning back to his phone. Quiet day, I guess. Wonder if anyone else knows about the upcoming meeting with the associate attorney general, Sam.
Sam.
What kind of name is that anyway? Three letters do not make a name. That’s like Bud or Rob, neither of which are strong names, which means this Sam character will be weak as fuck. Just like his name.
No, I'm not jealous.
Keeping my steps silent, I move around the house, searching each room for Randi. My ears perk up at the sound of a voice I know and hate.
At the edge of the living room, I pause just out of sight, giving myself a second to observe her. Dressed in dark jeans and a lightweight long-sleeve T-shirt, she's curled on the lush sofa, iPad forgotten on her lap, attention riveted on whatever is on TV. Again, Birmingham’s voice pours through the house.
I shift my attention from the beauty I love to the idiot on the screen, my brows furrowing in confusion at what I see at the bottom of the screen.
Special Briefing with President Birmingham.
Birmingham stands behind the podium in the White House press briefing room, face flushed as he points to someone in the row of chairs in front of him and leans forward. The reporter’s words are mumbled, but he must hear her clearly. With a nod, he leans back and clasps his hands on top of the podium.
“Yes, this is a last resort. Leading this country into a war that, in the past, has proven to be unwinnable is not ideal. However, we cannot allow these countries to continue extorting us. The price of oil continues to rise, and something must be done.”
A hand shoots into the air. The prick of a president points to the woman, who stands. After straightening her skirt, she locks eyes with Birmingham and raises her chin. “There’s talk that the DOJ is seeking responsibility for the spike in gas prices closer to home. Is this true?”
“No,” Birmingham brushes her off. He scans the room, looking for another question to answer, when the woman speaks up once again.
“Why would the leaders in the Middle East do this now? What are you saying has changed to make them drive the cost higher only for Americans?”
Absorbed in the press conference, I step through the door, pausing at the end of the couch. Randi's eyes flick to me before turning back to the TV. Shuffling on the couch, she leans closer to the screen.
“We don't know the why. But as the leader of this great nation, I cannot sit back and do nothing while the hardworking Americans bring home less and less due to the cost of getting to work. We will stay strong. We will push back. Thank you.”
With that, he walks off the stage, but not before shooting that one female reporter a death glare.
The moment he's out the door, the screen flips to a beautiful blonde sitting behind a newsroom desk. Her fast words lull to background noise as I turn to face Randi.
“Did you hear that?” she asks, lost in thought. Nibbling on her pinkie nail, she stands and moves to the other side of the room. “Vlad said something like that,” she whispers. “Said if we didn't stop Kyle, there would be war.”
“Maybe you should call the Russian president and ask him.”
She shakes her head, her loose dark hair falling over her shoulders and hiding her face before she tucks the rogue locks behind her ear. “No, I don’t want to draw attention to my… friendship? Relationship? Whatever Vlad and I have with the DOJ looking around. The tension between our two countries is still tense, and Kyle still isn’t aware that I’ve been in contact with Vlad. The meeting he and I had in Chile wasn’t