law is too good for the person who leaked this. Their head should be put on a pike and marched through the streets.”
Barnett threw the remote at the television, missing by a couple of feet and hitting the wall instead. The TV went silent and Gray focused on not throwing up. Finally, he managed to speak.
“That’s my head he’s talking about.”
“Quit whining,” Barnett snapped back. “That computer operating system is a hundred percent secure. God himself couldn’t trace it. What we need to focus on now is damage control. Where do we stand?”
“Where do we stand?” he said, squinting in her direction. “We stand in the middle of a complete clusterfuck. We were going to walk away with the nomination and were way ahead in the general election polls. You could have coasted right into the Oval Office. But that wasn’t good enough for you. How long is that reporter going to hold out before he gives up his source? This isn’t a story about the Alexander administration covering up their incompetence anymore. He got an undercover agent killed and collapsed a bioterror investigation. He—we—could actually be responsible for the U.S. getting attacked.”
Barnett stared at him, the fury disappearing from her face in favor of a dead expression that was somehow much worse. Gray wondered if, for the first time in their relationship, he was seeing the real woman behind the façade.
Of course, she was bat-shit insane. The truth was that they all were now. There had probably been a time when politicians achieved this level of success because of patriotism or a deep sense of responsibility to their countrymen. But now it was just about power. In fact, crazy seemed to have become a prerequisite. The American people demanded it.
He suddenly wanted to disappear. To storm out of the room, get on a plane, and get the hell out of the country. To go to work for some multinational corporation marketing soap. Or perfume. Or blood pressure pills. To leave this life behind forever.
But he was scared shitless. The woman staring lifelessly at him from across the room was smart, ruthless, and driven. Even with everything happening—even if he walked out the door—she would likely be the next president of the United States. And the first thing she’d do with the power of that office was destroy everyone who hadn’t supported her. Anyone she perceived as a threat. Would he end up in jail? In Guantánamo Bay? Drugged and seat-belted into a car careening down the side of a cliff?
“Okay,” he said, struggling to keep his voice even as he recited his mantra. “There are no disasters. Just opportunities we haven’t found yet.”
Barnett’s expression reverted to the more familiar—and now oddly comforting—one of rage.
“Where do we stand?” Gray said, repeating his boss’s question of a few moments ago. “If anyone asks—and they will—you deny you had anything to do with that leak and point out that there isn’t even a shred of evidence to the contrary. And the fact remains that the first anthrax shipment did make it across the border and it was pure dumb luck that it was found. On the other hand, criticizing guys who let themselves get shot to protect the country isn’t going to poll well with anyone.” He fell silent, rubbing his temples and trying to think the situation through. It wasn’t hard.
“We only have one option, Senator. We play it down as hard as we can and try to change the narrative. Like you’ve said before, the public has the attention span of a goldfish. And this doesn’t really have anything to do with you. You kept the anthrax intercept secret from the public against your will at the order of the president and on the advice of Irene Kennedy. As long as no one ties the leak to you, this’ll eventually blow over.”
“Blow over?” Barnett said. “You think I’m just going to let this go? Slink away and let Irene Kennedy make a fool out of me?”
“Ma’am, Rapp’s dead and—”
“He’s not dead!” Barnett shouted. “That son of a bitch has more lives than an alley cat. He’s alive and they’re not telling us. That means he’s out there, still working on this operation. Waiting.”
“Waiting? Waiting for what?”
“For me to win the primary. Then, at just the right moment, he’s going to reappear and save the day. Alexander and Kennedy will be heroes and I’ll be standing there looking like a fool.”
Gray just stared at her. How could he have not seen