Richard stared at Jamie, jaw tight, refusing to back down in the face of Jamie’s anger.Jamie honestly didn’t need to look very far for where his stubbornness came from.“I was under the impression she hadcarte blancheto use her power as she saw fit for this mission.”
“There arelimits, and she holds to them religiously.Katie’s honesty and integrity in the use of her power was the only reason the United Kingdom allowed her a broader use of her telepathy.Your interpretation of their easement is appalling but unsurprising.”
“Unsurprising?”Richard gritted out.
Before Jamie could respond, his comms rang with an incoming unidentified call.Jamie held up his hand sharply at his father to forestall any further talking as he stepped back to answer the call.
“Callahan speaking,” he said, forcing the bite of anger out of his voice.
“That was an interesting press conference just now.”Stanislav’s accented voice came through crystal clear, stripped of everything except bland disinterest.“Here I thought you had nothing to do with your military anymore.”
“Do I need to remind you who my father is, Stanislav?”Jamie asked, affecting a bored voice.“Senate Majority Leader?Republican candidate for the presidency?Close friend to the current president?If you don’t believe my father has enough political clout to pull strings in order to clear my name, which incidentally ishisname, then you’re sadly mistaken.”
Silence echoed over the line for a few seconds before Stanislav spoke again.“Do you honestly expect me to believe that?”
“I don’t care what you choose to believe.What I care about is that Niko can’t seem to keep the press out of his clubs, and you let the Reborn IRA loose in the gala.That shit is bad for business, and I’m just cleaning up the mess you made.If you wanted to test my resilience, there are better ways to do it.”
“As I told your pet, I wanted Oksana out of the way.The gala was a useful backdrop, the Reborn IRA a useful tool.What’s not useful is a liar.”
Jamie laughed.“The very last thing I am is a liar when it comes to business.I’m no longer with the Marines, but the story spun better that way, and my father needs a clean name to win.Boosting my profile like this boosts his own.I’m sure you know all about political quid pro quos.My father is in it for the power.I’m in it to make money.How much money do you think I could make if my father is president, Stanislav?How much do you thinkyoucould make?”
“I see,” Stanislav said, a hint of amusement in his voice.“You make a very compelling argument, Jamie.”
“It’s not an argument; it’s the truth.If you choose not to believe me, then that’s your prerogative.If we’re to be competitors rather than business partners, then you’ll understand if we finish the contract with Saunders & Associates without your little zero-day exploit.Personally, I’d rather work with you than against you.Good business partners are so hard to find these days.”
“The contract with Saunders & Associates will be completed tomysatisfaction, not yours.When it’s completed, I expect to be informed.”
Got you, Jamie thought viciously.“If that’s the case, I’ll need a way to get in touch with you that isn’t through intermediaries.”
“And you need to remember you are no longer in charge.I am not one of your Marines.You will hear from me when I call.”
The line cut off, and Jamie shook his head.“That could’ve gone better.”
“Did we lose him?”Katie asked.
“I don’t think so, but we’re going to have to make him believe we’re on his level, especially after the press conference.”
“And if he sees us coming?”
“I think our best bet is to operate under the assumption that he’ll always see us coming and to not be predictable.”
Katie nodded slowly.“Forward the call to me.I’ll get it to analysts and see what they come up with after our meeting with the brass.”
“Will do.”Jamie looked over at his father, unable to shake his earlier anger.“Looks like you’ll get your wish of me helping out more with your campaign.”
“Your willingness to do so for a mission over your family speaks volumes,” Richard icily replied.“I’ll see you tonight.”
Richard left the room without saying goodbye or apologizing for his earlier words.His attitude didn’t surprise Jamie at all.
“He’s right, you know,” Katie said once Richard was gone.“Most of this could have been avoided if I hacked Adam Dixon’s computer to delete the evidence and erased his memories.”
Jamie turned to face his second-in-command and put his hands on her shoulders, giving her a little shake.“I know you could have, but that is something I would never ask of you, Katie.That’s a slippery slope I’m not willing to let any of us fall down, including my father, but most especially you.Do you understand?The mission is always going to be important, but if we throw our ethics out the window, we’re no better than the people we’re fighting against.”
After a moment, Katie nodded, never looking away from his face.“The commandant was right, you know.Your integrity is what makes you a good leader.”
Jamie shook his head, letting his hands fall away.“I’m only as good as the people on my team.Now, come on.The press conference is over, which means we’ve got meetings to attend, and then I have to get out of this uniform and into a suit for my father’s fundraising dinner.”
“I don’t envy you at all.”
