At least hehadKyle.
“Open up a fucking uplink,” Kyle ordered icily. His tone promised murder for the first person who disobeyed, so it didn’t surprise Jamie that the driver was the one who opened up an uplink for Jamie to access withoutargument.
Burwell shot her a reproachful look which she chose to ignore. Jamie mentally noted that at leastonemember of the Secret Service agency knew how to followorders.
Jamie synced his bioware to the uplink and called his father. Richard answered after a couple of rings, sounding harried and having about three separate conversations at the exact same time with just as manypeople.
“Father, are you all right? What about Mother and Leah?” Jamie immediatelyasked.
“Jamie?” Richard asked. “Whereareyou?”
“Focus,Father.”
“We’re unharmed. We were escorted out of the vicinity and are being taken somewhere secure. I think we’regoing—”
“Don’ttell me,” Jamie interrupted. “This line isn’t secure. I’m most likely being taken to the same location as you are. I’ll meet you guys there. Have Juan monitor the news streams. Media caught Kyle and me handling thethreat.”
“When you say handled, doyoumean—”
“I wanted the shooter alive. The Secret Service desired a differentoutcome.”
“We did what we—” Burwellcutin.
“Shut the fuck up,” Kyle growled, pinning the special agent with ahardlook.
Burwellshutup.
“Be that as it may,” Jamie continued as if Burwell hadn’t even spoken. “We’ll deal with it. I’m dropping Kyle off at the nearest Metro stop so he can grab a taxi. Mother said she booked him an evening flight back to D.C. I need him there earlier. Get Ariella to rebook him on a private flight out and have it holding for his arrivalatLAX.”
“I’ll pass the request on,”Richardsaid.
“It’s not a request,Father.”
The steel in Jamie’s voice had Richard agreeing to Jamie’s demand without argument for once. “I’ll make sure Ariella is aware of the change inplans.”
“Good. I’ll seeyousoon.”
Jamie cut the uplink and reached out to tap the driver on the shoulder. “Yes, sir?” she asked, never taking her eyes offtheroad.
“Detour to the Metro stop that’s half a kilometer away for a drop-off,”Jamiesaid.
“Yes,sir.”
Burwell kept his mouth shut, though judging by how hard he was clenching his teeth, he really wanted to override Jamie’s order. Jamie resettled in his seat and accepted the gun Kylehandedhim.
“Full mag,”Kylesaid.
“Thanks.”
Jamie didn’t need to tell Kyle to report in as soon as he was clear of the Secret Service. He had no doubt that the MDF would already know about the assassination attempt, but an eyewitness report from Jamie would have to wait until he could shake his minders. Kyle wouldn’t have that problem, which was why Jamie was sending Kyle onhisway.
The SUV pulled into the passenger drop-off zone of the Metro stop, one of hundreds that dotted the sprawling Los Angeles megacity landscape. Kyle was out of the vehicle before it even came to a complete stop, never looking back as he hauled ass to thetaxiline.
“Go,” Jamie told the driver before she could even think about staying longer thannecessary.
She pulled back into traffic. Jamie retrieved his personal tablet from his inner suit pocket and unlocked it, unsurprised to see multiple emails from his team and Nazari, all of them demanding a more in-depth update than the unsubstantiated reports trending across the media. Jamie accessed the communications from the director and proceeded to type out his preliminaryreport.
Today was just all kinds of fucked up hedidn’tneed.
