Page 32 of Troubled Water
“Bethany?”
“Later. We’ll both be late.” She presses her lips against mine one last time before breaking free of my grip.
I want to howl at someone or something for fucking with my plans to woo my wife, to celebrate the two of us, instead hauling my ass into the office. Unfortunately, national security has nopatience and doesn’t give a shit about sentiment or dates on a calendar.
Still I’m relieved when, at the door to our suite, she turns and says, “Happy anniversary, Parker. Try not to kill anyone.”
I grumble, in part to remind her of the torment I’m about to endure. “No promises. You’re not the one who will have a rectal probe in their ass.”
Her musical laugh remains in my memory long after she leaves the house. Once I’m ready to leave, I press a button on my phone to secure our residence while notifying my security team I’m ready to be driven to my office, just a few minutes’ drive from our home in McLean, Virginia.
Sittingin the back of a limousine with more safety features than an armored vehicle, I don’t pull out my phone to check one of the hundreds of messages I’m certain are waiting for me. Instead, I abide by the no cell phone use rule I demand all employees of the Agency to abide by as they approach the three-mile mark of our secret entrances off the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
With the way the damn things triangulate off towers, it’s bad enough for my heartburn to know the Agency location coordinates are available on Wikipedia. That said, I don’t want to encourage employee movement to be tracked within what I consider a safe perimeter. It gives our enemies too much information.
Who travels to work on certain routes.
Who walks in between what buildings for what meetings.
Who works in certain facilities on campus.
All it takes is one small slip up and we’d be dealing with a FUBAR of epic proportions. I’ve already survived a lifetime of dealing with plans going from fine to fucked up in an instant. And that was before I became the director of one of the most feared intelligence agencies in the world. Now, it’s my job to ensure the people who work here are safe and prepared for anything to happen.
Fortunately, I married a woman who understands that—for the most part. Though Bethany does get pissed from time to time, not that I blame her. Take this morning when I got the call that today, on my fucking wedding anniversary of all days, an unexpected polygraph examination was going to be taking place as a result of a mole inside the government with close ties to the President.
I scrub my hand down over my face. When I stood before our family and friends a decade ago, I took vows and meant them.
For better, for worse.
In sickness and in health.
Till death do us part.
I mutter, “Somewhere in there, I don’t remember a line item during our ceremony for jobs that believe you’re at their beck and call twenty-four hours a day.”
One of the assigned agents who guard my every movement outside my home or office pipes up, “Was there something you need, Director Thornton?”
“Nothing.” My thoughts turn introspective.
I can’t say I blame my wife for being disappointed. While I’m not feeling great about the fact I’m going to be the one who is going to be literally strapped down, have my butt cheeks monitored for pucker action all day long, it’s the fact that, once again, I feel like my patriotic duty is causing me to break her heart that has my insides churning.
Grimly, I realize, after everything I had to go through to get Bethany to open her heart, I need her to know I remember that not just today but every day we have together.
28
“That was yesterday with”—Fox consults her notes—“Agents Jarper and Merimanga.”
“Yes. They are the ones who called me downstairs.”
“At whose orders.”
“The orders came through with the presidential code words.”
Fox’s lips thin, as do Pamola’s and Deere’s. No one is happy to have me here today because of my actions last night. Except if I didn’t take my best shot, I wouldn’t be sitting here answering questions. I’d be dead.
As dead as they wanted my wife to be.
“At what point did you realize your wife’s life was in danger?”
