Page 46 of The Ghost Assassin

“Rich is the fucking problem. I need him to go away and no, not literally. I’m texting you Tic Tac’s number. I need you to get someone to pick him up and get him to New York City, to us to protect.”

“You fucked up calling him.”

“Yes, Kit. Thank you for driving that point home. Now just fix my fuck-up for me without bloodshed.” Ellis appears in the doorway. “I have to go.” I hang up.

“If you’re done here, I’ll take you by the Pentagon to get your new staff in order. Murphy and Rodriguez have offices there as well.” His cellphone rings and he snakes it from his pocket. His eyes widen and he answers, “Sir. Yes, sir. Absolutely. Right away.” He disconnects. “We have a detour.”

“Where?"

“The White House. The President would like to speak to us both.”

I laugh. “That’s not a good idea.”

“It’s not a question, Agent. What the President wants, the President gets.”

I grit my teeth. Holy fuck. I don’t like people. I like politicians less.

Chapter Thirty-Four

I’ve never been to the White House for a reason.

I’ve never been invited, and I liked it that way.

If I have to listen to political bullshit in person, I might kill someone. I listen to enough of it with my father, and it’s nauseating. Smooth as fucking butter on bread, my ass, but nevertheless, I’m in an SUV, pulling through the gates to the White “fucking” House. Interestingly enough, Ellis didn’t try to kill me at the crime scene and instead took me here. I think this might be worse. Not that I hate President Arden, I just don’t know much about him. I didn’t vote for him. I didn’t vote at all. The Society burned me on the idea that I’m voting for anyone but them. But if I had voted, I would have voted for him over his opponent, whose name I forget with good reason.

He reminded me of my father. Either way, I trust none of them. I’ve seen too much to unsee the wolves in sheep’s clothing.

The driver parks the vehicle, and Secret Service greets us en masse.

We’re escorted into a holding room where I’m stripped of my weapons, which is what some might call excessive. Director Ellis actually laughs after we pass weapon number four. I had eight total. I personally find it impressive. The Secret Service team does not. One of them actually suggests I be strip searched.

“No one will live through that,” I say. “I’d suggest you ask the President if you want to proceed.”

They actually do and he does not.

When the search is over, we still have fifteen agents all around us. “How many Secret Service Agents does it take to unscrew a light bulb?” I don’t wait for an answer. “Apparently all of them.”

There are various stick-up-the-ass expressions around the room.

Whatever.

“Or as an alternate answer,” I say. “I don’t know how many of them it takes to unscrew a lightbulb if it takes roughly fifteen agents to greet two people with badges just like yours.”

More of those faces.

Eventually, we meet Ella McCovey, a pretty redhead, who is the President’s assistant, and Ellis is still laughing to the point he has to apologize. Ella laughs too and leads us down the hallways to the Oval Office. This is where I think okay, this is kind of ridiculous. I’m about to enter the Oval Office my father wants to own. I kind of love that I can say I’ve been here, and he has not, and will not, over my dead body. Ella opens the door.

Show time.

This should be interesting.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Ella steps inside the Oval Office and announces us. Director Ellis motions me forward, and I enter the room first, with him immediately following. The room is as impressive as it is in photos and even I get a little chill with the experience of being right here, in a place filled with the history of our country.

The President, an extremely tall, fit Black man, impeccably dressed, stands behind his desk. “Welcome, Agent Love, or is it Agent Mendez?”

What I notice immediately about President Arden is how impactful his presence is, how powerful and yet unexpectedly welcoming. “Love-Mendez most of the time,” I say, as I step in front of his desk and accept his hand.

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