BooksBarbecue
Back Balance of Power
Chapters (53)
  1. BALANCE OF POWER
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. About The Creators
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY

"Good or not," Rodgers said, "it comes naturally to me. That's my fuel. It gives me the drive to fix systems that are broken and to get rid of the people who spoil it for the rest of us."

"And when you can't fix the system or get back at the bad guys?" August asked. "Where does all that high octane go?"

"Nowhere," Rodgers said. "I store it. That's the beauty of it. It's the far eastern idea of chi-inner energy. When you need it for the next battle it's right there, ready to tap."

"Or ready to explode. What do you do when there's so much that you can't keep it in anymore?"

"You burn some of it off," Rodgers said. "That's where recreation comes in. You turn it into physical exertion. You exercise or play squash or call a ladyfriend. There are ways."

"Pretty lonely ones."

"They work for me," Rodgers said. "Besides, as long as you keep striking out with the ladies I've got you to dump on."

"Striking out?" August grinned. At least Rodgers was talking and it was about something other than misery and the fall of civilization. "After my long weekend with Barb Mathias I had to take a sabbatical."

Rodgers smiled. "I thought I was doing you a favor," he said. "She loved you when we were kids."

"Yeah, but now she's forty-four and all she wants is sex and security." August twirled noodles around his fork and slid them into his mouth. "Unfortunately, I'm only rich in one of those."

Rodgers was still smiling when his pager beeped. He twisted to look at it then winced as his bandages pulled at the side.

"Those pagers are made to slip right off your belt," August said helpfully.

"Thanks," Rodgers said. "That's how I lost the last one." He glanced down at the number.

"Who wants you?" August asked.

"Bob Herbert," Rodgers said. His brow knit as he took his napkin from his lap. He rose very slowly and dropped it on the chair. "I'll call him from the car."

August leaned back. "I'll stay right here," he said. "I'm told that there are three women to every man in Washington. Maybe one of them will want your plate of cold-growing string beans."

"Good luck," Rodgers told him as he moved quickly through the small, crowded restaurant.