“Could you be more specific, sir?”

Anthony Cook threw the document on his blotter and fixed his gaze on her. “I’m not in the mood, Irene. Trust me.”

“Then let me assume you’re referring to the David Chism situation. The last time we spoke, you said that you’d give it some thought and that we shouldn’t get involved. We haven’t.”

“We haven’t?” he said incredulously. “I’m being told there’s a rescue operation being carried out and that Mitch Rapp is leading it. Not only did I say that I didn’t want America involved without my direct authorization, I specifically said I didn’t want him involved.”

Cook was extraordinarily well informed, Kennedy noted. Rapp’s operation was still in the early stages and was being carried out by private contractors in a remote corner of Uganda. Who had provided the president with such timely intelligence?

And then there was also the issue of the nine US soldiers who were rumored to have gone into the jungle four days ago. She had to be extremely cautious about looking into the matter and because of that wasn’t well informed on the subject. Did they know something she didn’t about Chism’s whereabouts? How were they being supported? What was the status of their mission? For that matter, were they even still alive?

“Mitch decides himself what he does and doesn’t do, sir. He hasn’t been on my payroll for some time. It’s my understanding that Nick hired Scott Coleman’s organization to search for his people. Mitch and Scott have known each other for a long time and Mitch is currently living in South Africa. I imagine that’s how he got involved.”

“I don’t pay you to imagine!” he shouted, slamming a hand down on the Resolute Desk.

“No,” she said, keeping her voice even. “But you do pay me to follow your orders And, in this case they were clear. If your position’s changed and you’d like me to dig deeper, I’d be happy to.”

“So, you’re going to stand there and tell me that you had nothing to do with putting Nicholas Ward and Mitch Rapp together.”

Mike Nash interjected on her behalf. “Scott’s outfit is well known as being the best of the best, sir, and Nicholas Ward doesn’t work with second stringers. It makes perfect sense that he’d hire them, just like it makes perfect sense that Scott would call Mitch knowing that he was basically right down the street. In his position, I would have done the same thing.”

Nash’s words seemed to have a calming effect on Cook that Kennedy’s very much didn’t. The former Marine had a natural gift for handling politicians and that gift seemed especially effective on the current residents of the White House. Surprisingly effective, really.