BooksBarbecue
Back Point of Contact
Chapters (83)
  1. Cover
  2. ALSO BY TOM CLANCY
  3. PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
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  83. What’s next onyour reading list?

“No. But he emphasized it would be a permanent solution.”

“I’m not interested in anything less,” Ryan said. “We need to solve the North Korean problem once and for all before we’re all dragged into World War Three.”

Van Damm shook his head. “So the President is supposed to fly halfway around the world to find out what Zhao’s plan is? That’s ridiculous. Why can’t he tell us up front?”

“He might be afraid of a leak on our end—a real possibility with some of the old ‘China hands’ lurking in the bureaucracy. Or he’s worried that we’ll reject his proposal and then we’ll tell someone else about it,” Adler said.

“It must be something big,” Ryan said. “Something that affects his position, or the factions that oppose him. What do we know about the political power structure inside China right now?”

“Frankly, not enough,” Mary Pat admitted. “The tectonic plates are still shifting.”

Ryan turned to Adler. “Can we trust Zhao?”

“We don’t have any reason not to at this point, but frankly, we don’t know enough about him, either.”

“But he needs to keep his cards close to the vest on this thing. That tells me his position might not yet be fully secure,” Ryan said, the wheels turning in his mind. “And the fact he needs to keep this secret and to do it quickly sounds like this will be a decisive action. Something strategic, not tactical.” Ryan turned to his SecDef. “Sound about right, Robert?”

“I think you’re onto something, sir.”

Van Damm leaned forward. “Excuse me, but I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here. If he doesn’t want to tell us up front, why can’t he fly over here to tell us what’s going on?”

Ryan grinned. “Maybe the new Chinese president is afraid of flying.”

“More likely, he’s afraid of leaving his country. Again, it speaks to the idea he’s still consolidating his position,” Mary Pat said.

Adler added, “And Zhao must think he needs you standing at his side to carry out his plan, not to mention draw the other heads of state to the summit.”

“Or Zhao wants the President standing there next to him holding the bag when the summit goes sideways,” Van Damm countered.

Ryan sat back in his chair, tenting his fingers in front of him, thinking. “Scott, what happens if we turn the summit down?”