Reed smiled as he approached and offered his hand. “John, how are you?”

“Well, I think that remains to be seen. Ask me again when this meeting is over.”

The deputy chief shook his head, the small grin fading. “The president is not a happy man, I can tell you that much. Ford’s already here, and they’ve had some words.”

Harper grimaced. “She’s supposed to be in Israel with the director.”

“She was on her way back to take care of some routine business,” Reed replied. “The president called her in this morning.” He cleared his throat. “It’s the timing, John, and the civilian casualties. He wants some answers.”

“So do I, but it’s going to take some time.”

“Unfortunately, that’s the one thing we don’t really have.”

Harper nodded glumly; he knew what Reed was referring to. In the press briefing earlier that day, the president had assured the American public that the murder of U.S. civilians in Iraq would not go unpunished. With the election less than two months away, those words would not be soon forgotten.

“We haven’t even seen a claim of responsibility yet. I just hope he can follow through on the promise.”

“Well, that’s where you come in. He’s expecting you.”

Harper shrugged. “Lead the way.”

CHAPTER 2

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Once inside, they passed through another security check and began the 70-foot walk to the Oval Office. As always, Harper couldn’t help but think about how easy it was to get into this building.