My heart beating like a jackhammer, I followed him down the avenue. He was walking with purpose, and wasn’t pausing to look at the scenery around him. I had to hurry to keep up.
I threw the lemonade in a trash can as I hurried by, making sure I didn’t lose him. But he continued walking straight down the avenue, as if intent on getting somewhere.
We passed the Élysée Palace, and he didn’t slow. As we approached the hotel, I had a bed feeling in my stomach, knowing what was about to happen. Sure enough, when he reached the hotel, he stopped and looked at it for a moment, then went inside through the revolving door. I waited a few seconds, and then followed inside. I thought I had lost him, but then I saw him at the front desk, chatting with the clerk there.
My mind worked, trying to figure out what was going on. It couldn’t be a coincidence. What were the chances a man who attacked me in Washington D.C. would show up at the President’s hotel in France? No, it had to be something else, and I felt the cold hand of fear around my heart as I realized what it was.
He was the Raven. It’s the only thing that made sense. His attack on me was some way to get to the President, and now he had shown up here because he found out the President was in Paris.
I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Chief Luger’s number. He picked up on the third ring.
“Miss Hayes, this isn’t a good time.”
“He’s here.”
“Who?”
“The Raven.”
He paused a moment. “Where are you?”
“At the hotel. He’s here in the lobby.”
“How do you know it’s him?”
“I just do. Please send someone. Hurry.”
“Stay right where you are. One of my men will be there within a minute. Do not go near this guy.”
He hung up, and I closed my phone. When I looked back at the front desk, the man with the scar was gone. I caught a glimpse of him walking out the revolving door. I hurried after him, but when I reached the street, he was nowhere to be seen.
Just then, a man in a black suit came out through the door. “Miss Hayes?”
“Yes. He was just here. I don’t know where he went.”
The man scanned the crowd. “What does he look like?”
“Tall, black hair, with a beard and a moustache. He has a scar on his cheek.”
The agent rescanned the crowd. “I don’t see him.”
“He was just here!”
Thirty minutes later I was sitting in the Secret Service’s suite. I had just finished telling Chief Luger and his agents about what happened to me in the park in D.C..
“Are you sure it’s the same man?” Luger asked.
“Positive. There’s no doubt in my mind. It was him.”
“But you’re admitting it was dark in the park.”
“Yes, but I got a clear view of his face. It was him.”
An agent appeared by Luger’s side. “I talked to the clerk at the front desk, and he said a man fitting the description Miss Hayes is giving had been there at the time in question.”
“Did he say what he talked about?”
“He said the man was interested in the American President. Wanted to know where would be a good place to get a glimpse of him before he flew back to Washington.”
“Shit,” muttered Luger. “We need to go to level three.”
Chapter 40
We were watching a security tape of the hotel lobby, and I was pointing out the man, when the President came in.
He kneeled down next to my chair. “Sarah, are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m just scared.”
“You were attacked in the park last week? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought it was over with. I didn’t want you to worry.”
“And it’s the same guy you saw today?”
“Yes. I’m positive.”
He placed his hand on mine. “Sarah, you don’t have anything to worry about. This could be the break we’ve been looking for.”
I smiled weakly.
Just then, Chief-of-staff McGraw appeared at the President’s shoulder, wearing a grim expression.
“Mr. President, we have a problem.”
The President looked around at the mayhem surrounding them. “Yes, Jack, I’m aware of the problem.”
“It’s a different problem, sir.”
“What do you mean?”
McGraw pointed to the nearest television. “Switch that to CNN, please.”
The channel changed, and my eyes opened wide in shock. Across the bottom of the screen, in a large red headline, read the words, “PRESIDENT REMINGTON’S INTERN SCANDAL?”
The President exhaled. “Shit.”
A news reporter’s voice was heard. “In what could be the largest presidential scandal in years, there are reports that a White House intern has admitted to an affair with the President.”
The President’s eyes met mine, and I shook my head.
The reporter continued. “This alleged admission was caught on a cell phone video last night in a downtown D.C. nightclub. Let’s take a look at the video.”
The broadcast cut to a low-quality video image, and I gasped when I saw April’s face appear. When she spoke she sounded like she was drunk. “That’s right, it’s all true. Me and the President have been screwing for a while now. He asked me to keep it a secret, and I did, until now.”
The camera shifted off of April, and focused on the person next to her. It was Jamie, and he had his head down, covering his face with his hand. The camera swung back up to April.
“I’m tired of staying quiet. The President loves me.”
“Shit!” the President said again. I felt the tears streaming down my face.
The video stopped and the reporter’s face reappeared. “We have confirmed that the woman in the video is April Masterson, who has been an intern at the White House for the past couple of months. Our efforts to reach her have been unsuccessful. For more on what this shocking scandal may mean, let’s go to…”
The President turned to me. “Sarah, I need to talk to you alone.”
I got up and followed him into a separate room. McGraw came with us.
“Jack, I want to talk to Sarah,” the President said.
“And whatever she tells you, you’re going to have to tell me. I’d rather hear it directly.”
The President thought about it for a moment, then nodded and closed the door. He turned to me.
“Sarah, what the hell was that?”
“She’s drunk.”
“Obviously. But why is she saying those things?”
“It’s because of that guy.”
“What guy?”
“Jamie, the guy you met. He’s a big presidential junky, and she thinks he’ll like her if she tells him she’s close to you.”
“Why would she think that?”
“Because she thinks that’s why he likes me.”
McGraw stepped in. “Wait, he knows about you and the President?”
“No. But she suspects it, and she thinks that’s why he’s been paying attention to me.”
“Why does she suspect it?” McGraw asked.
“Because she saw us together in the Oval Office,” the President replied.
“Together? What do you mean?”
“It was innocent,” I said. “We were just standing there, but it made her suspicious.”
McGraw took a deep breath. “So, the claims she’s making won’t stick, but you’re telling me she could talk about you two?”
“I don’t think she will,” I said.
McGraw thought for a moment. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. First off, she’s fired. Secondly, Sarah, I need you to tell me all the background information she’s shared with you. Who she’s dated, who she’s sleeping with. Anything to undermine her credibility.”
“No, Jack,” the President said, “we’re not going to do that.”
“Mr. President, this girl could bring down your administration.�
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“I’m not going to ruin her life because of a drunken mistake.” He turned to me. “Sarah, do you think you could convince her to talk to me?”
“I can try.”
A tap came on the door and Chief Luger stuck his head in. “Mr. President, we’re heading for the airport in five minutes.”
“Thank you, John.”
“Sarah has to take a different flight,” McGraw said.
The President looked at him. “No, she’s coming with us.”
“Sir, the plane is going to be crawling with reporters looking to sniff out a story.”
“I don’t care,” the President replied.
I placed my hand on his arm. “He’s right. I’m more of a risk now.”
The President frowned, but begrudgingly nodded. “Fine. Make the arrangements, Jack. Give us a moment alone, please.”
“Yes, sir.” He left the room and closed the door behind him.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
He held up his hand. “It’s not your fault. We’ll get through this.”
“Okay.”
He took me in his arms, and I clung tightly to him. For the first time, I had doubts about us staying together. His embrace was reassuring, but a ball of fear sat in my stomach.
Chapter 41
Back in my room, I kept from crying by occupying myself with packing. But when that was done, I lay on my bed and let the tears come. I kept seeing the Raven’s face with that oily smile, and I felt the fear grow. Luger’s words came back to me.
He always gets to his target. Without fail.
Then I had a heartening thought. He didn’t get me. He had tried, but Jamie had stopped him. I had to grin at the thought of an international assassin being stopped by some dude who took karate classes growing up.
Feeling better, I decided to try to get hold of April. Her cell gave me the answering machine message without ringing, and her apartment number just rang without picking up, and I assumed her messages were full. I guess that made sense. Everyone in the world was probably trying to reach her. After a moment of thought, I decided to try her parents.
I got on the internet on the room’s laptop. She had told me her father’s name was Dale, so I did a search for all the Dale Mastersons in Boston. There was only one. I dialed the number.
It picked up, and an annoyed male voice said, “You’re wasting your time. She’s not here. Don’t call back.” The line clicked off.
I redialed, and as soon as I heard the line pick up, I quickly said, “I’m not a reporter. I work with April at the White House. I’m an intern too.”
The voice was silent a moment, then said. “What’s your name?”
“Sarah. Sarah Hayes.”
“She’s mentioned you. What do you want?”
“I need to talk to her.”
“She’s not here.”
“Could you get her a message and ask her to call me? It’s very important.”
“She didn’t do what she said she did.” I could hear the emotion in his voice.
“I know, Mr. Masterson. I want to help her.”
“If she calls, I’ll let her know. She has your number, right?”
“Yes. Tell her to call my cell.”
“I will.”
“Thank you.”
Ten minutes later a knock came on my door, and when I opened it, a Secret Service agent was standing there. He looked young, close to my age.
I smiled. “I guess you’re the new guy, stuck with taking me home.”
He returned my smile for a moment, and then forced it away. “Yes, Ma’am. I’m your escort. Are you ready to go?”
The agent’s name was Mario, which I finally got out of him halfway to the airport. He seemed reluctant to talk to me, but I kept at it until he caved. Turns out I was right – he was the new guy, just two months in the Service. His baby face made him appear younger than his twenty-three years, and he admitted he took a lot of ribbing from the other agents for it.
“So, Mario,” I said, “are you Italian or French descent?”
“Neither, Ukrainian. Why?”
“How did you get the name Mario?”
He grinned. “I grew up in Pittsburgh and my dad was a big hockey fan.”
I gave him a blank stare. “What does that have to do with you being named Mario?”
He looked incredulous. “Mario Lemieux? You’ve never heard of him?”
“Oh, yeah, I think I have.” But I wasn’t sure.
“Just the greatest hockey player ever. My dad loves him, so that’s how I became Mario.”
“That’s sweet. Do you play hockey?”
“Some in high school. Nothing serious.”
“I bet the girls liked–”
He held up a finger, stopping me in mid-sentence. Then he pushed his earpiece into his ear, and listened intently. After a moment he lifted his sleeve to his mouth.
“I’m five minutes out, sir.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then he tapped his earpiece, and got an annoyed look on his face. “Damn,” he muttered, then lifted his hips off the seat and reached into his pocket while he drove with his knees. He pulled out a small rectangular electronic device, and then reached into his shirt pocket. From there, he pulled out another similar device, and swapped the two, moving the audio jacks from one to the other.
He tapped his ear again.
“Yes, sir, I’m here. Just some faulty equipment.”
“Okay, I’ll tell her. Yes, sir.”
He turned to me. “That was Chief Luger, with a message for you. The President wants you to call him when you get back to your apartment.”
“Thanks. What was going on there?” I asked, pointing to the jumble of wires in his lap.
He shook his head. “As the new guy, I get all the crappy equipment. Neither of these communicators holds a full charge, so I have to carry two of them with me in case one runs out. Sometimes, on long assignments, I even carry a third.”
“And it ran out?”
“Yeah. It always seems to happen at the worst time.”
“It’s a shame they consider the President’s life so insignificant, that they give the agents protecting him faulty equipment.”
“No, it’s not like that. I’m still in training, and not officially assigned to protect the President. More of a glorified gofer really. They’re always making me do dumb stuff, like getting coffee or driving someone arou…” His voice died off as he realized his mistake.
“I’m sorry,” he quickly said, “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“It’s ok. I know you didn’t.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence, which was only a minute or two. He parked in a private area of the airport, and took me inside to an airline official who had my ticket ready.
“Thank you, Mario,” I said.
“You’re welcome, Miss Hayes. Have a nice flight.”
Chapter 42
I arrived back at my apartment at seven in the evening. It was odd to be on a plane for seven hours, and arrive an hour after you left. I was tired, and had a feeling it was going to take a few days for my body to return to Eastern Daylight Time. I had barely gotten through the door when my cell phone went off. It was April. I snapped it open.
“April, how are you?”
“I’m so sorry, Sarah.” She was crying.
“It’s going to be ok. We’ll figure this out.”
“Jamie and I went to the club after the zoo, and Marcus and his friends were there. So we sat with them and talked. I got drunk, and all my frustrations just seemed to bubble up, and I kinda snapped.”
“I understand.”
“And then that bitch filmed me.”
“Which bitch?”
“That friend of Marcus’ with the blonde afro. Why the fuck would she do that?”
“It’s ok, April. The President knows it was a mistake.”
“You were with him in Paris, weren’t you?”
I sighed. “Can we concentrate on
you? Where are you?”
“I’m in my apartment. I can’t go outside. The place is surrounded by reporters.”
“The President wants to talk to you.”
“Is he angry?”
“He’s not happy. But he wants to straighten this all out. McGraw wanted to come after you, but the President wouldn’t let him.”
“I fucked things up.”
“You did, and now we have to fix them. Will you meet with him?”
“I guess.”
“Good. Call me back in ten minutes.”
I called the President’s cell phone.
“Sarah, are you at your apartment?”
“Yes, and I just talked to April.”
“Where is she?”
“At her apartment. She’s willing to talk, but she can’t get out because of all the reporters.”
“I’ll send a car over to pick her up. Are you tired?”
“A little, why?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to sit in on the meeting. It might go smoother if you were there.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you. An agent will be by in a half hour to pick you up.”
“Okay.”
“Bye, Sarah.”
“Bye, Mr. President.”
I was just about to head to the bathroom to take a shower when a knock came on my door. I was afraid it was a reporter, but when I looked through the peephole I saw it was Jamie. When I opened the door, he gave me a slight smile.
“Hey, Sarah.”
“Jamie. I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I can’t get near April’s apartment, and she’s not answering her phone.”
“I just talked to her.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s upset. Didn’t she try to call you?”
“No. I guess she’s embarrassed.”
“I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”
“It’s ok. Although I’d rather not be named. I’ve been avoiding the reporters.”
“Sure.”
“If you talk to her again, tell her to call me.”
“I’ll be seeing her tonight. We’re meeting with the President in a few minutes.”
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