Page 148 of Rescuing Rebecca
Today.
And as soon as this fucking meeting ended, he was making it happen.
“The political fallout is severe,” Diane Heughan said. In the front seat of her car, head angled to keep one eye on the rearview mirror, she stayed alert to her surroundings and any potential threats.
“Is it true?” Adam asked. “Is Fowler bowing to pressure and calling for an early election?”
Diane nodded, her gaze flicking to the side mirror and then back to the camera. “Public support for the president is evaporating, and it’s clear his party’s approaching a cliff. He’s hemorrhaging support, and his inner circle’s crumbling. Some are hedging bets, others flat-out defecting. Mulholland’s gaining traction, and strategists are trying to salvage by pivoting to younger voters.”
“Will it work?” Adam asked.
“No. Johnson’s riding a tidal wave of public fear, and after claiming victory for stopping Dominion, he’s cloaked himself in the flag and cross. Voters are spooked, and they think he’s the fucking Messiah. He’ll be president by mid-May. June at the latest.”
“Motherfucker,” Zander muttered, echoing what Jay felt in his gut.
They couldn’t catch a break. Couldn’t get ahead of their enemies. Every time they peeled back a layer, they discovered another one buried beneath it—darker, deeper, more dangerous.
“Why don’t we just put a bullet in his head and be done with this shit?” Cody demanded, not for the first time.
Diane didn’t flinch. “Because it doesn’t solve the problem. Johnson’s a blunt instrument. His backers are the ones we need, and we don’t know who they are. Kill him, and we lose our only link to the Imperium.”
“What about the neural implants?” Jamie asked. “Finding the manufacturer could lead us straight to them.”
Diane hesitated for the first time. “We’re working on it, but whoever designed the tech went to extraordinary lengths to stay off-grid. My team’s chasing fragments. Shell companies, scrubbed supply chains, shipments routed through half a dozen proxies. If we find something worth investigating, we’ll let you know. We’d appreciate it if you gave us the same courtesy.”
Jay didn’t miss the way Diane’s mouth turned down, the slightest frown telling them she wasn’t happy about being left in the dark when it came to their recent activities.
“You’re angry we didn’t loop you in on Dominion,” Adam said.
“I’m annoyed,” she replied. “There’s a difference.”
“Is there?”
Her eyes sharp, Diane lowered her chin to stare directly into the camera. “We’re on the same side, Adam. Fighting the same war. It’d be nice if you acted like it.”
“With respect, Director, you said it yourself, your team’s compromised.”
“That may be the case, but I’m not, and I need to be able to trust the people I’m working with.”
“Fine,” Adam said. “We’ll share whatever we find on the implants.”
“Great,” she huffed, her sarcasm denoting her distrust. “Just make sure I’m not the last to know the next time your team trips over the key to dismantling a global threat. And for what it’s worth, Alexsandr Volkov is dead.”
News to them, Jay straightened, and off camera, Grant swore.
“How?” Adam demanded.
“Professional hit,” Diane replied. “My asset in Russia identified the body this morning. It was a fucking mess.”
“You think the Russians iced their own guy?” Cody asked.
“Anything’s possible. President Salenko’s been under heavy fire since the US pinned Dominion on them. The Kremlin’s denying it, but Volkov may have been a sacrificial lamb, either that, or the Imperium got to him.”
“My money’s on the Imperium,” Adam said. “If he tried to grab power, they’d bury him fast.”
“That tracks,” Diane agreed, doing another sweep of her surroundings. “Either way, someone wanted him dead. And they wanted to make a statement while doing it.”
Jay exhaled hard, pressure mounting behind his temples. “And the virus?”
