In the Weeds by M. L. Buchman

Author:M. L. Buchman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Buchman Bookworks, Inc.

The President waved them all aboard.

Unlike the Sea King helicopters, where the President had his own entry, everyone except the pilots used the main door. A two-panel swing-aside, like an armored, glossy-green French door, opened in the side of the helo.

Colby waited as if his feet were riveted to the runway. He couldn’t seem to lift them as the two advisors and Ivy climbed nimbly aboard and all settled on the bench seat running along the far side of the aircraft. For them it was an everyday occurrence. He’d just met the President for the first time about ten seconds ago.

He checked in with Rex, who seemed to be breathing just fine. Show off!

President Zachary Thomas looked at him and smiled. “Nerves?”

“I had them once upon a time, but they don’t seem to be working at the moment. I suppose that nervous systems are like that.”

“Try stepping on one of these birds as the President. That’ll jangle your brain worse than a cattle stampede.”

“Suppose it would, Mr. President.” Up close and personal he was no less daunting than he was on television or chatting with the press gaggle on the South Lawn. His casual-Coloradan attitude was even more obvious in person. Colby climbed aboard, careful to sit in the armchair facing backward rather than the one with the Presidential Seal. Rex settled on Ivy’s feet, as well as those of the other two advisors seated beside her. The aisle was narrow between the sides of the two armchairs and the bench seat; Rex filled it completely and none of them would be moving their feet anytime soon.

The President settled into the armchair opposite Colby’s.

Only then did Harvey Lieber, the head of the Presidential Protection Detail, climb aboard. His scathing look at Colby as he attempted to step over Rex without banging his head on the ceiling, which was only about four-six high, was worthy of a carnival contortionist attempting to turn himself into a pretzel. Then he had to step over Zackie, who had curled up between Dilya’s feet directly behind the President.

When he finally made it into his seat at the very rear of the aircraft, the look he gave Colby was unreadable. Did he now work for Harvey and was he now Number One on Harvey’s dogshit list? Or was Harvey upset with dogs aboard Marine One in general? Or… Harvey was much easier going than Captain Baxter, but he hadn’t risen to the head of the PPD by being a candy-ass either. Yeah, they needed to straighten all this out, but this probably wasn’t the moment. No more likely than straightening things out with Ivy…ever.

Last aboard was McShea.

That’s what finally broke Colby’s petrification.

The crew chief stepped aboard, knelt very formally to close the doors behind him, then attempted to move to his seat at the very front of the aircraft. Rex had only partially blocked the rearward aisle, but he completely filled the forward aisle. The crew chief, so immaculate in his dress blues, had clearly never dealt with eighty-seven pounds of German shepherd cluttering up his aircraft.

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