Power Play (Titus Black Thriller series Book 7) by R.J. Patterson

Author:R.J. Patterson [Patterson, R.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller, espionage
Publisher: Green E-Books
Published: 2021-02-25T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

Washington, D.C.

J.D. BLUNT GREETED President Young at their regular meeting location deep within the bowels of the White House. The two men exchanged pleasantries quickly before turning their conversation to the important matters Young wanted to discuss.

“How could this possibly happen?” Young asked. “Dixon is one of my strongest allies in the House. Without her on the defense committee, I’m left with nothing but a bunch of hawks looking for any reason to push us into war again.”

“I think she’s being set up, sir,” Blunt said.

“Set up? By who?”

Blunt shrugged. “Not sure at this point. I know she tends to rub some people the wrong way because she’s a strong and confident woman. But your guess is as good as mine.”

Young clenched his jaw. “I bet this has something to do with that defense oversight bill Congress is trying to ram through.”

“Well, they can’t ram anything through unless you sign it.”

Young sighed. “It’s a lose-lose proposition for me and they know it. If I try to veto that bill, I look like a power-hungry tyrant.”

Blunt chuckled. “That’s taking it a little too far, don’t you think?”

“It’s how the media will portray me, at least. But the fact of the matter is, if I cede my authority to investigate the military, I have no recourse for when things go sideways like what happened with the Fullgood Initiative. The investigation I initiated led to the dismissal of those who were leveraging their bureaucratic positions for power. And now, Congress wants me to yield that to them?”

“There are quite a few people with a vested interest in seeing status quo return in the military.”

Young stood before pacing around the room. “We don’t need more wars. What we need is what we’re doing, targeting the people responsible for creating chaos the world over and eliminating them. Wars should only be a last resort.”

“We’re in agreement on that one, but there are some people in both parties that don’t see it that way,” Blunt said. “And while I’d prefer to turn half of the trouble-making countries into glass, that’s not the winning strategy.”

“Exactly, but my hands get tied when these officials at the Pentagon are egging me into conflicts to appease military contractors. And if I don’t have the ability to investigate with an independent commission, my hand will be forced.”

“You’re still the president.”

Young huffed a soft laugh through his nose. “I thought you’d been around this city for a while, at least long enough to know that my power isn’t necessarily supreme.”

“No, I get that part. But I still think you can put pressure on lawmakers to refrain from making a power play.”

“Believe me, I’m working behind the scenes on this one, making deals and proposals to keep it from happening.”

“Is it working?”

“To be honest, my most hopeful outlook is one that’s a long shot. I have a small group from the House that’s willing to help me. But I heard this morning that one of them is teetering on defecting, which would essentially eliminate the group’s power.

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