The Sleeper by Patterson R.J

Author:Patterson, R.J.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Green E-Books
Published: 2023-12-29T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Robert Besserman sat in a small meeting room in the West Wing of the White House and inspected his tie. He noticed a spot tinged with teriyaki sauce from lunch and licked his thumb before trying to rub out the stain. It faded slightly, but it was still there. He doubted anyone would notice, but he did—and it was bothering him.

Is this how it happens?

Besserman drummed his fingers on the table and considered what his life had become. Meeting the president had become so mundane that instead of feeling excited about the prospect, Besserman was mulling over his options for cleaning his tie after returning home later that evening. And he wasn’t sure if he was looking forward to that more than meeting with President Bullock and dealing with his imminent tantrum. The thrill of running with the world’s most powerful person had devolved into drudgery.

This job isn’t about you, Besserman reminded himself.

He refocused, turning over in his mind all the questions he was sure to be asked. And as annoyed as President Bullock was sure to be with the answers he would be given, Besserman was more so. He was frustrated, irritated, and angry all at once. Uncovering the source of a breach in the agency’s server was one thing. That kind of attack was expected, especially when it came from an outside source. But this was betrayal, an affront to the thousands of people who worked tirelessly to secure the nation. And any progress he’d made had merely been ruling out suspects. No hunch had been confirmed, simply elevated to a level that required a closer look. Even Singletary, their most promising suspect, appeared to be a dead end.

A few minutes later, a Secret Service agent opened the door and escorted President Bullock inside. He dismissed the agent and then greeted Besserman with a terse handshake before they sat down.

“Coffee?” Bullock said as he nodded toward the small table in the corner with a steaming pot sitting on a hot pad.

“Got anything stiffer?” Besserman said.

“So I take it that you don’t have any good news for me?” the president said.

“Unless you consider no news to be good news.”

“In this case, absolutely not,” Bullock said before he stood and paced the floor. “Do you know what kind of pressure I’m under? What kind of pressure I was dealing with before this breach? I’d like to win a second term and push through some of the ideas I have that will not only make this country safer but make it better. But that’s hard to do when the guys in the other party can sling around the accusation that I’m not doing enough to secure our country. Above all else, Americans crave safety. And if I can’t give them that, they’re going to look elsewhere for leadership.”

“I understand, sir.”

Besserman proceeded to update Bullock on what had happened, including the disappointment with the promising lead of Singletary, who was doing nothing more than having an affair with the head of the agency’s HR department.

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