Betrayal Read Online Free Page B

pet name for the agent; Alfred. Cassidy nodded. “Really?” Alex remarked. “Well, I guess I’d better get to it, huh?” she said, setting the papers on the coffee table.
    “I guess you had.” Cassidy winked and started to turn away when she felt herself being pulled into Alex’s lap. She looked into the agent’s eyes and within less than a moment she lost herself there.
    “I love you, Cassidy O’Brien,” Alex said. “Thank you.”
    “For?” Cassidy asked, allowing her gaze to linger.
    “For everything.”
    “Je t’adore, Alex.”
    “Mm…enough to share paperwork,” Alex poked.
    “Enough to share everything,” Cassidy said seriously. Alex nodded her understanding. She felt so much pain and loss, but somehow just a few moments with the woman in her arms and she felt a warmth that she knew would help her to heal. “Everything, Alex.”
    “Yes, you are,” Alex whispered, following her words with a tender kiss.

    The man at the center of the room stood straight, his posture stiff and guarded. He listened carefully, expressionless. Standing over six feet tall with broad shoulders; his gray hair highlighted his blue eyes and his fair complexion. He was an intimidating presence. “Mr. President,” he began, “there are expectations. You understand?”
    The newly sworn in president was a far less imposing figure. Lawrence Strickland stood several inches shorter and had a soft manner about him. Always a background player, he now found himself sitting in a chair that had been held by some of the strongest and most savvy men on earth; if not always the most intelligent. What the newly sworn in president possessed was just that, a mind-blowing intellect. If John Merrow had occupied the seat with strength and honor, Lawrence Strickland would claim it with intellect. There were many differences between the two men. Colonel John Merrow believed in loyalty to his country. He understood the need for order, both to give and receive orders. His life was spent not weighing all the pros and cons, but executing plans. His life was not one guided by ambition, but ruled by a sense of duty. Once Governor Strickland was as ambitious as he was intelligent. His sense of duty to anything other than the service of his own desires was questionable. “I understand,” Strickland answered.
    Jonathan Krause stood at the far side of the Oval Office. His eyes scanned the room. Behind the president’s desk still sat his friend’s personal photos. It was impossible to control the tension in his face as his eyes narrowed to slits. Pictures of three beautiful women; Jane Merrow, Alexandra and Stephanie Merrow, all three smiling, sat beside a picture of six people, five men and one woman all in Army uniforms, giving the ‘thumbs up’. Just behind it stood a photo of the president’s parents. He bit the inside of his lip so hard that he could taste the trickle of blood it set forth.
    “Jonathan,” Lawrence Strickland looked at the man across the room. “I am sorry about John.”
    Krause’s expression was severe. “Jonathan,” Admiral Brackett said carefully, prompting a sarcastic smile from the CIA agent. “We have a great deal to do,” the Admiral continued. “Sympathy will be high.” Krause felt his stomach twist. ‘Sympathy,’ he silently thought as the admiral went on. “Congress will be hesitant not to pass any measure that the president supported. You need to capitalize on that Larry. Express how important these measures were to him; how much he was committed to our foreign relationships and security. We need that resolution amended. This will, at the very least, delay any vote. There are transactions set for next week. This will provide a needed distraction.”
    Jonathan Krause struggled not to release a sigh of disgust. In his mind he played his thoughts, “transactions? That’s what this is, John. You and me, just transactions.”
    “I understand,” the new president answered.
    “Good. You need to address