Disavowed Read Online Free Page B

operation inside Afghanistan… Get some sleep today. You will not be bothered. I will be back tomorrow morning. Good day, Major.”
    Andy heard the opening and closing of car doors. Not rusted pickups or late model sedans. The heavy thud of armored SUVs. More proof that the man was who Andy suspected.
    As they dragged him back to his cell, Andy tried to find a silver lining in his predicament. He searched for a way out, a reason why his own government was turning its back on him. None came. If this man had taken the time to see him, Major Andrews had tripped on something much larger than he’d suspected. But what could it be?

Chapter 6
    The White House
    Washington, D.C.
    12:37am, August 24 th
     
    He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair, a yawn accompanying the gesture. It had been a very long day. As the Chief of Staff to the President of The United States of America, Travis Haden rarely left the office before midnight. There was simply too much to do. If it wasn’t a raging policy battle, it was another imminent threat from one of the many crazies around the world.
    The former SEAL was used to stress. While getting his trident had been tough, and leading a global security company like SSI had been challenging, his new role eclipsed them both by far. Some days, he wished he was getting shot at again instead of having bundles and bundles of reports and requests delivered daily. The level of hypocrisy alone was enough to send him running. The warrior in him growled, but the loyal public servant calmed the unease by recognizing the importance of his contribution.
    President Zimmer needed him. It still amazed Travis to think of all they’d accomplished in less than a year. When he’d asked Travis to join him in Washington, Zimmer had made two requests. “Help me clean up my cabinet.” That was the easy part. Most of those people had known the reshuffling was coming.
    The second request was less defined, more strategic, and yet, the reason Travis had said yes to the new position.
    “Help me be a good president,” Zimmer had said.
    While the request might’ve seemed simple to others, Travis understood the breadth of what the president wanted. Zimmer wasn’t just worried about his legacy, he wanted to do it right. He wanted to be a fair leader worthy of the office. That meant surrounding himself with people like Travis and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General McMillan, USMC, men and women whose sole purpose in life was to do the right thing, even if it meant challenging their boss’s point of view.
    Travis felt like they were succeeding. The whole Zimmer Doctrine idea was gaining steam. International allies rallied to the president’s call. Terrorists were running scared, pursued by eager military veterans and their active duty brethren. They’d even made some headway with the economy.
    Yeah, things were going in the right direction, but there was still so much to do.
    That brought him to this latest problem. Andy .
    He’d been introduced to the Marine years before, when his cousin Cal had brought the young officer home after returning from Iraq. The guy was sharp, a born leader. Travis had met all manner of men in his years in the military and with SSI. He knew honest men, men with the morals of patriotic warriors. Andy was one of those guys.
    Or so he’d thought.
    Earlier in the day, he and the president met with the CIA director, his deputy director of National Clandestine Service (NCS) and the CIA’s inspector general.
    Travis knew the director, but had never met the other two. The president said he’d only met them in passing.
    They’d come at the president’s request, more of a favor than an official tasking. The picture they painted of Major Andrews contrasted harshly with the image Travis had of the lost Marine.
    “Mr. President, we have overwhelming proof, including video, phone transcripts and witnesses that prove Major Andrews’ guilt,” explained the inspector general. His voice was