CHAPTER NINE
8:15 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
The West Wing
The White House, Washington, DC
“This is a disaster,” Susan said. “It’s crazy. I’m not going to allow it.”
They were walking back through the West Wing to the Oval Office, three of them—Susan, Kurt, and Kat Lopez. Susan’s and Kat’s shoes clacked on the marble floor. Three big Secret Service men trailed them; two walked in front.
The double doors to the Oval Office were just up ahead, a large Secret Service man on either side. Susan and the swarm of people around her were all walking so fast, it felt like she was being sucked toward the office on a conveyor belt. She felt out of control. She did not want to have this meeting. A couple of months ago, sending her best agents on a life-threatening mission wouldn’t have rattled he
