Author's Note: Well, I hope you all have had a lovely New Year's Eve/Day! I am moving back to school tonight so I wanted to post before I'm completely worn out, haha. Here's the next installment!
Leo was relieved that the United Britannia thing had come to a somewhat favorable end. To appease the British, they would leak to the Press that the Iranian airforce had made a mistake in identifying the commercial airplane when they shot it down, as supported by the recording that DoD obtained of the pilot's attempts to establish visual contact with the plane.
The Ayatollah, a man immeasurably proud of the airforce, would be compelled to apologize rather than admit that the pilot screwed up. It was the best the White House could do to ensure Britain didn't retaliate against Iran.
All that was left to do was wait for information to arrive from across the pond regarding CJ's status. Leo couldn't remember the last time he slept. Margaret hovered and tried to keep him from overdoing it but he had a strong will and he knew Jed was probably worse off than him.
The two of them were sitting in the living room of the Residence at midnight, lost in the obscurity of their thoughts. Abbey was sleeping in the bedroom.
"I keep seeing her face, Leo."
Jed's voice was shadowed with quiet anguish. He wore an old Notre Dame sweatshirt and jeans and his hair was messy. In short, he looked miserable.
"I know. Me too."
"I asked Abbey what that sort of treatment would do to somebody. The oxygen deprivation from the strangling…She could be brain dead, Leo. She's in a cell somewhere lying brain dead because she agreed to work for me."
"Don't do this to yourself, sir." But Leo could already see the buildup of self recriminations within the President's troubled eyes.
"She so thin, Leo. She's always been tall and that's made her look strong but really she's so fragile. She's—She's just Claudia Jean from Dayton, Ohio…"
He was outright babbling now. Leo knew it was time for the President to sleep. He'd held it together through the talks with the Iranian Ambassador, senior staff, his press briefing and Hutchinson. He'd gone about state business and his inordinately busy schedule with ruthless efficiency despite his exacerbated limp and physical fatigue. Now was time for him to rest.
"Jed, you should sleep. You're no good to anyone when you're a rambling mess."
"I'm tired of people telling me I need to sleep! When I close my eyes, I can only hear every unkind, brisk word I've said to her. I can only think of how disappointed she was when I sent Jai Yung Ahn back to North Korea, how she threatened to resign because of the MS…"
The last part of his rant was understandably quieter than the rest. Leo sat in front of him, speechless.
"Abbey wants a divorce. We've kept it between us since she returned from New Hampshire. She can't stand the gossip rags even though I've told her repeatedly that I've been faithful to her. And with the MS and the suspension of her license, then Zoey's kidnapping, I'm causing her too much pain."
"Jed, you can't. This will hurt you. You'll lose all credibility with the American people and Congress won't take you seriously." Leo looked thunderstruck at his close friend's revelation.
"We've agreed to wait until the term is over."
"Until then you'll need to keep up appearances."
"I know."
"Go to sleep, sir. I'll be right here."
Leo watched his close friend of several years stand and disappear into the bedroom. He, on the other hand, probably wouldn't be finding any sleep tonight. He was still having a difficult time fathoming the idea of Abbey wanting a divorce. Leo supposed it might be fair to say that Jed had it coming, if they compared lives, Leo could have forewarned Jed of the possibility that the pressure of leading such a public life would be too much for Abbey. If his failed marriage with Jenny taught him anything it was that women didn't like being put in second place, especially when there was another woman.
Except there really wasn't. But as this woman in question had once said herself, it's not what it really is, it's what it looks like that everyone really cares about.
"Why if it isn't Miss Kate Harper! It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
The man hadn't changed in the ten years since she'd last seen him, right down to the way he purposely refused to address her by her proper rank. He approached her and held a hand out, a handshake she resolutely ignored. Ros was at her side.
"And the effervescent Miss Myers too. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Spare us the chicken shit, Bob. We know what you're up to, we just want to know how we can get our people back." Kate asserted strongly. He may have been her boss once but she had come a long way since then.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Sit down, let me get you a drink—"
Before Kate could comprehend what was happening, Ros kicked Hogan in the midsection with her heeled boot, sending him careening backwards onto his mahogany desk. The impact of his back hitting the desk sent resounded throughout the small office. Ros didn't hesitate in grabbing the letter opener that was conveniently within arm's reach and holding it up to his throat while pinning the stocky man down.
"Bob, you tell us where Jo is or I swear I'll slit your throat." The threat was laden with venom.
Kate stared at the scene, gob smacked that the slender woman she'd shared two car rides with dared to manhandle Bob Hogan like he was an errant child.
When Hogan said nothing, Ros applied pressure to the letter opener, initiating a shallow cut that drew a little blood. Immediately he yelped and Ros relented before she could do any further damage. She still kept him pinned, however.
"Alright, alright. Let me up."
"No, not until you look me in the eye and tell me where you're holding Joanna Portman. She's only twenty four for God's sake."
"Are you working for the Red backs?" Kate reinserted herself into the conversation.
He was silent for a moment more and so quietly he admitted, "Yes."
Ros bared her teeth and tightened her hold on him.
"Why did you sell Jo out?"
"It was money to be made, Ros. They already had Zafar Younis, someone was thirsty for another British agent. It was meant to be you, you know, you're a much juicier catch. But she was the one who showed up at the meet because you were called away."
"You son of a bitch!" The ferocious woman raised her fist threateningly but Kate grabbed hold of her arm before she could bring it down on Hogan's face.
"Ros! No. I need to find out why they went to such lengths for CJ."
Bob's eyes flicked sideways and latched onto Kate, they were full of scorn.
"The Iranian government was interested in obtaining nuclear material from Georgia, right up until the United States swept in and lifted it. Who was responsible for the extraction? Hm? I believe it was one Claudia Jean Cregg, a controversial female who has recently been portrayed on the news as an adulterer and a loose woman. The Red backs were hired by the Special Consul in an effort to cover the regime's tracks as it pursued its desire to obtain the uranium that would have been theirs if not for CJ Cregg's interference. And the rumor that they'd shot down a US spy plane that had wandered into their airspace was the cherry on top. "
"How could you? CJ's a fellow American and that plane was full of civilians!"
"I hate to put it like this and run the risk of sounding like a cartoon villain but really, these guys were ready to offer some serious money."
"Tell us where they're being held and I'll negotiate a deal with the Attorney General on your behalf. You're definitely gonna be thrown out of your cozy post here and you can forget about serving anywhere at home. You'll be charged for treason against the United States, best case scenario, life imprisonment. I don't think I have to tell you the worst." Kate crossed her arms.
"Your interrogation skills always needed work, Kate. It's comforting to see that some things haven't changed."
Ros raised a fist again and this time brought it down on the man's face, fracturing his nose cleanly. He cried out in alarm and flailed a bit, but she continued to hold him down as blood coated his face.
"And your tolerance for pain hasn't increased in the decade since I've last seen you. It is comforting to see some things haven't changed." Kate said smugly from her vantage point.
"Tell us where you're holding them. There are several other parts of your body I have no qualms about breaking so I suggest you make your next choice wisely." said Ros without any flicker of indecision.
"They're in the abandoned warehouse in Ealing, Greater London. But they're scheduled to pack up and move out tomorrow, you damn fascists!"
Kate's heart was racing at the realization that she was one hundred percent right in her hunch, and that because she was right she didn't have to worry about being charged with battery of a senior U.S. diplomat. Her blood rushed through her in a frenzy as she realized that this also meant they were going to get CJ back alive.
Ros let go of him abruptly and whipped out her mobile from the inside pocket of her black leather jacket. "I need CO19 at the only abandoned warehouse in Ealing. There are hostages, hold fire until I get there."
She hung up and dialed another number.
"Adam, I have a location and I've sent CO19 about a minute ago, I'm still at the American Embassy with Harper. They're at the abandoned warehouse in Ealing, tell Harry and get him and Ruth on tech support. I'll meet you there."
Ros turned her attention back to Hogan, still sprawled unflatteringly across the surface of his desk. Kate caught Ros' eyes and knew what she was thinking. Ros lifted Hogan by the shirt collar and tossed him into the visitor's chair, where Kate could more easily keep watch over him while Ros went to make another phone call to tip off Interpol so they could make an official arrest.
When Ros hung up her phone, Kate was staring at her.
Ros raised an eyebrow and pocketed the phone. "How did you know that he'd be behind this?"
Hogan glared at both of them but otherwise remained silent.
"I didn't." Kate was never so thankful to be absolutely correct on something. Ros nodded and promptly departed, leaving Kate and her charge alone in the office to await the Interpol officers.
Teaser: "Her body will heal. But the scars in her mind will take longer. "