The President sat erect in his chair. “Could you repeat that, Agent Hardy? I thought I heard you say, no.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. President. After what happened in Denver, I’m not giving any other agency the opportunity to screw this up.”
“Are you referring to Homeland raiding the antique shop?” The President was aware of the situation. He had been given an update from Secretary Gillespie.
“I am, sir. My people secured the intel for that location, only to have Gillespie charge in like some cowboy and muck it up. I thank God Abby was not there. Homeland’s actions were unprofessional and dangerous. She could have been killed.”
“Agent Hardy, are you aware that your refusal to give me this information puts your career with the federal government at stake, not to mention a possible court-marshal?”
“Sir, as soon as Abby is safe and sound, I’ll turn myself in and you can start the official proceedings for my court-marshal. Until then, I won’t trust your daughter’s life to anyone else, but me and my team.”
The President was uncharacteristically quiet. Usually, he would have excoriated anyone who disobeyed him; however, he was picking up an underlying tone in Hardy’s voice. The tone was more like that of a father, or an older brother, who was genuinely concerned for the welfare of his child or sister. In all of the President’s interactions with his closest staff, he noticed they acted like Abby were another case or mission, needing to be solved or completed. Jameson’s outburst disturbed the President’s thoughts.
“Damn it, Hardy, you’re out of line.” He got closer to the phone. “Your Commander-in-Chief has given you a direct order. Give up the location, now.”
“I’d be more than happy to…on one condition.”
“Now, you’re bargaining with the President. You’ve crossed a line, Hardy, that I don’t think you can come back from.”
Not looking away from the phone, the President held up his hand toward Jameson. “What’s the condition?”
“Mr. President, I want your word this information stays with the two of you. And, I want you to give me the necessary latitude to find and bring Abby home. She’s not just a faceless name in a file folder to me, sir. I think of her as a friend, a friend I would give my life to protect. In this case, that means getting her home to you and the First Lady.” Hardy waited, but no reply came. He played his last card. “Let me make it clear, Mr. President. I’m doing this my way, with or without your blessing. Of course, it would be much better to have it, sir.”
Jameson came further forward in his chair and opened his mouth to speak, incensed at Hardy’s outright disrespect for the President’s authority.
The President stopped him with a wave of his hand. “Agent Hardy, you have my blessing. You have proven on several occasions that you put your country, and those close to you, above everything else. I apologize for not seeing that sooner.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Jameson’s jaw fell open. He stared at the President, not believing what he was hearing. He leaned closer to his boss and spoke quietly. “Are you sure about this, sir? You’re putting a lot of faith in one man.”
“He’s not just a man, Phil. He’s a man who thinks of my daughter as one of his own. In my book, that makes him family.”
“There’s just one more thing, Mr. President.” Hardy’s voice had changed, giving away his feelings of uncertainty.
“What is it?”
Hardy hesitated before answering. “One member of my team is not technically authorized to be involved in this mission. Her name is Dahlia St. James and—”
Leaping out of his chair, Jameson cut off Hardy in mid-sentence. “Hardy, you were only to get information from her, not make her a part of your team. This is unacceptable. You have no idea where her loyalties lie. She’s not even an agent of the United States Government.”
“We both know that’s not entirely true,” snapped Hardy.
The President turned his head toward Jameson. “Who is this—”
Hardy did not hear the President. “Her assistance on this mission has been crucial to us getting this far. She’s called on her contacts and gotten us information on Yamadi’s whereabouts and possibly Abby’s location as well. Without her, we’d be stuck on trying to find Yamadi. As to her loyalties, Director, I’m the one working with her and I’ll vouch for her allegiances, too. Something you would know yourself had you made a little extra effort in the past to reach out to her.”
Jameson’s face was red, his pulse was beating faster, and the room felt as if it had gotten warmer. Had Hardy been in the room and said that to him, Jameson would have punched him. You have no idea what I did to try to find my daughter, he thought. Jameson decided to keep the conversation professional. He pointed at the phone. “Hardy, I’m ordering you—”
Raising his voice, the President got the attention of both his subordinates. “Will someone tell me who the hell this Dahlia woman is?”
Jameson backed down. Getting control of his emotions, he answered in a subdued tone of voice. “Sir, the woman in question is Dahlia St. James. Her real name is Dahlia Jameson, my daughter. She was an FBI agent at one time, but now she’s—”
The President held up his hand and shook his head a couple of times. “Wait a minute. You have a daughter, Phil. And, she’s an FBI agent. Why haven’t you told me about this?”
“She and I had a falling out several years ago before you and I knew each other, sir. I just never brought it up. I haven’t spoken to her in years, which is why I have extreme reservations about letting her be a part of this operation.”
The President stared at Jameson for several moments before looking at the phone. “Agent Hardy, you have a ‘go’ with your mission. If you trust this woman, Dahlia, then you have my approval.”
Jameson slowly shook his head. “Sir, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I must advise against it.”
The President walked around his desk and put his hand on Jameson’s shoulder. “Relax, Phil. If your daughter has one ounce of the character and integrity that’s in you, I have no doubts she’ll do just fine.” He gently slapped Jameson on the back and turned around. “Agent Hardy, your team will have the full support of my office. If you need anything, Director Jameson will see that it gets done.”
“Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate that.”
“No, thank you. I should have trusted your instincts long before now—my apologies, son.”
“That’s not necessary, sir. You’re in a difficult situation right now.”
The President opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and stared at the desk. “Agent Hardy…Aaron…” He stopped speaking for several moments.
Hardy thought the line had gone dead and started to speak. He stopped when he heard the President.
“I was a soldier once.” He had served in the Marine Corps with the First Battalion 8th Marines, stationed in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983. He was among the 128 who were wounded when a suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb near the building serving as the barracks. Two-hundred forty-one American service members were killed. “I know not every mission goes according to plan.” He paused for a few seconds. “If something should happen…please tell my daughter that…her mother and I…love her very much and…” The President covered his eyes with his thumb and middle finger. He was doing his best to keep his emotions under control in front of his people; however, the Commander in Chief in him was starting to lose out to the father in him.
Sensing the President’s emotion, Hardy intervened. “Mr. President, you can tell Abby yourself, when she’s sitting at your dinner table on Christmas Day.” He waited a few seconds. “Just make sure there’s some spinach for her to go along with the turkey and mashed potatoes.”
Spinach. The President chuckled.
“For the life of me, I can’t understand why a sixteen-year-old girl would willingly eat spinach.”
The President had heard the smile on Hardy’s face and he laughed outright. Hardy had just put into words the President’s exact thoughts. The laughter helped him get his emotions in check. He saw through Hardy’s plan. “Thank you. I needed that.”
“You’re welcome, sir. There’s one last thing I need to tell you, Mr. President.”
“Go ahead.”
“Semper Fidelis.”
The President stood erect and responded, “Semper Fidelis, son.” He ended the call. Semper Fidelis is Latin for ‘always faithful.’ The term has been the motto for the United States Marine Corps since 1883. It guides Marines to be faithful to the mission, each other, the Corps and country. Both Hardy and the President, being Marines, identified with the meaning of the words.
…………………………
Even though Cruz, Charity and Dahlia had not heard the President’s side of the conversation, they filled in the blanks, based on what Hardy had said. Of the three women, Dahlia was most affected. Hardy had gone to bat for her with the President, jeopardizing his career. She would not forget the gesture, or let him down. In fact, his faith in her only solidified what she had already come to know about him. He was a man who never wavered from his commitment to the people and things he cared for so very much.
Dahlia leaned forward and put her hand on his shoulder. He cranked his head toward her. She smiled and nodded at him. He did the same to her. Not a word was spoken, but everyone knew what had been said.
Hardy started the SUV, put the vehicle in gear and drove away, heading for the airport.