Страница 9 из 91
"How's Tommy?" asked Rapp of Ke
"He's fine. Still growing like a weed. He asked about you the other day. You should come by and see him."
"I know." Rapp grimaced. "Things have just been a little difficult lately. The last thing I'd want would be for some of my problems to become his."
Ke
"She's great."
"Have you talked to her about the job offer?"
"Yes."
"And ... what does she think?"
"Well, anything is better than what I'm doing right now, but I'm not so sure she thinks it's such a good idea for the long run."
"Working for the CIA?" Ke
"Yeah, I suppose. You know she's a reporter. She'd never admit it to me, but they think we're a bunch of fascists."
Ke
"Pretty much, except now they prefer to think of themselves as socialists since the whole communism thing didn't turn out too well." Rapp laughed at his little cheap shot and Ke
Privately, Ke
Ke
It was the last part that got to him. Rapp had an overwhelming sense of loyalty when it came to Ke
Ke
Rapp looked surprised. "Really." What he hadn't come out and said, what he was slightly embarrassed to admit, was that his reluctance to come in from the cold was grounded in a fear of being trapped in an office environment five days a week. He'd never done it before and he wasn't so sure he wanted to start now. Rapp knew himself better than anyone with the exception of maybe Ke
"I would need you very close to me," Ke
"I would love to run the Orion Team, but I'm not so sure I like the idea of working in the CTC."
"Why?" Rapp shrugged. "I'm just not all that excited about punching the clock. I know enough about this place to know that I'd end up ..." He struggled to find the right phrase. "I'd be stuck in meetings all day. It would drive me crazy. I'd end up telling some desk jockey to shove it up his ass."
Ke
"Oh, so I should act like I'm being inserted behind enemy lines." Rapp cracked a smile. "Do you have any idea how stressful it is when I do that? I can't let my guard down for a second."
"My point is that you are surely capable of practicing a little restraint."
"I'm fully capable, but my point," Rapp stabbed himself in the chest with his forefinger, "is that I'm not so sure I want to." Turning away, he looked out the window at the gray morning sky. "I'm not sure what I want to do, period."
Ke
"I don't know." Almost as an afterthought he hearkened back to his conversation with A
"What kids?" asked an amused Ke
"The kids I plan on having someday."
"Isn't there something else you have to take care of first?"
"Like what?"
Gri
"Oh, yeah. I'm working on that." Rapp smiled at the thought of his plan to get engaged.
Ke
"Of course." Ke
Rapp nodded. Money wasn't the overriding issue, but it was at least nice to know he'd be taken care of. "What would my official position be?"
"I'm working on that. We could easily put you in the CTC as an analyst, but I'd like to give you something with a little more clout. Possibly special assistant to the DCI on Middle Eastern affairs."
"I still need to think about it. When would you want me to start?"
"Today," Ke
"That's not going to work. I need some time to take care of a few things, and A
This was not good news to Ke
On the screen a woman stepped from an elevator and started down the hallway. Rapp had already watched the tape a dozen times. The woman looked i