DUTCH AND GINA: AFTER THE FALL (6 page)

Finally the truth, Dutch thought. “He’s more than a friend,” he said. “I’ve asked him to be my new chief of staff.”

“Oh,” Shelly said, completely caught off stride.

“Have you now?”

“I have. And he has graciously accepted. I’m going to have Allison make the announcement the appointment later today. But as of right now the three of us are the only ones who know of this. Un ll that announcement it had better stay that way.” Insult a er insult, Shelly thought. A man of his stature shouldn’t have to take all of this abuse. “It won’t escape my lips,” he assured the president.

“Good,” Dutch said, turning to leave.

“But, sir,” Shelly said, amazed that this could possibly be all he had to say to him. Dutch turned back around. “Is that it?” Shelly asked.

“Yes,” Dutch replied, then considered him. “Unless you had something else to share?”

Shelly glanced at Crader, then back at Dutch. “No, I mean. . . About that supposed scheme you men oned, sir, I just want to make sure we’re clear about the facts here. As I stated, I don’t know what Crader has said to you, but if it concerns me it’s not true. Not in the least. You were loyal to me when some in our party thought you could do be er, and I have been and will remain loyal to you as some in our party seek to bring down your presidency. I’m not with that group.” Nice-nasty with a twist, Dutch thought. “Good,” he said. And turned and left.

Crader, however, stood toe to toe with Shelly, his blue eyes blazing. “If you and that jelly-belly Speaker Brightman have something in the works, Dutch is right: revise your plans because the only ditch you and that slime ball will be digging will be your own.” Shelly didn’t even bother to show his anger this Shelly didn’t even bother to show his anger this time. Dutch was gone. Dutch was the only man on the face of this earth he feared.

“I would say go to hell,” Shelly said to Crader, “but hell’s too good for you.”

And then the Vice President was gone. Crader smiled as he went.

The Vice President, too, was all smiles as he walked out of Crader’s estate and stepped into his wai ng limousine. But as soon as he sat down, and the doors were shut, and the motorcade of SUVs carrying secret service agents and aides to the vice president were driving away, that smile turned upside down and he picked up the phone.

“Get Brightman on the phone and get him on the phone now,” he ordered, his nerves as shaky as their plans.

Dutch hung up the secure phone in Crader’s office and leaned back in the swivel chair. He and his staff had been making last minute prepara ons for the trip to Europe and he wanted to double check the security in place. Not just his own, but what they could expect in Brussels, where the Summit was taking place.

“Chandra’s here to see you,” Crader said, coming into the office. He hadn’t even been announced as the new chief of staff yet, but already he was caught in a kafuffle. “And she’s kick-ass as usual,” he added.

Dutch looked at him. “Chandra? Kick-ass? What are you talking about?”

“She’s interrogating Christian.”

Dutch frowned. “Christian? What about?”

“Everything, from the a ack on Gina’s motorcade out in Texas last year, to your firing of Max.” Dutch stood, and hurried for the Library, with Crader on his tail.

As soon as they entered, and Chris an turned to see that it was the president, he leaped from his chair and hurried to him.

“She says I was leaking secrets, sir, but it’s not true.

I didn’t tell my brother anything about the First Lady’s schedule, I promise I didn’t.”

“It’s okay, Chris,” Dutch said, placing his hands on the younger man’s arms.

“I’d never do anything like that. How could she think something like that? I would never harm you or the First Lady. Never. But she’s saying--.”

“It’s okay,” Dutch said so ly, pulling a completely distraught Christian into his arms.

Tears rolled down Chris an’s face as Dutch held him, and Dutch, for his part, looked angrily at his A orney General. He also looked at Crader, and nodded for him to get Chris.

“Come on, Chris an,” Crader said and Chris an leaned away from Dutch, wiping his eyes. “Let’s go get a stiff one.”

“But it’s still very early.”

“And?” Crader said with an infec ous smile as he and Christian left.

Dutch stared at Chandra. “You’re trying my patience, lady,” he admonished her.

“I’m doing my job, sir.”

“Like hell you are. Chris an? Seriously? Who are you going after next? Me? Gina? Little Walt?”

“Look, sir, I know I’m coming on strong, and it’s not pretty.”

“You think?”

“But the fact s ll remains that he has a very radical brother who spouts all kinds of conspiracy theories about this administra on and will stop at nothing to make us look like pure fools.”

“Impossible,” Dutch said, shaking his head. “We do

“Impossible,” Dutch said, shaking his head. “We do that just fine all by ourselves. Now you listen to me: if you ever ques on one of my staffers again, Chandra, if you ever, I won’t give you a chance to explain. I’ll kick your ass out of my administra on as quickly as I put you in it. Do I make myself clear?”

Chandra swallowed hard. “Yes, sir,” she said.

Then Dutch so ened. Exhaled. “I love seeing your pre y face,” he said with a weak smile, “but I don’t know if I wanted to see it today. Why are you here?”

“I’m here, sir, because there’s been a development in the case.”

This certainly got Dutch’s attention. “Go on.”

“We’ve been interroga ng Max Brennan. He claims he knows who masterminded the kidnapping. However, he will only give up the name if he meets with you.”

“ Then arrest his ass and charge him with conspiracy before the fact or whatever it’s called, until he talks.” Chandra’s heart began to palpitate. She had thought to strong arm Max as the president was now sugges ng, but she felt doing it this way would be a lot faster and cleaner. If it worked.

“ The thing is, sir,” she said, her nervousness now showing, “he’s outside in my limo now.” Dutch could hardly believe it. He frowned. “What?”

“I thought--”

“He’s outside of
this
house?”

“Yes, sir,” Chandra said, now regre ng her decision.

Dutch gave her a look that could chill the sun. The nerve of her.

Chandra’s only hope now was that Max would cough up the goods. “Will you see him, sir?” she asked him.

“I don’t see how I have a choice,” he said angrily.

And then headed for the exit.

Crader was with them when they walked up to the limo in front of the house, the doors opened by the A orney General’s Chauffeur/Security, and stepped inside.

Dutch felt a ghtness in his chest as soon as he saw Max si ng there. He and Crader sat across from him.

Chandra sat beside him. The door shut them in.

And Dutch could hardly breathe. This man, who had been his best friend for prac cally all of his life; a man he once loved like a brother; a man who sought to tear his rela onship with Gina apart with unsavory lies, was now si ng right in front of him. And it took all he had not to lose it.

Max tried to smile, but Dutch wasn’t about to cooperate.

“What is it?” Dutch asked him, with disdain in his voice and disgust in his eyes.

“What, here?” Max asked, surprised. He wasn’t expec ng a welcome mat, but he certainly expected to meet more formally. “We’re going to meet here? In the car?”

“That’s right.”

“But why?”

“I don’t want you anywhere near my wife. Now what is it? You have one minute.”

It wasn’t going quite how Max had hoped. He had hoped that they could bury the hatchet and start fresh.

Now he realized how impossible a dream that was. “I just wanted you to know that I had nothing to do with that kidnapping.”

“Who masterminded it?”

“But I need you to understand that I had nothing to do with it.”

“I’m not asking you again.”

Max hesitated. “Caroline,” he finally said.

Dutch frowned. “Caro? Caro was deported back to Dutch frowned. “Caro? Caro was deported back to France.”

“Well, she apparently didn’t make the flight because she was the one, right here in the U.S., who begged me to recommend her aunt.”

“Her aunt?” Dutch asked. “Recommend her aunt for what?”

“To be Little Walt’s nanny,” Max said, puzzled. “You did know that Penelope Riley was Caro’s aunt, didn’t you?”

Dutch, floored, looked at Chandra. Chandra was as surprised as Dutch.

Dutch shook his head in disgust at the incompetence of his Jus ce Department. Then he looked at Max.

“Where’s Caro now?”

“She was living with Riley last I heard.” Dutch again looked at Chandra.

“We checked Riley’s home, sir, when we first arrested her. There was no evidence that anybody lived there besides Riley.”

“Was there anybody else involved?” Dutch asked Max.

“Not as far as I know.”

“Fine,” Dutch said, and then moved to get out.

“But Dutch,” Max said, reaching out and touching the sleeve of his suit coat. Dutch looked at his hand.

Max withdrew it.

Dutch got out of the limo.

“Sir,” Chandra said, hurrying out too. “I know it looks like we dropped the ball on this, but we. . .” The disappointment in the president’s face caught her short, and she knew he wasn’t trying to hear it. “I don’t know what to say,” she finally said.

“But I do,” Dutch said. “You’re fired, Chandra. Pack your shit and get out of my Jus ce Department by close of business today.”

And without so much as glancing back, Dutch le her where she stood.

Crader, who had go en out too and now stood beside her, was as stunned as the A orney General.

But he wasn’t surprised. When Dutch was done with you, Crader knew from years of watching him work, he was done.

FOUR

LaLa King sat on a blanket against a big chinaberry tree on the grounds of Crader’s beau full estate.

Although she had her books beside her, and some news reports she needed to review, she wasn’t reading. This was her
me
me, as she sat with her back against the tree and tossed some figs, but mainly just relaxed.

She wore a bright white sleeveless sundress with red and yellow flowers in a bold display, her long brown hair slanted across her exposed brown back that gave her a regal look. At least Crader thought she looked regal as he stood on the wraparound porch of his southern home and stared at her; at the only one of his houseguests that was capable of breaking his heart.

Which was crazy, he thought, as he began walking toward her. He was the one who messed up. He was the one who allowed that Liz Sinclair to give him head when he knew he and La were trying to get their relationship off of the ground. He was the one who had probably already broken her heart.

But a er that stupid move with Liz, his feelings for LaLa didn’t waver. He didn’t throw his hands in the air, said ‘too bad I messed up,’ and moved on. When things hit a rough patch with a female in the past, he never had any regrets. Was usually relieved, in fact, and glad to move on to his next conquest.

But LaLa was different, he thought as he approached her. She was the only woman he could ever even envision spending the rest of his life with. A scary thought, he also thought, since she could barely stand the sight of him now.

“Hey, there,” he said as he approached.

LaLa looked up at him, her big eyes squin ng in the Florida sun. He was dressed casually, in a pair of Khaki pants and a polo shirt, his muscular biceps giving him that quarterback, athle c look. Chris an had told her that Crader McKenzie was too good looking, a man the ladies loved, and would therefore break her heart in the end, and LaLa had laughed as if Chris an had no idea what he was talking about.

But now, as she looked at Crader in the harsh light of day and s ll saw his undeniable beauty; as she remembered the night she caught him with Liz, with his thick penis fully erect and in Liz’s mouth, a memory that thick penis fully erect and in Liz’s mouth, a memory that s ll hurt her to her core, she realized just how prophetic young Christian really was.

And that was why LaLa was determined to maintain her cool around this man. He had hurt her once. She wasn’t putting herself in a position to be hurt again.

“Hey,” she replied to his gree ng. They were cordial with each other, but had not had any real conversation since the night she caught him with Liz.

“Nice day, isn’t it?” Crader said.

Since it was obvious that it was a nice day, LaLa didn’t respond to that.

Crader knelt down on his haunches. This was one of the few chances he was able to get LaLa alone. But when he knelt down, ready to apologize yet again, and she flinched, he knew he had to take it slow. “Where’s the First Lady?” he asked her.

“With the baby,” LaLa said. His nearness, the smell of his unique cologne, made her feel suddenly uneasy.

She had been trying with all she had to bury her feelings for him and accept the fact that they were a plane that wasn’t ge ng off of the ground, but she hadn’t yet managed to pull it off.

“It’s good to see that Dutch is back to his old self again,” Crader said. “He nearly killed me this morning in the gym.”

“Gina seems to think he’s moving too fast.”

“He probably is, but that’s Dutch Harber. A man like him can’t stay down for long.”

“I understand Liz Sinclair was also in the gym this morning.”

Crader hesitated. He would have preferred that she didn’t know that bit of informa on, but it was what it was. “Yes, she came by.”

“Why?”

Crader could have divorced himself of the proceedings and declare it was all about Dutch, but he couldn’t throw his friend under the bus that way. “She had some intel she wanted to share.”

“To you?”

“To the president mainly, but I was there too.” LaLa shook her head. “I don’t know what he sees in her.”

“Me neither,” Crader said before he realized he was saying it.

LaLa gave him one of her best
you have some nerve
looks.

“He doesn’t blame her for what happened, is what I mean,” he said, cleaning it up. “But when he finally sees her for what she is, he’ll dump her and never look back. I’ve never known a man more ruthless than Dutch Harber when he feels he’s been betrayed.” Crader smiled. “You don’t want to cross him.”