Page 24 of Edge of Honor

Exposing a U.S. government official, active or retired, to the predations of a hostile foreign actor was unethical, unconscionable, and absolutely un-American. And it pissed Harvath off.Big-time.

He still had a few contacts at the Secret Service and, taking a breakfrom the meeting, excused himself from the room. Grabbing an unoccupied office nearby, he closed the door and made a call.

Russ Gaines had been a member of the Secret Service’s Counter Assault Team back when Harvath had been a protective agent stationed at the White House. They had trained off and on together and had seen more than their fair share of action.

Like a professional athlete, eventually Gaines was unable to outrun the physical demands of the job. But instead of cashing in and going the private sector route, as many of his colleagues had, he chose to remain with the Service and had worked his way up to a big position in the Special Operations Division. If anyone could clear a roadblock for Ambassador Rogers, it was him.

“If it isn’t the Norseman himself,” said Gaines, referring to Harvath’s call sign as he picked up the phone. “How the hell are you?”

“I’m good, Russ. How ’bout you?”

“I’m not shooting-up-bad-guys-along-embassy-row-with-my-new-blond-wife-good, but I’m getting by.”

Harvath laughed. Of course Gaines knew. Part of his purview at the Special Operations Division was overseeing the Secret Service’s Emergency Response Teams, which provided exterior tactical security at the White House and the Vice President’s Residence. He would have been informed immediately of the attack and kept constantly apprised of the investigation.

“Anything new on last night?” Scot asked.

“Not yet. The FBI is leading the investigation and they’re still working on identifying the attackers.”

“Have any groups claimed credit?”

“Plenty of domestic crackpots,” said Gaines, “and a few bad actors overseas. Nothing credible so far. The press, as you can imagine, are extremely eager to get their hands on your name, as well as Mrs. Harvath’s. Speaking of which, congratulations on your nuptials.”

“Thanks. Sorry you didn’t get an invite. It was a pretty small ceremony.”

This time it was Gaines who laughed. “Don’t worry about it. If I ever get married again, I’m doing the Elvis Chapel in Vegas and will have topay someone off the street to be a witness. I’ll be so far under the radar, any pings will be in Chinese.”

Harvath didn’t relish the idea of his and Sølvi’s names being released to the press and circled back. “I assume the Bureau is running point with the media?”

“They are.”

“Any clue as to what their thoughts are regarding the release of our names?”

“From what I hear, they don’t want to put targets on your backs if they can help it.”

“That’s nice of them.”

“You’re lucky,” said Gaines. “You’ve got more than a few friends left in this town. On the intel and law enforcement sides, everyone sees you as one of them. They’re not going to throw you under the bus.”

“But the press isn’t going to give up. Sooner or later, it’s going to leak. This is Washington after all.”

“Which is why the Bureau is thinking about getting out in front of it and releasing an attribution.”

“Anattribution?” Harvath replied.

“You’ve been secretly moved around so much, that you’re still on the books at some of your old agencies. Technically, we’ve still got you and so does DHS. The idea is to ‘deconflict’ the press by telling them that a plainclothes federal agent accompanied by a Norwegian protective services agent were in the area and responded to the attack and ended up saving countless lives. Out of respect for the agents’ privacy and the sensitive nature of their jobs, both governments are withholding their identities.”

“Do they think that’ll work?”

“I suppose, but what do I know? I’m an ex–trigger puller. Media strategy isn’t exactly my forte.”

“Fair enough,” Harvath admitted. “I guess it could be worse.”

“Now I get to drop the other shoe. Unlike the Bureau, the Vice President’s people think this is an excellent media opportunity. They want to throw a reception, at the residence, where the Vice President will thank you in person for your bravery. You and Sølvi both.”

“Fuck.”

“I take it you’re not a fan?” Gaines asked.