Calix snickered out loud. "Can you imagine? They'd have a collective heart attack, which would take out the senior military leadership of the country in one fell swoop."
They laughed companionably, and then Rhett said, "Can I ask you something?"
Calix nodded.
"Obviously, you don't have to answer if it's too personal or if it's none of my business, but I was wondering how the president is doing. Not his job, but the man himself. He's been under so much stress, and I'm concerned if he's able to deal with it."
What an incredibly sweet question. It showed Rhett's big heart and compassion, probably fueled by being intimately familiar with stress and trauma. "He's doing as well as can be expected, and that's not just the polite answer. He's worried, extremely worried, but especially about Sarah and Kenn."
"She's not doing well, is she? I noticed she lost weight when I took their photos the other day."
Calix sighed. "No, she's struggling. She's not been feeling well ever since the assassination."
Or more accurately, since she'd heard about the second bomber, who had most likely intended to take out her husband. Thank fuck he'd been thwarted, but it had been way, way too close for comfort.
"Who can blame her? She's in an impossible position where she has to trust others to protect her husband, knowing they've failed before. And at the same time, she's in a very public position where it's all but impossible for her to complain because it would reflect badly on the president. I don't envy her."
Calix was amazed at how well Rhett had captured Sarah's feelings. When Calix and Sarah had talked about it, she had almost verbatim used the same words. "Yes, and most of that is true for Kenn as well. He loves his father very much and is deeply worried about him. Though it helps that Seth has now been placed on Kenn's detail. Kenn likes and trusts him."
"That's good. I'm glad to hear that because it's a lot to handle for him."
"It is. It's sweet of you to ask about them."
Sweet? Why did he keep using those words with Rhett? Sweetheart, F-bombs, calling the president by his first name. Maybe he really was working too much if his brain couldn't stay professional anymore. He needed more sleep, he decided. More sleep and less working. Right. Like that was going to happen.
4
"You can go in. The meeting has already started," Max, the president's secretary, said.
Rhett took a deep breath. Photographing a National Security Council meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, and the national security advisor—to name just a few of the many people who’d be present. Not nerve-racking at all, not even when he wasn't expected to open his mouth.
The sheer presence of so many men in uniform intimidated him, and the fact that quite a few of them didn't seem too LGBT-friendly didn't exactly help either. He’d had to leave his phone in his office and had brought a second camera, one that did not have Bluetooth ability. That alone told him this was serious business.
"They won't bite," Max said with a smile.
"That's debatable, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt."
"I know. They look scary."
"They are scary. I'm confident half the people in that room could kill me with one hand without breaking a sweat."
Max chuckled. "You'd better not give them a reason to, then."
"Not helping."
Rhett wiped his clammy hands on his slacks, then took a last fortifying breath and opened the door. He could usually slip in without someone noticing, but of course, that didn't work with these men. The conversation stopped, and every head in the room turned toward him, and he cursed himself for responding with a furious blush.
His eyes cast on the floor, he found a spot against the back wall and focused on getting his camera ready until his heart rate had calmed down and he was certain his face had returned to its normal color. By that time, they'd lost interest in him and had gotten back to their discussion. Usually, he tuned out, but for some reason, he was paying attention this time. Maybe because of the sense of urgency he picked up on? Something was going on.
"This is a unique opportunity, Mr. President," General McMorran, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said. "We haven't had intel at this level of confidence in quite a while."
Rhett took a photo of the president as he studied some papers in his hands, his face concentrated. "And the intelligence community is certain this is Hussein Al-Awda? From what I understand, we haven't had eyes on him in more than two years."
"Over eighty percent certain, Mr. President. And yes, exactly, and that's why this opportunity is so unique. If we don't act now, we may not get another chance."
"He's been tied to at least six attacks on American soldiers," Calix said. "Plus, we have circumstantial evidence linking him to several car bombs in Baghdad."
The president nodded slowly. "How would this work?" he asked Admiral Rivera.
"With your permission, we’ll develop several scenarios with the appropriate courses of action. Based on those and the accompanying risk assessments, we’d be able to give you a recommendation.”
Rhett quietly kept taking photos. He should have stopped listening, but he was too invested now. Even he recognized the name of one of the most wanted terrorists in the world—after Hamza Bashir, the leader of Al Salaahin, of course. No wonder he’d been asked to document this meeting. If this mission succeeded, it would be a huge win for the president.
“What options are we talking?” the president asked.
“That depends on our goal, Mr. President. If our objective is to take him out, we could send in a combat drone. Based on the surveillance so far, we’d be able to neutralize him without too much loss of civilian lives. If we want him alive, we’ll have to send in the SEALs. But we’ll be able to give you more information in twenty-four hours, sir. The Combatant Command is working on the operational planning.”
“What’s our timeframe for a decision and for the mission?” Calix wanted to know.
“Probably within two weeks. We know Al-Awda never stays in the same location for long.”
Rhett pressed the shutter just as Calix and the president shared a look, both their faces tight. “Will we be able to get enough reliable intel to plan the operation in that timeframe?” the president asked.
“Obviously, we would have preferred more time,” General McMorran said. “No matter what our course of action is, it will be a complicated mission, considering Yemen is involved in a complicated and violent civil war.”
“Make sure to get a clear risk assessment for any scenario involving SEALs,” the president said. “I want to have crystal-clear risk assessments for all courses of action so we can weigh the risks of loss of US lives against the importance of taking Al-Awda in alive.”
"We don't think they're aware we spotted him," General McMorran said. "That increases our chances of getting in and out before they realize what's happening."
"Somehow, your words don't convey the same certainty as the report on his whereabouts. I'm hearing a lot of 'we don't think' and no 'we are certain.'"