“I’ll remind you that that’s not proven, sir. Marroqui’s made a lot of enemies and—”
“Are you suggesting this was done by rival gang?” Cook said angrily. “Marroqui has that country in his pocket. No one’s even come close to making an attempt on him in years. Now, a week after he attacks Mitch Rapp, his compound and everything within a half a mile of it goes up in a pillar of fire?”
“I agree that it’s a remote possibility,” Hargrave said, backing down. “A much more likely scenario is that Rapp managed to get hold of a military-grade weapon and either smuggle it into Marroqui’s compound or drop it from a plane.”
“So now it’s possible that Rapp has access to military-grade weapons,” Cook said, pressing his palms against his temples.
“It’s possible,” Hargrave conceded. “But that’s useful information as we continue to adapt your security.”
“I thought you had people in Guatemala. That you were going to deal with him there.”
“Intercepting him was always a long shot, sir. Carrying out operations from the shadows is what he does and, let’s be honest, he does it well. Further, he has Irene Kennedy, who knows our capabilities around the world better than anyone, and Claudia Gould, who’s likely to have extensive contacts in Guatemala’s criminal underground.”
Cook continued to massage his temples for a moment before leaning back in his chair. “Where is he now?”
“We don’t know, sir. But we do have surveillance on most of his team. Joe Maslick, Bruno McGraw, and Charlie Wicker.”
“You mean the three men he didn’t need in order to kill someone who had nearly as much security as I do and lived in a country that Rapp’s never operated in?”
It infuriated Hargrave that a meaningless enforcer like Mitch Rapp had the power to affect a man as great as Anthony Cook, but he reminded himself that good could come from it. Only through adversity would the president learn to differentiate those who truly cared for him from the leeches who swarmed around him.
“Yes, sir, but—”
“There are no buts, Darren. That could have been me. It can be me. For all we know, he’s sitting in rural Maryland right now programming a guided missile to come through my window. What good are your security measures against that? And what good are your excuses going to be to me when there’s nothing left of the White House but a crater?”
“He wouldn’t do that. There’d be too much collateral damage.”
“You have no idea what a man like Mitch Rapp would or wouldn’t do.”
“Yes, sir. Obviously, we’re including this new intelligence to our comprehensive review of your security. Right now, we’re looking at expanding the restricted airspace around you, reducing exceptions for things like traffic and news aircraft, and building a more robust intercept capability. While I still think it’s an unlikely strategy for Rapp to pursue because of the number of innocent lives that would be lost, it is something we have the technology to counter.”
“Eventually.”
“Steady progress is being made, sir, but I’ll admit that Rapp was able to neutralize the Marroqui threat faster than expected. But Claudia Gould has more than one enemy. If the Guatemalans found out about her, I don’t think it would be a stretch to expect other people from her past to have stumbled on the same information.”
“Even if that’s true, Rapp made it pretty clear what happens to people who come after her. People are going to take that into account and reevaluate whether a little revenge is worth losing their life.”
“She has a pretty colorful past, Mr. President. Some of her enemies aren’t easily intimidated.”
“And you could tip another one off.”
Hargrave gave a short nod.
“Do you think it’ll buy us the time we need?”
“It’s impossible to say for certain, sir, but I think so. And even if it doesn’t, it’ll certainly get us closer. Every hour he’s distracted puts us in a stronger position.”
“And once everything’s in place?”
“Then, of course, we’ll start moving toward a more permanent solution to the problem. Mitch Rapp is an extremely experienced operator with a lot of support, but he’s just a man. Difficult to kill? Yes. He’s proved that over and over. But impossible? Hardly.”
CHAPTER 20
NEAR FRANSCHHOEK
SOUTH AFRICA
CYRAH Jafari couldn’t help but admire her surroundings. She’d arrived in South Africa about a week ago and had spent the time familiarizing herself with the Franschhoek area. The entire Western Cape was stunning, but this road was particularly special. It was unpaved but well maintained and bordered on either side by vines. Beyond, a series of verdant hills gradually morphed into majestic, stony peaks. Even with dark sunglasses, she was forced to squint through the sun pouring through the windshield.