“As far as we know,” Cook repeated. “Remember that one of the terms of our truce with him is that he stays in plain sight.”
“Yes, sir. I agree that the time he spends at Ward’s camp is problematic. We need to agree to some reasonable surveillance protocols, but with everything that’s happening, it made sense not to push. In another day or two, though, I think it’ll be reasonable to insist.”
“Okay,” Cook said. “Steve, unless you’ve got anything else, I’m going to let you go. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Again, the president waited for the door to fully close before he spoke. “I’m not happy, Darren.”
“Why not, sir?”
“Enzo Ruiz.”
“Ruiz was extremely ill and in his nineties, sir. He died in the middle of the day, surrounded by guards who all agree his heart finally gave out. An initial review by medical examiners has confirmed that.”
“But without having reliable eyes on Rapp, there’s no way to prove that he wasn’t responsible. It’s possible that he slipped out of Ward’s compound, flew to Spain, interrogated Ruiz, and found out about the dossier we sent.”
“Anything’s possible,” Hargrave agreed. “But plausible? What you’re talking about here is that, based on an attack by Gustavo Marroqui, Rapp’s embarked on a campaign of wiping out Claudia Gould’s enemies. Then he just walked into a guarded compound and extracted information from a brutal drug lord who wouldn’t survive any kind of coercion. And if that’s not far-fetched enough, he then killed the man in a way that fooled both his security detail and the authorities.”
Cook leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I agree that it’s improbable, Darren. But I want to make sure we’re not taking anything for granted. Where Rapp is concerned, getting complacent isn’t an option.”
Hargrave nodded silently, reluctant to respond with anything more. In fact, Rapp’s involvement in Enzo Ruiz’s death wasn’t as far-fetched as he was making it out to be. Initial reports were coming in that another one of Claudia’s enemies—a Czech assassin named Josef Svoboda—had died in what was being called an accident by authorities. It was a worrying coincidence, but not one that the president needed to know about at this point. It would only make the situation more stressful and could shake his trust in the CIA. That was something that had to be prevented at all costs. The spell his wife had cast on him was weakening but not yet broken. She couldn’t be allowed information like this while she was still strong enough to weaponize it.
“But your plan seems to be falling apart,” the first lady said. “It revolves around keeping Rapp off balance and focused elsewhere. How does the Legion contract accomplish that if he doesn’t know anything about it?”
Hargrave grinned. “Actually, the situation couldn’t be more perfect.”
Watching the subtle change in the woman’s expression and body language was like electricity running up his spine. Her normal condescension and disgust had become tinged with fear. She knew that her ability to use her husband for her own ends was slipping away. That Anthony Cook was finally starting to see her for what she was.
“Perfect?” the president said. “How?”
“We’ll warn Rapp that we picked up chatter about Legion being contracted to kill Claudia Gould. It works on every level for us. Not only does it appear to be an act of good faith on our part—”
“But it puts him in panic mode,” Cook said, finishing Hargrave’s thought. “Now he’s not facing a bunch of incompetent cartel enforcers. He’s facing one of the most successful and relentless killers in the world.”
“Exactly. And after Claudia dies—which she almost certainly will—Rapp will spend the rest of his life trying to find Legion and exact revenge. Then, at some point during all that, he’ll make himself vulnerable and we’ll put an end to this once and for all.”
With Hargrave finally gone, Catherine was alone in the Oval Office with her husband. She watched him pace and, for one of the first times in her life, had no idea what he was thinking. Every day she became more convinced that he was misjudging Mitch Rapp on virtually every level. Most notably the belief that he hadn’t intended to live up to their truce, but more crucially that he was an easily manipulated thug fueled by instinct and rage. A man like that would have been dead a long time ago.