Ghostwalker 08 - Street Game

all recorded,” Mack said.
    Jefferson’s smile turned malicious. “He’s already got friends in the White House.”
    “He has enemies too. I can find them for you. You know I’ll do it too. I keep my promises.”
    “Do you?” Jefferson asked. “You turned on Whitney before and you have no problems turning on the women who regard you as their sister.”
    Violet tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the arm of her chair. “Don’t judge a woman in love, James. I would do anything for my husband.”
    “Or for the power. We both know who’s behind the proverbial throne, Violet, so don’t play the loving wife to me. You were prepared to sleep with me if that’s what it took, but you knew the moment you looked into my mind that wouldn’t serve your purpose,” Jefferson said shrewdly.
    Javier growled deep in his throat. “She really is a cobra.”
    Violet shrugged her shoulders. “Why should I deny it? I am prepared to pay whatever price Whitney wants from me.”
    “And if he demands a fail-safe?”
    She sucked in her breath, for the first time her composure shaken. She recovered very quickly. “He’s put a fail-safe program in Ed?”
    “Of course he did, my dear, and he’s prepared to use it. You not only will deliver the women to us, but you’ll find whoever in the White House is going against the GhostWalker program and you’ll deliver them as well. If we decide to put Ed back into position to use him, believe me, Violet, it will be our decision without coercion.”
    Even from his position a distance away, Mack could see the woman’s eyes glittering with malicious intent as she rose. “I would be very careful of threatening me, Jefferson. You may hold all the cards, but if you push too far, you’ll find out just what a woman will really do when you’ve put a bullet in her husband’s head.”
    Her voice was utterly cold. Deliberately spiteful. Mack swore under his breath.
    Jefferson would know exactly what she meant and he would take her threat seriously.
    That would make it doubly difficult to kill him.
    “You’re getting him back,” Jefferson reminded. “A new, improved model, wholly devoted to you. There won’t be any chasing skirts, or aides under his desk; he’ll live for you.”
    Mack inhaled sharply. “Whitney paired her with him, but didn’t bother pairing Freeman with her. Whitney sold her into service with Freeman to aid his political career.”
    “He couldn’t know the monster he was creating,” Gideon said.

    238

    “I can’t even feel sorry for her,” Javier said. “She’s willing to give up the other women to a breeding program, knowing what happened to them in that compound.”
    “She’d kill all of us if it got her husband one step closer to the presidency,” Mack said, watching with a small frown. “He’s glanced at his watch again. You think he’s got more than one visitor coming tonight?”
    “Maybe it will be Whitney and we can blow them both to kingdom come.” Javier sounded hopeful, eager even.
    “You’re so bloodthirsty tonight,” Mack reprimanded.
    Javier shot him a grin. “Must be the company. Bad influence and all.”
    Violet put down her drink and stood up, drawing their attention back to the scene in the house. “I have to go, Jefferson. You’ve given me quite a bit to think about.”
    Jefferson rose with her. “I hope you’ll give me your answer soon, Violet. I don’t think Ed has long, hanging in limbo. You want him up and running around, you commit to Whitney’s program and work for us, not yourself.”
    She said nothing at all, but walked, head up, out to her waiting car. Jefferson watched the vehicle pull down the long drive before he snapped open his cell phone.
    “She was here. She’s going to come on board, but she’ll turn on us the moment she thinks she has an out. She’s ambitious. You might think about getting rid of her before she causes any more trouble.”
    “You getting this, Jaimie?” Mack asked.
    “I’m running a trace,” she answered. “I think he’s talking to Whitney. I’ve got a voice analysis program and it should give me a match any second. Yep. Whitney.”
    Jefferson snapped his phone off and went back into the house after one more long look after his parting guest. He shook his head, disgusted, and slammed his door.
    “I’m sorry, Mack, he didn’t stay on long enough,” Jaimie said.
    Mack didn’t take his eyes from Jefferson. The man took meticulous care to clean up after his guest.