The Bin Laden Plot

50 ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

An hour after the meeting at Langley, as Jake Harrison waited outside Terminal C of Reagan National Airport, he checked his watch. The flight with Angie and Maddy aboard had landed, and he was expecting a text message anytime now. A short while later, Maddy contacted him, letting him know they were almost at the gate. Her text was followed by one from Angie on a separate chat.

We’re here. Looking forward to some time alone.

Harrison was too, but he’d been so busy at Langley with debriefs from his trip to Kuwait, plus catching up on potential leads the team had on Mixell, that he hadn’t planned ahead. He had only the single room at the Intercontinental, with a pullout bed for Maddy. Although a silent jaunt in the bathroom might suffice, it wasn’t his idea of a romantic evening together.

He had a few SEAL friends in the area, but having Maddy hang out with a burly SEAL for an evening probably wasn’t her idea of a good time, plus he’d have to come up with a cover story explaining why they were pawning her off on a stranger. Nothing came to mind.

Another stream of passengers began exiting Terminal C, and he spotted Angie and Maddy in the crowd. His daughter ran and jumped into his arms. He’d been away from home for only a short while, but Maddy took after her mother when it came to impulsiveness and exuberance. He recalled their last meeting in D.C., when Angie had done the same thing; she’d sprinted across the lobby of the Hotel Washington and leaped into his arms, straddling his waist with her legs as she locked her lips onto his. The lobby occupants — distinguished guests wearing suits and elegant dresses — had stared at the couple, but Angie seemed not to notice or care, her eyes locked on to his, an infectious grin on her face.

Angie was more reserved in Maddy’s presence, giving him a short but passionate kiss. They collected their luggage and headed to the car.

“What would you like for lunch?” Harrison asked as they pulled onto the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Angie didn’t care and Maddy wanted a cheeseburger, so Harrison chose a sandwich shop near the hotel, which also served pizza and burgers.

After dropping off their luggage in their room, they went to lunch, slipping into a booth with Angie and Maddy facing Harrison. While they waited for the server, Harrison asked whether Maddy was ready for her meet.

“Not really,” Maddy said. “I’m still having trouble with my beam routine. I can’t consistently hit my back handsprings.”

Harrison had no idea how to help, so he offered some encouraging words. “Just do your best.”

After placing their order, they reviewed their plans for the day: a few hours of sightseeing near the National Mall. After confirming the details, Maddy excused herself to go to the bathroom.

He couldn’t talk with Angie over the phone about how the search for Mixell was going, so she took the opportunity to inquire.

“Have any leads?”

“Nothing solid at the moment.”

“What took you to Kuwait?”

Angie had no idea about the Abbottabad prisoner issue, so Harrison sloughed off her question. “Just a bad lead. Potential ties to an organization in the Middle East.”

“You need to find Mixell,” she said. “The longer he’s on the loose, the higher the odds he’ll find you first.”

Harrison noticed the concerned look on Angie’s face, which somehow made her seem more beautiful. Even in regular clothes, she was quite sexy. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy today, just a pair of tight jeans and a formfitting halter top. As they entered the restaurant, he had watched heads turn to follow Angie’s passage through the crowded deli.

“So,” Angie asked, her thoughts aligning with his, “what’s the plan for tonight? Just one room?” She smiled mischievously as she slipped a foot from its shoe, then ran it up along the inside of his thighs. “I imagine it’s going to be really hard for you this week, not being able to spend any time alone.”

Harrison admitted that he’d done a poor job of planning ahead, then an idea came to him. One that had the potential to address two issues.

He pulled his cell phone out and called Christine O’Connor’s work number. Her executive assistant put the call through.

“Hey, Chris, it’s Jake,” he said when she answered. “Do you still work out? Gymnastics, I mean.”

“Hi, Jake. I’m fine,” she said. “How about you?” He noticed the tone in her voice.

“Sorry. I’m in a pickle and was wondering if you could help out.”

“Yeah, I still do the gymnastics thing sometimes. Why do you ask?”

“Maddy has a meet on Saturday and is having problems on the beam. Do you think you can give her some pointers before the meet? I know she’d appreciate it. I’d appreciate it too.” He lowered his voice. “I could use some time alone with Angie, with someone keeping Maddy occupied.”

“Let me get this straight,” Christine said. “You want the director of the CIA to babysit your daughter so you can get laid?”

“I’ll owe you.”

“You already owe me.”

The image of him holding on to Christine and the Russian president overhanging a cliff immediately registered. With his grip on each slipping in the rain, he’d been forced to choose and had pulled President Kalinin to safety. However, he figured the score still tilted in his favor, since he had saved Christine’s life twice. But arguing that fact was clearly not the best strategy. He decided to concede her point.

“I’ll owe you more,” he said.

“Don’t you have any friends in the area?”

“Only one who can help Maddy with her beam routine.”

After a moment of silence, Christine replied, “Fine. I should make you wait the whole week, but how about tonight? I can modify my plans and pick Maddy up around seven thirty, and we can spend an hour or two at the gym.”

“That’d be perfect. Thanks, Chris.”

Maddy returned from the bathroom as the waiter delivered their food.

Harrison checked to make sure she wasn’t watching him as she tried to handle her oversized burger, then he winked at Angie. She wiggled her toes and smiled.