Vengeance

1 WASHINGTON, D.C.

This would be her big break, Bonni told herself again.

Under a clear blue sky on a peninsula in Southwest D.C. where the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers converge, local CBS television reporter Bonni Shuff stood on the sidewalk with a microphone in one hand, talking with her cameraman beside her. They were outside Lincoln Hall, one of the main buildings within the National Defense University complex inside the Army’s Fort McNair. Parked along the street were three black SUVs with tinted windows, and stationed nearby were several Defense Security Service agents in their dark-gray suits.

Earlier this morning, Bonni had received a tip that she hoped would propel her career to the next level. In the aftermath of the recent Russian presidential election, Secretary of Defense Tom Glass was delivering a speech today that would supposedly serve as a warning to the new Russian president. After the speech, instead of leaving via Lincoln Hall’s front entrance as was customary, Secretary Glass would depart via the rear exit, attempting to slip away quickly to his next engagement. Bonni, who had learned of the secretary’s planned covert exit, would be waiting to get the scoop she needed: exclusive additional details about today’s speech.

At least, that had been the plan.

Only moments after she had arrived behind Lincoln Hall, another news van had appeared, and there were now over a dozen vehicles parked nearby, the sidewalk crowded with reporters and cameramen. Apparently, the tip Bonni had received from her contact inside the National Defense University hadn’t been exclusive. Exacerbating her irritation had been the arrival of Nicole Fleming, the CBS network reporter covering the presidential administration.

After Nicole arrived at Lincoln Hall with her cameraman — Bonni noted with a twinge of jealousy that she also had a makeup assistant — Nicole had wasted little time pointing out that Bonni was merely a local reporter who covered for her whenever she was otherwise occupied. That not being the case today, Nicole demanded Bonni’s spot directly in front of Lincoln Hall’s rear exit, and even had the gall to tell Bonni that she could pack up and depart — she’d take it from here.

Ed Lipska, Bonni’s cameraman, had intervened as Nicole and her crew tried to muscle their way into the front row of reporters, displacing Bonni. Standing six feet, four inches tall and weighing well north of two hundred pounds, Lipska had stood his ground, glaring at Nicole and her cameraman. The situation had eventually ended in a draw, with Nicole and Bonni positioned beside each other after Nicole had displaced another crew.

As they awaited the secretary of defense’s departure, Bonni found herself hoping that Nicole would suddenly break out in an unsightly rash, something that affected only pretentious, story-stealing network reporters. Better yet, maybe the woman would be afflicted with an uncontrollable stutter if she was called upon to question Glass this afternoon. Bonni brightened at the thought, but knew she was asking too much. Nicole was a seasoned professional with over twenty years of experience handling the pressure of televised journalism.

Still, Bonni told herself that this would be her big break. She had occasionally filled in for the national broadcast reporters assigned to cover the White House, but promotion to a network job had eluded her. She had the right qualifications: she had her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism, she was attractive, and she had the requisite experience and talent. All she lacked was the video clip that would catch the attention of senior management at the national news agencies.

Inside the Lincoln Hall auditorium, Secretary of Defense Tom Glass was introduced by the president of the National Defense University. Bonni listened on her earpiece as Glass began his speech, which was being broadcast by the NDU.

“Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining me today, and thank you to Lieutenant General Collins and his staff here at the National Defense University for hosting today’s event.”

As Glass continued, Bonni concentrated on the secretary’s remarks, searching for the juicy morsel that would lead to an interview clip that would be broadcast to millions of viewers. Finally, Glass revealed the nugget she was looking for — the U.S. president had worked out an agreement with Congress on preapproved economic sanctions designed to cripple the Russian economy if Russian troops invaded Ukraine or any other country. If she could obtain exclusive details of those sanctions, somehow beating Nicole to the scoop, it might be her big break.

The secretary of defense completed his speech, which was followed by audience applause until Glass exited the auditorium, his departure announced by the radio broadcast narrator. Two DSS agents moved toward Lincoln Hall’s rear exit, signaling that the secretary’s emergence from the building was imminent.

“Let’s get you for a few seconds introducing yourself,” Lipska said. “Then, if you’re called upon, I’ll get footage of you and the SecDef, and we’ll edit in the van.”

Bonni turned and faced the camera, transitioning to her on-air presence: shoulders back, chin up, and an engaging — but not too enthusiastic — smile. She looked into the camera lens as Lipska counted down.

“You’re on in three, two, one—”

The red recording light on the camera energized, and Bonni delivered her introduction, finishing as the exit door behind her opened. She turned as Secretary Glass, accompanied by two DSS agents, emerged from the building.

Glass stopped near the exit as his eyes swept over the crowd, no doubt surprised by the cadre of reporters awaiting his supposedly clandestine exit from Lincoln Hall, their voices erupting in a deluge of unintelligible questions.

Bonni surged forward, as did Nicole, the two women drawing the secretary’s attention.

“I have time for one question,” he said.

Nicole blurted her query, but Glass raised his hand, stopping her. “It’s good to see you again, Nicole. But let’s go with someone new this time.”

Before Nicole could respond, Glass shifted his gaze to the local TV reporter beside her.

Bonni was momentarily at a loss for words, seemingly afflicted by the stutter she had wished upon her competitor. Her mind raced as she felt today’s opportunity slipping away. But then the fog cleared and the questions came.

“What are the specific sanctions the president is prepared to invoke in the case of Russian aggression?”

As Glass took a few seconds to compose his response, Bonni glanced over her shoulder, confirming that the camera was recording and that Lipska had a clear shot.

She focused again on Glass as he began to answer, but he stopped mid-sentence. Bonni wasn’t sure which registered first — the small hole appearing in his forehead just above the bridge of his nose, or the reddish-gray puff materializing behind his head. It took a short moment to realize that a bullet had passed through his skull.

It was pandemonium outside Lincoln Hall after the secretary of defense collapsed onto the pavement. Bonni instinctively turned in the direction of the gunshot, spotting a man standing between two pillars on the third floor of the parking garage across the street, lowering a rifle as he surveyed the scene below. Lipska also turned, aiming his camera toward the garage. It might have been her imagination, but Bonni thought she saw the man across the street smile as he brought the rifle scope to his eye again.

Another shot rang out as a bullet struck Lipska’s camera, followed by another round into his head.

As Lipska and his camera tumbled to the ground, Bonni realized she might be the next target — she had seen the assassin and could identify him. As she turned to flee toward the nearest cover, a bullet entered her left temple, exiting the other side of her head.