ts of Washington D.C., the streetlights bl

knuckles were translucent. "The White House? Miss Eloise

nd pulled out a thick, black burner phone. It had no internet connection

plastic to her ear. The dial tone stretch

iew mirror, her chest rising and f

ly, a

gravelly, exhausted, and la

" Eloise s

White House Chief of Staff, stopped breathing for a full th

ccidentally shredded by an intern," Eloise said, her voice devoid of any emotion. "I intercepted that intern's frantic conf

in his chair. The physical tension radiating through

debt. I need to see t

nstincts kicking in. "The President is asleep. The

hrough his excuses like a scalpel. "His blood pressure is spiking erratically, and the White House physician has secretly

s own breath. "You...

he Secret Service I'm a classified asset. I

h Street. The massive, illuminated columns of the White House loome

Two Uniformed Division officers stepped out of the guardhou

e rolled down her window. The freezing air ru

of the guardhouse opened. A man in a dark trench coat stepped out. Th

's pale face, and gave a sharp nod to the o

lowered into the asphal

ner perimeter, parking ne

Siobhan's cashmere coat tighter around her tor

approached her. "Hands aw

ver her body, the device remaining silent. He patted down the

rwell into the subterranean tunnels beneath the White House, bypassing the pres

ent pressed his thumb to a biome

, Josephus Copeland was standing in the corridor. His tie was

ssed, his breath smelling of stale coffee. "He is in a terrible mood. You

her arm. She didn't move. She just star

e way,"

ick carpet absorbed their footsteps. The portraits o

or. Two armed agents stood on either side. The

ed into the

e Resolute Desk sat Adelbert Price. His shoulders were slumped, his face l

around, his sharp, tire

oring the throbbing agony in her ank

Presi