living room she noted that Burton had taken his jacket off and a pot of
coffee sat on the table. She eyed the thick holster with its deadly
occupant.
“Cream and sugar, right?”
She managed to meet his gaze. “Yes.”
He poured out the coffee and she sat down across from him.
She looked down at her cup. “How much did Ti … Collin tell you?”
“About the two of you? Nothing really. He’s not the kind of guy who
would. I think he’s fallen for you pretty hard.
You’ve fucked with his head and his heart. Nice going.”
“You don’t understand anything, do you?” She almost exploded out of her
chair.
Burton was maddeningly calm. “I understand this much.
We’re about one inch from the edge of the cliff and where we’re headed I
can’t even see the bottom. Frankly, I don’t give a shit who you’re
sleeping with. That’s not why I’m here. 91 Russell sat back down and
forced herself to drink the coffee. Her stomach started to finally
settle down.
Burton leaned across and held her arm as gently as he could.
“Look, Ms. Russell. I’m not going to sit here and bullshit and tell you
I’m here because I think the world of you and I want to get you out of a
jam, and you don’t have to pretend to love me either. But the way I look
at it, like it or not, we’re in this thing together. And the only way I
see us making it through is to work as a team. That’s the deal I’m
offering.” Burton sat back and watched her.
Russell put down her coffee and dabbed a napkin against her lips.
“all right.”
Burton immediately leaned forward. “Just to recount, the letter opener
still has both the President’s and Christine Sullivan’s prints on it.
And their blood. Correct?”
“Yes.”
“Any prosecutor would be salivating for that thing. We’ve got to get it
back.”
“We’ll buy it. He wants to sell it. The next communication will tell us
how much.”
Burton shocked her for the second time. He tossed the envelope across.
“The guy’s savvy, but at some point he has to tell us a drop point.”
Russell took out the letter and read it. The writing was block print as
before. The message was briefCoordinates coming soon. Recommend advance
steps be tak-enforfinamulbacking Forsucbprimepropertysug gest mid seven
figure Would suggest consequenas of default be considered tborougbly.
Respond via Post penon ds if interested.
“He’s got quite a writing style, doesn’t he? Succinct, but he gets his
point across.” Burton poured another cup of coffee. Then he tossed
across another photograph of what Russell was desperately hoping to
retrieve.
“He sure likes to tease, doesn’t he, Ms. Russell?”
“At least it sounds like he’s ready to deal.”
“We’re talking some big bucks. You prepared for that?”
“Let me worry about that piece, Burton. Money won’t be the problem.” Her
arrogance was returning just in time.
“Probably not,” he agreed’ “By the way, why the hell didn’t you let
Collin wipe that thing clean?”
“I don’t have to answer that.”
“No, actually you don’t, Madam President.”
Russell and Burton actually smiled at each other. Maybe she had been
wrong. Burton was a pain in her ass, but he was cunning and careful. She
realized now that she needed those qualities more than Collins gallant
n;afvetd even if it was accompanied by a fresh, hard body.
“Mere’s one more piece to the puzzle, Chief.”
“And that is?”
“When it comes time to kill this guy, are you gonna get squeamish on
me?”
Russell choked on her coffee and Burton had to literally pound her on
the back until she started breathing normally again.
“I guess that answers that.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Burton-killing him?”
“You still don’t understand what’s going on here, do you?
I thought you were some brilliant professor somewhere.
Ivory towers ain’t what they used to be I guess. Or maybe you need a
little dose of common sense. Let me explain this real simply for you.
This guy was an eyewitness to the President trying to murder Christine
Sullivan, Sullivan trying to return the favor, and me and Collin doing