Breach of Power Read Free

military and civilian employees, most with over-inflated egos who always seemed in a rush to get somewhere.
    The Situation Room in the White House was the opposite—intimidating. Created in 1961 by John F. Kennedy after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the Situation Room was a 5000 square foot complex designed to address the nation's business, as well as the world's, on a real time basis.
    He now sat in the same room where the President of the United States and the President's advisors met on a routine basis, the room where many of the most important decisions of the Presidency were made.
    Command Central for the National Security Council.
    Despite calming reassurances from Wiley, Jake felt like he did on a first date. Nervous yet excited knowing he and Francesca were about to have a top-secret midnight meeting with the President of the United States.
    Jake's first encounter with Francesca was in San Sebastian, Spain when she passed him vital information in his relentless pursuit of an al Qaeda cell handler. That operation ultimately led to his current employment as an emissary for the Greenbrier Fellowship under the direction of Elmore Wiley, a seventy-one year old man affectionately referred to as The Toymaker . He was a man who had spent his entire adult life supporting covert operations for every intelligence agency and Special Forces branch in this country, as well as many foreign nations. When asked, he claimed his business was radio frequency and microwave emission technology. What he really did was make "toys for spies." A go-to man for espionage gadgetry.
    “Mr. Wiley, can you tell us what this is about?” Jake drummed his fingers on the conference table.
    “I would if I knew, Jake.” Elmore Wiley did his characteristic hair swipe. First the left hand followed by the right, front to back across his hair, and always in that order. Followed by pushing his metal-framed glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. “Problem is, I don’t know any more than you do. I was asked by the President to be here by midnight and bring my two most trusted employees.”
    Francesca tossed her dark red hair over her shoulder and smiled at Jake. “That would be us.”
    The door to the conference room opened and instinctively the three of them stood. No coaching required. Whether you agreed with the current President’s political views or not, it was a fundamental sign of courtesy and respect for the highest political office and the individual who held it.
    And besides, who didn’t like this President?
    Jake was about to meet the only President in his lifetime to reduce deficit spending and squarely turn around the country’s economy. Only three years into a first term and this President had actually cut the federal deficit by 30% simply by sticking to the platform outlined during the primary elections.
    The country wanted a break from the same old political rhetoric of past administrations. This former Secretary of State, now President of the United States, gave the voters what was promised before the election—change. A positive shift in philosophy fostered by strong character and moral integrity. The President’s No-Bull policies cut spending and government waste while finding creative avenues to raise revenues from previously untapped resources. Markets were up, unemployment down, consumer confidence and spending had increased, which had the economy booming again.
    A President with balls.
    The first person through the door was the President’s Chief of Staff, Evan Makley. Makley was a 47 year-old career political assistant. A man at the apex of his career, he was tall and thin and his dark hair was streaked with wisps of gray at the temples. Tonight he seemed overdressed in his tailored Armani suit. His outwardly go-getter style and aggressive personality had helped him in political life, overcoming personal tragedies, and propelling him inexplicably toward retaining his Chief of Staff job with the President's almost certain