“What if the vice president was in on it?”
“If he’s impeached and kicked out of office, the speaker of the house becomes president.”
“Did Montgomery name names?” asked Malin.
“Oh, yeah,” answered Razor. “Got ’em all right here.” He held up his phone.
“Is that legal?” asked Dutch.
Razor laughed. “Hell, no.”
“Was the vice president’s name mentioned?” asked Malin.
“Nah, but who knows what will come out when he gives his official testimony.”
Malin’s phone vibrated, and she pulled it out of her pocket. “Kilbourne,” she answered without looking at the screen.
“Hey, Malin. It’s Sumner.”
She got up and walked away from the group. “Hey, Cope. What can I do for you?”
“I just want you to know, McTiernan and I really did have your back even though we couldn’t make you aware of it at the time.”
“I appreciate it. Was there another reason you called?”
“Yeah, he wanted me to tell you that you’re on eight weeks administrative leave.”
“What?” she gasped. “Why?”
“Settle down, Kilbourne. This is a good thing. One, it’s paid leave. Two, you’ve earned it. And three, there are going to be some major shakeups at the agency in the coming weeks.”
“I guess that makes sense. Although I do have a report to write.”
“Turn it in and then forget about it. We’ll take it from there, and before you say anything, this was your mission, no one else’s. We were back up, even McTiernan said so.”
Malin thanked him and ended the call. Did it really matter who got credit? It wasn’t as though she planned to stay at the agency anyway, even if they still wanted her to.
She looked over at Dutch, laughing and surrounded by people who cared about him. Whether she returned to the CIA or not, she’d never have the kind of relationships the K19 team did with one another. It wasn’t limited to the guys either. Merrigan and Alegria were a part of the camaraderie.
Dutch walked over to where she stood off to the side. “What are you thinking about, baby?” he asked, stroking her cheek with his finger.
“I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’m jealous of the relationship you have with your team and that all of you have with one another.”
“You’re part of it whether you want to be or not. I bet if you asked any one of those guys they’d say, as far as they’re concerned, you’re already one of us.”
“How would you feel about that?”
“Working with you?”
Malin nodded.
“Hey, Doc, do we have any rules about partner fraternization?”
“If we do, Merrigan’s going to have to fire me.”
“So, no?”
“Hell, no,” Doc answered, shaking his head.