Strategic Moves (Stone Barrington 19)

Lance reddened slightly. “I don’t think it’s necessary to—”

“Lance, perhaps you’d better release me from that agreement if I’m going to represent Strategic Services in its dealings with you. Is that what you have in mind, Mike?”

“Yes, it is,” Freeman replied.

“Well, Lance, do you release me from our agreement?”

Lance’s look could have burned a hole through cardboard. “Yes, I release you—but only for the purposes of business associated with Strategic Services.”

“I guess that’s good enough for me,” Freeman said.

It wasn’t good enough for Stone, but he didn’t want to make anything more of it. He had the feeling that this was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

NINE

Lance turned his attention from Stone to Mike Freeman. “Mike,” he said, “the Agency is contemplating outsourcing some of our operations.”

“Oh?” Freeman answered.

“Yes. What with Iraq, Afghanistan, and the war on terror at home, we’re starting to get stretched pretty thin.”

“I can understand that,” Freeman said.

“The war on terror at home?” Stone interjected. “Doesn’t your charter prevent the Agency from operating at home?”

Lance crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. “Our purview is expanded to domestic when the president authorizes it.”

“Does he authorize these forays in writing?” Stone asked.

“Yes, he does.”

Stone sat back and let Mike continue.

“How familiar are you with our operations, Lance?” Freeman asked.

“More familiar than you might think,” Lance replied.

“Do you have any questions about our operations?” Freeman asked.

“Not at the moment,” Lance said. “I expect I’ll have specific questions if we come to the point of hiring you.”

“Are you contemplating hiring us for activities currently within our various fields of operations?”

“Possibly,” Lance said.

“Why don’t you tell us the sort of thing you have in mind, then,” Freeman said.

Stone cut in again. “Or, perhaps specifically what you have in mind.”

“I can see us using your personnel protection services,” Lance said. “I can see us purchasing armored civilian vehicles from your transportation division. I can see us chartering your C-17 cargo jet for delivery of personnel and equipment in foreign zones.”

“We would be pleased to consider projects in any of those areas,” Mike said.

“Lance,” Stone said, “I somehow have the feeling that you are contemplating operating in some areas where you might not want the Agency to be seen to be operating. Is that the case?”

“Quite possibly,” Lance said. “Tell me, Mike, what percentage of your operations people have former or current high-security clearances?”

“All of them,” Freeman replied, “who are former military, FBI, or intelligence people. The ones who have served in similar capacities in other countries would not, of course, have American clearance status, present or former. They would amount to about twenty percent of our operations people.”