Black Ops (Presidential Agent 5)

"This man may be good for you, Svetlana," he said. "You do not cow him."

"I think it would be a very good idea to let Colonel Berezovsky talk to both Alek and Svetlana," Castillo said.

"Yes," Pevsner said. "For both personal reasons and so that he can stop dancing with Darby and Delchamps."

"If they are watching Charley's house and this one, there will be telephone taps," Svetlana said disgustedly.

"Thank you for sharing that with us, Colonel," Castillo said. Then he put his index finger over his lips and said, "Sssshhh."

Janos and Munz tried not to smile. Pevsner laughed out loud.

"Janos, what has Bradley done with the radio?" Castillo asked.

Janos pointed to the window.

"It's up?" Castillo asked, surprised.

"He had it up last night, right after you went to bed."

"Go get him and it, please," Castillo said.

Janos left the room.

"I would like to know about the radio," Svetlana said.

"So you said," Castillo said.

"I am a podpolkovnik of the SVR!" Svetlana announced angrily. "I will not be treated as a foolish woman!"

"You were a podpolkovnik of the SVR," Pevsner said, rather unpleasantly. "And from your behavior, I'd say you just proved you are a foolish woman."

"That is between Charley and me. None of your business."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Svet," Pevsner said. "What I meant is that only a foolish woman loses her temper when there is nothing whatever she can do about what has angered her. And I know very well that when Friend Charley decides to tease you, there is nothing you can do but smile."

Corporal Lester Bradley entered the room carrying the handset of the AFC radio.

"I can run the secure cable if you would like, sir," he said. "But I rather doubt if there are intercept devices within the hundred-meter possible intercept range. And, of course, Class One encryption is active. In my opinion, sir, the secure cable is unnecessary."

"Your opinion is good enough for me, Lester," Castillo said. "But before I get Delchamps on the radio . . . You may have noticed a certain change in the relationship between myself and Colonel Alekseeva?"

"No, sir. I have not. Is there something I should know?"

"May I speak?" Munz said.

"You don't have to ask, Alfredo."

"I was thinking just then about what Davidson said when you sent Bradley to the Delta camp at Fort Bragg to hide him. Do you recall what he said?"

"He said trying to hide Lester at Camp Mackall was like trying to hide a giraffe on the White House lawn."

Pevsner smiled broadly.

"Am I being called a giraffe?" Svetlana asked suspiciously.

Pevsner put his index finger in front of his lips and made a shushing sound.

"I take your point," Castillo said. "So let's get it out in the open. I can't explain what happened between us. Bottom line, it did. I can't even work up much guilt for doing what everybody in this room, everybody I know in our line of work, will regard at least as goddamn foolish, and--with absolute justification--as gross dereliction of duty, not to mention conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. Bottom line here: I will try to carry out my duties to the best of my ability, and believe I can. And I realize I really don't give a good goddamn what anybody thinks about it; all I care about is what Svetlana thinks about me."