Skill Set Read Online Free PDF Page B

possible.
    Nevertheless, Daniel heard it and his cheeks flushed red. “There's..errr...a little lip,” he muttered pointing to the pesky metal threshold that had tripped him.
    After the young computer geek had shut the door, Isaac shook his head and sighed. “These are the people I'm working with now?” he asked the ceiling. More worrying still, he thought, these are the people who are in charge of ensuring our government's computers are secure. The thought didn't instill much confidence.
    While he waited for Emma Soto to return, he eyed her bonsai tree, tenderly taking one of the branches between his finger and thumb. It brought back fond memories; his grandmother, who supplied the Asian portion of his blood, was crazy about those trees. Growing up, he remembered her always having dozens and she cared for them as though they were her children. She was a good woman; the best Isaac had ever known.
    “Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Rose.”
    The voice behind him pulled him out of his nostalgia and instantly back to the present. “No problem. . .I just wanted to ask a couple more questions before I go.”
    “All right. . .but you know everything I know. There's really nothing left to tell.”
    “Well, they’re not those kind of questions . . .I think if the problem is here, then I need to be here.”
    “ Okay, whatever you think best. . .”
    “It would be helpful if I could place myself undercover in your office. Nobody, with the exception of our young friend, Daniel is to know who I am and why I'm here.”
    “ Fine, ” she agreed, “But, if you don't mind my asking, what role do you intend to take?”
    ”“That's easy,” he said, shoving one hand into his pocket as he waits for her to figure it out.
    Several seconds pass and she still looks puzzled.
    “I'll be your bodyguard!” he stated, as if that were the most obvious solution in the world.
    Emma Soto's eyes widened. “You can't be serious,” she said. “I don't need another bodyguard, Mr. Rose.”
    “Sure you do.”
    “Mr. Rose,I already have two bodyguards, and they do a perfectly good job.”
    “Ms. Soto, This is not really a request. I need to do my job, do you understand? If we're going to find the guy who's been hacking your emails, I need to be here. So, you can claim you received a threat and that I'm your new personal guard or you can just tell people that you wanted a large security detail. Makes no difference to me.”
    She was stunned into silence for a few moments. “Have you quite finished?” she asked, reasserting her authority by placing her hands on both hips.
    “ Yes, ” he nods.
    “All right,” she sighs. “Then, you can start tomorrow,” she turned smartly and marched toward the door.
     

 
 
* * *
    Isaac didn't bother to contact Foxhound. Officially, all Trackers are supposed to keep him a breast of what they are doing at every step. Going undercover as part of the defense secretary's staff definitely qualified as a step. Nevertheless, Rose was accustomed to playing by his own rules and ignoring the etiquette of the department. As far as he was concerned, his situation was of no interest to his boss anyway.
    Dressed in a smart suit with a white, open-collared dress shirt, Rose arrived at Soto's office the following morning. He had new ID, which the secretary rushed through clearance as a member of her 'security' team and he also had a pass and badge prepared for him. The only people who knew he was actually really part of the intelligence agency were the security personnel who had checked him in the day before. And they hadn't known the reason for his visit. It was quite plausible they too would buy the story that Emma Soto had received a death threat and was being supplied with an extra bodyguard. Emma Soto and Daniel the computer whiz were the only two people who knew Rose's true purpose for being there.
    As he walked through her open door, he lightly rapped his knuckles against the frame to announce his entrance.