Warning Order by Joshua Hood Page A

months ago, and now all they needed was a moment of calm so they could redirect the conversation.
    â€œMr. President, if I may.” Craig O’Neil, Bradley’s chief of staff interjected, placing his hand on his boss’s shoulder. The president looked up at his most trusted advisor, his face red with anger. “Mr. Secretary,” he went on, “can you please explain why you thought it was a good idea to launch a military operation inside a sovereign nation without bothering to inform the president?”
    Cage cleared his throat and prepared to deliver the lines he’d been rehearsing in his head.
    Bradley had originally brought Cage on as his national security advisor in hopes that the ex-chairman of the Joint Chiefs could help him deal with the Middle East without being pulled into another war. Eight months ago, the administration found itself in the exact situation Bradley desperately wished to avoid when Colonel Barnes—the commander of an off-the-books black-ops team—went off the reservation and tried to drive the US into a war with Syria.
    Unbeknown to the president, Cage had been neck deep in Colonel Barnes’s plan but, at the last moment, Mason Kane managed to thwart the unsanctioned operation. Cage had barely managed to shift the blame onto the acting secretary of defense, and when Bradley asked him to take the now vacant position, the president unknowingly played right into his hands. Ever since, Cage had been biding his time, waiting for another opportunity to avenge the failures of Iraq and Afghanistan and keep the promise he’d made to his dying wife.
    â€œWell, the operation was time sensitive, and since it fell under joint DOD and CIA control, I had to make a decision or risk losing our window.”
    The president held up his hand. “Stop right there,” he said sharply. Then, turning to Simmons: “Jacob, did he confer with you on any of this?”
    â€œYes sir, and I backed it a hundred percent. I completely understand your anger, but you have to realize that there is a very good chance that we just killed one of al Nusra’s top commanders, along with a high-level Iranian operative.”
    â€œThis is total bullshit,” Craig exploded.
    Cage had been waiting for the outburst, and, like a lion pouncing on a gazelle, he attacked. “Your job is to advise the president, mine is to keep this country safe,” he began. “You can say what you want about the operation, but not only did my decision save American lives, but it also provided the president with the plausible deniability that he needs.”
    Bradley liked the sound of that better. “Duke, you know how I feel about us all working together on these tough issues, but you have to understand my point of view. I mean, how the hell does it look to have my secretary of defense running operations without my approval?”
    â€œI totally understand that, sir,” Cage replied, pretending to be contrite. “This one is on me, sir.”
    Bradley was appeased, and the SecDef could see that the president was ready to welcome him back into the fold. It was time to capitalize and maybe gain a few much-needed approval points.
    â€œHow sure are you that we got the two targets?”
    â€œSir, we need to clear the objective before we get any hard evidence, but I feel really good about it. It was a clean strike,” he lied.
    â€œTell me about this Khalid fellow.”
    Simmons, also sensing the shift in momentum, motioned grandly to the packet in front of President Bradley. It was a seamless transition, and the others in the room never realized they were being played.
    â€œKhalid al Hamas’s primary job is to enable state actors to prosecute actions against the US and Israel,” Simmons began. “He has been actively arming rebels in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon for the last five years.”
    Cage allowed Simmons to lay out Khalid’s bona fides, and almost felt bad