Read THE PRESIDENT 2 for Free Online Page B

being held within some of the more populated, easier to hide-in-plain-sight regions of southern Afghanistan: Kandahar perhaps, Helmand Province more likely.   But nothing was certain yet and there were no clear, easy answers.  
     
    Yet the press was demanding clearer, easier answers.
     
    “When will we be able to at least confirm the number of students kidnapped?” Dutch asked Defense Secretary Winzieki.  
     
    “Soon, sir.   We’re reasonably certain it’s seven, but we are not certain enough for you to go public with that number.   However,” he added, glancing at the Secretary of State which, Dutch knew, automatically meant that some new news had broke overnight, “we are now able to confirm that four businessmen were also abducted.”
     
    This astonished Dutch, not to mention his chief of staff.   “Four businessmen?” Dutch asked.   American?”
     
    “Yes, sir.”
     
    Dutch’s anger began to rise.   “And when exactly were these businessmen taken and why were they in that war zone to begin with and why the hell wasn’t I informed of this rather significant fact sooner?”
     
    “They were on a fact-finding mission, sir,” a now overtly nervous Defense Secretary said, “some kind of post-war business partnerships they were attempting to solidify, when their convoy came under attack and was ambushed yesterday.”
     
    “Yesterday?”
     
    “Yes, sir, but we had nothing on it until early this morning, sir.   Somehow their convoy had managed to get deep in the heart of Taliban territory so we couldn’t even confirm that there was an ambush.   And once we did confirm it, in the fog of war, we didn’t realize that there were any survivals.   It wasn’t until very early this morning that we determined that four of the men survived and were captured.   The Director of the CIA says our sources on the ground in Afghanistan do confirm that the four businessmen are being held along with the students.”
     
    “By Al-Qaeda?”   Dutch asked.
     
    Winzieki nodded.   “We are not a hundred percent certain but yes, sir, we believe there’s at least a loose affiliation to Al-Qaeda, yes, sir.”
     
    “Damn!” Max said.
     
    “Which means, of course,” Allison said, “that the press will insist that it’s Al-Qaeda period.   They will barely mention that loose affiliation fact.”
     
    “There’s more?” Max asked, staring at the secretary of state.
     
    Dutch looked from Max to the secretary.   “What is it, Gary?” he asked him.
     
    “One of the businessmen is Ralph Caswell, sir.”
     
    Dutch stared unblinkingly at his secretary of state.   This couldn’t be possible.  
     
    “Ralph Caswell?” Max asked.   “As in the husband of Jennifer Caswell?”
     
    The secretary of state nodded.   “One in the same.   When I heard it too, I was stumped.   We can’t possibly be this unlucky, I said.   A billionaire?   Are you kidding me?   But we are just that unlucky this time.   It’s him.    We were able to confirm it just this morning.”
     
    The secretary of state, and none of the national security team, knew of Dutch’s prior relationship with the billionaire’s wife.   But even without that knowledge they knew having a billionaire as one of the hostages raised the stakes.  
     
    “Has she been notified?” Max asked.   “His wife, I mean?”
     
    “She believed it all along.”
     
    “She believed it?” Dutch asked.   “Then why the hell wasn’t I told anything about this belief of hers?”
     
    The secretary of state looked at the secretary of defense, who, in turn, looked to General Sullivan, the Joint Chiefs chairman.  
     
    “We had absolutely no proof yet, sir,” Sullivan said.   “No proof-of-life video, nothing.”
     
    Dutch could barely take it all in.   “Do we know where any of these people are being held?”
     
    “We still believe it’s around the Helmand Province, or possibly Kandahar, but these are only our educated guesses at