Read Online The Rig 2: Storm Warning by Steve Rollins - Free Book Online Page B

City’ was on fire. It was a satisfying thing to see after so many troubles. Finally, it served a purpose. A purpose he had never intended for it, but a purpose nonetheless.
    His wife came into the study just as he saw the footage of the terrorist’s shocked girlfriend. She scolded him for still being dressed in his golf clothes when they had a function to attend. The president himself would be speaking at the charity event they were invited to. He brushed her off with some comment on how he was distracted by the terrible events taking place on something he had built. She did not buy it and growled at him to get a move on. He reluctantly got up from his seat in the study.
    He got into the limousine with his wife without saying a word. There was not much to say between them at the best of times, so this time, there was particularly little to say. He knew she would ask him about what was happening at ‘The City’, but he simply did not want to answer those sorts of questions. It was a reality of their marriage they had both grown used to over the past decade or so. Normally, it did not seem like she minded, but somehow, it seemed to Portis, his wife minded today. The silence in the limousine felt awkward, more awkward than at any other time before.
    Their marriage had always been a good one, even though it had been arranged. Not arranged in the way that some ethnic groups still clinging to old traditions would arrange their marriages, but arranged regardless. His father had decided upon the match when Portis had dropped out of college and even when he had made his fortune in the tech boom, he had not dared to disobey those wishes. His marriage was a happy one, no doubt, but it was not his choice. He was happy with her allowing him his mistresses as well, so all in all, it was a good match.
    The limousine dropped them off right in front of the venue the president had booked. They were just behind another limousine. The man who got out of it was the former president that he had played golf with earlier in the day. His wife, a senator, was with him. Portis strolled into the house, his wife on his arm, following the ex-president and his wife at a respectable distance.
    The room was set up for a dinner. A heap of round tables had been placed around the main reception room of the building and Portis marched his wife straight to the table they were assigned to sit at. He did not want to waste time. The president would be speaking soon and he did not want to appear disrespectful in the face of the most powerful man on earth. Especially not when this man held the key to most of the plans he had with his foundation. Maybe Congress did not want to agree with all his plans, but as long as he kept the president on his side, he could get a lot done. The president could achieve a lot by means of an executive order, unless Congress specifically countermanded those. They were of the same value as any bill passed by the assembly.
    Then the glasses of champagne came in by the trayful and he could not help himself. Portis found himself grabbing glass after glass and quickly getting drunk. His wife tried to stop him from inebriating himself, but he could not help it. The stress of the day seemed to be catching up with him and he felt he needed that haze.
    The president showed up and walked straight to the podium that had been prepared for him. The speech started off badly. There was a joke at Portis’ expense and then another concerning the president’s daughters, some local celebrities and predator drones. At that, Portis threw another glass of champagne down. It was a terrible joke, given the criticism the president faced over his use of drones.
    He looked at his wife and found her looking blankly at the president as he gave his speech. Across the table from him was the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Drunk as he was, he realized he needed to talk to the man.
    “You heard about what happened at my ‘City’ then?” he