No Corner to Hide (The Max Masterson Series Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

the presidency, which she enjoyed.
    “Okay, Mr. President, if you think you’ll last that long,” she answered. “But let’s get back to work. We have cabinet members to pick and calls to make.”
    They retreated to the conference room at Fairlane, created by his father. Called “the den” all of his life, the room was modeled after the Jefferson Library at Monticello. Senator Masterson had studied and emulated Thomas Jefferson during his political career. He was most comfortable here, and most of his best thoughts were created in this room, recorded for posterity for Max to review after his death. He had not only devised the schematic Max had used in the campaign for president ten years after his death, but also the Maxims that his son had revised to address the issues of the presidency: a code of conduct that would govern his approach to the challenges ahead of him.
    Max leaned back and admired Scarlett’s ability to achieve the kind of intense focus that blocks out all distractions and allows creative people to achieve great things. He could do it sometimes, but she could do it at will, and that reason alone had her on the path to succeed him. She would become president after he had served his time.
    “I won’t be like the others,” Max exclaimed.
“You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know to the core of my being,” Scarlett responded sarcastically. In time of need, she reverted to her best Charleston accent, delivered like honey pouring off a cliff.
“It’s bigger than you can imagine,” Max explained. “I’m not a politician, and I intend to be a non-political president.” Scarlett began to protest, but Max raised his hands in a nonverbal shush . He needed to get his words out while they were clear in his mind.
“I know that’s hard for you to understand, but hear me out. Congress is composed of politicians who believe that they have unlimited power. They don’t. If they took the time to read the Constitution, which I have memorized down to the last word, they would realize that I can make treaties, appoint ambassadors, and take care that the laws are faithfully executed, but not much else.”
“I’m basically the Commander in Chief of the whole country, not just the military, and people are going to look at me to lead. I can’t do that by being a politician, worried about getting elected to another term. If I fail to lead, I won’t get re-elected. I won’t even run if I fail, but I’m not going to tell them that. I’m going to be the big idea guy, the nation’s cheerleader, and you are going to be the big explainer, making speeches that expound on those ideas. I know how you like to make speeches.”
Scarlett sat silently for as long as she could. She was used to being talked at, having sat through endless hours of hearings and meetings during her Senate career. In private conversation, though, the words couldn’t stay bottled up for long. “I suppose that you’re going to have me make your State of the Union speech, too, and maybe wipe your butt for you?”
Max ignored her, choosing instead to read over her shoulder, a habit that she found particularly annoying, especially when she wanted his focused attention. She was rapidly realizing that the president dreaded the political aspects of the office to which he had been elected three days earlier. “Since I’m going to be doing your job, what do you intend to do for the next four years, play golf while the country wallows in debt? I don’t mind if I’m going to be your mouthpiece, but if you think—” Max cut her off.
“I don’t do golf. It moves too slowly for me. Not my idea of exercise.” He had enlisted her to be his running mate by a direct process of elimination: She possessed all of the traits of a leader that he lacked, and she resented that to her core. But still, she admired the way he could annoy and charm at the same moment, and the charm always won.
“That story about the oil spill in the gulf has a