Soon the team would be breaking up. Samir had arranged for Amir to work at the Afghanistan Embassy in Rome. Bobo had decided to take a leave of absence from M.I.T. to undergo full-time training with the agency in Virginia. The rest of the team was home working on local assignments. Shockley worked on mundane projects while waiting for new storm clouds to appear on the horizon!
When he arrived in Rome, Amir settled into his new home at the embassy. In Kabul, Samir, trying to help the new government get off the ground, communicated by encrypted email and calls with his protégé. Amir’s immediate job would be to persuade Western European governments to invest in the new Afghanistan. His mission would depend on the Europeans believing that the Taliban had changed. Had they? Amir doubted it.
Meanwhile, Shockley, who was handling Amir from Boston, had received disturbing news. An American in the State Department may have been compromised. Ron Milken, an up-and-coming star, was observed talking with two Russians in a café in Rome. What did it mean? Maybe nothing, but his behavior was out of the ordinary and needed to be understood.
Milken from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, the home of footballer Joe Namath, was well regarded in the State Department. Having been an all-state quarterback and pitcher at Beaver Falls High School, several colleges, including Penn State, Notre Dame, Princeton, and Ohio State, showed an interest in Milken. Realizing he was probably too small to play Division One football, he chose Princeton for its education and stellar baseball program.
Milken was a star in College from any point of view. He did well academically, graduating with honors. As a starter for four years on the Varsity Baseball team, Milken compiled a record of 22-4. He was a popular figure on campus, and upon graduation, married Nancy Deson, a graduating senior from Vassar.
When one’s resume seems coated in gold, it isn’t hard to get hired at the State Department. Fitting in immediately and impressing his superiors with his street smarts and work ethic, Milken appeared to have a bright future.
However, Milken had a secret that only he and a few others knew. He was an S &M devotee who was enamored with a dominatrix named Sugar.
(To be continued)
I want to read more about Miliken & Sugar!