CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
9:15 a.m. Eastern Standard Time
The Situation Room
The White House, Washington, DC
Susan walked to the elevator with Kat Lopez, their shoes clattering on the marble floors of the West Wing hallway.
“You know the deal with Putin,” Kat said. “He speaks English, but not as well as he’d like. He is likely to speak through an interpreter, probably the man named Vasil.”
Susan nodded. “I know.”
She had spoken to Putin through Vasil before, and Stone claimed to have met him once inside a secret underground bunker. He said Vasil dressed a lot like a young stud waiting in line to get into Studio 54 sometime during 1977—dress shirt with a wide open collar along with tight, form-fitting dress pants. That thought made Susan smile.
“When Putin speaks, he often makes long dra
