"Hey, Freddy!" "How ya doing?" " Hey." " All right, that's what I like to hear." " My man." " Catch you later, brother." "I spoke to everyone I know at the Daily." "Nobody's naming sources, but it has to be Remy." " Is Galloway going on the record?" " He wouldn't." " Not without speaking to us first." " Let's be sure about that." " I'll talk to Adam." " Maybe it's smarter to avoid contact." "Somebody has to respond, whether it's him, or us, or both." "We have to coordinate, and do it carefully." "Let me take care of this." "Well, let's just think this through." " I've got it covered, Francis." " OK." "What should I do?" "Head back to the office?" "You should work here." "We can't avoid the press if you leave." " All right." "You hold down the fort." " Yes, sir." " And you follow Claire's lead." " We'll shut this down, sir." " There can't be any doubt." " Let's walk through a timeline." " So you first met him when?" " Whitney Biennial..." "This hurts us both." "But it's not my wound to suture." "Claire must be the surgeon." "Only she can stop the bleeding." "You know we got them plates in there." "All the changes you asked for." "Gave you five more points on the post-recoupment share." "Approval over all the marketing materials." "Approval over the staff hires of the flagship in Silver Spring." " So, what next?" " You sign." " And I get my $95,000?" " By the end of the week." "Just have to wire it from our main account into the LLC, cut a cashier's check for you." "Oh." "I want to show you this." "It's a mockup of the bottle design." "And we already started on the concept layouts for the Silver Spring location." " Why's that linoleum peeling up?" " To make it seem real." "Well, I wanted it to look nicer than this." "We can scratch the peeling linoleum, but we don't want it to look too nice." "You want them white folks to feel like they slummin' it." " No, to have an authentic atmosphere." " And I get to play the nigger." "Look, Freddy, you know how this works." "They don't just want the ribs, they want the experience, but without having to leave the suburbs for it." "We're not selling candlelit dinners here." "But I promise, nothing gets built without your signing off." "So, what do you want me to do?" " I need you to deny it." " The affair?" "The affair, taking the photograph, everything." "We have a public history." "I donated work for your..." "You can say we had a business relationship, but that you didn't take the picture of me in the bed." "It was Photoshopped." "Whatever it is you need to say." "I'm so sorry, Claire." "I only have one print and it's still here." "You have to destroy it." "The digital file also." " But e-mail us a copy first." " Why?" "We need to make sure that there's nothing in the image that links to your studio." "Whatever you think is best." "Thank you, Adam." "I watched you when you did the CNN interview." "I promised myself I wouldn't, but I couldn't help it." "It's a shame it takes this for us to talk to one another." "You're well, besides this?" "Yeah." "I spent three months in Colombia after you came up here to work, but also to get away." " I met someone." " Oh." "She's from Bogotá." "She's working for an NGO there." "Her name's Inez." "She's living with me now." "Wow." "That..." "Things happened quickly." "Yeah." "They did." "I should go." "So I won't talk to the press until I get instructions." "That's right." " It's good to hear your voice." " You too." " You finished?" " Yeah." " Smack, crack, blow." " No, thanks." "Come on, old man." "We got what you need." "I don't need anything." "Gotta buy somethin' if you want to get inside." " Get out the way." " What?" "For real." "You need to get the fuck on outta my way." "I'm just fuckin' with you, nigga." "Chill the fuck out." " Who are you?" " Your grandfather." "Open up." " What's your plan?" " Work from home." "You don't need me dragging this circus to the White House." "I mean in terms of a statement." "We're drafting one." "Short and sweet." "Forgive me, Frank, but you know I have to ask." "If it were true, I would tell you, sir." "Would you like me to go on record?" "Say I stand beside" "No, no, no." "I appreciate that, Mr. President, but you shouldn't dirty your hands with this sort of garbage." "If the press corners you, just tell them you don't engage in gossip mongering." "Sir, it seems Mr. Galloway is about to appear on television." "Go." "Let me know if there's anything I can do." "Thank you, sir." "Good afternoon." "I have very little to say." "Only that I never had any romantic involvement with Claire Underwood, and that I did not take the photograph printed in the DC Daily." "I'm sorry that the vice president and his wife have to go through this ridiculous ordeal." "And I would ask that the media leave both my fiancée and me out of it." "Thank you." "You'll be ready in an hour?" " Yes." "We'll be ready." " Uh..." "You might want to change into something more..." " Conservative?" " Uh, yes." "I'm gonna go throw the hounds a bone." " I know it's demeaning..." " Not another word." "I should've been more careful." "We'll put this behind us, just like we've always done." " Part of me wishes..." " What?" "That you'd be more upset." "Tusk came after you because of me." "It's you who should be upset." "Wasted energy, isn't it?" "For both of us." "Shall we rehearse?" " I don't need your help." " This ain't a handout." "You have to pay me back over time." "Work for it." "Work for you?" "I'm gonna get the house either way." "Whether you choose to live in it is up to you." "Yeah, just what I need." "You in the easy chair, laying into me every time I come in and out the door." "The place is for you and DeShawn." "I'm gonna be at my own apartment." "You sure this nigga ain't just selling' you smoke?" "Says it right in the contract, 95 Gs no matter what." "I don't know, man." "I mean, five years I don't see you, then you come knockin' on the door," " talking about you got 95 Gs?" " Your choice." "You didn't want me to visit you no more in jail" " and you didn't want to see me after." " Still don't wanna see you." "Well, here I am." "Get the fuck outta here, old man." "You listen to me, boy." "I never had nothing to give you." "I didn't have no money, and you didn't want whatever I had." "But we talking about a house." "DeShawn deserves to live better than in a place like this." "This ain't about him." "It's about you." "You know where to find me." "See you, kid." " Less than 30 minutes." " Are they going to deny?" "I'm gonna let the vice president and his wife speak for themselves." " Have they been in contact with Mr. Galloway?" " No, they haven't." "Why has it taken them almost a full day to respond?" "I'm sure you can understand they wanted to consult with legal counsel first regarding defamation and slander." "You're saying they will deny the affair." "I'm saying they'll be out here in 30 minutes and you can quote them instead of me." "Thank you all very much for your patience." " I hate this." " What, waiting?" "No, the affair." "It's bullshit." "I feel like a tabloid hack." "You'd rather be stuck at the White House all day?" " Fuck this." " Where are you going?" "To do something meaningful with my time." "Hey, I need you to book me a flight to St. Louis." "Tonight, if you can find something." "No QA, so don't even try." "Behave yourselves, people." "I find it very painful that anyone would suggest" "I'm capable of being unfaithful to my husband, whom I love dearly." "I've known Adam Galloway for years." "We both have." "When I ran the Clean Water Initiative," "I commissioned him to do a series of photographs for the marketing campaign." "And he was extremely generous by donating work for our fund-raising auctions." "So I'm not sure why he would deny taking the photograph." "I love Adam's work, so I asked him to take this portrait." "We did it here, at the house." "Francis was there during the shoot." "It was a birthday present." "Claire asked me what sort of portrait I wanted, and I said I want one of her sleeping, because she's so very beautiful when she's sleeping." "It hangs in my office on the second floor." "They're fucking lying." "So I can only assume that Adam was intimidated by the media attention," " and he needed to distance himself." " What?" "But really, all we have here is a very talented photographer" " and a prized possession." "Thank you all very much." " Thank you." "Because it would've seemed too clean otherwise, like we were" "You made me look like an idiot." "If we had the same story, the media would assume we were coordinating." " It needed to look messier." " This was supposed to go away, Claire." "I've got twice as much press outside the building now." " Adam..." " I've gotta keep the lights off 'cause they're on the roof across the street trying to film us inside." "You just need to confirm that you took the photo for us." "Confirm our version." "Say you lied because you were scared." "I don't know why you didn't just tell me this is what you were intending to do." "Because I know you, and you would've refused." "You have too much pride." " I don't want to speak to the press again." " Listen." "If you say nothing, they're not going to leave you alone." "They will just camp out for weeks on end" "This is... it feels wrong, Claire." "It feels..." "I'm sorry I lied." "I wasn't trying to be manipulative" " I have to go." " Adam?" "Adam?" "I think he'll do the right thing." "I don't know." "I hope so." " Cigarette?" " No." "I'm gonna turn in." "Wake me if he goes on TV." " Sir." " Doug, why don't you and Seth come over?" " Yes, sir." "Should we consider a lawsuit against the paper?" " Show we won't tolerate this sort of gossip?" " They won't settle." "They'll fight it in the courts because it'll generate more news." "And what about the president?" "He offered to say something." " Draws attention." " President isn't a bad idea, if we phrase a statement for him." "He becomes the headline." "We can't control his press operation." "If we coordinate with them" "Coordination looks bad." "So it's your job to conceal it." "If Seth doesn't think the president should make a comment, we should defer to his judgment." "I'm gonna get another beer." " I can go grab you one." " No." "I feel like stretching my legs." " Doug, Diet Coke?" " I'm fine, thank you, sir." " Seth, a beer?" " I have to drive, but thanks." "I'll be right back." " Watch yourself." " What do you mean?" "Connor was an easy target, but I'm not going anywhere." "Look, Doug, I'm grateful just to be here." "You think I've survived with the vice president so long by being blind?" "Upward mobility has a ceiling with the Underwoods." " I'm the ceiling." " Understood." " What else have you got on them?" " Nothing." "You fork over the journal without a backup plan for a rainy day?" "I don't think so." "I had one hand and I played it." "I don't press my luck." " You can't expect me to believe you." " I don't." "I wouldn't if I were you." "But I'm telling the truth." "A little sibling rivalry isn't such a bad thing, especially between adopted boys." "They either push each other to be the best versions of themselves, or one of them gets booted back to the orphanage." "You're in my house." "You drink if I drink." "One Diet Coke for you, and one beer for you." "Thank you, sir." "Oh, darling, what a mess." "Sweetheart." "How are you holding up?" "The press have been harassing us the past two days." "Yeah, we barely made it out of the building without being trampled." " Oh, how awful." " You said someone was here to see me?" " He's in my office." " Did he tell you who he was?" "I didn't want to say over the phone." "You never know, these days." "He says he used to work for the Underwoods." " Who?" " Your assistant." " No, she would never" " She would and she did." " Why are you doing this?" " Not me." "The man I work for." " And who is that?" " That doesn't concern you." "This is my life you're fucking with." "You and I are just pawns, Mr. Galloway." " You should leave." " We need more to prove the affair happened." "Another photograph." "Thirty seconds, you better be out the door." "I'm not going anywhere." "You recognize the country code?" "And the city code is Bogotá." "Is it still ringing?" " Marshall!" " Hey, Pops." "Man, never seen it like this before." "The line's down the block." "Something else, ain't it?" "Looks like you could use some help." "Got a extra apron in the back." "Let's go!" "She refuses to leave the lobby." "What's her name?" "Ayla Sayyad, Wall Street Telegraph." "She's part of the vice president's press corps." "Oh, yeah." "Send her up." "I appreciate it, Tricia, but I'm fine." "This whole thing will blow over in a day or so, and I'll..." "Can you hold on one second?" " The Daily." "They called for a comment." " Did Adam speak with them?" "Yes, but not what we told him to say." "He sent them this." "Tricia, can I call you back?" " Is that you?" " No." "Because he's saying it is." " It might be." " Mrs. Underwood." "I mean, it could be, yes." "It probably is." "I asked you about any vulnerabilities." "I didn't know he took this." "You have short hair in the picture." "You said it ended over two years ago." "Well, I visited him last fall." "Does anyone else know?" "Did anyone see you there?" "He had friends over, to his apartment." "Christ." "But we've said that he's a friend." "There's nothing wrong with me visiting him, being at a party." "There is if this photo is on the front page of the Daily." "Politics and business are intertwined in China, as I'm sure you know." "It's not uncommon to partner with someone who can ensure Beijing's approval." "So you needed his political influence." "All this is moot." "Our venture fell through." "Right after the Port Jefferson Bridge was approved." "Well, I had nothing to do with that project." " Neither did Feng, to my knowledge." " No, but Wu Bin Yang did." "He's Feng's biggest rival in Beijing." "Well, it looks like I shouldn't be schooling you on Chinese politics." "You know far more than I." "You used the word "intertwined."" "That's the sense I'm getting from all of this." "The samarium subsidy, the Chinese refinery, the bridge," " your friendship with the president..." " Who sent you?" "Who sent me?" "When you're as rich as I am, you're always a target." " Nobody sent me." " You're here... in St. Louis." "Instead of covering the vice president and his wife." "My gut says there's more to Xander Feng than has been reported." "It's a far better use of my time than reporting on tabloid sex scandals." "It's not real news." "You miss Tehran." "I read some of your work while you were in the waiting area." " It started to get too dangerous." " Ooh!" "Yeah." "Not the best place to be when you want to get married and start a family." " Or if you're Jewish." " That too." "My wife got this for me when she visited there before the revolution." " It's beautiful." " Sixteenth century." "It, um, broke when it was being shipped, into a thousand pieces." "It took specialists over a year to restore it." " Here, I want you to have it." " I can't accept gifts." "No, no." "Not as a gift." "No." "As a reminder of how hard it can be to put something back together again once it's been crushed." "If you're going to threaten me, you don't have to go to the trouble of veiling it." "I don't usually do interviews with reporters." "They're parasites." "Usually interested in just finding a way to knock me down a peg." "Invariably, what they write is inaccurate." "And when that happens, I have no choice but to retaliate." "America can be just as dangerous as Iran, Ms. Sayyad." "Thank you for your time, Mr. Tusk." "Travel safe back to Washington." "Get Remy on the line." " Remy's on line two." " Remy." "Let's not hold back on the other thing." "Hit 'em again, and hit 'em now." "Best day yet." "You gotta get a safe or something." "Or maybe one of those, uh, pickup services." "That's too much money to be carrying around at night." "I can handle myself." "There ain't nobody can handle a Glock to the face." "Unless you got one yourself." "My days of packin' are long gone." "There." "Take mine." "I got one at home." "What the fuck you doin' bringing' that thing in here?" "Oh, it's just for protection, man." "I don't know what you doing with it anyway." "What about your parole?" "I'm a lot more worried about niggas in my building than some parole officer." " All right, sit down." " See, man?" "This is what I'm talkin' about, man." "You being all righteous and judging' me and shit." "Do me a favor and just sit down." "Sit down now." "Look." "We got us a good thing, potentially." "Maybe nothing' comes of it, but maybe something does." "If the Joint works out, maybe one day you can be the manager." "Shit, if it blows up, you can run the whole fuckin' franchise." "But that means you gotta be careful." "That means you cannot be sent back inside." "We gotta follow the rules." "Hear me?" " All right." " You gonna get rid of that thing?" " Yeah." " All right." "Now that's what's being a man." "I'll need you to cut it." "How short?" "This short." "I have a modeling career." "If I cut it that short" "If you actually had a modeling career," "I would be speaking to your agency, and not sitting in your apartment." " Do you want this job or not?" " OK, yeah." " I can cut it." " All right." "And before we go to the studio, I need to see how well-spoken you are." "Why does that matter?" "Because you're gonna be on every news channel in America." "Wait, what's this for?" "Read this." "Those exact words." "Read 'em." "If you're good, you'll memorize them." "My name is Stephanie Daldry." "I am a professional model." ""Freddy Hayes was convicted in 1982 for sticking up a convenience store in Columbia Heights." "During a high-speed pursuit, Hayes lost control and crashed into another vehicle, killing an elderly couple." "He avoided manslaughter charges by pleading guilty to armed robbery." "He served nine years." "In 1992, he opened Freddy's BBQ Joint, a small restaurant specializing in ribs, frequented by Vice President Frank Underwood."" " Did you know?" " No, I didn't." " You think it's Tusk?" " Who else?" " Who are you texting?" " Seth." "All I want to do is make a short statement." "Freddy did his time, he's been an upstanding citizen for 20 years." "He's a convicted felon who killed two senior citizens." " By accident." " That's beside the point." "I'm not gonna hang him out to dry." "If the Galloway story wasn't happening, I'd say it's fine." "But it's too risky right now." "Think of how this is shaping up." "A vice president whose wife cheats on him and who is friendly with a former gangbanger?" "There is no way you win, standing up for this guy." "He's about to start a franchise." "I will not have it jeopardized because Tusk decided" "It's more than just Freddy, sir." "I did some digging." "His son did time for narcotics, trafficking, distribution" " I've never met his son." " Let's hold off and tackle" "No." "I want you to organize a press avail tomorrow morning." "Have Freddy brought over here." "Bring him through the back." "Yes, sir." "I won't leave one of my own bleeding on the field." "If you're gonna have the Washington Redskins, then you're gonna have to have the New York Knickers." "Pops, you ain't even deep like that." "Yo, back off, man." "Yo, yo, yo, yo!" "Back the fuck off." " Darnell, just ignore them." " You think I'm fucking around?" "Darnell, ignore them!" "Ignore 'em." "They can't take our pictures if we don't want them to." " Sure as hell can." " What you say?" "The First fuckin' Amendment." "You gonna read me the" "Constitution now, motherfucker?" " Let's go on inside." " I ain't done with this asshole." "Hey, don't touch me." "Oh, but you can get all up in my face but I can't get up in yours?" "Listen to your daddy and chill out." " Let's go." " Don't push me." "I will fuck you up." " You think I'm scared of you?" " You scared of this?" "Darnell!" "Parole!" "Can you tell me your name, please?" "Stephanie Daldry." "I'm a professional model." "And this is you in this photo on the right?" " Yes, that's correct." " We shot this photo yesterday with Ms. Daldry." "So you're suggesting that Mr. Galloway's photo is a fake?" "I don't know anything about professional photography, I'm just a flack." "But if we can create a fake in less than 24 hours," "I think an expert photographer like Adam Galloway" "Those are serious allegations, especially given that Mr. Galloway vehemently denies it." "I'm not surprised he's denying." "Ultimately, though, it's gonna be your word against his." "Not my word." "The vice president of the United States'." "It's his word versus that of a potentially troubled man." " Troubled?" " Potentially." "Or maybe he has a motive." "What motive could Mr. Galloway possibly have for a fake photo?" " What would he get out of it?" " I don't know." "My job is to separate fact from fiction, just like yours is, Candy." "But maybe fact and fiction don't matter as much to the artistic sensibility." "Maybe the lines are blurred for him." "This is not a man who stages fictitious scenarios." "Like I said, the art stuff, it's over my head." "And you may be right." "But I would hate to think that Mr. Galloway was doing this just for publicity." "You think it's a publicity stunt." "Come on in." " Sir?" " Is Freddy on his way?" "There was an incident with his son." " What happened?" " He's in custody for threatening" " a photographer with a firearm." " Jesus." " Where is Freddy now?" " He's at home." " I have to go see him." " That's the projects, sir." "I don't care, you figure it out, and the press can't know." "Yes, sir." " Francis, you know I love Freddy..." " I'm going." "Freddy is dangerous because you care too much." " When we care too much, it blinds us." " What Tusk did is cheap." "And you're letting it get to you, which is exactly what he wants." " If I ignore this, if I do nothing" " It's not nothing." "Staying focused requires strength." " You want me to make something?" " You go ahead." "I'm not hungry." "You should eat." "I'm sorry." "You didn't ask for this." "It's not fair to you." "All I want is to be done with it." "For my father to be all right." "If I thought there was any other way, that..." "I didn't want to take the chance that he would" " I know." " These people." "I always knew they were ruthless, but..." "We're caged up in here like animals." "They're painting me as some sort of..." "And your family..." "It's inhuman." "They're fucking inhuman." "Getting worked up isn't going to change anything." "Let me." "Hello?" " Hey, Frank." " I'm fine." " Thanks for dropping by." " How you holdin' up?" "I been better." "Ain't never seen you without a suit before." "We didn't want to draw too much attention." "Well, this is it, my castle." "Ain't as big as yours, but it'll do the job." " Blind Willie." " Are you a blues fan?" ""Dark Was the Night." Gets me every time." "Man, you shoulda told me that years ago." "I can jam, talking about some blues all day long." "Check this out." "Original 78." "You want something?" "Water?" "Iced tea?" "I'd like some iced tea, thank you." " How's your son?" " They set the bail at 60 grand." " Jesus." " How's your wife doing?" "Oh, Claire's got a suit of armor three inches thick." "We'll get through all this garbage." " Somebody's tryin' to take you out?" " Appears that way." "Whoever it is, they done stepped on the wrong motherfuckin' rattlesnake." "That's why I'm here, Freddy." "I have to distance myself from you." "I need to make sure you're not going to play up what good friends we've been." "That you've been to my office, that you've cooked dinner at my home, or that the president was there." "We can't drag him into anything." "And I won't be coming in for ribs anymore." "With all that's going on, we can't add fuel to the fire." "You couldn't if you wanted to." "I'm selling it." " Selling the Joint?" " That's right." " What are you talking about?" " The franchise thing, with the sauce." "My business partner's pullin' out." "Say them white folks down in Silver Spring don't wanna go to no place run by thugs." " Why do you have to sell yours?" " Darnell's bail." "Well, doesn't that guy have to give you a hundred grand, regardless?" "I ain't getting shit." "There's a morality clause in the contract." "But he's gonna pay me 45 thou for the storefront." "That, with what little I got saved, I can pay that bond." " You can't sell Freddy's." " He's already drawing' up the papers." " Let me help you with the money." " Nah, Frank." "We'll make it a loan." "You can pay me back." " Not gonna happen." " Don't be prideful." " Frank." " Please, let me help." "I ain't taking' your guilt money." "When I was bangin', we used to clear 60 Gs a month." "I seen guys shot down execution-style." "I didn't give a shit." "Then I got caught." "Darnell was born my first year in." "Never saw him once, not even a picture." "I can't take back the bad I done." "All I can do is to make my own way, like I been doin'." "You understand." "Ain't pride, Frank." "If you change your mind, you let me know." "You was a good customer, that's it." "You ain't gotta pretend to be my friend." " You take care of yourself, Freddy." " You too, Frank." "Do you think I'm a hypocrite?" "Well, you should." "I wouldn't disagree with you." "The road to power is paved with hypocrisy and casualties." "Never regret." "This way." "Have a seat, Adam." "You left your phone at home, as you were asked?" " Yeah." " And what did you tell your fiancée exactly?" "That I'd be gone for a while." "She doesn't know where." "And what will she say if someone checks in on her?" " What is this?" " What will she say?" "Francis." " We need to work together now." " I tried." "You lied to me." "And I explained to you why that was necessary." "You didn't follow my instructions." "Do you know who Remy Danton is?" "He approached you?" "Inez's father is a human rights activist in Bogotá." "The government has charged him with treason for working with the rebels." "They're going for the death penalty, and Danton said they have the judge in their pocket." " You should have come to us." " Well, I said I would." " Danton said you couldn't do anything." " He's wrong." " I wasn't gonna take any chances." " Has he done what" " the government's claiming?" " No." "They're made-up charges." "He's a journalist documenting atrocities in the Darien Gap." " I can get the charges dropped." " Why should I trust you?" "Because the secretary of state is a good friend of mine." " And you don't have any other choice." " We're not your chess pieces." "And this isn't a game, Mr. Galloway." "Then why are you toying with us?" "We are trying to help." "That's a fucking joke, Claire." "Do not talk to my wife that way." "Oh, your wife?" "What does that even mean to you?" "Do not mistake any history you have shared for the slightest understanding of what our marriage is, or how insignificant you are in comparison." " Can you give us a few minutes?" " I'm gonna go call Cathy." "Forget my career and my reputation." "I want to marry this woman, Claire." "We're going to make this disappear." "Because of you, I will always be the man who placed her father in danger." " I can never erase that." " I'm sorry it's come to this." "I'm sorry I ever met you." "All you've ever done is cause me pain." "Now you're fucking with my life and the life of the woman that I love more than I ever loved you." "You'll be driven back to New York tonight." "In the morning, you'll make a statement saying this was a publicity stunt, and that the value of your work had been stagnating and you wanted to revive" " No, Claire." "I won't do that." " Yes, you will." " How about I tell the press" " Adam, shut up!" "That you wanted the attention, then you got cold feet, denied it, then you changed your mind again." "And that you faked the shower photo and you're coming clean." " Is that clear?" " I'm not part of this world." "I didn't sign up for it." "I have no interest in it." "We're giving you an out, Adam." "And if you choose not to take it," "I will bury you." "I've never hated anyone before." "Now I know what that feels like." "It's a terrible feeling, isn't it?" " End call." " Call ended." "Call Raymond Tusk." "No answer at his place." "Is it a matter of more money?" "Secretary Durant has already called President Moreno." "So we need to move quickly." "The minister of foreign affairs is involved now." "The judge isn't gonna rush a conviction in less than 12 hours." "Well, who do we know who has the minister's ear?" "Nobody who can trump President Moreno, and he's very sensitive to Durant's views on human rights." " Are you giving up on this?" " No, just being realistic." " Work on Moreno, then." " We'll start leaving footprints." " Quiet." " Excuse me?" " Oh." "Not you, my birds." " I think we need to be prepared for the possibility that we can't follow through with our threat." "I am hearing excuses, not solutions." "My hands are tied." "I can't circumvent the entire US State Department." "You know, I hired you to destroy Frank." " You're failing." " Look, Raymond," "I'm your lobbyist, not your henchman." "I don't employ lobbyists." "I employ people who can be useful to me." "And you are proving otherwise." "Quiet now." " I'll figure something out." " Soon." "OK, that's good." "You don't have to do this." "Yeah, I do." "The charges are dropped." "They lied to you." "You can lie to them." "New charges can always be filed." "It's not worth the risk." "OK." "Are you disappointed in me?" "Let's just get it over with." "OK, go ahead." "I'd like to make a statement." "There will be a little cleanup, some folks who will want to linger on the story, but we're over the hump, I'd say." "So we can leave the house now?" "The sooner you get back to normal work, the better." "All the meetings I had to cancel, let's find a way to get them back on the books." " Yes, sir." " I need to push ahead with the assault bill." "We've got your Matt Bai interview lined up for tomorrow," " but I think that" " Maybe we should hold off on Bai" " till after things quiet down." " That's exactly what I was gonna suggest." " Doug is right." " OK, let's get going." "I'll meet you in the car." "He's done a good job handling all this." " Yes, he has." " Should we have any more concerns?" " He claims he doesn't have anything else." " Do you believe him?" "I wouldn't go that far." " Keep an eye on him." " I plan to." "As for Raymond, we have to strike back hard and fast." "I want him obliterated." "More than that." "Let's make him suffer." "I don't know whether to be proud or terrified." "Perhaps both." "Wish I could do more." " What you gonna do with her?" " I don't know yet." "Probably have to knock it down." "It's worth more as an empty lot." "Is there anything else you wanna take?" "A memento or something?" "Nah." "I ain't one for lookin' back." "Eyes ahead." "Good luck, Freddy."