The President's Vampire

by Christopher Farnsworth

  Graves looked at his watch—past nine P.M. At least he’d get out before midnight, for a change.

  Then he noticed the figure standing at the door of his office. He pursed his lips in disgust.

  Cade.

  Great. That was all he needed.

  Graves sighed. “I don’t suppose you’re here for a job.”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Do we really have to do this again? You cannot touch me. Ever. And I will never fear you again. Learn to accept defeat. Or don’t. Either way, I have a busy schedule this week.”

  “You’re an important man. I know that,” Cade said as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. “I promise, this won’t take long.”

  He slid a single sheet of paper across the desk.

  Graves recognized the form. An order for Indefinite Preventive Detention.

  The signature under “authorization” was crisp and clear: the President of the United States.

  And in the line at the top, Graves saw his own name. The one he’d left behind when he joined the Company. His real name: PETER SINCLAIR.

  True names have power. He remembered telling someone that.

  He broke out in a cold sweat. Cade’s mouth twitched in amusement. Bell’s last gift.

  She really was a genius at research.

  Colonel Graves was the recipient of a presidential pardon. Immune from all prosecution or sanction. Untouchable.

  Peter Sinclair, on the other hand . . .

  “You have been designated as an enemy combatant, Colonel,” Cade said.

  “No,” Graves said. “You can’t do this.”

  Cade took a step closer to the desk.

  Graves’s voice rose to a scream. “No. You can’t do this! I have rights! ”

  Cade smiled. “Not anymore.”

  There was more after that, but Cade hadn’t been lying. It didn’t take long. For him.

  For Graves, it lasted the rest of his life.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I’ve been lucky enough to have the help and support of many people in writing this book. Many thanks are due:

  Alexandra Machinist, peerless agent; Rachel Kahan, fearless editor; Ivan Held; Justin Manask; Lucas Foster; William Heisel, for his relentless enthusiasm; Bryon Farnsworth; Amanda Rocque; Megan Underwood Beatie; Lynn Goldberg; Britt McCombs, for sparing the world my sadistic abuse of the comma; Tom Alfaro; the legendary Beau Smith; Lauren Kaplan; Victoria Comella; Eric Almendral; John Whalen and Jonathan Vankin, for their generous permission to quote from The 80 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time; Patrick Fitch; Dr. Rachel Lynn; and Dr. Laura Seay.

  I’m unbelievably blessed to have Jean Roosevelt Farnsworth as my first reader and our daughter, Caroline, for moral support and all-purpose motivation.

  For the real-life stories of the black world, I recommend Trevor Paglen’s remarkable Blank Spots on the Map: The Dark Geography of the Pentagon’s Secret World and Tim Weiner’s Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA.

  ALSO BY CHRISTOPHER FARNSWORTH

  Blood Oath