by Nick Harlow
“Better?” asked Sydney.
He nodded and ran the back of his hand across his mouth. “Much.” He nodded at Klein. “Let me talk to him.”
Sydney helped him sit up a bit.
Ryan picked up his gun and glared at the other Agent. “Klein, never figured you for a traitor. What the hell are you thinking?”
“It’s not being a traitor to support a different political view that that of the administration. Of course, you drank the Kool-Aid long ago, Ryan.”
“I’ve worked under a Democratic administration as well, and did my job the same way I do it now. I would have taken a bullet for the last President in the same way I’d do it for Donovan. Or his daughter. And the oath we have taken has nothing to do with political beliefs. If you wanted to support the Democratic candidate you should have gotten a damn bumper sticker. Instead you’re going to get the death penalty and your family will live in disgrace. I’m sure your wife and kids will be thrilled. So let’s get to it. What does Mayfair want and who’s the person behind this whole thing?”
Klein laughed and shook his head. “You get nothing from me. And in case you didn’t know, I’m divorced and my kids are grown and hate me.”
“Wow, what a surprise. But right now I need information. I really don’t want to resort to using enhanced interrogation on you, but the rules go out the window down here. Absolutely no one can see what’s going on and with lives at stake I’m willing to do anything. Besides, no one would ever believe someone who took the President hostage. So why don’t you make it easier on yourself? You’re going to tell me eventually one way or another.”
“I don’t have to tell you a thing because you’re bluffing. You’re such a Boy Scout you’d never do anything to cross the line. That’s why they call you by the book Ryan.”
“Normally you’d be right, and I’m proud to follow the rules, but this is a different circumstance. You’re threatening the life of the President, members of his staff and these kids, especially this young lady whose life is my personal responsibility. I will not let her be harmed and will do everything in my power to protect her. You’ve crossed the line with a treasonous act which means the gloves come off. So that book I go by went right out the window when you guys started this. So tell me what I want to know. Right now. Or else.”
Klein chuckled a bit. “Aint gonna happen. And I don’t believe your threats.”
Ryan put his gun in his lap and turned to Scott. “Wingman, go get me a towel and a bucket of water.”
Sydney’s eyes widened as Scott headed to the kitchen. Is he really going to do this?
Klein glared at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Ryan turned to Sydney. “Tip his chair over so he’s got his back on the floor. Then slide him over to me.”
She locked eyes with him and saw he was deadly serious. “Sure.” She moved behind Klein and tilted the chair, letting it drop. It tipped over, banging Klein’s head on the floor in the process.
“Ow!”
Ryan laughed as Sydney slid the chair toward him. “Geez, Klein, if a little bump on the head is going to get to you, this won’t take long. Maybe you’re ready to talk now.” Scott returned with the towel and bucket of water. Ryan turned to Sydney. “You kids should probably go in the other room. You don’t need to see what I’m about to do. It will give you nightmares. Or you can stay and watch this tough guy crack.”
No one left.
He grabbed the towel from Scott and placed it over Klein’s head, then swished his hand through the water. “Oooh, ice cold. This should make things interesting. You can pretend you were on the Titanic. But in this case you don’t get a lifeboat.”
Klein’s muffled voice came through the towel. “Ryan, don’t do this.”
“You’ve got three seconds to start talking until you take a bath.” He splashed a little water on the towel. “One... two...”
“Okay! Okay! Stop!”
“You ready to talk?”
“Fine! I’ll tell you whatever you want!”
Ryan pulled the towel away, revealing Klein’s wild eyes, wide as saucers and filled with fear. “Not so brave as you thought, huh? Geez, you’re more afraid of water than my cat.” He cocked his head at Sydney. “Stand his chair back up in front of me.”
Scott moved over to help Sydney get the chair back up so the two agents faced each other.
“Now,” said Ryan, “first things first. What does Mayfair want?”
Klein started to calm down. “He’s going to demand that the President recall the troops from the red line and to remove them completely from that province.”
“Seriously? He didn’t strike me as someone who’s interested in foreign affairs.”
“He’s not, and it’s not his plan. The thinking is that the President showing weakness will turn the election. The thing with the troops is important, and they believe it will create a domino effect on election day.”
“So who actually came up this whole thing and is pulling the strings?”
Klein looked away for a moment, then back at Ryan. “The Democratic nominee... and...” he cocked his head at Scott. “His father.”
Sydney whipped her head toward Scott. His jaw dropped as the color instantly drained from his face.
Ryan studied Klein’s face. “Whoa, hold on. I’m not an idiot. You really expect me to believe that the Speaker of the House would have his own son taken hostage in order to rig an election?”
Klein shook his head. “The kid wasn’t part of the Speaker’s plan. He was Mayfair’s idea. The kid is our insurance. The original deal was that the Speaker was arranging for a plane to take us out of the country and for a significant amount of money to be transferred to all members of the team once we were done here. We found out he was going to have the plane shot down because some of the people helping us are Capitol Police who work for the Speaker and they tipped us off. He wanted to cover his tracks and tie up all loose ends permanently. So Mayfair timed this in order to take the Speaker’s son as a hostage, which is why we needed to know when he would be on the bunker tour. Our plan was to bring the kid on the plane so we wouldn’t get shot down and not release him until we got to our destination and the money was in place. Of course, Mayfair was going to ask for a little more as ransom and you know damn well the Speaker would have to pay it.”
“Does the Speaker know his son is a hostage?”
“Not yet. Mayfair is saving that bit of information until we board the plane.”
“Where’s the plane taking you?”
“That part I don’t know. Only Mayfair knows. The only thing is that it will be a country without an extradition agreement so we can’t be brought back to the United States for trial.”
“I could have guessed that part. What about the President’s daughter being a hostage?”
“That part was the Speaker’s idea and was critical to the plan. He knew Donovan wouldn’t bend with a gun to his head, but he couldn’t possibly give up his daughter. And he wanted her out of the way anyway. She was the insurance that the plan was foolproof. Even if Donovan won the election, he’d resign because with his daughter gone he’d have nothing to live for.”
With his daughter gone...
Sydney went cold. She moved in front of Klein. “Excuse me? Speaker Rusch wanted me out of the way?”
Klein nodded. “Actually, that was his wife’s idea. She didn’t like the fact that their son had strong romantic feelings for you and it didn’t look good for the two of you to be seen together. It didn’t fit their narrative as far left liberals. And... nothing personal, kid... but after the President agreed to our demands, you were to become collateral damage.”
CHAPTER TEN
Sydney stood in stunned silence as Ryan continued his interrogation.
Trying to process what she’d just heard.
Scott’s father was behind all this.
His mother wanted me dead.
Collateral damage.
They’d actually kill me for a p
olitical agenda.
The discussion between Ryan and Klein faded into the background, becoming audio wallpaper.
“Miss Donovan?”
Ryan brought her back to reality. “Huh?”
“I’ve gotten everything I need. You have anything to say to this man? Or any other questions?”
She shook her head. “No. I, uh, think I’ve heard enough.”
Ryan turned to Klein. “Anything you’d like to add that might help your case? You’re not getting out of here, so don’t hold anything back.”
“I’ve given you everything.”
Ryan nodded. “I thought as much.”
He lifted his gun and shot Klein in the head. The force of the bullet knocked the chair over.
Sydney jumped back. “What the hell? Why did you kill him?”
“He was still a threat.”
“He was tied up and handcuffed.”
“Trust me, if I passed out again he would have tricked one of you kids into letting him go or escaped on his own. Handcuffs aren’t terribly challenging for a trained field agent. And he was a dead man anyway. They would have executed him for treason even though he cooperated. Or who knows, some liberal lawyer would have found some legal precedent to let him go since I threatened to waterboard him. Of course, all I had to do was threaten him. I knew he’d served at Guantanamo and that the possibility would scare the hell out of him.”
She studied Ryan’s face. “You’re serious. That he could have still hurt us, I mean.”
He nodded. “Any agent worth his salt would have escaped, and while he flipped on Mayfair like a burger he showed no remorse at all. I have no doubt he would have put a bullet in your head if he’d gotten free. In case you’ve already forgotten about collateral damage.”
His words made her head snap back.
“I’m sorry to be so direct, Spitfire, but now is the time for brutal honesty. Listen to me. They. Wanted. You. Dead. Let that sink in. We are dealing with pure evil here. They will have no remorse about anything they do. It’s actually good that you are seeing the brand of hardball these people are playing. Your life means nothing to them. Am I getting through to you as to why I killed him?”
“Sure, I understand. Just hearing all this... it’s hard to comprehend.”
“Hey, I find it hard to believe that the Speaker of the House would order the death of a teenager for political gain. But Washington is a swamp filled with people who have no soul. As for taking out Klein, my job is to protect the President’s daughter, but in your case it’s become more than that.” He looked down for a moment. “Look, I’ve got two kids at home, both sons around your age.” He looked up and locked eyes with her like never before, turning from a Secret Service Agent to a parent. “But you’re... well, you’re the proverbial daughter I never had. And if I ever had a daughter I’d want her to turn out like you. I’ve protected a lot of Presidential family members over the years, but I have never cared about one as much as you. And I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”
She bit her lower lip. “That’s really sweet of you to say that. And you’ve been like a dad to me when my father is away. You’re more than an agent to me. And you’ve been so kind since my mom passed away.”
“Thanks, Spitfire. But back to Klein... I really had no choice. The risk that he could get free was too much to take, especially considering my current condition and the fact I could pass out again at any time. Or die. This way we’re absolutely sure he can’t hurt us. You can’t exactly have sympathy for him after what you just heard. Any of them would have killed you without batting an eye. Probably all the other kids as well.”
“Didn’t we need him for evidence against the Speaker and the Democratic candidate to prove they plotted the whole thing?”
“I recorded his entire confession on my cell phone.”
She slowly nodded. “Great. I should have figured that. You know, I can’t believe the Speaker was behind this—”
And then she noticed.
Scott had left the room.
“Where’s Scott?”
Ryan cocked his head toward the Situation Room. “He left after hearing his parents wanted you killed. Poor kid looked like someone ran over his dog. You’d better go calm him down. He’s a valuable asset and we don’t need him getting emotional. He’s the steadiest one of the group. No offense, Spitfire.”
“None taken. Because you’re absolutely right.”
She found Scott standing in front of the monitors, both hands balled into fists, watching the networks as they carried a news conference with the Speaker of the House.
The man who wanted her killed.
Out of the way.
His own father.
“Scott?”
He didn’t turn to face her. “I don’t even know how you can look at me after what you just heard.”
She moved toward him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He stared daggers at the television screen. “My parents actually wanted you dead. Collateral damage. They will go to any lengths for political power.”
“And obviously you had nothing to do with that. So why in the world would I think any less of you?” She took his shoulders and turned him so that he was facing her. “Hey, look at me.”
His eyes were filled with pure black hate. She’d never seen him like this and his look made her back up a half step. “My own parents... wanted to kill the girl I...” He voice cracked a bit.
She moved forward, took his hands and worked her fingers into his fists. “Hey, I really need you to settle down. Now it’s your turn to take a breath. You are your own man, Scott. Always have been. You’ve been trying to get as far away from your parents as possible since I’ve known you. You yourself told me their marriage is just a political partnership and they only adopted you as an accessory to make themselves look good. I couldn’t possibly blame you for any of this. There’s no guilt by association here. I understand that what you just heard is very upsetting, and I’m angry as well... but certainly not with you.” She playfully tapped him on the head. “Am I getting through to you?”
“You think anyone will accept us doing anything together, even being friends, knowing my father tried to kill you? And your dad? Your father wouldn’t want me within a mile of the White House.”
“Again, what your parents did has nothing to do with you.” She squeezed his hands. “You’re one of the finest people I know, Scott. This does not change you or my opinion of you one bit. And your reaction to what you heard tells me you really care about me.”
He exhaled and looked down.
She reached out with one hand, took his chin and tilted it up. “Scott, look at me.”
“What?”
“That part about you having strong romantic feelings for me. I want you to know it’s mutual. And has been for a while.” She locked eyes with him, giving him the most soulful look she could muster.
Finally his face relaxed a bit. “Guess my secret’s out.”
“You don’t exactly have a poker face when you look at me.”
“You knew?”
“They say a woman always knows, and even though I don’t have much experience dating, I could tell when you started looking at me in a different way. And, by the way, that was actually the topic of discussion this morning and my dad already approves. And, amazingly, so does Gladys.”
His eyebrows went up as his eyes widened a bit. “Excuse me? Does everybody know?”
“Yes, and they know I have the same feelings for you. They both have known that I’ve had my eye on you as more than a friend for some time and they also see how you look at me. And, though you apparently haven’t noticed, how I look at you. Just this morning my dad said you’re a fine young man and is glad you’re nothing like your father. Gladys said you have a lot of good qualities. And I, for one, am an excellent judge of character.” She took his shoulders for a moment, then pulled him into a hug.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and squee
zed her tight. “Thanks, Syd.”
She leaned back and looked at him. “So, are we okay? I need my Wingman at one hundred percent.”
He nodded. “Yeah, Spitfire.” Then he cocked his head at the television, still filled with the face of his father. His eyes narrowed a bit. “But when we get out of this, I’m going to take him down. I don’t know how, but I’m going to make him pay for this.”
“Okay, but right now the look I want from you is not a death stare from a gunslinger, but the calming one you gave me as that elevator started to move. I need your steady hand, Scott, if we’re going to make it out of here alive. You’re the balance I need if we’re going to be successful.”
His face relaxed and the eyes returned to normal. “Sorry. I’ll put it on the back burner till we get out of here.”
“Thank you.”
“See, this is why you’re a great leader.”
“Oh, please. Besides, I’m usually the emotional one.”
He shook his head. “You still don’t get it. You’re confusing emotional with passionate. No one has a life force like yours. It’s contagious. Syd, people aren’t drawn to you because you’re the President’s daughter. It’s because of the energy you give off. You own the room the moment you walk into it, even when your father is there. Remember that line he stole from JFK when you were visiting Chicago? ‘I’m the man who accompanied Sydney Donovan to the Windy City.’ You inspire people, Syd. Good God, the courage you showed after you lost your mom was incredible. How you took over all the charity projects that were so important to her, and when you were fifteen, no less. Just being around you makes me want to be a better person, to achieve more. You push me to be the best I can be, and you’ve done it since we met in fourth grade. That’s why you have the leadership skills we need right now. I may be the more deliberate one, the one who considers all alternatives carefully before making a decision. But you have the instinct... that sixth sense... to know what the right path is. And you can do it fast. You have a special kind of vision that all great leaders need. And I simply know that following you is the right path today.”
