by J C Ryan
Aguillard went on the attack again. “Nevertheless. You have put me in an indefensible position, politically.”
Margot was shaking with anger, and ice dripped from her words. “You left out the bit about personally, Giles. And that’s the most important part because that’s what this is about, Giles. Not France or the baby or our party, no it’s all about Giles Aguillard and how he can stay in power.
“I have done nothing but try to protect you, though you don’t deserve it, you bastard. I disappeared so our secret wouldn’t come out. I did it to protect your marriage, your good name, and France. And you return the favor by setting secret agents on me and even trying to pin treason on me.”
As she spoke, Aguillard became redder and redder, and had his retort ready even before she finished. He spoke over her last few words when he said, “All I wanted to do was get you to France and safety, and nothing else.”
Margot was about to respond when Laurent cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at him. “Giles, I’m sorry, but if you insist that what you just said is the truth, I’d like to point out that you not only had an adulterous relationship with Margot but now also have a similar relationship with the truth. If you’ll recall, I was there when you briefed the Minister of Defense. You certainly did want her abducted and brought to France against her will.”
Aguillard harrumphed and muttered that he’d had her best interests at heart.
Margot scoffed. “You certainly have a unique way of showing it.”
Aguillard huffed again, and in a loud and aggressive tone, admonished her for her disrespect.
This was the point where Digger had had enough of this stranger yelling at one of his pack. He pulled his upper lip back, took a step toward Aguillard, and growled, causing the President to stumble backward almost falling on his ass. After recovering awkwardly, and not yet ready to relinquish his stance, Aguillard looked squarely at Rex and said, “Control your dog, or I’ll call in my guards and have him shot.”
This was the point where Rex also had enough. Up till now, he had kept his displeasure at the argument to himself, respecting Margot enough to let her fight her own verbal battles, but a threat to Digger by this obnoxious man was what pushed him over the top.
He drew himself up to his full height and spoke in a soft but measured tone, full of menace. “I don’t care who you are, if you injure my dog, you’ll be one sorry son of a bitch. And let me give you some more good advice. Stop threatening Margot, behave like a President not like a jackass, and my dog will stop threatening you. I’ve been patient with your rudeness to Margot, and so has my dog, but if you want to get out of here with your ass in one piece, your insolence ends now.”
Aguillard reacted with equal anger. “Are you threatening me?”
“No, I don’t threaten people. I give advice, and I make promises, and I don’t make them unless I can keep them. You’re just about to experience it if you don’t settle down.”
For a moment, it appeared Aguillard was on the verge of apoplexy. Rex assumed he’d never been spoken to in that way by someone he considered a nobody. No doubt, since he’d become President, he was surrounded by bootlickers, but if this meeting were to continue, he’d have to change his attitude, or Rex would change it for him. Digger still had his hackles raised, which Rex assumed was in reaction to Aguillard turning his invective on him.
Laurent stepped in again. “This serves no purpose. What’s done is done, and both of you are at fault. Giles, for your own good, stop being an asshole for a minute. Margot, you called this meeting. What did you want to say to Giles?”
“I was going to tell him not to worry. But if he’s going to be a bastard about it…”
Aguillard turned red again and opened his mouth, but Digger placed himself between him and Margot and growled. Laurent answered before he could recover and start again. “Stop this name-calling immediately. Your father would’ve been appalled at your behavior.”
Margot turned sad eyes on her uncle and pressed her lips together.
Laurent said, “Let’s start over. He will not have to worry about what?”
“I just want to retire from public view and raise my baby in peace,” she said. “There are ways we can keep this out of the media. But with Giles deciding not to get in touch with me but rather have me abducted or arrested by the secret service, that’s not going to happen.
“Giles, I believe in you. I believe in your platform. Remember, I wrote your speeches for you. I had nothing to do with those damn Russians. You do know that. Admit it. Why would you accuse me of anything to do with them? To kill me? To save your own ass, when I never threatened you with anything?”
“How was I to know you wouldn’t appear later, obviously pregnant, and threatening to make it public or approach my wife or make a deal with the Russians?” Aguillard hadn’t dropped his entitled tone, but he stopped talking when Rex took a step forward.
“Giles, if you had just stopped for one moment and thought rationally, you would’ve sent me a message, not your DGSE agents. There was a time, and that was not long ago, Giles, after I discovered I was pregnant until I found out you had sent DGSE agents after me, when we could have sorted this out between us with just a few hand-delivered messages or a face-to-face meeting.
“As for your wife, I never asked you to leave your wife for me. And let me tell you a little secret Giles, even if you did, I wouldn’t have married you.
“Finally, why did you think I’d disappear if not to keep this pregnancy secret?”
“And what else? To name this child my bastard?” Aguillard snapped.
“Nothing. I’d never want my baby to know what a bastard her father is. You owe me nothing but to leave me alone and let me raise her in peace.”
Sighing heavily, Laurent once more intervened. “Can we please stop going in circles? You two have now firmly agreed that you don’t like each other anymore, and I don’t think anyone has any doubt about that. Giles, I suggest you man up and apologize to Margot for setting the DGSE on her, and then let’s sort out the rest of it. Margot, you will accept his apology.”
Margot nodded slightly, obviously not entirely happy that she had said everything she wanted but probably realizing it served no purpose to continue spitting fire.
Aguillard hesitated, but a moment later, he grudgingly said, “All right. I apologize. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Margot said, “Damn right…” but stopped at a quelling look from Laurent.
Rex said, “What’s the rest of it you mentioned?” His question was disingenuous, because he and Margot had positive affirmation from the Russians that she was the bait in a blackmail scheme. So, it was no surprise what Laurent said next.
“I received a blackmail message to deliver to Giles, threatening to produce you and evidence of your pregnancy and link him to it if he didn’t reverse his stance on the gas pipeline the Russians want. You must realize that would not be good for France, for our allies, the NATO nations, and certainly not for Giles. Or you, Margot. If you two are finished hurling insults at each other, we need to move on and see how we can recover from your joint stupidity without destroying our country in the process.”
Rex nodded, “Yeah, we heard about that.”
“What do you mean? Where did you hear?” Laurent asked very worried.
Rex grinned. “One of the Russians who followed Margot in Vietnam told me.”
Aguillard and Laurent looked at each other, bewildered. Aguillard recovered first. “You better explain what you had to do with the Russians.”
“No, you’ve got that wrong, I don’t have to explain anything to you. But just to put your mind at ease, I’ll let Margot explain how it came about that I made contact with them.”
Aguillard and Laurent turned their gazes to Margot, and she explained what happened that night in Ho Chi Minh City when they were on the way to the airport, fleeing out of Vietnam.
Aguillard and Laurent listened in silence, and when she was finished, the two of
them slowly turned their gazes on Rex, new-found respect clearly visible.
“So, as you can see Giles, I did have need of someone to protect me because my own government wouldn’t give it to me.”
“I’m sorry, Margot,” Aguillard mumbled softly.
Margot was on a roll and continued, “Come to think of it, I have a few more things to say. You haven’t even thanked Rowan for what he’s done for me, for you, and for France by preventing those Russians from kidnapping me. Obviously, that has broken their stranglehold on you. They don’t have me and neither do your DGSE agents.”
“Yes,” Aguillard responded. “But did he tell you he also assaulted and seriously harmed three DGSE agents?”
Margot turned a questioning look on Rex, who shrugged and said, “Well, I wouldn’t exactly have called it serious harm. And you must keep in mind people tend to exaggerate things like that, especially if their jobs are on the line.”
She then turned to Laurent with raised eyebrows, who answered her unspoken question by telling her what the Minister of Defense had told them.
For the first time since the President and Prime Minister had entered the meeting room, Margot smiled. “Well, I saw him in action against the Russians, so I feel very sorry for your agents, though they don’t seem to have suffered as much as the Russians did. And Giles, you’ll probably want to look into the training the DGSE agents receive, because if a man who is a history teacher can take on three of France’s DGSE agents and kick their asses, I think there is a training problem at DGSE. Wouldn’t you say?”
Rex saw from the twinkle in her eye that she no longer believed his lie about his profession, which he told her in Vanuatu. He had to suppress a chuckle, and Digger looked from him to Margot as if to say, “What just happened?”
Aguillard was speechless. Even Laurent had to realize the talks had turned a corner, and Margot now had the upper hand. She must certainly have realized it, Rex reflected, as she now went on.
“Before we move to a final agreement, I want you to state in your own handwriting that Rowan will not be prosecuted for any of his part in this. Uncle Lucien, I want you to witness it.”
Aguillard offered to give a pardon.
Margot fixed him with a raised eyebrow and hard stare and said, “You must think I’m stupid. A pardon means that he’s done something wrong, and that is not the truth. In fact, I no longer want just a guarantee he won’t be prosecuted. I want you to give him a letter that states he acted in the interest of France when he protected me. You will word it as a letter of thanks, praise, and commendation.”
Aguillard must have finally realized he had nothing left with which to negotiate. He promised to write it, but that was not good enough for Margot. She adamantly refused to discuss anything else without the letter in her hand. At that point, pressured by Laurent, he surrendered, sat down, and wrote the letter. Margot looked it over, saw that it included everything she’d demanded, and pronounced herself satisfied on that score.
Then Laurent suggested they brainstorm how to put to rest once and for all the threat posed by Margot being found alive and her pregnancy exposed to the public. While she remained in hiding, the Russians could even use her disappearance to foment rumors and start a media frenzy. Laurent suggested the only way to keep it from happening was for her to come forward with a reasonable and believable explanation of her disappearance.
Margot and Aguillard both protested that, until Laurent said, “Hear me out. What I propose is that Margot come forward at a press conference and say she has been on an ocean cruise on a yacht and unaware of the stir she’s caused. She isn’t showing yet. She can plead exhaustion from the campaign and that she still needs a break and would appreciate privacy. Nothing needs to be said about the baby. Then after the baby’s birth, when she’s ready, she comes back to work.”
“I didn’t say anything about going back to work. I’ll go and do the press conference, but then I want to be left alone to raise my daughter in peace. And Giles, I will expect another handwritten letter from you guaranteeing it.”
Rex smiled to himself. She was still convinced the baby was a girl.
Aguillard said, “But you are my press secretary. The media misses you. You must come back!”
Margot shook her head. “I don’t want to be your press secretary anymore, Giles. Besides, working that closely together would only start the rumors again.”
Rex thought the arguments would start again, but once more, Laurent’s cooler head prevailed. “Margot, you have always had political ambitions, since you were old enough to realize there was a government at all. You have the talent for it, you’ve proved it. The people like you, the media likes you. You’re a natural, Margot. Don’t let that go to waste.
“Please don’t try to tell me you are now content to be a private person, a mother and nothing else.” He held his hand up as she bristled. “Yes, being a mother is an important job, and I know you will throw yourself into it and do the same excellent job you did for Giles’ campaign.
“I even understand your reluctance to take up your old role. But remember, Giles offered you a deputy ministry originally. Won’t you consider returning, after say a year, and accepting that job? You won’t have to work closely with him, and you’ll have the freedom to raise the baby as you see fit.”
“I don’t need a bribe to stay quiet, Uncle Lucien.”
Aguillard had the grace to keep his tone friendly when he answered, “It isn’t a bribe, Margot. It was a genuine offer the first time, and it is a genuine offer now. You are far too capable a woman to deprive France of your service. Please accept. I will pledge not to bother you, not to take an unseemly interest in the baby, and not to threaten you again. I was out of line.”
This time even Digger seemed to accept the apology as genuine. For the first time since he’d put himself in front of Margot, he sat down and let his tongue loll out of his mouth.
“It’s settled then,” Laurent said. “You’ll return to Paris with us now, and we’ll hold a press conference to explain that you are not dead as assumed but had only been on a private vacation and unaware of the assumption. You will say you need some private time, and then you can return to wherever you wish to have the baby. You will come back to Paris when you are ready to take up your new duties.”
“And Aguillard will put his promises in writing,” Rex added.
“Yes, of course.”
***
TEN MINUTES LATER they had agreed that Margot and Rex would go back to their ‘hotel’ to pick up their clothing and return to the airport. The two security guards on the tarmac would then drive the rental car to Paris, while Margot, Rex, and Digger would fly there with Laurent and Aguillard.
When they got on the plane, Margot was in her disguise with her chic new haircut, blonde tresses, and oversized glasses, so no one would recognize her when they arrived in Paris.
Margot would be the guest of the Prime Minister at Hôtel de Matignon. Rex wanted to stay out of sight, therefore he and Digger would find themselves a hotel nearby.
When they were in the air, Laurent said, “It is too late to arrange the press conference for today. Giles can get some publicity out of it, so I think we should make it a big celebration.”
Margot knew how these things worked and that politicians were always on the lookout for anything that would give them exposure to good press. Because he’d been forced to declare a period of mourning for her, having her show up at a poorly-attended press conference would make him very unpopular with the press. And though he was still enjoying the honeymoon phase of his Presidency, with the press for once supporting the popular opinion rather than trying to change it, it was a good idea to exploit that good relationship for as long as it lasted.
Therefore, Aguillard insisted that he must tease them with an announcement that he had something stupendous to share, something monumental—something that they would not want to miss. But he wouldn’t say what, only that it was very good news.
Chapter 5
4
Paris, France
THAT EVENING, THE airwaves were already abuzz with speculation. Could the President have signed a new trade agreement that would improve the economy? Had he and allies discovered who was behind the terrorist attacks that plagued the country? Was there a breakthrough in countries signing on to the world agreement to fight global warming?
Laurent chuckled as each new theory emerged. The stations were clueless.
Rex found a modest room for himself and Digger in a hotel near the Élysée, where the press conference was to take place. He sat down on the hotel bed and flipped through a few TV channels, watching with amusement the wide speculations.
Those who knew didn’t say, and those who said didn’t know.
Soon he decided that sleep was more important and turned the TV off.
Digger tried to get on the bed with him, but Rex had promised the desk clerk that his dog would not be a problem. Rex quietly told him, “Sorry, boy. You’ll have to make do with the floor tonight. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”
***
THE FOLLOWING MORNING after breakfast and giving Digger an exercise run, Rex made a few subtle adjustments to his appearance, including donning very dark glasses and extending the folding white cane he’d purchased in Geneva. He leashed Digger and rigged him up with his harness and fitted him with the comms units, just in case, though he left the camera and iPad in his backpack. He joined the crowd as simply another bystander, albeit blind, waiting for the press conference to begin. It was scheduled for eleven a.m.
The mood of the crowd was like that of a child waiting for his parents to wake up on Christmas morning; happy, expectant, and impatient all at once.
Imitating a blind man, Rex had to remember not to look directly up at the giant TV monitors that had been set up in the square. Instead, he watched at an oblique angle, his head cocked as if to hear better. The pre-conference talking heads were still speculating, building the impatience of the crowd.
Right on time, Aguillard emerged from the palace and mounted a temporary stage set up in the square. Applause and cheering broke out, but the crowd quieted as he raised his arms.
