“Where do you think Dad is?” Jack asked.
“I called First Manhattan. The woman I spoke to said he was taking two weeks off for a vacation in the Caribbean with Mom.” Troy glanced down the hallway. Cheryl was just coming back from changing Little Jack’s diaper. “We know that’s not true. He told Mom he was going on a business trip to Europe.”
“You think Mom knows it was a lie?”
Troy nodded. “Yeah, she’s too smart to be fooled anymore. But I don’t think she cares that much. I think she’s carrying what she cares about.”
“Where do you think Dad really is?”
“I don’t know, Jack. I’m not sure I care.”
President Dorn smiled serenely at the television as he and Baxter sat in the Oval Office watching the CNN news report. The anchor had just announced the capture of the last member of the death squads — and Dorn was getting all the credit.
He only had one of the Executive Orders, true. So Red Cell Seven was still legitimate. But sooner or later he’d get the other one. He’d learned long ago to enjoy huge victories in the moment, and this was most certainly one of those victories.
“You’re a hero,” Baxter said loudly. “The country adores you. You’ve solidified your legacy.”
Dorn’s smile grew wider. “I am a hero. And they should love me.”
“By the way, sir, Major Travers is—”
“Not yet, Stewart,” Dorn interrupted, still soaking in the accolades from the newspeople and from the series of interviews CNN had done in Washington and New York with citizens on the street. Everyone was being effusive with praise for the efficient and effective end to what had essentially been a nationwide hostage situation. When the report was over, Dorn looked over at Baxter. “Now what was that?”
Dorn didn’t give a damn about Wilson Travers. That was obvious. He probably didn’t even remember who Travers was. “What are you going to do about that other original of the Executive Order?” It was the first time Baxter could remember intentionally leaving off the word “sir” at the end of a question addressed to Dorn. Maybe taking this job had been a mistake after all.
“You’re going to find it for me, Stewart, and you’re going to find it for me quickly.” Dorn raised an eyebrow as he stared steadily at Baxter. “If you don’t, I’ll fire you.” He pointed at his chief of staff. “One way or the other I will crush Red Cell Seven. Do you understand me?”
“Roger and I shouldn’t have cut you loose the way we did, Shane. I’m sorry for that.”
Maddux nodded. “I’m glad to hear you say that, Bill, very glad. But why’d you do it? Why’d you tell the president I was behind the assassination attempt?” Maddux had explained to Bill his connection to Stewart Baxter, and therefore how he knew what Bill had divulged to Dorn. “I understand the cover story internally, for the rest of Red Cell Seven, but why give me away to the president? Why make me public enemy number one in the Oval Office?”
“When Roger found out you were the one behind sailing those LNG tankers at Boston and Virginia, he lost it. In the forty years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him that angry before at anyone. He hated it that you’d gone outside the chain of command. He felt you’d put Red Cell Seven in a terrible position. And he believed that killing half a million people to make a point was wrong, even if your intention was strategically correct. He felt we had to cut you loose, because if it ever came out that you were the one behind those plots, RCS might have been finished despite Nixon’s Executive Order. He figured the chief justice of the United States might not care about an Executive Order at that point. But he thought if we could prove you’d gone rogue, we’d be okay.” Bill paused. “Red Cell Seven and the safety of the United States was everything to him, Shane. I think you were second, even in front of Nancy on some level. But it was a distant second.”
“I know. And it should have been that way. For us, loyalty to country must come before any personal fidelity. But why did you give me away to Dorn?” Maddux asked.
“I had to trade something sensitive in order to smoke the president out. He was making all this noise about getting behind Red Cell Seven. I was trying to build a bridge to get at the truth. The same way you were doing with Stewart Baxter. As it turns out, we were right for trying to assassinate Dorn. He was lying about his change of heart. He really was trying to shut down RCS. As far as I know, he still is.”
“Fine. But you had people looking for me,” Maddux said. “You had agents who were ordered to shoot me on sight. You weren’t just trading information. You were trying to eliminate me.”
Bill swallowed hard. For all he knew, Maddux was considering the ultimate punishment here. Admitting that he’d put agents on Maddux’s trail might hammer that last nail in the coffin and push Maddux over the edge. On the other hand, Maddux respected the truth.
“Did you really think they’d find me?” Maddux demanded.
“No.” It seemed like the thing to say. And they probably wouldn’t have. “What happened to Roger?” Bill asked quickly, trying to change the subject.
“I killed him. Then I drove his body back to Georgetown.” Maddux’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Did Dorn have Roger’s wife killed?”
“I don’t know for sure. All I do know is that Nancy’s still missing, and I doubt she’ll ever be found.”
“Bastard,” Maddux whispered. “That’s as good a reason as any to try again.”
Bill understood exactly what Maddux meant by that. He wanted to try again to assassinate Dorn. “What now, Shane? Where do we go from here?”
“You take Roger’s place,” Maddux said firmly. “You’re the natural choice to become the next leader of Red Cell Seven. And I become RCS’s Number Two.” He laughed softly. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you.” He laughed a little louder. “Not yet, anyway.”
A wave of relief surged through Bill’s body. Not until now did he realize how much he’d been worried about exactly that possibility. “We’ve never had a Number Two before.”
“Well, we do now.” Maddux gestured at Bill. “You’ll have to resign from First Manhattan. You won’t have time to lead it and RCS. Besides, you basically have to go underground at this point. Dorn and Baxter will be trying to find you. They know we’ll be coming after them, so they’ll try to get us first. Us and the Order,” Maddux added. “Bottom line, you would have had to resign from First Manhattan anyway. They would have made certain of that, I’m sure.”
Maddux was probably right, Bill figured ruefully. “Have you spoken to Baxter again?”
“Only long enough to tell him that I have the Executive Order and that he and Dorn will never get it.”
Another wave of relief rolled through Bill. “Thank God,” he whispered. Maddux wouldn’t lie about having the Order.
“I want this to work,” Maddux said evenly. “We’ve had our differences, Bill, but I think we’re the only ones who can completely trust each other in the long run. Now, anyway. I think we finally get each other.”
Strangely, Bill understood exactly what Maddux meant.
“The safety and security of the United States is the most important thing to both of us,” Maddux continued. “Not many men can say that and truly mean it.”
“It’s true,” Bill agreed. “So what do we do with the last Executive Order, Shane? The physical document, I mean. Dorn will be using every means available to him to find it. If he does, he’ll have the ability to destroy us.”