Caruthers scowled. "Bilton wouldn't think of that if it was typed out on his teleprompter."
"Well, it's his Service, sir. We're just borrowing it right now." Alan shot an after-the-fact glance at the post-stander, whose face still betrayed nothing.
Caruthers and I were elbow to elbow at the end of the table, like two senior board members. "All right, thank you, everyone. Please give me a moment with Nick." He waved them out. "You, too, James."
The Secret Service agent at the door didn't budge. His even stare took my measure. "I'd prefer not to leave you alone in a room with anyone, Senator."
"I agree wholeheartedly. But this isn't anyone. It's Frank Durant's boy."
"Okay." The agent withdrew, but as he went through the door, I heard him say, "Though we don't want you ending up like Frank Durant."
Caruthers scowled after him before settling back in his chair. And then it was just me and a presidential candidate and the Westside laid out beyond the broad window.
He eyed me gamely. "Are you a Democrat or a
Republican?"
"Neither," I said. "I didn't vote in the last election."
"Yes you did," he said. "And your candidate won."
It took a few seconds for me to pick up his meaning. Caruthers seemed to be pithy like Frank, even away from the cameras. He had the same talent for cutting to the heart of a matter, for leaving you reflective rather than defensive.
"Okay, fair enough-" I caught myself. "With all due respect…"
He was leaning forward, genuinely interested in me now, or else doing an excellent job of faking it. "Please, by all means, continue."
"The dogma and feigned moral indignation, it just wears at me. In my old job, I saw a lot of policy changes, and God knows Bilton has gutted social services, but I've found that whatever politicians promise, it usually doesn't trickle down to the people who need it."
He licked his lips, seeming to enjoy the frank exchange. "Not a fan of government?"
"Government can be a nasty thing when you're on the wrong end of it."
He rested a hand on my forearm, a gesture that from anyone else might have seemed condescending, but his eyes were so alive, his face so receptive and oddly vulnerable, that it didn't bother me. "People are fed up with the bullshit. And rightly. I hear that some of the agents on the team think something more went down in that nuclear power plant."
Just like that. No transition.
We stared at each other. My mouth was dry, and my blood was moving at a good clip. I thought about his sending the Secret Service agent outside and wondered who he trusted and with what.
"So that's why you wanted to talk to me?"
The phone chirped, and Caruthers tapped a button to silence it. "You're the only person who was actually inside that nuclear plant. You say you're tired of bullshit, and we both know that the official line on San Onofre hardly smells like roses. If you want to talk, I'm someone who will listen to you. The administration is very eager to label this terrorism, because it drives their stock up. But I have to wonder if a guy like Mike Milligan with a bomb is looking for something more than just turning Southern California into a radioactive wasteland."
I said tentatively, "You believe there was a bomb?"
A silence. Then he laughed. "Oh, that's clever. Really clever. Quite a spin job they foisted on the public. To the tune of three percentage points." It was hard to gauge his surprise, but it seemed genuine. He rubbed his eyes and slumped back in his chair. For the first time I could recall, he looked his age. Four of the buttons on the phone were now blinking. "So what do you think is really behind this?"
I shrugged. "Why do you think I would know?"
"Milligan asked for you."
"Not really. He asked for Frank Durant's stepson."
"Still. Why?"
"I don't know. If you think the agents know something more, can't you just demand the information?"
"I'm a member of the Senate, but only a candidate for the presidency. The Service and I have a strictly protector-protectee relationship. As Alan pointed out, the agents are only guarding me since I'm in the race. They're under no obligation to present to me investigative details about every nutjob who wants to disrupt the election." He smirked. "Beyond that, it's the rules of the game. Bilton's the Man now. Eight years around the White House taught me the need to protect sensitive information from political rivals."
I said, "So you think there's sensitive information."
"That's another of the rules-any information is sensitive. Case in point: Mike Milligan with a bomb is a terrorist. Without, he's just a criminal…"
"And a dead terrorist is more useful to the incumbent in an election news cycle."
Caruthers offered me a slow nod, just down. "If you need anything, or if this thing takes a spin on you… well, Alan gave you the number at headquarters? I'll make sure you can reach me at any time." He saw my discomfort, and his face softened. "I understand you don't want to get sucked into all this. I get it. Believe me, I get it. But the offer will be there." He cocked his head, the light coming through his fair hair, the pronounced nose punctuating his thoughtful frown. I couldn't help but think of his Service call sign, Firebird. "I've been told that you don't want any recognition for your role in last night's events," he said. "Is that right?"
"The nail that sticks out gets hammered," I said.
He fixed those trademark green eyes on me. "You sound like your stepfather."
"That's because it's his line."
"Maybe I've been in politics too long. People who don't want something make me nervous."
"Sorry. I don't mean to make you nervous."
"Please. Christ, maybe I'll learn something from you." Caruthers's smile softened. "Frank Durant. What a tragedy that was." His eyes gleamed with a memory. "One year back then, we were at President Kinney's ranch for New Year's. After dinner the president brought a glass of port over for Frank-I mean, he didn't send it, he carried it himself. Frank was working, so he politely refused. The president pressed him a bit, but Frank held firm. It couldn't have been an easy situation. Finally President Kinney said, 'Special Agent Durant, I know you're working, but it's just a half glass.' And Frank said, 'It just takes one wrong turn to get off course.'"
I smiled and felt the familiar tug in my chest.
Caruthers said, "He didn't talk much, but he deployed his words well."
I looked away so he wouldn't see the emotion in my face. "Frank spoke very highly of you," I said.
Caruthers nodded kindly, but he was a man used to taking compliments and didn't understand the weight Frank's assessment carried. He rose and offered his hand. "I hope I see you again, Nick."
"Nice meeting you, Senator."
When I walked out, I glanced over my shoulder. Caruthers was standing again at the window, silhouetted against the light, lost in his thoughts or troubles.
Chapter 10
Though I was a high-school senior, I was trembling like an eight-year-old. First the sedan beyond the curtain. Then the gruff voice over the phone, the implicit threat against Callie-Your mother was just seated at a corner table at Giammarco's. I had little choice but to go outside and face whoever had come for me.
I edged through our front door into the cool night. The sight of that dark sedan nearly made me take off in the opposite direction, but I thought of Callie and willed myself not to bolt, not to freeze, not to slow. I became horribly aware of every part of my body-my arms swinging unnaturally, my feet rotating to slap concrete, my shoulders ratcheting up toward my neck. The sedan's windshield was tinted; I might as well have been staring at a wall of obsidian.
When I got within five feet, the back door popped open. Just a few inches. The handle felt cool under my fingers. I got in. Two men up front, mid-forties, high and tight hair. The smell of the leather interior.