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Back Enemy at the Gates Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. EPILOGUE
  55. More from the Authors
  56. ABOUT THE AUTHORS
  57. Novels by Vince Flynn

“If that came off as an accusation, it wasn’t intentional,” Cook said. “Look, I think it’s time for everyone to put their cards on the table. As far as we’re concerned, the rarest commodity in this world is smart, loyal people. And you’ve proved to be both. We don’t leave our allies twisting in the wind. Ever. So, if you want, I’ll have my people write up a press release saying that Irene Kennedy is out. That’d make you acting director and then we’ll do what’s necessary to make the position permanent.”

Nash stood and began pacing. “It may not be enough.”

“Why not? Kennedy trusts you as much as anyone to protect her from the baggage she’s carrying from her time running the Agency. For my part, I’ll send her off to a seven-figure think tank job with glowing speeches and a Medal of Freedom. If your worst-case scenario is the one that’s playing out, she’ll have to tell you everything about Ward and her mole hunt on the way out. Then all you have to do is find a satisfactory scapegoat.”

Nash shook his head. “It won’t be that easy. If Nicholas Ward’s alive, she won’t take a seven-figure think tank job. She’ll take an eight-figure job as his head of security. And the first thing she’s going to want to know is who’s after him. Some anonymous fall guy from the tech department isn’t going to fool her. And it sure as hell isn’t going to fool Mitch.”

“Maybe,” Catherine said. “But as destructive as a war with them could be, we have the resources to fight it. In fact, you could go so far as to say we have all the resources to fight it.”

Nash continued wandering at random through the room, trying to wrap his mind around the sea change in his reality. He’d spent the last week being eaten alive by the deaths of his friends and the realization that he’d had a hand in it. Second chances were a rare thing in his business and they never came without a cost. In this case, likely a heavy one.

“Right now, what we need is information. We need to know what Irene knows.”

“How can we accomplish that?” the president said.

“I have some ideas.”

“And if your worst-case scenario turns out to be the reality?”

He began to feel the same sense of disassociation that he experienced in combat. The creeping numbness that kept him from thinking about death or family or future. That had allowed him to go to a country where he’d never been and kill people he’d never met at the behest of a politician he didn’t vote for.

“Then we deal with it.”

43

SOUTHWESTERN UGANDA

“MY jailer returns. Successful trip?”