Nathan pushed himself up to a more upright sitting position. He felt somewhat insecure dressed only in a hospital gown. “To what do I owe this honor?”

The man said, “I take it you recognize one or both of us?”

He did. Standing in front of him were two presidential appointees. Director Ethan Lansing of the FBI and CIA Director Rebecca Cantrell. Cantrell stepped forward and offered her hand. Warm, but firm. Lansing also shook hands.

“You didn’t bring balloons.”

Cantrell smiled.

“I’d like to have Harvey and SAC Simpson present, please.”

Cantrell looked at Lansing, who shook his head no.

Nathan leaned back and looked out the window. “Well, thank you both for coming.”

“Nathan, please,” Stone said. “Directors Cantrell and Lansing have included me because I gave them my word this discussion would be kept confidential. Please hear them out.”

Cantrell said, “You were shot in the head last night. How about a compromise? Since Mr. Fontana has the same DOD security clearance as you, I’ll allow him to participate. But for national security reasons, SAC Simpson can’t be part of this discussion.”

National security reasons? What was Montez up to?

Stone stepped out and returned a few seconds later with Harvey in tow.

“How’re you feeling, partner?”

“I’m okay. What’s one more scar?”

Cantrell continued. “Our people didn’t attack you last night.”

“I didn’t think they had. Are any of our vehicles or homes bugged?”

“Not by us. I’m well aware of your past,” Cantrell said. “You’re an unsung hero, Mr. McBride. Very few people outside of this room know what you went through.”

“If you’re here to ask me—us—to back off, I’m afraid the answer’s no. And please call me Nathan.”

Lansing made brief eye contact with his father. “That’s not why we’re here. And I owe you an apology over the Bridgestone business.”

“Accepted. You did what you thought best at the time. I don’t second-guess people, especially people under pressure, and I don’t hold grudges.”

“That’s quite gracious of you. I’m not sure I’d be so forgiving.”

“I’m a chip off the old block.”

Stone said, “Thank you, Nathan. I consider that very high praise.”

Lansing continued. “We’re in a delicate situation here. I’ve talked it over with Director Cantrell and we’ve decided it’s better if we don’t work against each other. There’s too much at stake.”

“Would you care to elaborate?”

Cantrell exchanged a glance with Lansing. “First off,” she said, “I need to tell you there’s more going on than we can share. We can tell you that our two agencies are conducting a joint operation, both at home and abroad. The ATF and DEA are also involved. We want Montez as badly as you do, but we want him alive.”

Nathan started to object.