Contents ( 84)
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- Acknowledgements
‘I couldn’t give a shit about being exonerated.’ Knowles was angry. He was through playing games. ‘I’m finished, whatever happens, Kelvin. I’ve let you own me. You and the sonsofbitches you answer to. I let you control this office. I let you control my presidency. I’ll pay the price for that. But I didn’t do it for me. And you know that.’
‘I know who it was for, you pathetic fucking martyr. That’s why this is so sad. Because everything you’ve done for them – everything you’ve let happen, just to protect them – well now it’s been for nothing.’
Knowles had known the risks. The consequences should Dempsey and Grace fail. How could he not? This was the very threat that had been hanging over him for his entire political career. But knowledge did not make it any easier to accept.
He stared at Cunningham in furious silence.
‘Did you think we wouldn’t do it?’ Cunningham demanded. ‘That after everything, it was just an empty threat? Well think again, Mr President. Because within the hour we’ll have twenty, thirty different victims and witnesses, all in place in Tootkai, all ready to testify to what you and your unit did in there. Once the world has heard from them and once it’s seen the video of your good friend Chief Lopez in action, you’ll be lucky if all you get is life imprisonment.’
‘You piece of shit. You know that video isn’t what it looks like. You know why he killed those men.’
‘What I know, Mr President, is that my organisation has a video of your chief petty officer killing two US citizens in Tootkai. The same man you put up for a Medal of Honor with no mention of what he’d done, making yourself a liar in the process. Now it’s time to pay for that, John. And thanks to you, every one of your unit is going down with you.’
Knowles was silent. What was there to say? For now, Cunningham held the cards.
For now.
‘Oh, and in case you think I forgot your little friend from the Secret Service. Well, I haven’t. We’re going to send Romeo’s whole unit to Tootkai to link up with the Blackspear team. And together, they’re going to find Joe Dempsey. Even he can’t take that many.
‘And once they’ve found out from him just how much your little masterplan has compromised us with the ISB? He’ll die, John. Which will leave your little friend Eden with no one to protect her from Romeo, from every one of his men and from whatever Afghan goat-herders might be passing by. All because of you and your big fucking ideas.’
Knowles’ fists tightened at the reference. He was ready to leap from his chair. Only Meyer’s pistol kept him in place.
‘You thought you were smart, John,’ Cunningham continued. ‘And you were. But I’m smarter. And now everyone you tried to protect? They’re all going to be dead or in jail. Every one of them. And it was you who did it to them all.’