‘Yes,’ Jax said. ‘This is Jax.’

‘Well, son, this is President Forrester here, and you just saved my life. I am sure Agent Sami will fill you in on all the details, but I wanted to get in first and thank you. I was fixin’ to tell the whole damn world everythang, but, gosh, that just ain’t gonna be possible after having a little look at your file.’

‘I understand, sir,’ Jax said, barely suppressing his astonishment to be talking directly to the leader of the Western world. ‘I wouldn’t expect you to acknowledge a criminal.’

The President laughed loudly. ‘Ah, bless your heart. No, son, I can’t acknowledge you because, well, shoot, having a secret agent without a secret is about as good to me as tits on a bull. Anyway, son, I’m offering you a job. How’d you feel about coming over and working for good ol’ Uncle Sam?’

‘Mr President,’ Jax said. ‘I am serving a ten-year sentence in a maximum-security jail. I don’t think—’

‘Oh, don’t go worrying yourself about that,’ the President cut in. ‘We know all about it. And all about you. We even know some things about you that you don’t know. A little something about a big something you’ve been trying to figure out. A big damn dirty secret is what it is. But not for long. Not if you come work for me. All ya gotta do is say the word.’

Jax was utterly dumbfounded. He looked at Sami, who was grinning ear to ear.

‘So, whaddya say, kid?’

About the Author

JAMES PHELPS is an award-winning senior reporter for Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph. He began as an overnight police-rounds reporter before moving into sport, where he became one of Australia’s best news-breaking rugby league journalists. James was then appointed News Corp Australia’s Chief National Motorsports Writer and travelled the world chasing Formula 1 stories, as well as covering Australia’s V8 Supercar races. As well as writing bestselling and critically acclaimed biographies of Dick Johnson and Johnathan Thurston, James established himself as Australia’s number-one true crime writer with his bestselling prison series, including Australia’s Hardest Prison, Australia’s Most Murderous Prison, and Australia’s Toughest Prisons. His most recent books are Australian Heist (2018), a dramatic retelling of the true story behind Australia’s largest gold robbery, and Australian Code Breakers (2020), a gripping account of how Australian cryptographers helped bring about the most vital Allied naval victory of World War I.

Also by James Phelps

Also by James Phelps:

Dick Johnson: The Autobiography of a True Blue Sporting Legend

Chad Reed: My Way

Australia’s Hardest Prison

Australia’s Most Murderous Prison

Australia’s Toughest Prisons

Green is the New Black

Johnathan Thurston: The Autobiography

Australian Heist

Australian Code Breakers