Enemy of Mine

“Collateral damage? You fucking murdered two people and call it collateral damage?”

He scoffed. “Come on, Pike. You never called in an airstrike on a target and had women and kids inside staying with the terrorist? It’s the same damn thing.”

The rage started to grow, the blackness spreading. My hands began to shake. Back off. Go somewhere else.

“Who broke your nose? I’d like to shake that guy’s hands, you piece of shit.”

He looked confused. “Jennifer broke my nose. Right after…”

What the hell is he talking about?

“Right after what?”

He gave me a smug smile. “She didn’t tell you? I guess maybe I was wrong. Maybe we’re not the same. At least in the bedroom.”

His words sank in, and a part of me was ripped out by the roots. I felt nauseated and dizzy, my vision tunneling into a tube. I leaned against the wall, afraid I was going to black out. I squatted down, breathing deeply. The feeling passed, and a coldness began to seep into my body, like water from the bottom of the ocean. It spread throughout, driving out the rage. Driving out the blackness. I felt nothing at all, and in that moment, I knew what it was like to be Lucas Kane.

I rose slowly, and he sensed something was wrong. Recognizing how mistaken he had been before. We hadn’t been alike at all. Until now.

I went to the steel door and flipped the bolt lock. I pulled out my Spyderco knife. I needed to free him from his bonds, but could only do one arm at a time, so I had to make sure he couldn’t attack while I freed the other.

I reached around him and sliced his right bicep at the juncture where it joined his humerus, the serrated blade going down until I had severed the tendons.

He screamed and thrashed, then began yelling, “What the fuck are you doing? Have you lost your mind? Think of the intelligence I have. The help I can give!”

I said, “You’re wrong about me. I’m not like you.”

I cut the cuff of the arm I’d just damaged, then the cuff to his right ankle.

“I’m no murderer.”

I bent down and cut the left ankle cuff. I heard Blaine pounding on the door outside. I ignored it and cut the cuff on his remaining good arm.

I looked into his eyes. “But I am a killer.”

I tossed the knife onto the floor in front of him and stood to the side.

“I wish I could make this painless, but it’s got to look like something crazy happened here. Like you escaped and attacked me.”

He said, “Are you fucking nuts? I’m not going to fight you. You just destroyed my arm! I’ll wait until they break that door down.”

I swung a vicious right hook and snapped his head back.

“Then I guess you’re going to die like a fucking weasel in that chair. Go for the knife. It’s the last chance the U.S. government is going to give you.”

He twisted his head until he could see me. “Why, man? I can help the United States. I have more operational data in my head than you’ll ever get. I penetrated Hezbollah. Come on, Jennifer’s just a piece of ass. Ask the man outside the door! She’s not worth the damage you’re going to do to United States security!”

I smiled with little warmth. I now knew I was going to enjoy this. “She’s worth all I have to give. And for you, that’s going to be considerable.”

He said nothing. I flipped Heather’s driver’s license into his lap. “You never made the connection to the name, did you?”

He recognized the license, confusion in his eyes, wondering how I’d found it. Wondering where this was going. When he focused on the last name, his eyes narrowed to slits, and I knew I had won. Knew he would realize nothing remained but to fight. He dove out of the chair toward the knife. I waited a half second, until he got his good hand on it.

Then I went to work.

83

Looking expectantly around the room, Kurt waited for another question, but none came. Well, this was a hell of a lot easier than I thought it would be. Given the chaotic actions in Doha, including his unilateral order to launch a Taskforce team, every single member of the Oversight Council had come to hear the briefing, but none had blistered him like he thought would occur.

He turned to President Warren and said, “Sir, subject to anything you have, this concludes the briefing.”

“Nope,” President Warren said. “That’s it. Thanks for coming by. I’d blocked out two hours for this, but looks like we’re done.”

The room broke into a low buzz, and Kurt turned to pack his attache case. The president leaned in and said, “I’d like to see you for a minute.”

Kurt nodded, thinking, Great. Knew it was too easy.

Alexander Palmer, the national security advisor, began speaking to the president, and Kurt followed them both out of the room. They exited the Old Executive Office Building and entered the West Wing of the White House. In short order, they reached the Oval Office. The president looked at his watch, then cut off the conversation. He motioned to Kurt, and all three began to enter the Oval Office. Before Kurt reached the door, he heard the president say, “Alex, I’d like to see Kurt in private, if that’s okay.”

Palmer looked peeved, but said nothing.

Kurt wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing. What the hell is this all about?

The president took a seat behind his desk and got right to the point.

“So, Lucas escaped and attacked Pike, huh?”

“Yes, sir.”

“This would be what, his third time to get out of Taskforce control? This time inside a facility full of Taskforce operators? You saying your boys are too stupid to learn from previous mistakes?”

Where’s this going? How come he didn’t dig into this in front of the Council?

“No, sir.”

“Doesn’t sound like the Lucas Kane you’ve been briefing. You said he’d sell his mother for money and did nothing on emotion. Why would he attack Pike instead of trying to simply get free?”

“I think we misread him. Pike was in the room with him. Apparently he knew he was done and wanted a little payback.”

“So now he escaped in front of Pike? Is that what you’re saying?”

“I don’t have a complete report yet.”

The president let that hang in the air for a moment, then said, “A little birdy told me his restraints had been cut.”

Uh-oh.

“That little birdy’s full of shit.”

President Warren broke into a grin. “Come on. Nobody cares! You guys saved the day. Pike’s a damn hero. The director of the CIA is happy Lucas got smoked because of the men he lost from SAD, and the secretary of state is jumping for joy because the peace process was saved. I’m jumping for joy because the peace process was saved. Shit, nobody batted an eye that you launched an entire Taskforce team without even informing the Council. You could have told us you’d had Lucas drawn and quartered on the square.”

Kurt inwardly sighed, relieved. He just wants some inside skinny. Too bad I can’t give it to