A knock at his basement office door jolted Young out of his trance.
“Come in,” he said.
Brady Hawk strode into the room, shut the door, and took a seat across the desk from Young.
“I appreciate you helping me with this issue,” Young began. “I’m not used to handling scrutiny like this.”
“With all due respect, sir, this isn’t exactly scrutiny,” Hawk said. “You initiated a cover up and for good reason. I wholeheartedly supported the idea of fibbing to the American people on this one. We both know that the truth about Michaels’s death really doesn’t matter. He killed himself, plain and simple. That much is even evident on the footage. But somehow the cat has gotten out of the bag, and you cannot play around with this any more. Don’t forget with Nixon that the cover up was greater than the actual crime.”
“I appreciate your frankness, Hawk, but I still think the story we’ve foisted onto the American people is worth fighting for. Do we really want history to remember Michaels as as a crazed lunatic who tried to murder someone before getting killed?”
Hawk shrugged. “What I find curious is your newly discovered affection for Michaels. You couldn’t wait to push him out the door, also another decision I agreed with. He was harming our country with his reckless policies on how to combat extremists in the Middle East. Another four years of Michaels and this nation might have been on the brink of another world war. Given your change of heart, I can’t help but wonder if you’re afraid of how you’ll be viewed since you’re inextricably tied to him in the annals of history or if you’re fearful that it might cost you the election. Care to shed some light on this change of heart you’ve had?”
Young clasped his hands and rested them on his desk. He paused pensively before responding. “Since you put it that way, my perception has changed on both accounts that you mentioned. If I admit that we covered up Michaels’s death, people might start digging into the reality about what was going on with this administration’s policies. And I know history wouldn’t look favorably upon either of us if Michaels’s true intentions were exposed. Then there’s the matter of the election coming up in a few days. This would be a bombshell unlike any other we’ve ever seen in a presidential election in this country.”
“You believe it would supplant the bombshell that your opponent’s son helped a known terrorist into the country so he could detonate a nuclear weapon in the middle of New York?”
“Yes, I believe it would.”
“At this point, what difference does it make? Peterson won’t be able to score any political points on the issue of homeland security. So no matter what any journalist uncovered, it wouldn’t hold the weight necessary to derail potential voters, much less penetrate the collective voters’ consciousness to the point that people will flip to the other candidate. This election is a freight train and is chugging full speed down the tracks.”
“If this guy is getting information on me like this, he must be well connected. And that frightens me more than anything. Who is really behind all this? It can’t just be some random guy who’s concerned about helping the truth get out there. No, I think it’s something more.”
Hawk suppressed a chuckle. “Don’t let the conspiracy theorist in you run rampant around in your mind. And as far as we know, it’s just a guy who managed to get your attention and wants the American people to know the truth. One good thing is that he’s not a journalist or else this would be splashed over every news site from here to Seattle by now.”
“I just want him taken care of, okay? Deal with it like you normally deal with problems.”
“I hope you’re not suggesting what I think you’re suggesting.”
Young templed his fingers, resting them against his lips. “Your methods are of no concern to me. I just want results, that’s all. I want this man to go away.” Young handed Hawk a folder. “We dug up a few more things on this guy, but I’m not sure how much it will help. We still don’t know where he lives. He did a great job at evading the Secret Service tail I put on him.”
Hawk opened up the folder and started reading. Nothing stood out to him as he glanced at the information, so he shut it abruptly.
“I’ll handle this for you,” Hawk said, “but we have more pressing issues to discuss.”
“More pressing than this?” Young said, gesturing toward the folder. “This is my political future. Hell, the future of the nation hangs in the balance of this election. I can’t imagine anything being more important than this.”
“You’re gonna need a bigger imagination then.”
Young’s eyes widened. “What’s going on, Hawk?”
“I didn’t want to mention this because I thought I could figure a way out of this, but it’s apparent that I can’t—at least, not without your help.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Al Hasib kidnapped Blunt and Alex a few days ago.”
“How did this happen?”
“It’s a long story, sir, but the abbreviated version is that they used Colton to get at me, all for the sole purpose of forcing me to do something for them in exchange for the lives of Blunt and Alex.”
“And you’re going to do this thing for them?”
Hawk shook his head. “Not a chance.”
“What do they want you to do?”
“Help someone assassinate you.”
“What?”
“You heard me, sir. I didn’t want to bother you with this because of everything you’re focused on right now, but I can’t wait any longer. There are some things already set into motion, and I need you to be prepared for what’s going to happen.”
“And what exactly is going to happen?”
“You’re going to survive an assassination attempt.”
“I don’t like where this is going.”
“Trust me, I don’t either. But it might work out to your benefit. We
