She said, “Whatever may have happened in the past, you are doing the right thing now.”
“Thanks, Mary Pat.”
“And I want you to know that your time in this town was worth it. The work you did made a difference. Don’t ever forget that.”
Melanie smiled, finished filling the box of books, slid it to the side, and then reached for another.
After the funeral, Jack returned to the Ryan family home in Baltimore.
President Jack Ryan and his wife, Cathy, were there for the weekend, as well as the children. Jack made his way through his dad’s Secret Service detail to see his father in his study. Ryan Senior embraced his son, fought off the tears of relief to see him in the flesh and in one piece, and then held him tightly by the shoulders, just looking him over, up and down.
Jack smiled. “I’m fine, Dad. I promise.”
The elder Ryan said, “What the hell were you thinking?”
“Had to be done. I was the only one available, so I went and did it.”
Senior’s jaw flexed as though he wanted to argue with this, but instead he said nothing at all.
Junior was the next to speak. “I need to talk to you about something else.”
“Is this just a way to change the subject?”
Jack Junior half smiled and said, “Not this time.”
The two men sat on a sofa. “What’s up?”
“It’s Melanie.”
Ryan Senior’s eyes seemed to sparkle. He’d not hidden the fact he was smitten with the young intelligence analyst. But the President quickly picked up on the dark tone from his son. “What is it?”
Jack told him almost everything. How Charles Alden had her looking into Ryan’s relationship with Clark, and then how Darren Lipton, working for the Chinese, duped her to bug his phone.
He did not tell his father about the Russians in Miami, or any of the details of Istanbul or Hong Kong or Guangzhou, or about the shoot-out with Divine Sword commandos in Georgetown. The younger Ryan had reached the level of maturity that he no longer felt the need to tell war stories that would only upset those who worried about him and his safety.
For his part, President Jack Ryan did not ask for details. It was not that he did not want to know. He was a man finely tuned to seek out information. It was, rather, that he did not want to put his son in the position of feeling like he had to tell him.
Ryan Senior realized he was dealing with Jack’s dangerous exploits much in the same way Cathy had with his own. He knew there was more to the story that he wasn’t getting, a hell of a lot more, as a matter of fact. But if Jack Junior wasn’t going to offer it, Jack Senior was not going to ask.
When he’d listened to everything, Senior’s first response was, “Have you told anyone about this guy Lipton?”
Jack said, “He’s being dealt with. Mary Pat will eat him for lunch.”
“I suspect you’re right about that.”
The President thought for a moment more and said, “Miss Kraft was in the West Sitting Hall and the dining room at the White House. Do I need to have the detail concentrate their next sweep for listening devices on those areas?”
“I believe she told me everything. I was Lipton’s target, not you, nor the White House. Also, I’m sure they would have already found anything if she’d planted something — but go ahead, you can’t be too careful.”
Senior then took a moment to compose his thoughts. Finally he said, “Jack, each and every day I thank God that your mother has stuck with me. It’s a million-to-one shot that I found someone willing to put up with the life of an intelligence operative. The secrets we have to keep, the associations we are forced to have, the lies we have to tell as a matter of course. It’s not conducive to a good relationship.”
Jack had been thinking the same thing.
“You made the decision to work at The Campus. That decision might bring you some fulfillment and excitement, but along with that comes a lot of sacrifice.”
“I understand.”
“Melanie Kraft won’t be the only time your job interferes with your personal life. If you can walk away, right now, while you’re young, you should do just that.”
“I’m not walking away, Dad.”
Senior nodded. “I know you’re not. Just know that broken relationships, violated trusts, and a constant rift between you and the ones you love come with the territory. Everyone you ever care about will be in danger of becoming a target against you.”
“I know.”
“Don’t ever lose sight of how important the work you are doing is to this country, but also don’t give up on being happy. You deserve that.”
Jack smiled. “I won’t.”
Cathy Ryan leaned into the study. “Dinner’s ready, boys.”
The President and his son joined the others for a family-style meal in the dining room.
Jack Junior was feeling somber with the death of his friends, and his breakup with Melanie, but being here, home, around his family, brightened him in a way he did not expect. He smiled more, relaxed more, allowed his operational mind to wind down for the first time in months, unafraid of compromise by the mysterious forces that had been targeting him and his organization.
Life was good, and it was fleeting. Why not enjoy it when given the opportunity?
The afternoon turned to evening, Cathy turned in early, the kids opted for video games in the den, and the two Jack Ryans returned to the study, this time to talk about baseball, women, and family — the important things in the world.
