Page 94 of Enemy of My Enemy

Too much was happening, too much swirling at high speed. Madigan was everywhere. In Tampa, in the Indian Ocean, in Russia, and even in the air Jack breathed inside the White House. They’d closed ranks, tightened their inner circle. He could count on one hand the number of people who knew the details about Cooper’s team, his men, and his black ops mission.

And yet, they’d been targeted.

And the prince.

Jack lowered his head, rubbing at his temples.

The sinking of the destroyer was too much to contain. He’d kept Madigan’s deadly attacks under wraps for months, kept his destruction of bases and breakouts of prisoners from making the news. He’d kept Ethan and Cooper’s team buried, their mission so compartmentalized that only Irwin, Ethan, and Prince Faisal knew about their movements around the world. The release of the intel cables was the only publicly attributable action he’d labeled as Madigan’s.

But now, it would all blow wide open. Everything Madigan had done, his destructive race around half the world. Their attempts to stop him, always a half step behind the man who had invented the game of modern black ops himself.

A man who had just murdered three hundred and fifty Russian sailors in the open ocean. The ship had sunk in the shark-infested waters off Arabia. If there had been survivors, there weren’t likely to be any now.

TheSan Jacintomade fast time toward the coordinates on an ill-fated rescue mission while the world’s media feasted on the political blood in the water.

Ethan, Irwin, and Director Rees had their heads together, scanning through intelligence reports as fast as they came in. Drone overflights from the US base in Bahrain showed a spreading oil slick and a floating debris field—life jackets, personal effects, and still, unmoving bodies.

“Mr. President, President Puchkov is on the line for you.”

Jack grabbed the handset of the phone nearest him. He’d sent Sergey a text to call when he was able to. He could only imagine the nightmare unfolding in the Kremlin.

“Sergey, I’m so sorry,” he said, still rubbing one hand over his forehead. “This is a terrible day for the world. You have my condolences.”

“It is even more terrible than you know, Jack,” Sergey grumbled on his end of the line, snapping in Russian to someone nearby. “The destroyer wasn’t alone. She had a submarine escort. And we have lost contact with our sub.”

“Was it destroyed?” Jack scribbled a note to Ethan and slid his notepad down the table. Ethan grabbed it, read the message, and then passed it to Irwin and Rees. All three stared back at Jack, grim, their mouths pressed in hard, straight lines.

“No.” Sergey swallowed. “We believe it was captured. By Madigan.”

* * *

Jack tookover the press briefing from a harried, snappish Pete. He strode across the platform as the press pool exploded, standing and shouting questions over each other. Recorders hovered in the air as cameras flashed and pencils scratched across notepads. Pete sent Jack an exhausted look and stepped back.

“Ladies and gentleman,” Jack began, “please, sit. I have an update, and then, yes, I will be taking your questions.” He took a deep breath. “I have just met with my national security team and convened with President Puchkov regarding the sinking of theVinogradov. First and foremost, I want to extend America’s deepest condolences to the families and friends of the sailors lost in this terrible tragedy. We have reviewed all available intelligence, and we are confident in our assessment that the perpetrators of this attack are none other than the terrorists and criminals who have gravitated to Madigan’s message of hate and treason.” He swallowed, and his hands gripped the podium.

“Over the past several months, the criminal and traitor, former General Porter Madigan, has been engaged in terrorist operations against the United States and, increasingly, against our ally, the Russian Federation. The sinking of theVinogradovis also the work of Madigan and his terrorist forces. He and his followers are engaged in a war against the United States, her allies, and the world’s balance of power. Madigan’s attacks reveal a sequence of coordinated, planned efforts designed to maximize his forces’ attempt to destabilize the current order.”

The pressroom hummed. Cameras flashed. Hushed whispers flew back and forth.

“Madigan remains a threat to the United States. However, we have extraordinary individuals dedicated to his destruction and that of his forces, and to protecting the United States. Our mission is to destroy Madigan, and to that end, we will be escalating our operations. I will be meeting with President Puchkov in the coming days, and together, we will forge a strategy that will achieve this joint objective. Let me be clear. Anyone who targets America or her allies will be hunted to the ends of the earth. There is nowhere you will be safe.”

Jack swallowed. The walls in the briefing room seemed to close in, the White House collapsing around him. The lights were too bright, the sounds of the recorders and cameras and pencils and cell phone keys too loud. He closed his eyes, and his sweat-slick fingers smudged on the edge of the podium.

The pictures from Moscow, tucked into his duffel, were a near-ceaseless reminder that Madigan still had friends within the government. Cooper and his men, and their teammate Fitz, who was now lying on a slab in the CIA morgue, flown to Langley in secret. Noah Williams and his seeming resurrection. His death, a smokescreen for Madigan to operate his ghost army in the shadows for over a decade, it seemed.

Madigan hovered over his shoulder. He hung in the shadows everywhere Jack went. He saw his sly eyes in the faces of so many around him. Doubt, and the edges of paranoia had slipped into his soul, a terrible poison.

No. He had to fight back. There were some he could trust. Scott, Ethan’s best friend, and Daniels, who practically lived at the White House now, refusing to leave their sides. Irwin. Cooper. Director Rees. Elizabeth. Pete. He wasn’t alone.

And Ethan.

Jack looked dead into the camera, broadcasting his message to the world. “Iwillsee Madigan destroyed and the world made safe again.”

He looked down, shuffling his notes on the podium and then back up, to the crowd of silent, still reporters. “I’ll take your questions now.”

* * *

Chapter 34