Page 119 of Enemy Within

“We need to go on the offensive.” Jack frowned. “How do we strike his base? Where are his weak points?”

Silence.

“We need to take back the element of surprise.” Ethan rose and turned to Madigan’s fallen men. “He’s expecting us to be dead, right? Let’s be dead.”

48

Washington DC

SLOWLY, AWARENESS CAME BACK to Levi. He blinked, shapes swimming in front of his face. Darkness and light, patches of black and gray, and then a blinding white blast. He tried to roll away, grunting.

“He’s coming to.”

“Excellent.”

Alarms rang in his brain, shouts for him to move, get out of there. Dread slipped up his spine, trying to whisper something in his ear. He squinted, trying to make out what was in front of him.

His eyes focused. Colonel Song’s face hovered before him.

Levi wheeled back, scrambling away from the man. His hands were locked together, closed in his own handcuffs, and he fell to his side as he tried to get away. His back hit metal, his handcuffs clanging against something hollow.

He’d never met Colonel Song, but Ethan had told him all about the man, and had described him to a T. Mysterious, slippery, untrustworthy. A mysterious helper in Saudi Arabia. Not an ally. Not an enemy, on that day, but who knew about the future? Ethan hadn’t liked Song, not at all. But Song had disappeared after Ethiopia, Levi thought. Ethan had even tried to get ahold of him during the hunt for Madigan. He was like a ghost. According to the Chinese embassy, he didn’t exist.

“What the fuck do you want?” He scanned his surroundings. He was in the back of an empty industrial van. Bare metal interior. Metal doors. No seats. He lay on the floorboards, backed against the rear doors. It was a van to murder someone in, according to every Hollywood movie he’d ever seen.

A woman spun in the front seat, looking into the back. Bright light streamed behind her, almost blinding him. He frowned. “Luli?”

She smiled. “No. Luli has nothing to do with this. She was a useful entry to the West Wing, but that is all.”

His gaze darted from her to Colonel Song. “What’s going on?”

“I need you to deliver a message for me, Agent Daniels.” Colonel Song’s voice was deep and smooth. He spoke calmly, like he didn’t have a Secret Service agent handcuffed before him.

“Can’t you pick up the phone?”

The corner of Colonel Song’s mouth quirked up, briefly. “As I told Mr. Reichenbach, I prefer more direct channels. You must pass a message along to your president, Elizabeth Wall.”

“What message?”

“We need to meet.”

LEVI BURST INTO THE Situation Room in the middle of General Bradford’s briefing. The door banged against the wall as he shoved it open, a dull crack breaking through the room.

All eyes flashed to him. General Bradford’s jaw snapped shut as he glared, throwing a poisonous look at Levi that would have made a lesser man wither.

Elizabeth rose from her seat and went to Levi, meeting him halfway to her. The others seated at the table didn’t know what to do. Some rose with the president. Others stayed seated, scowling at Levi and Elizabeth in turn.

“Levi…” She grabbed his shaking hands, wrapped one arm around his shoulders, and steered him to the back of the room. He was rumpled, far more than normal. Shirt untucked, tie loose. He kept rubbing his neck and rubbing one wrist. His eyes were wide, wild. “What’s going on?”

He blew air through his lips, a forceful exhale. “What isn’t?” He shook his head. “Madam President, we walked them all into a trap.”

“What?”

“One of Lieutenant Cooper’s team was a former nuke tech. Kobayashi was transferred to Cooper’s team after the first White House attack, and whoever made the transfer erased their footprint. We just walked Kobayashi into the Arctic alongside Phoenix One. We gave Madiganexactlywhat he needed: a nuclear operator.” His lips clamped shut. Pain leached from him, wounded fury and anguish.

“Jesus…” Her thoughts swam, and she closed her eyes, covering her mouth with her hands for a moment.

“Madam President? Would you like to return to the brief?” General Bradford’s voice slapped the back of her head. “The Chinese are not slowing down, and they’re nearly on top of our blockade.”