Flashback by Justine Davis (reading e books .TXT) 📗

he’s clear from that call to the ambassador. You can go right in now.”

Alex nodded. She supposed for someone who hadn’t grown up hearing the names of ambassadors and prime ministers and presidents bandied about when discussing guest lists, this might be intimidating. But if that someone knew what this man had done, she suspected the intimidation would quickly give way to anger.

She wasn’t angry. She’d gone past that. In fact, she was ice-cold, focused only on the job ahead, on what had to be done to achieve the goal. Everyone and everything was in place, and the only thing left was for her to start the snowball down the hill.

She stepped through the door with the brass plaque. She’d been in senators’ offices before. This one was a bit more elegant, full of expensive antiques, and more self-aggrandizing, with a collection of trophies and memorabilia from around the world, and photographs of the room’s occupant with virtually every famous face on the planet, but otherwise it was much the same.

The man behind the desk stood, an engaging smile on his face. He held out a hand, greeting her jovially. If he was surprised at her appearance, or if he had any concerns about her request to see him, it didn’t show. He gestured her to a seat in front of his huge, weighty desk, and in a show of unconcern, took the other chair beside her, not even putting the barrier between them.

That overconfidence is going to be the end of you, she said to herself.

“How nice to see you again,” he said.

“Hello, Senator.”

“How’s your grandfather? I keep meaning to call him.”

“He’s who he is,” she said. “There’s no artifice with him. No hidden agendas or skeletons in the closet.”

The senator’s brow creased slightly, but that was the only sign he saw anything untoward in her words.

“We should get together for lunch.” He patted his ample girth with a chuckle. “Although, some would say I should stay away from the table.”

“More golf,” she suggested.

He laughed, relieved at what he clearly thought was a joke. “Good idea, Alexandra. Good idea. Now, what can I do for you? Need some help on that book of yours?”

Alex noted that the cover rumor was still alive and well. Decided to use it.

“I would like to run a story line past you for comment,” she said.

“Fine, fine,” he said expansively, and waved for her to go on.

“It’s about this man who has for years abused the public trust. But he hides it so well, has his constituents so blinded that he keeps getting reelected, so often that he’s come to think he’s invincible, untouchable. He believes he’s the unannointed king of a country that has no king. But he acts as if it does, and as if his simply wanting something should make it so. And finally, he becomes so convinced of his own royalty, that when a single voice begins to speak against him, when one brave soul stands up for what’s right instead of the status quo, he stomps on that voice with no more care or concern than if it had been an ant.”

He said nothing. His expression, practiced and cool from years of playing the game he’d practically invented didn’t change. But something cold, hard and very, very frightening glinted in his eyes as he stared at her unblinkingly.

She wasn’t about to stop now. “He gets away with it, for years. He’s sure he will never be caught. Perhaps, in time, he even manages to convince himself that he’s done nothing wrong, that he’d merely removed an impediment to his vision. And his vision, of course, must be implemented, for the good of all, since he is the only one who can see what’s best.”

“That’s quite a tale,” the senator said. “You have a knack for fiction.”

She ignored the comment. She was an Athena, and she wasn’t about to be intimidated into silence, not even by this man.

“But then one day someone goes poking around the closet he’s hidden that particular skeleton in. And no matter how he swats at them, they won’t stop or go away. He becomes more frantic, until he loses all rationality and panics. He tries to kill agents of the very government he’s supposed to represent. And then, even more unbalanced, he risks blowing up a dozen innocent people, including six children, in the effort to save himself.”

“I believe I’ve spared you all the time I can for this quite fictional tale you’re weaving.”

Again she ignored him. “But do you know what happened? Instead of saving himself, he hung himself. He went that one step too far, gave those pests just that extra bit of time they needed to get that closet door open. And now they’ve got him.”

“Enough,” he said, in a booming voice that would ring familiar to hundreds of thousands across the country. “I agreed to see you, out of respect for your grandfather, but it’s clear you’re wasting my time.”

“Actually,” she said, “you’re going to have plenty of time on your hands, Senator. More than you know what to do with. And don’t worry about that belly of yours,” she added. “Where you’re going, they’ll take care of that, too.”

“How dare you!” He leaped to his feet. Alex was sure it had been a very long time since anyone had spoken to him in that tone. “I’ll not take such insolence from you, no matter who your grandfather is!”

“Oh, you will,” Alex whispered, rising slowly, leisurely, and for the first time letting every bit of her anger and disgust into her voice. “Because I’m not here as the granddaughter of Charles Forsythe. Nor am I here because of some nonexistent book. I’m here as the FBI agent who is going to take you down, and it’s long past due.”

“Get out.”

“Was she gaining too much support? Were you afraid she was going to become the opposition’s voice, that she would make the country see you for what you are?”

He called loudly for