Patriots Betrayed (30 page)

Riley looked up at the ceiling for a second, as if trying to muster patience. “You disregard the position I’m in. The position I’ve been in since James tainted the reputation of my presidency and of the already tarnished CIA.”

Trey pushed it, but, used more self-control this time. “You could have at least kept him out of the country by putting him on a no-fly list, and his private jet wouldn’t have been allowed in U.S. airspace. Hell, you could have used the Patriot Act, and he would have disappeared into a black hole. We all knew he was here to personally supervise the hunt for Maddox and Baylor, yet we stood by and let it happen.”

Director Ottoman interjected, “You’re talking to the President of the United States, Mr. Kraust.”

Riley motioned for Ottoman to stop and moved closer to Trey, appearing to feel more betrayed than Trey did at the moment. “Trey, don’t you know what this is all about by now? Haven’t I earned your trust? Not a dime of Janowski’s blood money has or will ever be spent by me. This is about Mi…my legacy. I’m cleansing the stench of James Dulling out of this office. I may never shed his shame from my presidency, and historians will never place me near the top of America’s best presidents, but his stench will be cleansed from this office before my term is up.”

Blood vessels on Trey’s neck pulsed. “The question I asked is are you going to give Maddox to Janowski?”

“Maddox will be there in chains. It’s the only way to be sure Janowski shows. He has moles in every agency. They will tip him off if Maddox isn’t there.”

Trey nearly screamed, “Why won’t you answer the question?”

Riley’s jaw clenched. “I already have. Janowski will be arrested as soon as his plane lands on American soil.”

Trey tried again. “A yes or no will do, Mr. President.”

“No. The answer is no.”

Trey relaxed a ton of coiled tension within him. “Thank you for answering my question.”

Riley looked at Trey with disappointment on his face. “You’ll see. This will all be over soon. Just remember the moles. Don’t talk about this to anyone. We want Janowski to believe we’re handing Maddox over to him.”

~~~

“You must eat,” the nurse said.

Raylan said nothing, just turned his face away. The metallic clang of the chains echoed in the small room when he tried to turn on his side, forgetting the chains wouldn’t allow that much movement. They were several gauges too heavy for a mere man. He wondered if they thought he was an ape and not a human being. The weight of the waist chain on his stomach was uncomfortable, because of his many wounds. His lung wound already made it hard to breathe, and the chains didn’t help. He could not remember ever feeling lower. The guilt of dragging Carla into something that wasn’t connected to her at all, causing her death, was eating at him.

The nurse took the tray away, not wasting time arguing.

Kelly Fosilliow walked into the room, followed by Jayden Becker. Raylan knew them both from his CIA days. Paper-pushing assholes who had no idea what it was like to have a man’s brains splattered in your face or hear bullets zipping by at three thousand feet per second.

“Leave me the hell alone,” Raylan said, and turned his face to the far wall.

Fosilliow looked at him, his face revealing uncharacteristic compassion. “Can’t do that, Raylan, sorry. Sorry about Carla. Sorry about a lot of things.”

Becker said, “Events are moving fast, and we need to fill you in.”

Raylan knew that was bullshit. They didn’t have to tell him a damn thing, and if they did, it would almost certainly be all lies. There would be no lawyer, no trial. The Constitution meant nothing. He had no rights. At that moment, he was teetering on the edge of a bottomless black hole that he was already falling into, never to be heard from again. The best he could hope for, pray for, was a relatively painless, quick execution. The fact they were speaking to him at all meant they wanted something from him or needed to lie to him for some hidden reason.

“What I don’t understand is why I’m still alive,” Raylan said. “I don’t have any useful intel. There’s no point in killing me by the inch.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Unless the prez wants some kind of revenge. Send a tape of it, so he can get his jollies.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Fosilliow said.

Raylan’s hate came to the surface. “I fully realize I can’t believe a thing you tell me. So what’s the point of this conversation? If you’re not here to torture or kill me, just go.”

“We spent a lot of taxpayers’ money to keep you alive,” Becker said. “Why would we kill you now?”

“Stop the shit.” Raylan grew tired of them. “If you didn’t think I had something valuable, I’d be dead already, and having something useful to the company can be very painful.”

Fosilliow grabbed a chair and moved it closer to Raylan’s bed. He was accustomed to sitting all day and grew tired of standing after only a few minutes. “Hear us out. You’re not going anywhere, so you might as well listen. I’m sure you’ll find it interesting. President Riley has plans for you.”

~~~

Only three weeks had passed since Raylan was shot, and he was still weak and needed lots of antibiotics to ward off infection, yet the exchange was set for the next day. He still wondered what to think about him being handed over to Janowski. It wasn’t as simple as that, and he had been told so, and not to fear suffering for weeks or months at Janowski’s hands. They wouldn’t allow it, they promised. They and the nation owed him that. But he didn’t believe what he had been told and guessing on what he hadn’t been told terrified the hell out of him. Raylan had been told a lot of things, not only by Fosilliow and Becker, but the acting Director himself and even the Attorney General. Surprisingly, he had also been assigned a lawyer, but Raylan had no way of knowing if that was a ruse or not. The lawyer seemed sincere and the real thing, but CIA employees were trained liars; he should know. At any rate, he liked her. She reminded him of Carla. But then, that too could have been arranged and part of the plan. The fact is, he could trust no one. He doubted there would ever be a trial, anyway. And what good was a lawyer when he was on the edge of that black hole called the Patriot Act?

Two tall, very serious men in suits came into the room, interrupting the storm in Raylan’s mind. He noticed they had ear buds with wires leading down under their suits. He had used such communications equipment many times himself and wondered if he was about to be taken away ahead of the schedule he had been given. They ignored him and looked around, searching every inch from ceiling to floor. Then they searched Raylan, turning him as much as the chains would allow, not being cruelly rough, but not gentle either. One man had a device he ran over every inch of the walls and ceiling, then waved it over Raylan. When finished, they both checked the chains, making sure he couldn’t get loose. Both men then left the room without a word.

The door opened again, and President Riley walked straight up to Raylan, his eyes inquisitive, as if he were looking at someone he had wanted to meet for a long time. Raylan, who suddenly became very interested in his visitor, held his head off the pillow and gazed back at the man he had tried to destroy, and might have (though the jury was still out) by revealing classified information to the American people. He was surprised to find no hatred in Riley’s eyes.

Riley smiled and started to speak, then noticed the chains. His face turned from what appeared to be genuine warmth to outrage. He turned to the door and yelled, “Get those damn chains off him! He’s not an animal!”

Not two, but four Secret Service agents stormed into the room, two had H&K submachine guns out and ready.

Riley ordered, “Find the one who has the keys to those chains. They’re coming off.”

The senior agent spoke, “Sir, we can’t allow him to be alone with you in this room unchained. He’s a trained killer.”

“Aren’t you a trained killer?” Riley asked. “I would think one hand cuffed to the bed would suffice. To chain him like that so he can’t move is sadistic.”

“Yes sir.” The agent’s eyes flashed to one of the men, who quickly stepped out of the room.

Riley turned to Raylan. “I instructed them to treat you humanely. I apologize. I had no idea.”

Raylan half suspected Riley was putting on a show for his benefit, but said nothing.

After a few minutes, the Secret Service agent returned with a man Raylan had met a few days earlier and had been told was an FBI agent. He proceeded to remove the chains. Before removing the last one, he pulled handcuffs out of a pocket and cuffed Raylan’s right hand to a stainless steel bar on the edge of the bed. His left arm was bandaged but not seriously injured from a glancing round.

Riley asked the FBI agent, “Was this done for my safety, or has he been chained like this since he’s been here?”

“As far as I know he’s been chained since he arrived,” the agent answered.

“Damn it,” Riley hissed. “Disregarding the unnecessary cruelty, and I’m not disregarding it at all, his muscles have now started to atrophy. How is he to complete his mission tomorrow when he may not even be able to stand?”

The FBI agent stuttered, “I – had no idea he was to ever be part of any mission. My understanding was he, uh, was to be processed under the Patriot Act.”

Riley said, “Well, that’s the fog of government. It’s a lot thicker and darker than the fog of war and never goes away.” He waved his arms as if shooing chickens. “Please leave me alone with Mr. Maddox. Close the door behind you.”

Raylan wondered what would happen next, still not believing anything he had heard and little of what he had seen.

“I’ll see to it you get some time to walk around the room and out in the hall today and tonight,” Riley said. “But it’s too late for the exchange tomorrow. Your body won’t recover that quickly. We’ll have to give you to him in a wheelchair.”

“Wonderful,” Raylan said. “I won’t even have to walk to my death. Nice.”

The corners of Riley’s mouth quivered a little, then he broke into a laugh. “You’re a little pawn in a big game of chess, Mr. Maddox; get used to it.”

“I’ve been a pawn since I went to work with the CIA.”

Riley thought for a second. “Believe it or not, I know what that’s like. Even a president can get caught in a trap in a moment of weakness. Whether you have money or power, everyone wants a piece of it. Like a pack of hyenas, show any weakness and they move in for the kill.” He stepped closer, within arm’s reach of Raylan. “You’re not caught in a trap. Not this time. Sure, I need something from you. Some people under me think I’m going to actually give you to him. Even some friends are worried I might be that corrupt.” He shook his head. “No way in hell Janowski is getting you. I’m just using you as bait to lure him back to the States.”

Raylan commented, “I believe you. You wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. You hate him as much as I do.”

“Hate? I despise him. He’s not worthy of hate. Like you, though, I’m not sure who I can trust, so only a small number of people know what I’m up to. The fewer people who know, the better.” He glanced at the closed door. “Janowski has enough money to buy anyone and anything – a CIA Director, even a United States President, or so he thinks. Well, I’m going to show him he can’t buy me. His days of trafficking in human beings and bribing government officials are coming to an end. It’s going to be my greatest victory, my greatest triumph over the vileness and evil of this world. It won’t undo my own sins or unhurt the people I’ve caused pain, but it will be a great step from out of the dark and into the light.”

Raylan listened to him and found himself wanting to believe it, but he could not.

Riley stepped right up to Raylan. “They tell me you’re dangerous, even in your condition and handcuffed to the bed. They say you know a dozen ways to kill with your bare hands. Well, here I am, the President of the United States, asking you not to kill me, because we have work to do together. Here. I’ll move closer so you can reach me with your free hand.” He bent over. “But before you do, know this…” He whispered into Raylan’s ear.

Raylan’s eyes rounded and he grabbed Riley’s lapel in a vice grip, ignoring the pain from the bullet wound in his left arm. “You son of a bitch!” He screamed. “Get away before I kill you!” He shoved Riley across the room, slamming him into the wall and turning his bed over, spilling him onto the floor.

Secret Service agents stormed in, as Riley picked himself up and rearranged his suit and hair. He waved the agents out of the room. “Everything’s under control here. Leave us alone to work this out.” They hesitated, glaring at Raylan. “I promise I won’t get within his reach again. Now go and close the door.”

Before leaving, the agents set the bed back upright and helped Raylan, then handcuffed his other hand to the bed, yanking his arm over. A nurse checked the IV drip and the monitoring device, finding all undamaged.

After they left, Riley faced Raylan. “You misunderstood me completely.” He caught his breath, his chest heaving. “There seems to be a lot of that of late.” He laughed nervously. “Only this misunderstanding could have been fatal. I admit you scared the shit out of me. Even half-dead and full of meds, you’re a dangerous man.” To Raylan’s surprise, he walked right up to him again. “What I told you wasn’t a threat. It wasn’t a bribe. It was a statement of fact.” He reached under his white shirt and rubbed his red collarbone area. “I just wanted you to know there is a life for you after we get Janowski and things aren’t nearly as bad as you think. Why would I have to hold anything over your head, threaten you? I’m convinced you hate Janowski as much as anyone. Hell, I could probably charge you a fee for the privilege of killing him.” After a few seconds he added, “But perhaps it would be better to bring him to trial and let all of his dirty laundry hang out in public.” He checked the door once again and then produced a photo from a pocket, holding it before Raylan’s eyes. “Since you have a habit of not believing me.”

The effect on Raylan was visible, visceral, welling up from deep within. He blinked tears.

Riley put the photo back in his pocket. “Once Janowski is caught, it’s over. There are the Senate hearings to get through. You’ll be grilled for anything that can bury me. That’s what they want most. My advice is to tell them the truth. Whatever truth you know.” He stepped back. “Of course I don’t have to tell you not to speak of what transpired in this room and certain things about yourself.”