About three weeks after he arrived, Sami returned to the Santa Monica apartment with a fresh six-pack of Pacifico and two limes to cut. He threw open the sliding door to the beach and turned on TV news. Seymour’s termination had only been the beginning. He had enemies. He was hated, within his party and without. Even among those employed by the administration he brought to power, there were those with scores to settle.
Revenge was exacted. It came from the FBI, where the report Brad could not find had reappeared. It came from the intelligence community, which resented being manipulated in support of a terror plot against Americans. It came from House and Senate committees, and it came from a Washington Establishment gleefully reasserting itself.
When Sami saw the news crawl, he was holding a paring knife. A squirt of lime juice had just sprayed his hand and the scent of citrus was in his nostrils. Gerald Seymour was indicted. Gerald Seymour was arrested. Gerald Seymour was likely to be the first American tried for treason in a very long time. Gerald Seymour might cut a deal, but then again, Gerald Seymour’s old boss sure liked talking tough. He liked looking tough even better, and a conviction for treason came with the death penalty.
Talking heads entered the drama. Would he, or wouldn’t he? Plea or no? One former White House aide was inappropriate enough to suggest that Seymour might be found hanging in his cell long before any of those options could be played out.
Sami cut two sections from the lime and inserted them into two longneck bottles. It was a two-beer night. He took a long pull from one and then threaded the bottles through his fingers and walked toward the deck. He paused in front of the TV and watched.
He felt vindicated. Karim was dead. Sami had not saved him, but the scales on which a spy balanced justice were different from a lawyer’s or judge’s, and they inclined toward vengeance.
But Sami didn’t feel any safer. The world was still a dangerous place. While he finished the beer, he packed his bag. Twenty minutes later, he left the keys to the apartment on the kitchen counter and he went back to work.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I must begin by offering thanks to Lawrence Knorr, Chris Fenwick and the team at Sunbury Press for the time and effort they put into improving this book. I am so grateful that Sami’s first story found the right home.
Long before any publishers or agents saw the manuscript, a select group of beta readers contributed their time and provided cherished feedback. Thanks to Roy Brooks, Michael Young, Laurie Walker and Jane Nolette for brining your own sparks of innovation to the table -- many of those sparks became the best parts of this book.
Realizing the dream of publishing this story would not have been possible without the support of everyone who pre-ordered a book. Special thanks to Colleen and Kevin Honan, David and Betsey Stewart, Burke and Adrienne Ewers, Chris Elias, Gary McAuliffe, Kelley and Chris Ruthstrom, Roy and Sue Brooks, Wendy and Chris Jennings, Ian Thomson, Jane Chmielinski, Andrew Kelleher and Brooke Bassinger, Asa O’Sheal, Betsy and Scott Miller, Brandon Knight, Bruce and Andrea Jeffrey, Carl Garofalo, Chad Solomonson, Gerry Walsh, Jan and Beth Bialach, Janine Coppola, Julie Yingling and Rick Davids, Kay Murray, Laurie Walker, Marnie and Tom Donoghue, Matt and Misty Davis, Maureen and Jack Kiely, Mike and Kate Orroth, Mike and Amy Young, Mike O’Sheal, Pamela Zamora, The Shrigley Family, Stephanie Baker-Watson, Ted and Jill O’Shea, Terry Yingling and Jim Candelet, and Vanessa Lane and Jack Easley.
No one pre-ordered this book (or sold pre-orders) with more enthusiasm than my parents, Joe and Debbie Walsh. When waiters and waitresses ask my parents if they are celebrating a special occasion, Dad always says he won the lottery…the day he met Mom. In truth, that was the day I hit life’s lottery by being born to parents who are truly kind and loving people.
I am sad that my brother Ted did not live to see either of our names across the cover of a book. It is a testament to his caring soul that I know he would be as tickled for me as he would have been for himself. I miss you, Ted.
For me, writing is about a passion for telling stories, a need to be expressive and creative, and the desire to use the written word as an art form that can weave a tapestry of entertainment and education. And, writing is about sacrifice: a lot of late nights, early mornings, and Saturday afternoons spent at a desk instead of in the pool or the park or on Netflix.
My sacrifices pale in comparison to those of my family. My parents gave me life, my earliest readers gave me a chance, but my family made this happen. God only knows what I’d be without you.
Sam – Thank you for being the most supportive partner.
Natalia, Ben, Charlie and Abby – Thank you for letting your Dad chase a dream. May all of yours come true.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J.A. Walsh worked in intelligence and counterterrorism after the 9/11 attacks, before embarking on a career advising the U.S. military on energy security strategies. He has degrees in Russian, English literature, and Environmental Law. He lives in North Carolina with his family
an imprint of Sunbury Press, Inc.
Mechanicsburg, PA USA
NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by J.A. Walsh.
Cover Copyright © 2019 by Sunbury Press, Inc.
Sunbury Press supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Sunbury Press to continue to publish books for every reader. For information contact Sunbury Press, Inc., Subsidiary Rights Dept., PO Box 548, Boiling Springs, PA 17007 USA or legal@sunburypress.com.
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ISBN: 978-1-62006-123-7 (Trade paperback)
Library of Congress Control Number:
FIRST MILFORD HOUSE PRESS EDITION: May 2019
Product of the United States of America
0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55
Set in Bookman Old Style
Designed by Chris Fenwick
Cover by Chris Fenwick
Edited by Chris Fenwick
Continue the Enlightenment!
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Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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