31

Marcus sat in his office watching the implosion of the Clarke presidency.

He told himself he should be working the phones, hunting down the rest of the Kairos network, but he couldn’t do it. The images out of Libya were sickening, and now every other network was running with the story, not just CNN.

There was a knock at the door.

Jenny, clearly shaken, entered, and she had more bad news.

“Stephens is in the Oval.”

“That was fast.”

Jenny closed the door behind her and lowered her voice. “How did we get this wrong?” she asked, her eyes red and moist.

“I have no idea,” he conceded, shaking his head.

He handed her a sheet of paper fresh out of the printer, still warm.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“I wanted you to be the first to know,” he told her. “I’m resigning.”

Jenny read the letter, which Marcus had already signed. “Then I will, too.”

“No, you need to stay. You need to run this office and see this thing through.”

“I’m just as culpable as you are.”

“Jenny, you’re a rock star at Langley,” he replied. “The president and VP like you. They trust you. More importantly, Stephens doesn’t hate you. He wants my scalp, not yours. And Dell recruited you into the Agency. She’ll have your back.”

Jenny turned and looked up at the monitors. She was a strong woman, but it was clear that she was traumatized by the images of the small, burnt hands and severed, charred legs of one child after another, and the knowledge that she had played a critical role in convincing the president to order the strike.

Suddenly she began to hyperventilate. Marcus got up, came around his desk, and put his hand on her shoulder and urged her to sit down. Instead, she put her arms around him. They stood there for at least a minute, holding each other.

Until Pete knocked twice and popped his head in the door.

“Oh, uh, sorry, I . . .”

Jenny released Marcus, wiped her eyes, and headed back to her cubicle.

“It’s Annie,” Pete said as Jenny brushed by him. “She’s on line two.”

Marcus exhaled, then closed the door to his office after Pete had also left.

“Hey, you okay?” Annie asked when Marcus picked up.

“Honestly? No.”

“Marcus, I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, well . . .”

“About Libya, of course, but also about my boss. I’m guessing you saw that.”

“Hard to miss.”

“I pleaded with him not to be first.”

“Guess it’s true what they say, right? There’s nothing more dangerous than standing between a United States senator and a TV camera.”

“It’s despicable. I can’t believe he did that.”

“Did he say anything that wasn’t true?”

“I don’t care,” Annie snapped. “It was wrong.”

“It’s okay,” he assured her.

“No, Marcus, it’s not.”

“He didn’t actually mention me.”

“Not by name, but he knows full well that calling for an investigation is going to lead directly to you. And now . . .”

“What?”

“No, no, never mind.”

“What is it, Annie? I’d rather hear it from you than someone else.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course.”

“Dayton just sent out a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter. He didn’t discuss it with me. Didn’t even give me a heads-up.”

“What does it say?”

“It’s signed by the entire Democratic caucus—forty-nine senators—calling for immediate hearings, beginning Monday.”

Marcus said nothing.

“I just can’t believe he would do this, Marcus,” Annie said, her voice tense with anger. “After all you’ve done for him. After all I’ve done for him. Why would he take the lead on this?”

“You know exactly why, Annie. He’s politically exposed. He hired me before his trip to Russia, or his PAC did. I’m dating you. He and Esther sat with us at the peace signing. The whole world saw us.”

“And now you’re radioactive.”

“Exactly, and he’s trying to create as much distance between us as he can, as fast as he can. He’s saving his hide, Annie. That’s how the game is played. No wonder you want out.”

“Let’s meet,” she said. “Have you had lunch?”

“Maybe you should keep your distance too.”

“Absolutely not. You made a mistake. But I’m not going to condemn you for it. And the more I think about it, the more furious I am that Robert moved so fast to throw you to the wolves. If I hadn’t already resigned, I’d do it right now.”

“Thanks,” Marcus said. “Look, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What?” she asked.

But just then his intercom buzzed.

“Just a sec, Annie,” he said, putting her on hold and hitting his intercom button. “What is it, Pete?”

“It’s McDermott.”

“Let me guess—the president wants to see me.”

“He didn’t say that—not exactly.”

“What did he say?”

“Drop everything and get over there now.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.”

“I’ll go with you,” Pete offered.

But Marcus wouldn’t hear of it. “No, Pete—I’m toast, which means you’re the new head of this unit, at least for the next month. It’s gonna be up to you to find those Kairos bastards. Take them down. And keep a close eye on Jenny. I’m worried about her.”

Then he took a deep breath, tried to steady himself, and took Annie off hold.

“I’m sorry but I can’t talk right now. I’ve got to go.”

“What now?”

“I’ve been summoned to the West Wing.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“No, but it doesn’t matter. That’s what I wanted to tell you. I’m going to resign.”