Shadow of Betrayal

Quinn ignored the question. “Yellowhammer? Leo Tucker? And, what? That’s it? Just hearsay from a member of the LP about some nameless group and an operation you have no details on? That’s all you can give me? Is this what got your men killed in Ireland? And DDNI Jackson. He’s dead because of this, too.”

“Jackson’s death didn’t have anything to do with what we uncovered. I’m sure he had a lot of people who wanted him dead. Somebody got to him and stuffed him into the trunk of their car.”

“Jackson died in the tunnel below one of the apartment buildings on your list in New York.”

“What are you talking about?” If Hardwick was red before, he was all white now. Quinn’s revelation was apparently news to him, bad news.

“I found him myself in an old equipment room off a tunnel that ran below the building. The rats got to him first.”

Hardwick’s right hand began to shake. “Jesus.”

“What’s wrong? Hitting a little too close to home? I think you need to tell me everything. Might be your only chance to stop them from coming after you.”

“I’ve … I’ve told you everything. I swear. If there was more, I would give it to you.”

“Is Yellowhammer where this supposed attack is going to take place? Or just a staging location?”

“I don’t know.”

“What are they planning?”

“I don’t know.”

“What’s the target?”

“I…” There was something in Hardwick’s eyes.

“You know what it is.” As Quinn spoke, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. This time he ignored it.

“No … I don’t. I don’t know.”

Quinn raised his gun a few inches. “Tell me.”

“I… I…” Hardwick shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “This is only a guess. No one has told me anything.”

“Then tell me your guess.”

“Can I show you?”

Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “How?”

Hardwick reached into his front pants pocket and pulled out a folded piece of white paper. He hesitated for a second, then handed it to Quinn.

“The timing and proximity seem … advantageous.”

Quinn unfolded the paper. It was a news article printed from the Internet. And at the top, the headline:

G-8 SUMMIT BEGINS SATURDAY

CALIFORNIA’S HEARST CASTLE

READY TO PLAY HOST

CHAPTER

22

THE SON OF A BITCH KICKED HARDWICK OUT OF the car right there in the parking lot, then drove off. Hardwick almost dug out his cell phone and called the cops to tell them he’d spotted a car he suspected was stolen. But that would have been counterproductive. Hardwick needed everything to stay on course. Quinn, Mr. Rose, the Office, Chercover, they all had parts still to play, and he had to make sure they performed as he’d planned.

The reason why was simple. The LP’s main directive counted on it, the reason why they were in existence at all. His manipulation of events would bring the goal of the organization that much closer to reality. It wouldn’t be long now, Hardwick knew that much. And God willing, he would be one of the lucky ones who’d still be around when the LP’s ultimate objective was realized.

It was all because a couple of intelligent patriots—what else could you call them?—foresaw a future where America’s power would begin to slip, where its position at the top of the economic ladder would no longer be secure. They knew they couldn’t let this happen, realizing even then that democracy wasn’t as important as two cars in the garage, a refrigerator full of food, and a yearly vacation at the beach. One only needed to look at China’s resurgence to see how well that was working.

So they recruited like-minded intellectuals and formed what would one day become known as the LP. They spent years drafting their plan, then doing everything they could to make it a reality. And now, a half-century later, the LP’s figurehead was in place, and already making a name for himself. In a few years, when he announced the creation of a serious third-party challenge to the status quo, the country would be ready, and would beg him to take command. The years the LP had spent fueling the polarization between the Democrats and the Republicans would finally pay off. That, combined with the softening of the electorate toward the acceptance of a third party that the LP had been fostering since before the Nixon administration, would create an atmosphere ripe for political revolt. In electing the LP’s man, the public would feel like they’d accomplished something for once, when in reality all they would have done is exactly what they were manipulated into doing.

After the LP’s candidate took the oath of office, suddenly the nations that had taken a hard line against the U.S. but were really under the control of the LP would start falling in line. Then the economic roller coaster the Western world had been stuck in would level off thanks to the LP’s grip on the financial institutions it had had a hand in re-creating during the great banking consolidation in 2008.