Chapter Seventeen
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
G oldstein’s arrest unleashed an all-new nightmare for Nick and his team. Having the story of the Joint Chiefs’ treachery resurrected was the last thing he needed, even if he was glad to see charges filed against the officers who’d plotted to overthrow his administration. Nick’s team had been briefed by the acting AG minutes before the news conference, which was the only heads-up they’d received that a new shitstorm was headed their way.
They’d learned that Michael Wilson, disgraced Army general and former chair of the Joint Chiefs, had accepted a plea deal that would lead to lesser prison time in exchange for his testimony against the ringleader, Goldstein. The briefing revealed that the former chief of staff for the Army was also involved in the plot, as was the now-former commandant of the Marine Corps. Both had also accepted plea deals in exchange for testimony against Goldstein. The former chief of staff of the Air Force, the former chief of the National Guard Bureau and the former chief of Space Operations had been cleared of criminal involvement.
Nick had inherited the former Joint Chiefs from President Nelson and had kept them in place after he assumed office, believing they would remain faithful to their oaths of office and the Constitution. Like several other now-former members of Nelson’s team, they’d shocked and disappointed him profoundly.
He’d watched Agent Truver’s press conference in the personal sitting room that adjoined the Oval Office. It still took his breath away to consider how close he’d come to being removed from office in a military coup, the likes of which normally occurred in unsettled countries known for violent uprisings, not the United States of America.
Thank God for Juan Rodriguez and the enormous risk he’d taken to inform Nick of the plot. Otherwise, he’d have been caught unprepared, possibly giving the traitors the opening they would’ve needed to see their plan through to fruition. Honestly, he had no idea how it would’ve gone down. Would the Secret Service have drawn weapons against the military officials? Or would they have ceded to the demands of Goldstein, Wilson and the others who’d been involved?
Nick wasn’t sure. He’d never imagined asking such questions when he became president, but he’d really like to know. He got up and went to the door that separated the sitting room from the Oval Office and asked Brant to come in. His lead agent was always close by.
“Close the door, will you?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. President.”
“Have you heard the news about charges being filed against Goldstein, Wilson and two other former members of the Joint Chiefs?”
“I have, sir.”
“I want to ask you something, and I’d like you to be honest with me, even if it’s not the official Secret Service party line. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“If Juan Rodriguez hadn’t warned me about the plot and the Joint Chiefs had gone forward with their effort to remove me from office, what would the Secret Service’s response to that have been?”
“We would’ve removed them from the White House, forcibly if necessary.”
“What about the agents who might’ve agreed with them that I needed to go?”
“I don’t know of any agents who hold that belief, sir.”
“Would you, as my lead agent, hear about that if there were agents who aren’t loyal to me?”
“I believe the word would eventually reach me, sir, and there’s been no undercurrent that I’m aware of.”
“Would you tell me if there was?”
Brant hesitated, but only for a second. “Would you want me to, sir?”
“Yes, Brant, I’d want to know if there’re agents working in the White House who don’t think I should be here.”
“Very well, sir. If I hear any such rumblings, I’ll let you know.”
“Could you get into trouble for doing that?”
“Only if you were to mention where you heard of the rumblings, sir.”
“You don’t have to call me sir when we’re alone, Brant, and I’d never tell anyone where I heard such information.”
“That’s good to know.”
Nick smiled. “You did it. You didn’t call me sir.”
“It’s not an easy habit to break, sir. I mean…”
Laughing, Nick said, “I understand. Thank you for your candor.”
“Of course.”
“Could I ask you something else?”
“Anything you’d like, sir.”
He couldn’t help himself with the sir business. “What’s your life like away from this place?”
“What is this life you speak of, sir? ”
“Seriously, Brant? No family, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends?”
“My family is in Arizona, where I grew up. I get home once a year, and they come here to visit. I have three siblings, all of them married with kids, which keeps the pressure off me to produce grandkids. I don’t have a girlfriend. Wouldn’t be fair with the hours I keep.”
That was more than the young man had ever revealed to Nick in all their time together. “I want you to take more time off. There’s more to life than protecting the president.”
Brant cracked the smallest of grins, which felt like a win to Nick.
“Please don’t run yourself into the ground or give up the best years of your life for a job.”
“This is not your average, ordinary job, sir. It’s a tremendous honor to work with and for you.”
“The best thing in my life is my family. Don’t miss out on that by thinking work is the most important thing. It isn’t.”
“Thank you for your concern, sir. It’s appreciated.”
“Go get a girlfriend, Brant. And hurry up about it.”
Brant’s left eyebrow lifted ever so subtly. “Is that an order, sir?”
“Take it any way you wish. Life is short. Don’t wake up twenty years from now and realize you missed the good stuff.”
“Thank you, sir.”
After Brant left the room, Nick settled back into the upholstered chair and attempted to eat part of the turkey club he’d requested for lunch. However, his stomach wasn’t interested in food after he’d heard more about the coup that was barely thwarted. He tried to imagine what it would be like to be the first U.S. president to be deposed by the military. The action would’ve sent the entire world into a spiral from which it might’ve never recovered. Had the Joint Chiefs considered that kind of fallout while they made their plans?
As seasoned military leaders, they surely knew that the ripple effect would’ve resulted in worldwide instability. As the United States went, so went the rest of the world. It was unfathomable to him that people who’d served more than thirty years in the military and achieved the highest ranks preferred that kind of instability to working with Nick to ensure a successful presidency.
He picked up the phone and asked Terry to come in.
His chief of staff knocked on the door a few minutes later and entered the sitting room.
“Want some turkey club?” Nick pushed the plate toward his friend.
“I won’t say no to that. Haven’t had time to eat yet.”
“Don’t skip meals on my behalf.”
“I rarely miss a meal.” He patted his flat stomach. “Gotta work out like a fiend to offset my intake.”
Nick handed him the ketchup, knowing he liked his fries smothered in it.
“I take it you saw the press conference,” Terry said as he dipped a fry.
“I did.”
“I know it’s hard not to take these things personally…”
“How else should I take it?”
“It’s ridiculous. Goldstein will spend the rest of his life in prison rather than living large on his fat pension. The other three will lose their pensions and do some time. A lifetime of honorable service and sterling reputations gone in an instant. I don’t get why they’d take such a risk.”
“I guess they felt the situation was dire enough that extreme measures were warranted.”
“The situation isn’t dire, and you know that. They knew it wasn’t. This was a craven power grab and nothing more.”
“This makes six members of the Nelson administration who’ve either betrayed me or disgraced themselves and their offices on my watch.”
Former Secretary of State Martin Ruskin had cavorted with prostitutes in Iran, and after Nick had demanded his resignation, he’d become a vocal opponent of all things Cappuano. He was a frequent guest on cable news, deriding every move Nick made.
During the investigation into Tom Forrester’s murder, Sam had learned that Attorney General Cox was up to his neck in gambling debt, which made him a blackmail risk. And now four former members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were facing charges or had accepted plea deals to testify against the ringmaster.
“What’re you thinking?”
Nick glanced at Terry. “We need to clean house. Bring in our own people. We should’ve done that from the start, but the shock of Nelson’s sudden death and my ascension made it easier to keep the existing team in place.”
“Are you talking about everyone ?”
“I think it has to be, don’t you?”
“Um, well… It’ll take a minute to replace them with our own people, which will hamper our ability to get things done in the meantime. Do we even have enough people to replace them all?”
Terry’s reminder that Nick’s political career thus far had been somewhat brief wasn’t lost on him. He didn’t have the deep stable of allies and supporters that most people had by the time they landed in the Oval Office. “Probably not, but how do I go forward with the current team when I have no idea who I can trust and who I can’t?”
“It’s a problem, for sure. We could bring Dad in to oversee this project. You might not have a deep bench, but he sure does.” Retired Senator Graham O’Connor had one of the deepest benches in town, with more contacts, friends and associates than anyone in politics.
“That’s a good idea. We could have him prepare the new team and then clean house all at once when we’re ready to introduce the new people. ”
“I’ll ask him to come in tomorrow to get the ball rolling before you leave for the West Coast.”
Nick grimaced at having to deal with the trip in the midst of the news about charges being filed against the former Joint Chiefs. Everyone he encountered would be thinking about how the admirals and generals who’d worked closely with him had wanted him gone so badly, they’d risked criminal charges as well as financial and personal ruin.
“How will anyone take me seriously after this?”
“Don’t go there. If you keep showing up every day, doing the best job you can for the American people, I have to believe that, over time, we’ll move on from this. And if we can’t, well, you’re out of here in two and a half years.”
“That’s a long-ass time to have the whole world think you’re incompetent.”
“The whole world doesn’t think that.”
“Right… They have no reason to believe that admirals and generals might know better than I do about what it takes to run this country.”
“And yet, David Nelson didn’t ask any of them to replace his ailing vice president. He asked you , because he had faith in you .”
“Did he, though? Or did he just want the political bump that came from elevating a senator everyone was talking about, mostly because of his romance with a homicide detective.”
“That wasn’t the only reason they were talking about you, Nick. Look at the way you stepped up when John was killed. Your eulogy was so heartfelt and genuine. People responded to that and the story about your humble beginnings. They saw hope in you. They saw a new generation of leader. You and your beautiful young family have captivated the world. I firmly believe that, in time, you’ll win over most of the detractors. The ones who don’t see how lucky they are to have you in this office never would’ve supported you anyway. They aren’t your people. Focus on opportunities to engage, like what you did at your brothers’ school. Keep showing people who you really are, and things will turn around.”
“You really think so?”
“I really do.” Terry used his phone to call up a news site that was featuring the photo of Nick with his brothers at the school event. “We’re getting really nice coverage of the school visit and the events in Baltimore.”
“They didn’t get drowned out by the NCIS press conference?”
“Maybe a little, but it’s making for a positive counterbalance to that madness. ‘Look, here’s your president, out doing the job.’”
“I guess.”
“There’s one headline that might annoy you.”
“What’s that?”
“Cappuano’s Much Younger Brothers a Symbol of the Complicated Life He’s Led.”
“What the actual fuck does that even mean?”
“It’s a rehash of how your dad was in high school when he fathered you and how he has a second family with Stacy and the boys.”
“With all the problems and challenges facing this country, that’s what they’re writing about?”
“Only because of the school visit. Most of the coverage has been positive. People thought it was adorable the way they interviewed you.”
“I’m sure my dad is enjoying having his high school indiscretion broadcast to the world.”
“He doesn’t think of you that way, Nick.”
“What I hate most about this is the impact it has on the people I love. Sam doesn’t say much, but her job is a thousand times harder than it was when I was the VP, and now this shit with the twins’ grandparents has come up again.” He shook his head. “Sometimes I wish the Joint Chiefs had gotten their way.”
“That would’ve been much worse, and you know it. Don’t think that way. Your wife and kids are getting an incredible experience that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”
“As they’re surrounded by Secret Service.”
“They don’t care about that. They care about you , and they’re happy to support you this way. I get that the Joint Chiefs situation continues to be a gut punch, but don’t let it become a distraction we can’t afford right now. You gotta keep your head in the game, Nick.”
“You’re right. Thanks for the kick in the ass.”
“Thanks for the turkey club.”
He’d polished off the whole plate of food in ten minutes.
“Anything for you.”
“Same goes. I’ll call Dad and get him here in the morning. He’ll love being needed, especially by you.”
Nick smiled. “Yeah, he will. It’s a great idea to bring him in, Terry. Thanks for always having my back.”
“My pleasure, Mr. President.”
After Terry left, Nick thought about what his friend had said. Terry was right. He needed to keep his eye on the ball lest things get worse than they already were. Graham liked to say, “They hate us cuz they ain’t us,” and sometimes Nick believed that was true more than anything lacking in him.
He got up, used his private bathroom to freshen up and then went back to work. As long as he held this office, he’d do whatever he could to make things better for the American people.