are you going to be gone?"
"I'm not exactly sure."
"A day? A month? A year?"
"Maybe a week?"
"Where are you going?"
"Kind of around .. ."
Elise's mouth hung open for a moment and then she patted Kali on he r head and told her to go watch TV.
"But I'm not finished."
"You can let your audience finish it in their minds, honey. It coul d be a catalyst for their own imagination."
Kali had no idea what that meant, but a moment later it sunk in tha t her TV time was going to be extended and she ran off before her mothe r could change her mind.
"Have a seat, Matt."
"The dishes aren't done."
She pointed to a chair and he did as he was told.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Tell me this isn't an operational job. We talked about this before w e adopted Kali. You're too old and you have a family now. You're a paper pusher."
"I am a paper pusher. I'm "
"You agreed to this, Matt." She waved her hand around the kitchen.
"You wanted all this. I didn't stand here and dictate your life t o you."
He was not in the habit of lying to her and it was making hi m uncomfortable enough to turn him defensive. "I don't know what yo u want me to say, Elise. When you and Madonna are like sisters, maybe I c an quit. But for now, a job is a job."
"Don't even go there, Matt. If you're walking out of here tomorrow t o go shoot Afghans, I can damn well get a nine-to-five job in soun d production or something. I "
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted her train of thought. "Fo r God's sake, Matt! That's the fifth time tonight. Pick it up or tur n it off!"
The previous five times it had been Hillel Strand, who was obviously a bit concerned about him disappearing from the office after thei r meeting. He was undoubtedly wondering if his deputy had found an angl e he hadn't covered.
Egan pulled the phone from his pocket and was about to shut it off, bu t then realized it wasn't Strand's number appearing in the window. H e couldn't remember ever seeing it before.
"Matt?"
He felt an uncomfortable jolt of adrenaline and held a hand up , silencing her and hoping the blood hadn't drained visibly from hi s face. She was looking right at him.
"Hello," he said, pressing the phone to his ear.
"Hello, Matt."
"Could you hold on for a second?"
"Sure. Why not."
Egan pressed the mute button and walked around the table. "I'm sorry," h e said, kissing her on top of the head. "I don't want you to get a nine-to-five job and I'm not going to shoot any Afghans. It's just a training thing. That's all."
She didn't seem convinced, but there wasn't anything that he could d o about that now. He clicked the mute off and started for his den.
"Hello, Fade."
"Cops. That wasn't nice."
"I don't suppose you'd believe me if I told you that I had nothing t o do with that."
"I don't suppose I would. You've been spying on me, man. Who els e would have known about the Colombians? Who else would have cared wha t I did after I left?"
Egan closed the door and sat down behind his desk, not bothering t o turn on a light. The moon glowing outside the window was enough to se e by and he couldn't shake the feeling that Fade might be across th e street with a rifle.
"There were .. ." Egan let his voice trail off. What was the point?
"What's done is done, Fade."
No response.
"So where do we stand?"
"You fucked me, man. Again."
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of hearing this shit. I went t o the very top to get you that surgery. And when you went to Colombia t o get the money yourself, I covered it up "
"Thank God you've got my back, huh? Without you, my life might b e screwed up."
"What did you want me to do? Put a gun to the president's head and ge t him to write your doctor a check? This is Washington, Fade. No t Rwanda. If I'd had the fucking money, I'd have given it to you myself.
You know that."
Silence.
"So where are we, Fade? How do we get out of this?"
"There is no way out."
"Bullshit. What if I help you leave the country? How much money d o you
"I'm not exactly sure."
"A day? A month? A year?"
"Maybe a week?"
"Where are you going?"
"Kind of around .. ."
Elise's mouth hung open for a moment and then she patted Kali on he r head and told her to go watch TV.
"But I'm not finished."
"You can let your audience finish it in their minds, honey. It coul d be a catalyst for their own imagination."
Kali had no idea what that meant, but a moment later it sunk in tha t her TV time was going to be extended and she ran off before her mothe r could change her mind.
"Have a seat, Matt."
"The dishes aren't done."
She pointed to a chair and he did as he was told.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Tell me this isn't an operational job. We talked about this before w e adopted Kali. You're too old and you have a family now. You're a paper pusher."
"I am a paper pusher. I'm "
"You agreed to this, Matt." She waved her hand around the kitchen.
"You wanted all this. I didn't stand here and dictate your life t o you."
He was not in the habit of lying to her and it was making hi m uncomfortable enough to turn him defensive. "I don't know what yo u want me to say, Elise. When you and Madonna are like sisters, maybe I c an quit. But for now, a job is a job."
"Don't even go there, Matt. If you're walking out of here tomorrow t o go shoot Afghans, I can damn well get a nine-to-five job in soun d production or something. I "
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted her train of thought. "Fo r God's sake, Matt! That's the fifth time tonight. Pick it up or tur n it off!"
The previous five times it had been Hillel Strand, who was obviously a bit concerned about him disappearing from the office after thei r meeting. He was undoubtedly wondering if his deputy had found an angl e he hadn't covered.
Egan pulled the phone from his pocket and was about to shut it off, bu t then realized it wasn't Strand's number appearing in the window. H e couldn't remember ever seeing it before.
"Matt?"
He felt an uncomfortable jolt of adrenaline and held a hand up , silencing her and hoping the blood hadn't drained visibly from hi s face. She was looking right at him.
"Hello," he said, pressing the phone to his ear.
"Hello, Matt."
"Could you hold on for a second?"
"Sure. Why not."
Egan pressed the mute button and walked around the table. "I'm sorry," h e said, kissing her on top of the head. "I don't want you to get a nine-to-five job and I'm not going to shoot any Afghans. It's just a training thing. That's all."
She didn't seem convinced, but there wasn't anything that he could d o about that now. He clicked the mute off and started for his den.
"Hello, Fade."
"Cops. That wasn't nice."
"I don't suppose you'd believe me if I told you that I had nothing t o do with that."
"I don't suppose I would. You've been spying on me, man. Who els e would have known about the Colombians? Who else would have cared wha t I did after I left?"
Egan closed the door and sat down behind his desk, not bothering t o turn on a light. The moon glowing outside the window was enough to se e by and he couldn't shake the feeling that Fade might be across th e street with a rifle.
"There were .. ." Egan let his voice trail off. What was the point?
"What's done is done, Fade."
No response.
"So where do we stand?"
"You fucked me, man. Again."
"You know, I'm getting a little tired of hearing this shit. I went t o the very top to get you that surgery. And when you went to Colombia t o get the money yourself, I covered it up "
"Thank God you've got my back, huh? Without you, my life might b e screwed up."
"What did you want me to do? Put a gun to the president's head and ge t him to write your doctor a check? This is Washington, Fade. No t Rwanda. If I'd had the fucking money, I'd have given it to you myself.
You know that."
Silence.
"So where are we, Fade? How do we get out of this?"
"There is no way out."
"Bullshit. What if I help you leave the country? How much money d o you
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