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“No way. Did they get parole?”
“Apparently, and their first stop was your house.”
“Holy Christ.” They were a couple of drugged out scumbags who’d been caught up in a federal investigation Avery had led into the trafficking of illegal guns. He felt sick knowing they’d been in his home and threatened his wife and son. A wave of nausea overwhelmed him. He bent at the waist, trying to breathe through it.
“We’re booking them on the new charges now and will get them before a judge in the morning. I expect their parole to be immediately revoked.”
Avery searched his memory bank for the people involved in the home invasion back then. He recalled wild hair and eyes, a deranged sense of entitlement, a desire to live in a country without a government, without laws or rules. That’s who’d held his wife and son at gunpoint.
He thanked George for the info and ended the call. Avery stood next to the bed where Shelby slept with Noah in her arms. He leaned over the bed rail to kiss her forehead and then her cheek. “I’m so sorry, darlin’. I’m so damned sorry.”
The doorto the Situation Room opened to admit Attorney General Reginald Cox. At about sixty years of age, Cox had retained the muscular build of the football player he’d once been at Auburn University. He had wavy blond hair that had begun to go gray and sharp blue eyes.
He shook Nick’s outstretched hand. “Mr. President.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“Of course. What can I do for you, sir?”
“I’ve summoned several others, but before they arrive, I have an important question for you.”
“Sir?”
“Since you were President Nelson’s attorney general, I need to give you an out if you aren’t willing to defend my government against a possible military coup.”
Cox’s face went flat with shock. “A military coup.”
“That’s right.”
“By whom?”
“The Joint Chiefs.”
Cox blinked in disbelief.
“I’m giving you the chance to resign right now if you don’t feel equipped to handle this situation.”
“I, ah…” Cox pulled himself together and made eye contact with Nick. “I don’t wish to resign, sir.”
“And I can count on you to defend the Constitution of the United States in this matter?”
“Yes, sir.”
Nick breathed a sigh of relief that his top law enforcement officer would have his back. After having inherited Nelson’s cabinet, he was never certain of who among them he could trust. This incident had brought home the fact that he was going to have to have that same conversation with every one of Nelson’s holdovers. Any refusal to uphold their oath of office would result in them being fired.
When Derek and Terry arrived, he took them aside to fill them in on what Juan had told him, while keeping his source confidential.
“What?” Terry asked on a long exhale.
“Holy shit,” Derek added. “What’s the plan?”
“I’ll confront the Joint Chiefs with the information I’ve received and go from there. I expect I’ll be demanding their resignations and turning them over to Cox for prosecution and to Secretary Jennings, who will handle the military portion of the program.”
“The Joint Chiefs could be charged with treason,” Derek said in disbelief.
“Yes,” Nick said.
“Did your source say why?” Terry asked.
