Page 164 of Enemy Within
ELIZABETH JOINED JACK AND Ethan in Scott’s study as the party wound down. Her Secret Service detail was more than happy to stay for the duration, but she had to get back eventually. She was getting experienced in sneaking away from the White House and avoiding the press.
Still, she sat with them both, sharing another glass of champagne. Jack had finally relaxed, shedding his jacket and tie, and he sat practically in Ethan’s lap, one leg thrown over Ethan’s on the brown leather couch. He seemed to revel in his status as a private citizen for the night, loose in a way that Ethan hadn’t seen since the early days of Jack’s administration. Ethan, too, had shed his suit jacket and his sling, and had unbuttoned the top buttons on his dress shirt.
“So,” she said, smiling. “Have you thought about what’s next for you both?”
“I’m trying not to think about it. Orange isn’t my color.”
Elizabeth shook her head. She refused to believe that the committee would bring charges against Jack, and told him so every time they met. “I have a few suggestions.”
“Elizabeth, I’m not invoking the Twenty-Fifth Amendment.” Jack held up his hands, grinning. “It’s yours. You wanted it. No backsies.” The three of them laughed, shaking their heads at the presidency being described in schoolyard terms.
“Elections are just over two years away.” She sighed, blowing air out of her rounded cheeks. “The Unity Party has a lot of work to do, especially without their head.”
“I still believe in our party. I still believe it’s the way forward. Our generation—” Jack motioned between Elizabeth, Ethan, and himself. “We needed a new party. The old ways weren’t working for us. The old battles weren’t our battles. We always cared about different issues. I can’t believe it took this long.”
“We needed someone like you.” Elizabeth tipped her champagne glass to Jack, and Ethan slid his hand over Jack’s thigh, stroking his leg through his suit pants.
“What are you suggesting?” Ethan stepped in when Jack seemed content to just sip champagne and ignore Elizabeth’s growing smile.
“Well, a few things. First, I never filled my Secretary of State position. I hear you’re pretty good with diplomacy, Jack.”
Jack almost spewed champagne across the room. Coughing, he leaned forward, hacking up a lung as Ethan slapped his back. He glared at Elizabeth. “Very funny. You think I could survive a Senate confirmation hearing? I just escaped Congress. I’m not heading back there anytime soon. You’d have to drag me.”
Elizabeth shrugged, then winked. “I’m sure that could be arranged.”
Jack shook his head. “Next.”
“Well…” Her lightness vanished, and she scooted closer. “I was thinking about something more along the lines of Ethan’s role. Something off the books. But something that we need, now more than ever.”
Jack leaned back against Ethan’s chest and stayed quiet. He peered at her.
“You know as well as I do that it’s a brave new world out there. Madigan showed a lot of people how vulnerable we can really be, and just how to strike at us. NATO crumbled when we needed them. Even Canada was willing to listen to Moroshkin. Russia looks like she could be a good ally, but even our best intelligence estimates put her recovery at five years, minimum. Our friend Sergey has a lot of work cut out for him.”
Jack nodded. He’d kept up with the presidential daily brief. As a former president, he was legally entitled to receive it. The mass of terrorist threats, the dramatic rise in chatter, and overt and covert plans against the United States, had risen like a tidal wave. The world smelled blood in the water. Sharks were coming from every corner of the globe.
“I was thinking we needed a back channel. Someone who can speak when our government can’t. Cloakroom diplomacy. Fully empowered by me, of course,” she said quickly. “But also backed up with a sharp dagger.” She looked at Ethan. “I want to keep your strike team. Add in a diplomatic element. Maybe we can put some of these threats to bed. Or nip them in the bud before they even begin.”
“My team disbanded.” Ethan shook his head. “I transferred command authority back to General Bell. Lieutenant Cooper resigned from the Marine Corps. Sergeant Coleman and Doc are on extended leave. Even I don’t know where they are.”
“We’ll build you a new team if you both accept. I believe this is important. And in this new world, I think we need something like this. Asymmetrical diplomacy for an asymmetrical world. We need options open to us, both the cloak and the dagger, and a quick shift capability. Exactly what you did with President Puchkov.”
“I might hang for what I’ve done.” Jack wasn’t kidding, and he wasn’t speaking metaphorically.
“You won’t.” Elizabeth stood. She set down her champagne flute. “The world needs that kind of moral courage now, Jack. And the world still needsyou. Think about it.”
He waved to her, a half smile on his lips, and then sank back against Ethan when she left, taking half the party with her as the Secret Service agents on duty headed back to the White House.
“What do you think, love?”
“I think,” Ethan said, dropping a kiss to Jack’s temple, “that you get to decide what you want to do with the rest of your life. It’s whatever you want to do.”
“Well… Whateverwewant to do for the rest of our lives.”
Ethan smiled slowly, until his cheeks hurt. They were awe, together forever, for the rest of their lives. “I’m happy being by your side. It’s where this all started, isn’t it?”
Jack laughed, a champagne giggle. His cheeks flushed. “By my side… beneath me… on top of me…”
“Oh!” Ethan tipped Jack sideways, pushing him into the couch. He held Jack’s hands over his head as he dropped down. His ribs ached and his shoulder twinged, but not enough to stop him from spreading out on top of Jack and dropping kisses to his neck, down his throat, and across his collarbone.
