Absolute Power (A Jake Mercer Political Thriller—Book Nine) E-Book

Jack Mars

• Herausgeber: Lukeman Literary Management
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Serie: A Jake Mercer Political Thriller
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 265

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

"Thriller writing at its best." --Midwest Book Review (Any Means Necessary) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author Jack Mars (with over 10,000 five-star reviews) comes a groundbreaking new political thriller series: when the President of the United States or his family are threatened, it is up to Jake Mercer, former Marine sniper turned Secret Service agent, to protect them from dangers—both foreign and domestic. Secret Service Agent Jake Mercer's skills are put to the ultimate test when the President's daughter—and the mother of Jake's child—vanishes in Beijing. Thrust into a world of shadowy alliances and hidden agendas, Jake must navigate a minefield of international intrigue if he hopes to bring her home alive. "Thriller enthusiasts who relish the precise execution of an international thriller, but who seek the psychological depth and believability of a protagonist who simultaneously fields professional and personal life challenges, will find this a gripping story that's hard to put down." --Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Any Means Necessary) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "One of the best thrillers I have read this year. The plot is intelligent and will keep you hooked from the beginning. The author did a superb job creating a set of characters who are fully developed and very much enjoyable. I can hardly wait for the sequel." --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Any Means Necessary) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is the ninth book in a new series by #1 bestselling and critically acclaimed author Jack Mars, whose books have received over 10,000 five-star reviews and ratings. A gripping and unpredictable political thriller, the series is a page-turning action series that will leave you unable to put it down. This fresh and exciting action hero will have you turning pages late into the night, and fans of Brad Taylor, Vince Flynn, and Tom Clancy are sure to fall in love. Future books in the series are also available!

Leseprobe

A B S O L U T E

P O W E R

(A JAKE MERCER POLITICAL THRILLER—BOOK 9)

J A C K   M A R S

Jack Mars

Jack Mars is the USA Today bestselling author of the LUKE STONE thriller series, which includes seven books. He is also the author of the new FORGING OF LUKE STONE prequel series, comprising six books; of the AGENT ZERO spy thriller series, comprising twelve books; of the TROY STARK thriller series, comprising eight books; of the SPY GAME thriller series, comprising ten books; of the JAKE MERCER thriller series, comprising twenty books (and counting); of the TYLER WOLF thriller series, comprising seven books (and counting); and of the new LARA KING thriller series, comprising ten books (and counting).

Jack loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.Jackmarsauthor.com to join the email list, receive a free book, receive free giveaways, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch!

BOOKS BY JACK MARS

LARA KING THRILLER SERIES

ASSET ONE (Book #1)

ASSET TWO (Book #2)

ASSET THREE (Book #3)

ASSET FOUR (Book #4)

ASSET FIVE (Book #5)

ASSET SIX (Book #6)

ASSET SEVEN (Book #7)

ASSET EIGHT (Book #8)

ASSET NINE (Book #9)

ASSET TEN (Book #10)

TYLER WOLF THRILLER SERIES

DOUBLE AGENT (Book #1)

DOUBLE CROSS (Book #2)

DOUBLE ASSET (Book #3)

DOUBLE DOCTRINE (Book #4)

DOUBLE JEOPARDY (Book #5)

DOUBLE THREAT (Book #6)

DOUBLE TARGET (Book #7)

JAKE MERCER THRILLER SERIES

ABSOLUTE THREAT (Book #1)

ABSOLUTE DAMAGE (Book #2)

ABSOLUTE FORCE (Book #3)

ABSOLUTE PERIL (Book #4)

ABSOLUTE TREASON (Book #5)

ABSOLUTE VENGEANCE (Book #6)

ABSOLUTE TARGET (Book #7)

ABSOLUTE FURY (Book #8)

ABSOLUTE POWER (Book #9)

ABSOLUTE SHOCK (Book #10)

ABSOLUTE SIEGE (Book #11)

ABSOLUTE WAR (Book #12)

ABSOLUTE PREJUDICE (Book #13)

ABSOLUTE COMMAND (Book #14)

ABSOLUTE DECEPTION (Book #15)

ABSOLUTE TERROR (Book #16)

ABSOLUTE HAVOC (Book #17)

ABSOLUTE DANGER (Book #18)

ABSOLUTE GAMBIT (Book #19)

ABSOLUTE CARNAGE (Book #20)

THE SPY GAME

TARGET ONE (Book #1)

TARGET TWO (Book #2)

TARGET THREE (Book #3)

TARGET FOUR (Book #4)

TARGET FIVE (Book #5)

TARGET SIX (Book #6)

TARGET SEVEN (Book #7)

TARGET EIGHT (Book #8)

TARGET NINE (Book #9)

TARGET TEN (Book #10)

TROY STARK THRILLER SERIES

ROGUE FORCE (Book #1)

ROGUE COMMAND (Book #2)

ROGUE TARGET (Book #3)

ROGUE MISSION (Book #4)

ROGUE SHOT (Book #5)

ROGUE STRIKE (Book #6)

ROGUE ORDER (Book #7)

ROGUE ATTACK (Book #8)

LUKE STONE THRILLER SERIES

ANY MEANS NECESSARY (Book #1)

OATH OF OFFICE (Book #2)

SITUATION ROOM (Book #3)

OPPOSE ANY FOE (Book #4)

PRESIDENT ELECT (Book #5)

OUR SACRED HONOR (Book #6)

HOUSE DIVIDED (Book #7)

FORGING OF LUKE STONE PREQUEL SERIES

PRIMARY TARGET (Book #1)

PRIMARY COMMAND (Book #2)

PRIMARY THREAT (Book #3)

PRIMARY GLORY (Book #4)

PRIMARY VALOR (Book #5)

PRIMARY DUTY (Book #6)

AN AGENT ZERO SPY THRILLER SERIES

AGENT ZERO (Book #1)

TARGET ZERO (Book #2)

HUNTING ZERO (Book #3)

TRAPPING ZERO (Book #4)

FILE ZERO (Book #5)

RECALL ZERO (Book #6)

ASSASSIN ZERO (Book #7)

DECOY ZERO (Book #8)

CHASING ZERO (Book #9)

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

PROLOGUE

Yang Chiao waited patiently for the people across the table to begin speaking. These were delicate negotiations, and it was critical that he maintain control of the conversation. In order to do that, he needed his counterparts to initiate. This would establish them as the supplicants and he as the grantor.

They realized that too. Their faces remained impassive, but slight movements of the eye and the fingers told Chiao that they were growing impatient.

They were afraid. Understandably so. Were their Supreme Leader to learn of this meeting, they and their families would all be brutally and publicly executed.

Chiao understood their fear. He also understood that their fear gave him an advantage, provided he remained calm and shrewd.

Finally, the least senior of the officials spoke. “Do we have your guarantee that you can accomplish this?”

Chiao suppressed a smile. The least senior official spoke so the more senior members could save face and convince themselves that it was only their junior member’s inexperience that caused him to step out of line. It was obvious to Yang that they had intended for the junior to speak first. Still, it made no difference. He remained in control.

He replied in Korean so flawless it sounded native. “Of course. I wouldn’t make the offer if I weren’t confident in my chances of success.”

“And your government has given you their blessing?”

Chiao chuckled. “Has yours?”

Their faces reddened. Of course, the Supreme Leader hadn't blessed this operation. He was a hedonistic child but not a fool. As for Chiao’s own government, they would react with even more fury were they to learn of Chiao’s involvement in this. He would be undoing decades of effort by the People’s Government to establish China as the world’s premier superpower.

The second most senior official spoke now. “If you are discovered, we will deny all involvement,” he warned Chiao.

“Naturally. And should you be discovered, I will deny all involvement.”

Their faces reddened another shade. These men were not used to being spoken to this way. Chiao kept his placid smile and held their gazes.

After a long pause, the second most senior official reluctantly said. “Very well. We will be expecting you at the border in nine days’ time.”

“I will not be there,” Chiao replied, “but your prisoner will be.” He stood and bowed to the most senior official, the one who hadn’t spoken. “Thank you for your patronage and support, Park-hashinaida.”

The senior official flamed brightly. The other two paled. Chiao had insulted their leader in two serious ways. First, he had ostentatiously pointed out that the other two acted on Park’s behalf, thus preventing him from having plausible deniability in case they were discovered. Second, the honorific hashinaida, while technically correct when addressing a senior public official, was archaic and used now only in historical dramas. Used in this context, Chiao had essentially mocked Mr. Park for his cowardice in refusing to acknowledge his leadership role.

It was an attack Chiao would never have considered speaking to a Chinese person, but these were Koreans, and they needed him. They would endure whatever insult he felt like giving them

The three officials stood, and after delivering stiff farewells, they stormed from the room. Chiao chuckled to himself, then returned to his waiting vehicle. As the armored truck moved steadily back toward the Chinese border, Chiao made one final phone call.

The individual on the other end answered with a simple question. “It’s done?”

Chiao returned an equally simple reply. “It’s done.”

The other party hung up, and Chiao breathed deeply and smiled. The wheel was in motion now. All that remained was to guide it toward the future to which Chiao was entitled.

CHAPTER ONE

Supervisory Special Agent Jake Mercer of the United States Secret Service Presidential Security Division pulled to a stop in front of a modest townhome in Arlington, Virginia and took a deep breath. He loved and hated these visits in almost equal measure, but he needed them more than he hated them and even more than he loved them.

The door opened almost immediately when he knocked on it. A chubby bundle of limitless energy rushed outside and ran to him.

“Daddy!”

Jake grinned at his son and lifted him high into the air. Beau squealed, and when Jake brought him to his chest, he wrapped his arms around Jake and squeezed tightly.

Jake closed his eyes and held his son close, struggling to keep tears from his eyes. He saw Beau every day for dinner, but it was so damned hard to go home without him.

“Hi, Jake.”

He opened his eyes and met the bright blue orbs of his wife, Sheila. Her smile was tight, and her shoulders tense as always. When he hugged her, her body was stiff as a board. Jake hated that. He hated even more that they both had to put on that show for Beau’s sake.

The two of them had fallen in love through Jake’s work protecting Sheila’s father, President Bryan Jackson. After a whirlwind romance, the two of them married and now shared a two-year-old son, Beau.

Their marriage was a fairy tale for a while. But that fairy tale had shattered recently. Sheila had begged Jake to leave his job with Presidential Security and take an office job that wouldn't require putting himself in danger and putting his family at risk of losing their husband and father. Jake had tried several times to do just that, but each time, he'd been unable to stay away. He couldn't handle the thought that others would put their lives in danger to protect the President from the historic levels of terrorism and assassination attempts when he was just as capable of doing so himself, even more capable.

So he’d returned to the field. Sheila had given her blessing at first but made it clear she was unhappy. Then Eli Bard, a former Secret Service agent who had kickstarted the slew of assassination attempts and terrorist attacks that plagued Bryan’s administration, had nearly killed her in their own home. Jake had showed up just in time to rescue her, but that had driven a wedge between the two of them that grew wider with each passing day. Three months ago, when Jake had once more narrowly escaped a terrorist threat with his life, he’d returned home to find a letter from Sheila saying that she needed time to think about their relationship.

So far, those thoughts hadn’t been encouraging. She hadn’t mentioned the word divorce yet, but each time he tried to talk about reconciling, she shut him down. He didn’t have high hopes that they could repair things between them.

“Daddy, come see!” Beau called.

He wriggled out of Jake’s arms, and when Jake set him down, he grabbed Jake’s hand and pulled him into the house. “What is it, buddy?” he asked in wide-eyed excitement.

“I have blocks!”

In his toddler voice, the word came out “bwoks.” Jake’s heart ached to hear that. He was missing so much. He hated feeling like he had to visit his own son.

“You have blocks?” Jake said, “That’s awesome!”

"Yeah. See? This one's blue, and this is red."

He stacked the blocks, naming the different colors as he did. Jake watched him and prayed that his innocence would be maintained for just a little while longer. He was too young to understand that he and Mommy weren’t on vacation, and Daddy wasn’t just going back to work every night and coming home for dinner and occasional trips to the park or the movies. Jake wasn’t looking forward to the first time he asked why Mommy and Daddy didn’t live together anymore.

“Mom bought those for him,” Sheila told him. “We went to the Westpost mall and got him some new clothes, and he saw those on the shelf at Target. I hope you don’t mind.”

A flash of irritation crossed Jake's mind. He turned to her with a smile as forced as hers. "Of course, I don't mind. Why would I have a problem with blocks?"

She looked away and said, “I don’t know. I was just saying.”

“Daddy, look!”

Jake turned back to Beau and watched as he continued to explain the colors. After a moment, Sheila asked, “Do you just want to order pizza for dinner, or I could make some pasta? We have chicken, or…”

“Whatever you want to do.”

“Well, what do you want?”

Jake bit back an angry chuckle. I want to not stress over what’s for fucking dinner when there’s more important stuff to talk about. “Whatever you want.”

“Well… I could make him chicken nuggets, and we could—”

He lifted his hands and this time, he did chuckle. “Sheila, whatever you want. I don’t care. Whatever makes your life easier.”

“Okay, I just…” she ended with a sigh and headed to the kitchen. “I’m going to make nuggets, Beau.”

Beau clapped his hands. “Yay!”

He looked at Jake, and his eyes got big. “Daddy? Can you stay with me tonight?”

Jake had once been stabbed in the side while dying from an infection caused by a genetically engineered supervirus. The look on his son’s face hurt a thousand times more than that wound. “I’m sorry, buddy. I can’t. I have a lot of work to do.”

Beau lowered his eyes. His lip stuck out in a pout. “Okay.”

A lump formed in Jake’s throat, and he turned away so Beau wouldn’t see his tears. Sheila stepped out of the kitchen and said, “Daddy can’t stay tonight, but tomorrow, he’s going to pick you up, and you’ll get to stay with him for a whole week!”

Beau’s head snapped up. He looked at Jake with unbridled excitement, then leaped to his feet, jumping up and down for joy. “Yay!”

Relief, excitement, gratitude and confusion all warred for supremacy in Jake’s mind. He chose to focus on the excitement for now and picked Beau up. “I know!” Except I don’t. “Isn’t that exciting?”

Beau pumped his fists in the air. “Woohoo!”

“Woohoo! We’re going to have so much fun!”

Sheila smiled, and for a brief, beautiful moment, Jake thought she was smiling at him. He turned to see that she was smiling at Beau, and the moment shattered and left him feeling desolate. God, this sucked.

“Beau, I need you to pick up your toys and wash your hands. Then you and Daddy can watch TV while I finish dinner."

“Okay!”

Jake set Beau down, and the chubby little dude eagerly went about cleaning up his mess. Jake watched him for a moment, then followed Sheila into the kitchen.

“So you’re giving him to me for a week?”

“Yes. I already talked to Dad. He’s going to make Art give you the week off.”

Jake wanted to focus on his excitement at spending an entire week with his son, but his frustration with the whole situation overcame that. “Got it. So I’m the last to know once more.”

Sheila sighed. “Jake, don’t start this right now, okay?”

“I didn’t. You did. Remember?”

She slapped her hands on the counter and shook her head. “I really don’t have the energy to fight right now.”

“You never do. You have the energy to make decisions without talking to me, to leave and take my son when I can’t be there to have any say in the matter. You have the energy to tell me how I’m horrible for wanting to make sure your dad isn’t assassinated, and America isn’t terrorized by madmen, but you don’t have the energy to talk about how we might fix our marriage.”

She looked up at the ceiling as though praying to Heaven for strength. “I’ve already told you I’m sorry. All right? I thought I was okay with you going back, but I wasn’t.”

“Oh, yeah, well, sorry fixes everything.”

She turned around, face flaming, and shoved her left hand in front of his face. He realized for the first time that she wasn't wearing her prosthetic ring finger. The real one had been cut off by a crazed former KGB agent when Sheila traveled with her father on a state visit to Russia. "See that?" she said. "Remember that? A terrorist cut that off because Dad insisted on bringing me to a nation that was ready to go to war with us. I was almost shot by Eli Bard because you had to be the one to stop him at every turn. No one else. Not Jess, who doesn't have a family. Not Art, whose kids are grown. Not the rest of the fucking Secret Service. You. Had to be you."

“Was I supposed to let him win? Just let him kill your father? And I saved you. Both times.”

She sighed. “Yes, you did, Jake, but you saved me from danger that you put me in.”

“That’s not fair! I am not the terrorist fucks who attacked you. I’m the man who made sure those terrorist fucks didn’t kill you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, thank you, Jake. Thank you very much. I’m so sorry that I’m not drowning in gratitude.”

“I don’t…” he pressed his lips together and lowered his voice. “I just don’t understand why you would tell me you’re okay with me doing this job, then leave me and take my son from me.”

“I didn’t take Beau from you, Jake. You see him every day. You’re about to watch him for a week. You’re a good father, and I won’t ever take him away from you.”

“No. He’ll just live somewhere else is all.”

“Because…” She stopped herself and looked away. Tears formed in her eyes, but she took a breath and pushed them back. “You told me you’d leave, Jake. Before I said you didn’t have to, you told me you would. And you didn’t. You went back. Three times. After Bard was beaten, I thought… I don’t know, I thought that you’d be satisfied. You beat your enemy, and now you could come home and just be a father and a husband. I thought we’d get that quiet life I wanted and keep Beau safe from all of this.”

“You told me to go back in the field the literal night after I killed Bard.”

“I know,” she said. “I know. Damn it, I know. I thought…” she sighed. “Look, let’s forget about it, okay? We’re both still angry. We can’t talk about moving forward until we’re not angry.”

“Moving forward like how? Getting back together and fixing things? Moving forward with divorce? You two moving across the country, and I become the dad who visits Beau on Christmas and his birthday?”

“I don’t know, Jake!” she shouted. “I don’t know. You know what I know? I know that when I was tied to our landing listening to that asshole tell me that he was going to make you watch him kill me before he killed you too, all I could think about was what if he found Beau? What if when he was finished with us, he found our son and killed him too for no other reason than that he was related to you.”

Tears streamed down her face now. Jake met her eyes, but he couldn’t muster his previous defiance. Instead, guilt softened his shoulders and pulled his eyes to the floor.

The oven timer went off, and Sheila took a deep breath, then turned away. “Go check on Beau. I’m going to let these cool, and you guys can eat in front of the TV if you want."

Jake nodded and left the kitchen. His wife took the chicken nuggets out of the oven and set them on top of the stove.

His wife. He wondered how much longer he could call her that. Maybe it was already time to stop.

CHAPTER TWO

Jake carefully lowered Beau onto the bed and drew the covers up to his shoulders. He stared at the soft, cherubic face and wished desperately that he could always remain this way: small and safe and happy.

He reached down and brushed a lock of fine blonde hair out of Beau’s face. The color was Sheila’s, the texture Jake’s. Sheila’s hair was wavy.

He watched Beau until watching him became too painful, then headed downstairs. Sheila sat on the couch, her feet tucked up on the cushion, a cup of coffee in her hand as she stared at the blank tv. She wore flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. Jake recognized the pajamas. He’d bought them for her for Christmas last year.

Without looking at him, she said, “There’s coffee if you want some.”

“I’m all right,” he said. He nearly added that he hadn’t slept most nights since the separation, but he didn’t want to start another fight.

He sat on the easy chair and looked at Sheila. “So what’s happening next week? You and your mom going on that vacation you were planning?”

Sheila sighed and tensed up. How the hell could she be getting tense now? For Christ’s sake, he was just asking a question. Anyway, he had a right to know why he was only getting twenty-four hours’ notice about her plans. Even if their marriage was on its way out, she was the mother of his child, and he was taking a week off with one day to get everything figured out at work. So what was her problem? She couldn’t stand to even talk to him anymore?

When she finally replied, Jake understood the reason for her tension. “No. I’m, uh… I’m going to China.”

He blinked. “China? Why?”

“A state visit.”

He stared at her for a moment. “A state visit? And Bryan wants me home?”

“Dad’s not coming. It’s just me.”

He stared at her again, and she sighed. “It’s just an appearance. It’s not a diplomatic mission or a political negotiation. I’m just showing up to show the public that ties between Beijing and Washington are still close. Dad’s not going because he’s finally listening to everyone and not traveling to foreign countries where he could be in danger.”

“But you are?”

“I won’t be in danger. I don’t have an official U.S. government role. I’m a pretty face Beijing can trot in front of the cameras. Behind the cameras will be an entire platoon of Chinese Special Forces protecting me, not to mention that I’m sure you’ll send Munoz and his Combat Action Team along with a contingent of bodyguards.”

“Damned straight I will,” Jake said. “But seriously, how does this make sense? You give me shit about putting myself in danger, and now you’re flying to fucking China? Without me?”

She pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “Jake, I’m not looking to start that fight again. I’m just telling you my plans.”

“Well, thank you so much for including me, but I’m bringing it up. That’s bullshit.”

She looked up at the ceiling again and shook her head. God, he hated that.

“I’m not the one being unreasonable here, Sheila. You might not have an official government role, but you’re still the President’s daughter. You were kidnapped in Russia because you’re the President’s daughter.”

“The Russian government is at odds with us. Thanks to my father, China has become a staunch ally.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Jake replied. “They like Bryan, and relations with Beijing are good, but they’re competitors, not allies.”

“Well, they’re competitors who have repeatedly condemned the attacks on my dad and insisted that stronger ties between Washington and Beijing are critical for the future of both nations.”

“And Nikolai was a rogue KGB agent who wasn’t a member of the Russian government. What happens when some Chinese superspy decides they want to kidnap you too?”

“They don’t have the tacit approval of their government because their government isn’t hoping to coerce Dad into backing off of sanctions because of their government’s actions in Eastern Europe and the Arabian Peninsula.”

Jake chuckled and looked up at the ceiling. When he caught himself doing that, he frowned and looked back at her. “Sheila, you can talk all you want, but you’re putting yourself in danger.”

She met his eyes. “I can say the same thing to you.”

He pressed his lips together and looked away. It was different when he put himself in danger. He was trained to handle danger. He was good at handling danger. Sheila was… well, she wasn’t. And he loved her. He didn’t mind risking his own life, but he wouldn’t stand for Sheila risking her life.

I can say the same thing to you.

Understanding Sheila’s feelings about his job placing him in danger did nothing to help him feel better now. If anything, it only made him angrier because he knew he had no leg to stand on.

But neither did she. Maybe it was petty for him to dwell on that, but it was true. She couldn’t get pissed at him for putting himself in danger when she was going to do the exact same thing despite having been kidnapped the last time she was in a foreign nation.

“So why this change of heart? Why are you suddenly getting involved in politics when you’ve been saying for years that you want nothing to do with it?”

“This isn’t a diplomatic mission, it’s a state visit.”

“That’s still politics. Don’t quibble with me on the semantics. You know what question I’m asking.”

She sighed and sipped more of her coffee. “I want to do something other than sit at home all the time. I want to do something meaningful.”

Her expression told Jake that she knew what his response was going to be. "So I want to do something meaningful that puts me in danger, and I'm an asshole who's a shit father and husband, but you want to… to what? Turn the tables so I know what it's like to be you?"

“No!” she snapped. “It’s not the same thing! I’m basically going on vacation. I’m going to have a few dinners and a few conversations. I’m going to tour a few landmarks and a few museums, then I’m going to go home.”

“And if anything happens, you will be utterly unprepared to handle it.”

“I’ll have the Secret Service and the Chinese version of that. I’ll be fine. I’ll be every bit as good as Dad is when he’s with you.”

“And in every bit as much danger.”

She laughed and rubbed her forehead. “Look, you don’t have to like this, but I’m doing it.”

“I could say the same thing to you.”

“Yes, you could,” she admitted. “Yes, you absolutely could. That’s the lovely thing about being separated is we don’t have to consider each other’s feelings when we make decisions anymore.”

He looked away and said nothing. After a moment, she sighed and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes, you did.”

This time, they both fell silent. The minutes ticked slowly by as each of them struggled to find some sort of equilibrium on the sinking ship of their marriage. Sheila broke the silence. “I’m flying out in the morning two days from now. I figured you could come over after work. We’ll have dinner again, and then you can spend the night here and take him to your place in the morning. Or you can stay here if you want.”

The momentary hope he felt when she suggested he spend the night tomorrow evaporated instantly when she referred to the home they had bought together as his place. “This is really over, isn’t it?” he said quietly.

She sighed again. “No. It’s not. Not yet.”

“But it will be.”

“I don’t know, Jake!” she said.

She glanced at Beau to make sure that he didn’t hear her. Thankfully, Beau remained focused on his TV program. She turned back to Jake and continued in a quieter tone. "God, I just… I just need space. I need to breathe. I need some time where I'm not constantly worried about you, about Beau, about us, about the future… I need a fucking break! That's why I'm going, if you really want to know. I'm going to China because I need a break so I can figure out what I really want to do. I thought I would get that by moving to Arlington for a year, but—"

“A year?”

She rubbed her eyes and said, “Yes, Jake. A year. That’s how long leases are.”

“When were you going to tell me?”

She pulled her hands from her face. “I don’t know. When I felt… I don’t know. I’m sorry. My bad. I should have communicated every single thought in my head the moment it popped up.”

“You should have communicated the decision that affect what my relationship is with my son.”

“It doesn’t affect—”

“Yes, it does,” he interrupted. “Look me in the eye and tell me you really believe that this doesn’t change things with him.”

She lowered her eyes. “I’m trying, Jake.”

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“Well, it never seemed like you tried either.”

“I did try. I left the field for months on end. After I killed Bard, I told you I was leaving the field for good. I only went back when you said it was okay. Now you’re punishing me because you didn’t want what you told me you want.”

“I’m not punishing you. I’m trying to figure out if what I want is the same as what you want.”

“I want you,” he insisted. “I want Beau. I want us. Despite your insistence that it isn’t true, our family is the most important thing on Earth to me. Would I be happy doing desk work? No. I wouldn’t. I would dislike my job. Absolutely. But I’m willing to do that to have my family back.”

“Well, I don’t want to do that to you.”

“Stop acting like you’re doing this for me. You didn’t take my son out of our home because you wanted to do something for me.”

“No, but…”

She pressed her hands to her eyes again. Her lips trembled. Jake hated seeing her cry. He hated that he wanted to comfort her. He hated that he couldn’t comfort her. He hated that he was just sitting there with his shoulders bunched and his hands clasped together, and he couldn’t think of anything to do but wait for her to say something else.

Once more, the minutes ticked slowly by. Once more, Sheila broke the silence. “I just need a break,” she said softly. “I need a break, and when I get back, we’ll talk about everything else, okay? Can I just have a break, please? Can I have this week and not have you yell at me for a little while?”

Oh, you’re so put upon. Poor you. It must be so hard to have your husband mad at you because you abandoned him and took his son away from him without even having the decency to talk to him about why you changed your mind about giving him your blessing to do his job. Poor Sheila.

He didn’t say any of that out loud. It wouldn’t change anything. All he said was, “Okay.”

“Thank you.”

They fell into silence again. This time, it remained unbroken until Jake got to his feet and left the townhome.