He flipped through his contact list and thumbed his favorite. The phone started dialing the international number.
“Hey, twin brother! I’ve been waiting for your call. What’s the word?”
“I just finished my polygraph exam. I’m pretty sure I passed it. I was honest and the examiner said she detected no deception.”
“I don’t think that matters, though.”
“What do you mean?” Cain inquired.
“I saw the picture of you, Tomcat, and the others drinking at the pub. Plus, I saw the prostitute on television. She was giving a damn interview, destroying any credibility you guys have. The government will do what it always does: it’ll find a scapegoat. Looks like the media brought it to them on a silver platter.”
“She’s going to milk this cash cow for as much money as she can,” Cain said as it dawned on him.
“You think you’ll be mentioned?” Bonnie asked.
“God, I hope not.”
“Prostitution wouldn’t even be mentioned in the Japanese news,” she said. “Nobody cares about that kind of stuff here. One of my clients is the CEO of one of the largest auto companies in—”
“One of your clients?” Cain interrupted.
“Yeah, one of my students,” Bonnie clarified. “I teach English to a few business executives to make a little extra money.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, I don’t tell you all my secrets.”
“That’s probably the best news I’ve heard all day!”
Cain and Bonnie laughed together.
“Anyway, as I was saying, I’ve been telling one of my clients about your situation.”
“Sis, please don’t do that.”
“He can help, Cain. This is exactly what you need. He runs one of the largest auto companies in Tokyo, and he is looking for a bodyguard.”
“A bodyguard?” Cain said with disgust.
“I know. You guys hate that word.”
“We’re not bullet catchers. We use our brains, too.”
“Some more than others.” Bonnie giggled. “The work here would be easy lifting and the pay would be good. Plus, it gets you closer to me. Maybe then Mom and Pops would come out here to visit. You know they’re never going to travel this far unless we’re both here.”
“They’re homebodies. They’ll never leave the farm. Plus, they wouldn’t leave Seth by himself, and he ain’t gonna fly that far.” Cain paused a beat. “Thanks for thinking of me. But I’m going to settle this tomorrow morning at my meeting with the SAC.”
“Fine. If they do end up giving you a few days off work, go down to the farm. Mom would love to see you, and there is plenty of stuff you could do to help out Pops. It’ll be good for your soul to get back south for a bit, too.”
“Maybe so.”
“Give ’em hell, brother. With what you’ve been through in life, this ain’t no hill for a mountain climber.”
“I can always count on you to be my biggest cheerleader.”
“We’re family,” Bonnie said, taking on a more serious tone. “We’ll always have each other. No matter what.”
Chapter 23
Cain had been up for hours. His sleep was restless. After he lost count of how many times he tossed and turned, he got up and sat at the dining table. The rain and gray clouds from the night gave way to a morning that dawned into a brilliant blue sky from horizon to horizon.
I hope this is a sign of positive things to come, Cain thought as he finished his third cup of coffee. Time to get ready for the SAC.
He went to his closet and picked out his sharpest suit—a tailored navy blue with pinstripes. He had custom ordered it for when he was on assignment in Seoul. The president had attended a nuclear security summit and greeted American troops deployed at the demilitarized zone, or DMZ, as they called it. Security had been extra tight and Cain vividly recalled constantly scanning the large expanse of land, hills, and forests for snipers. Had just one North Korean soldier fired upon the president, World War III would have erupted.
Cain donned a starched white shirt, a blue-and-yellow-striped tie, and a pair of caramel leather boots. He was impeccably dressed. Jill was right—the Service judges you on how you look.
As he left his bedroom and headed toward the door, he saw the framed picture on the dining table. He kissed two of his fingers and placed them on Claire’s face. “Thank you for talking me through this, Claire Bear. We have a plan, and I promise I’ll stick to it.”
Chapter 24
The White House meeting began promptly at 0830. LeRoy ushered Cain into the office of the special agent in charge. Unlike the director, who oversaw