Kim Baldwin - The Gemini Deception

“My own family didn’t see the difference.” Thomas ran her hand through her hair. “And after having met the double, I can see why.”

“You met her?” Moore practically shouted. “How could all this take place under my nose? I spent plenty of time with you in the past weeks. I never had reason to suspect anything.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yet you were in the presence of a stranger.”

Moore sat down, shaking his head in bewilderment. “How did this happen?”

“During the attack at the Jefferson Hotel. They exchanged us in the elevator.”

“We even gave you around-the-clock protection after the assault,” he mumbled.

“Harper Kennedy,” the secretary of Homeland Security said. “From the Elite Operatives Organization. She’s the one who uncovered the truth. She didn’t know what, but she knew something was different about you.”

“Whatever happened to Kennedy?” Moore asked. “I haven’t seen her all day.”

“It’s funny how a complete stranger realized something was wrong,” Elizabeth said.

Moore frowned. “I feel like such a failure.”

“Because you are,” Secretary Sneed said.

“Excuse me?” Moore replied, clearly offended.

“Kennedy named you as Rothschild’s inside person. You were in on this plan from the beginning. Senator Schuster was also blackmailed to retract his compliance in the weapons law, because apparently Rothschild threatened to remove the black-market organ she sold him for his son.”

Elizabeth felt faint. Moore was involved in this? Her longtime family friend and trusted confidant? “Is this true?” She looked at Moore, but he didn’t answer and refused to meet her eyes.

“According to Kennedy,” the secretary continued, “Moore is also responsible for the death of your husband, Madam President. He hired someone to poison him at the golf club, because the double, as convincing as she was, would have never fooled your husband.”

Speechless, Elizabeth walked over to Moore, still seated in a chair by her desk.

He looked up at her. “I can explain, it’s not all true—”

She slapped him hard across the face.

Kaplan cleared his throat. “What did they aim to accomplish, Madam President?”

Elizabeth glared at Moore. “Speak.”

“Not until I see my lawyer.”

She turned back to Kaplan. “I’ve been looking for any new amendments for hours. The only change in my plans has to do with the illegal-weapons agenda.”

“Oh,” Kaplan and Sneed said simultaneously.

“Is that the only change?” Kaplan asked.

“As far as I can see, yes.”

“Pierce from the EOO mentioned that Rothschild was a weapons dealer, among other things.”

“It’s a multi-billion-dollar enterprise,” Elizabeth said. “I knew it would rub many the wrong way, but I never thought they’d go this far.”

“It’s not the first time,” the CIA director said. “We’ve—”

“I’d rather he wasn’t present during any further conversation,” Elizabeth cut in, glancing at Moore. “Please, get him out of my sight.”

Kaplan made a phone call and no one spoke further until the president’s secretary escorted a blue-suited agent into the room.

“Take him in,” Kaplan told the agent, nodding toward the special advisor.

Moore stood. “I want to see my lawyer.” No one reacted as he was led away.

“As I was saying,” Kaplan continued once they were alone again, “we’ve covered many instances of attacks against presidents by extremists and terrorists, and we have even personally assisted in providing doubles.”

“But it doesn’t change the fact that you were abducted and your safety and position as president of this country compromised,” the secretary of Homeland Security said. “Why haven’t you pressed charges?”

“I don’t intend to,” Elizabeth replied.

“Madam President—” The secretary began to argue.

“Please.” She gestured for him to stop. “Rothschild—or her people, to be more precise, who appear to be Russians—has threatened me with my family’s life. She will keep that promise in or out of jail.”

“We can give them around-the-clock protection for as long as you serve your term.”

“And what happens when my term is over?”

“We will continue to—”

“But not as passionately, and let’s face it, I cannot have my family under constant surveillance for the rest of their lives. My sister’s kids deserve a normal life, and so do my sister and her husband.”

“Fair enough, Madam President,” the secretary said. “We will find subtle ways to monitor their safety.”

“And the worst part,” she ignored his remark, “is that I am the first female president of this country. How do you think my abduction will sit with the rest of the world? My decisions so far will all be discredited. Every media journalist will throw doubt on any change I’ve made and will make. Soon, people will refer to me as the double instead of the president.”

“Not to mention everything they’ll start looking into, to prove it’s not the first time,” Kaplan said. “Every conspiracy nut and individual like Assange will dig until they expose anything they can.” His eyes narrowed. “And we do not want that.”

“The nation elected me for a better America,” Elizabeth said. “They trust I can give them a better tomorrow.” She stared at the large presidential seal embroidered into the Oval Office carpet. “And I will not let them down. I refuse to let anyone take away or befoul my reputation and ability to make decisions for the future of my country.”

No one spoke for a long while. She was damned if she was going to let anyone deprive her of her dreams and everything she’d worked for. If the world found out about this, her reputation would be destroyed, her decisions doubted and ridiculed. It would only be a matter of time before she’d have to choose between stepping down or serving her country with infamy and disgrace. She was not about to become another Bush.

“What do you suggest, Madam President?” the HLS secretary asked.

“That we do nothing. Reveal none of this,” the CIA director put in. “It wouldn’t be the first time,”

“Indeed.” Elizabeth agreed. “Everything said in this room stays here.”

“We can’t just let Rothschild off the hook,” Secretary Sneed said. “And what about Moore and Wagner?”

“Wagner was blackmailed into compliance,” Kaplan told her. “She was a florist with a squeaky-clean record until they framed her for first-degree murder. She was facing the death penalty when Rothschild’s lawyer bailed her out and made the offer. They trained her for months, but she didn’t know what they were up to until after all the surgeries had taken place.”

“But she complied, nevertheless,” Elizabeth said.

“Correct,” Kaplan said. “But she has been very cooperative and a key to unraveling this mess. Moore continued to threaten her with her life every day, until she was taken together with Kennedy last night to be killed.”

“Did she really think Rothschild was going to let her live?” Elizabeth asked.

“She shamefully admits to wanting to believe her in order to save her own life.”

“Very unfortunate for her, but we can’t risk word of this getting out…”

“No, we can’t,” Kaplan said. “I’ll take care of Rothschild, Moore, and Wagner.”

“Did Schuster know about my replacement ?”

“No. He was never involved in any of it and was upset about being made to abort the weapons law,” Kaplan replied.

“Good. I like him and I’d like to continue to work with him.”

“Up to you, Madam President,” the CIA director said. “Although he did illegally purchase an organ from Rothschild.”