Read Enemy In the Room Online

Authors: Parker Hudson

Tags: #redemption, #spiritual warfare, #christian fiction, #terrorist attacks, #thriller action suspense, #geo political thriller

Enemy In the Room (9 page)

The visual from the video rebooted in
David’s mind.

The three sampled the cheese and chatted
about Callie’s fine arts program, work, the Sawyers’ extended
family, and Alex’s aspirations.

“I want to go into marketing after
college.”

“Where are you in school?”

“I’m taking a semester off to work.”

“Where are you working?”

Alex glanced at Callie. “I’ve got a couple
of offers that I’m considering now.”

There was a pause, and when David spoke, his
hands were so wet that he had to wipe them on a napkin. “With our
reservation I think it’s about time we go, but first I have to ask
a question. Has either of you ever heard of a video called
Amateur Mid-East Bombshell Does It All
?

Alex’s eyes widened. Callie looked confused.
She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “No. Why?”

Alex shifted on the sofa and looked down at
his hands.

Sawyer leaned forward. “What about you,
Alex?”

“I, uh. Since I guess you’ve seen it, I
obviously can’t pretend that I don’t know about it.”

“About what?” Callie asked, turning to
him.

He continued to look at his hands. “I guess
about ten days ago when we were, uh, you know, together, I put my
video camera on the shelf and recorded us.”

David watched Alex’s explanation register on
his daughter’s face.

“You mean”—lowering her head to see his
eyes—“upstairs? Together?”

He finally looked up and nodded. “Yes.”

“And you put it on the internet?”

He nodded.

“On my company’s video share site.”

Callie looked at her father. “Your company
has a share site for videos?”

“I’m not proud of it, but, yes.”

She turned again to Alex. “And you put us on
the internet for everyone, including my father, to see?”

“I had no idea that he would see it.”

“Do you check the site often, Dad?”

“No. Never. A former colleague saw it and
sent me the link.”

Now Callie looked down. “So my boyfriend put
us on a website run by my father for the world to see. And I guess
it will be there forever. Maybe our grandchildren will watch. What
were you thinking?”

There was silence.

“The point is,” David said, talking faster
and tapping his finger on the table, “I don’t decide what my
company does. But you can decide what you do. Callie, how do you
think your mother would feel, if she knew? What do you have to
say?”

“Mr. Sawyer—” Alex started.

“I’m not talking to you.” David paused. “For
all I care, you can go. In fact, you should probably leave.”

Callie held out both hands. “No. Wait.” She
turned to Alex. “I can’t believe that you did that without telling
me.” He lowered his head. Then she took a deep breath and faced her
father. “I’m not a little girl any more—I guess that’s obvious. I
didn’t know about the video, and I’m sorry that Alex did it and
that you saw it. But, yes, I’m the one who participated. That was
my choice. I love Alex, and he loves me. We plan to get married
after school. So don’t talk to him like that.”

“What?”

She straightened. “Yes, we love each other.”
She took Alex’s hand.

“He hasn’t got a job, he puts you on the
internet for kicks, and you want to
marry
him? In my
parents’ day you would both be dead. Or worse.”

She moved closer to Alex, who was still
focused on the floor, and said, “Well, it’s not your parents’ day,
and we’re not in Iran. How would your parents feel about your great
website?”

Sawyer lowered his voice. “Alex, I think
you’d better leave. I want to talk with Callie alone.”

She squeezed his hand. “No. Alex lives here.
He can stay.”

“He
lives
here?”

“Yes, with me.”

Alex started “Callie, I think I should—”

“You’re staying. Anything Dad wants to say
to me, he can say to both of us.”

Silence. Alex looked at Callie, who was
returning her father’s stare.

Finally David asked, “Callie, what are you
doing?”

“Nothing. I love you and mom. But I’ve grown
up.”

“This isn’t growing up. This is making bad
decisions.” Silence again. “Do you think I should continue to send
money so that you can keep this piece of crap in your bedroom?”

Now Callie leaned forward. “Alex is a good
man. He was an A student. He’s very talented. It was my decision
for him to live here. He’s just had some bad luck.”

“Looks to me like he’s fallen into some very
good luck. Alex, are you proud of this?”

“I…”

When Alex didn’t answer, David took a deep
breath. “That’s what I thought. Well, I tell you what. Since you
two are so in love, I think that you should figure out how to
support each other with that love. Callie, either Alex leaves now
and never comes back, or I’m not going to send another dime to pay
for anything. No school, apartment, or anything. You can’t live
like a married couple when you’re not married, on me.”

“So I have to choose between my father and
my fiancé?”

“Fiancé?” Sawyer laughed. “When’s the
wedding? Usually the father of the bride is let in on the
details.”

Callie turned to Alex. “I know we can do it,
somehow. I’ll work this summer, and I can probably graduate in
three semesters. You can get a job, and then I’ll help you
finish.”

He nodded.

Sawyer felt as if a hole were growing in his
chest. “So you’re going to pick Alex and poverty over remaining our
daughter?”

“It’s not my idea. It’s yours. I don’t want
to choose.” He noticed a tear in the corner of her eye, but her
back was straight.

“I can’t have our daughter living unmarried
with a man, a man who has no money and no common sense. And you
want me to support you?”

“That’s enough about Alex, Dad. You don’t
know him.”

Sawyer rose. “I know enough. And I guess I
know enough about all of this. Callie, we live by the consequences
of our choices. You seem to be making yours. I can’t imagine what
I’m going to tell your mother. Or your grandmother.” He shook his
head and looked down as the two young people on the sofa stared
back.

Then he turned and left.

Five minutes later he was still sitting in
the car just down from Callie’s townhouse replaying everything that
had just happened. Twice he almost went back inside to plead with
Callie, the love of his life after Elizabeth. But he wasn’t going
to beg. Clearly she was in the wrong. Then the couple came out and
turned the other way, walking down the sidewalk hand in hand. He
started the car and turned toward the hotel. Even though tomorrow
was Saturday, he had a full day of visits scheduled to review
several adult movie properties for USNet.

This is insane. My company has helped make
our daughter into an amateur porn star, and now she’s left us..

7

SATURDAY, APRIL 16TH

 

Knox spent the weekend at his private
compound, built into the side of a wooded hill on a lake far
outside the city. Divorced for three decades with no children,
Knox’s female companionship had consisted of a string of
mistresses, the latest of whom he now kept in seclusion at his
large home. And his company’s constantly revolving talent in
California.

But he was pursuing a different passion this
Saturday morning.

Concealed in one wing of the home, partially
extending into the rock of the hill itself, was a prayer room. Only
he had the key and the code to enter. He had spent an hour alone on
his face, praying to Allah. Thus cleansed, he rose and walked
through a doorway, swinging a heavy metal door shut behind him. The
rustic wood paneling hid the lead lining that made this the most
secure of all the places from which he could contact the rest of
the world.

There were chairs for three people, and all
of the usual USNet monitors and equipment. He slid into the chair
in front of a unique video conference console. At the appointed
time he typed in the numbers and letters from the next one-time
code on the pad that he and his fellow believers had exchanged in
Paris all those years ago. They had assembled in France at a secret
summit called to write The Project, the blueprint for much of what
had since occurred. And the code pads which they had exchanged were
virtually unbreakable, since each page was used for only one
transmission, and then discarded. A moment after accepting the code
the screen came to life, and there, in Saudi Arabia, was Saeed
Zeini.

Knox smiled and greeted his old friend in
Arabic. “You don’t look a day older. Only broader.”

“May Allah be kind to you as well, Tarik,”
Saeed replied.

Trevor had not heard his real name spoken by
anyone in several years. “He is. He certainly is. How are you?”

“Well. We continue to use the information
you send us to amass great wealth and advantage for his purpose.
And to ‘encourage’ others to work with us.” He smiled. “Other than
to see your face and hear your voice, for what purpose did you wish
to speak today?”

Turning serious, Tarik—Trevor—said to his
friend, “In line with our strategy in The Project, I think our
imams, mullahs and politicians should adopt a conciliatory tone
toward the West for several months. I hate these infidels more than
you can imagine—I have to live here—and the Easter attack on the
church and yesterday’s work at the English school were perfect in
their messages. So now, as we agreed, we should reduce the violence
for a while, and use other means to advance our cause. We will, of
course, return to violence again when the opportunities are right.
And we are working here to create such an opportunity later this
year.”

“I understand, but occasionally we also have
to remind our own people who the enemy is. And how we will defeat
our enemies—even those ‘intellectuals’ who live among us. Like the
ones we crushed a week ago in Iran.”

“Yes, but not so powerfully that we provoke
the enemy to act against us. Look at France. Sharia Law is now
ruling in many areas, and the authorities are afraid to question
us. In England there are more mosques than churches. In America we
are using ‘one man-one vote’ to elect our believers in all the
large cities. Soon we will have whole towns and several cities’
districts where we are the majority of those who vote. And their
own educators and media are using ‘separation of church and state’
to rewrite their history and question their own beliefs. I tell
you, Saeed, in just a few years we will control Europe, challenge
the Church of England, and rewrite the laws in at least five states
to Allah’s principles. Just using their own weaknesses against
them. I’m here; I know. We will control Europe in one generation,
and America in two. Then we can eliminate anyone who disagrees with
Allah’s truth, wherever they live.”

“These are indeed great advances, Tarik, and
the funds that Allah and you provide have helped in many ways to
accomplish them. Right in line with The Project’s goals. But we
must keep our own people aware, especially the young. The seduction
of the West is powerful. Look at Egypt, Libya, and Iraq. We must
whip up hate against the Great Satan to keep them from straying.
And continued attacks in America and Europe remind them of the
consequences they face if they oppose us.”

“Yes. But right now we should pull back for
a short time. Some here are starting to realize that Islam is on
the rise, as if that were not Allah’s plan. They are moving to put
Jewish and Christian precepts back into education and even their
laws. We have made such progress, and so many non-believers are
doing our work for us that I don’t want too much violence to awaken
our enemy. Next week we have the special election in Tampa, which
we’ve been supporting, for example.”

“I understand. I will speak with the
others.”

“Thank you. Tell them to reduce the attacks
for only a few months, and then we will strike again. In fact, I
think it is time to rid the world of this female Crusader
President. We will talk more about that soon. But for now Allah is
delivering our enemies into our hands while they sleep and watch
videos.”

“I will do as you say”

“Allah is great,” Trevor concluded.

 

That Monday the USNet real estate team was
assembled at the home office. After arriving from the West Coast at
5:45 am with three hours sleep, David had driven home, showered,
said hello to Elizabeth and Rob, gulped a quick breakfast, and then
headed to the office. He made no mention of his meeting with
Callie.

“Hey,” Kristen said from his office doorway
at 8:45, her computer bag over her shoulder.

He smiled. “Hey yourself. I guess I
shouldn’t feel so bad. I only came from L.A.”

“Tell me about it. I actually made it to the
ballgame yesterday. Good thing it was a blow-out. I took Terrell
Myers from Glenn and Ashworth, and I kept nodding off in the sun
and apologizing for falling asleep on his shoulder.”

“Sounds exciting.”

“Strictly business. Anything to further
USNet’s relationship with our lead lawyers.”

“Your sacrifice is noted.”

“See you at ten.”

 

Kristen walked to her office, deposited her
bag on the chair, and headed for coffee. After catching up with her
colleagues, she returned to her desk and checked her inbox. Full.
She quickly went through it, looking for the rare important or
personal letter in the midst of all the junk.

She was reviewing the week’s to-do list,
which she had created on her handheld during the long flight east,
when her phone rang.

“Ms. Holloway, hey, this is Davis from USNet
News downstairs. There’s a piece that just came in on the wire from
New York. Some group called Truth in Politics. Never heard of ‘em,
actually. But, like, hey, anyway, this piece says that Janet
Sullivan—you know, the Congresswoman—like, that her husband had an
affair a few years ago. And, anyway, I’m calling because it says
they have recordings of calls between her husband and this other
woman, and it’s someone named Kristen Holloway. Isn’t that weird?
I’m just calling to give you a head’s up that you may get some
crazy calls today.”

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