Chapter 23
10:50 a.m.
Beneath the White House
They rode an elevator deep into the bowels of the earth. Ten people were on board: the President, the Vice President, the President’s young chief of staff, Ed and Luke, and five Secret Service agents. One of the agents carried a black leather satchel, secured to his wrist with a metal clasp. Somewhere above them, an alarm was going off.
“How sure of this are you?” the President said.
Luke’s face was rug burned. The back and side of his neck was sore. He could feel a welt rising on his jaw. His mouth was bleeding.
“I’m not sure of anything, sir.”
“If you’re wrong, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble.”
“Sir, I think you may not appreciate the full extent of that trouble.”
The elevator doors opened. They exited into to a cavernous ligh
