“Keep walking,” Hill told him, and they got on either side of him as he started off on the sand again.
“Senator, we’ve been watching you.”
“Me? For what?”
“Not just you,” Rodgers said. “There are ten people in the house and five in the senate that we’ve been watching closely besides yourself. These people are in direct communication with our enemies to sell them weapons.”
“This isn’t Iran Contra, here, gentlemen. There are committees that have to sign off, votes that have to be taken.”
“Exactly why they’re all currying favors, blackmailing, bribing. Exactly as you’ve been doing for weeks.”
Lee thought he’d vomit right on the beach. He stopped, turning to face them both. “You’ve got me all wrong, gentlemen. I’m not in any conspiracy. I have my own reasons for stacking up some favors.”
“Such as?”
Lee knew his rights, sure, he was raised on them, but he also knew those rights didn’t matter a lot when it came to interrogations with authorities such as Homeland. “Listen, it’s nothing underhanded. I’m…I’m thinking of not running for reelection. I’m not into the whole corrupt world on the hill.”
“Not to mention your sexuality may be uncovered,” Hill proposed, and Lee felt his stomach drop to his feet.
Gaping from one to the other, Lee didn’t know what to say.
“Listen, Senator,” Hill started, holding up both hands like he was trying to keep Lee calm. Well, that wasn’t working. “We need a man inside this. They’re keeping things close to the breast, but first, we need to know that you’re not one of them. If you tip them off, then dangerous weapons will be given to bad men, and more discourse in the world will blossom.”
“I’m not involved, but I have a lot on my plate right now, guys. Sorry, but I’m not going to be someone on the inside. How would I get there, anyway? I’d have to pretend to want the same thing!”
“Your parents are having five of the fifteen over to the beach house this weekend. Lee…your father is involved.”
It wasn’t like he couldn’t believe that. His father was so ensnared with that world, it was as if he were the one still in the senate. Still, it was his father. “No, he’s not. You have the wrong man.”
Hill placed his hand in his inside suit pocket, bringing it out with a business card. “We can’t go on about this right here, right now. If you tip them off, we’ll know.”
“What? Do you have my parents’ house bugged?”
Hill and Rodgers exchanged a look that told him the answer plain enough.
Rodgers said, “Come to that address tomorrow, alone. And let’s just lay it out right now. If you don’t come, if you tell anyone about the meeting or this conversation, you’ll be the first one that goes down for all this.”
They left him with a card in his shaking hand. He watched them go and tried to take a step back to the house, but the sand had suddenly begun to feel like it was shards of glass that would eviscerate him if he moved.
He did, though, after a few minutes of pure panic. Eli knew that he’d been currying favors. He didn’t know why, so if it came out and he was implicated, Eli would believe he did it.
But he couldn’t tell him the truth either. He was in a lot of trouble.
He got back to the house and showered, letting the water hit his face and hoping it would wash away some of his worry. It didn’t.
He met Eli in the kitchen once he’d dressed, and was blown away, momentarily forgetting everything else but Eli. “Wow, you look amazing.”
“Your friend is amazing. He took one look at me and knew all my measurements. It was a little unsettling.”
He was dressed in a white linen jacket with a striped white and navy shirt under it. His pocket square matched his slacks which were a soft beige, and he wore white loafers on his feet.
“I’m…I think you look great, Eli.”
“What’s wrong? You have dark circles under your eyes.”
He had to think of a lie quickly. It was a good thing he was used to interviews and committee questions, so he could lie easily and fast. “I haven’t slept much in the past few nights.”
Eli wasn’t buying it. “Funny, you didn’t have them this morning.”