CHAPTER 83
KENAN WAS DEFINITELY NOT well, the intense events on the plane had shaken him. Responsibilities, difficult situations and power games were already part of his daily life, but adrenaline and the risk of death were something he had never experienced so closely before.
He vomited on the plane, after seeing Peter die right in front of him, from a bullet he knew was meant for him, while he was being taken by agents to a safe place on the aircraft. The same thing happened when he arrived at the hotel, suffering from nausea and dizziness. He needed some medication to come to his senses and recover from the shock of the death of his advisor, an important companion in his career as President.
He is my friend, I will not be able to offer him my condolences...
He reflected after arriving at his room, while being supported by a whole team of assistants, nurses and other presidential companions, in addition to the numerous special agents from the Secret Service and FBI, who guarded him everywhere.
He sat down in an armchair, in a safe place in the room, out of sight of the windows, with his tie loosened, the buttons of his shirt undone, his collar open and the bitter taste of vomit and medicine in his mouth.
— Water, please — he asked without looking at who he was addressing.
The request was quickly answered by someone he didn't see either.
He was wandering amidst questions he had never thought he would be visited by. When he became President, he had never thought he would go through situations like the last one. He had never thought he would have such a shrewd enemy.
He had always been the smartest.
He had been the winner, since the first school disputes, and now he held in his hands the power of a President, the President of the United States.
Power really does have many forms...—he fell silent, daydreaming.
The memory of the commitment interrupted his perplexity and made him regain focus, first of his mind, then of his vision. It was only then that he realized he was in the reserved room of that hotel, noticed the people surrounding him, and started thinking again about what he had come to New York to do.
What Peter, and then Floyd Kenagan, insisted on, now made much more sense to him. Maybe he should give up, cancel, back out...
Back out... Back out... No, he couldn't...
It wasn't an option, at least not one that would suit him, Kenan Vaine. Eager and resolute, he thought again about the speech he would give and how he would maintain his posture with so many things going through his head. He remembered words he had rehearsed before the trip and reorganized everything in his mind, he wouldn't be a coward.
— I'm going to get ready — he said to one of his assistants who was taken aback by the order. "Tell them I'll be out in ten minutes."
He added after looking at his watch.
He went to the bathroom, where he took a strong hot shower that restored his energy. He put on the suit that someone had set aside for his public appearance and combed his hair, his own style, as he hadn't done in a long time. He faced himself in front of the mirror, with an encouraging look, giving himself what he needed to receive at that moment.
— You're bigger than this, Kenan. You're bigger than them.
As he left the bathroom, he waved away the crowd of makeup artists that surrounded him and looked for his belongings.
— I'm ready.
WHEN HE LEFT, HE FOUND Floyd Kenagan, who would accompany him every step of the way to the event, always by his side, in the enormous security entourage, so numerous that it was capable of giving the impression that nothing else could happen.
— Mr. President — said Floyd Kenagan, still in the presidential limousine. — If you don't consider yourself fit to participate in the event, please cancel this commitment. We've already had enough signs of what kind of risks may surround you. Backing off a little at this moment won't be so harmful...
— I'm not backing down, Floyd! I can't, much less should I...
Giving up on any chance of convincing him, Floyd Kenagan decided to encourage him, to show support:
— Then rest assured that an excellent security team is already on site, ready for any surprises. Nothing will happen.
— Don't try to calm me down with this speech, just a few words ago you were arguing with me about my participation in this event. Will nothing happen? Nothing would happen on the plane either, Floyd.