Read The Beginning of the End (Book 2): Toward the Brink II for Free Online Page A

threat, and it grabbed the general’s attention—and then some.
    Tom Transky eased himself back onto the couch. He had a full view of the picture now. Hadlee’s balls were in a vise, and the President was turning the handle—not without a degree of pleasure, either.
    A few minutes later, Hadlee was summoned to the court of the executioner. Judging by the look on his face, that’s how it appeared. No one stood to greet him, especially not the president, who told him to sit—not on the couch with the others, but in a separate chair, as the accused. The president laid it out for him. Nothing was held back.
    “The general here has made the right decision, as did Richard Holmes. And you also see, the judicial process is on the side of democracy and not the cowardly actions of rebellious power-seeking traitors.”
    Everyone else squirmed in their seats, glad they were not on the receiving end of this. The president had the gloves off for this rematch.
    “Your resignation will be on my desk within twenty-four hours, Hadlee, and no charges will be brought forward, otherwise …” The president left the condemned to guess what that might be. Hadlee had no idea, but knew it wouldn’t be pleasant.
    Hadlee stood up, thanked the president and the others in the room, and left as fast as he could. His career, plans, and ambitions, all defeated.
    “I should have known something was afoot when lawyers get together.” Tom smiled at the president after Hadlee closed the door behind him.
    The president and the attorney general joined in a laugh with Tom. Even General Stodge joined in, the relief evident on his face.

Ten
    The sun rose in the east as it had before man ever set foot in Idaho or on the North American continent. Before the Indians who lived in harmony with the earth and before the white man came who destroyed it and everything else in the pursuit of money and power. This day, the sun didn’t look right.
    “It looks sad,” Cindy said.
    “Pardon me?” Elliot asked.
    Another day had dawned, but she wasn’t looking forward to it. She was glad to be alive, no question there, but was there anything left to live for? That was the real question.
    She and Elliot had taken their coffee out onto the porch. With the sun up, the fear of foamers was minimized.
    “The sun. It looks sad, like it knows.”
    “Knows what? I’m not sure I understand you, Cindy.”
    “I think she means is the sun, as the face of God, is looking down upon us and sees a society that is doomed. Doomed through its own greed and lust. The sun shows its grief.” The Tall Man had overheard.
    “I didn’t think that deep about it,” Cindy said. “I just thought it looked sad.”
    “I didn’t think you were the religious type, Chuck.”
    “I’m not, Elliot, not at all. There’s a theory that God is the universe itself. Without it, life wouldn’t exist. If there is any theory I’d follow, it would be that.”
    “I’ve read about it, too. It’s kind of how I feel,” Elliot admitted.
    “Regardless of what you believe or don’t, it does appear like the sun has a message for us.” Mulhaven joined the conversation with another coffee.
    “We’ve got to get out of here today, Riley. We can’t stay around with all these foamers around at night.”
    “We certainly do, Elliot, but we’ll need to another truck or van. Your friend Roger told me there are plenty of vehicles in town to choose from.”
    “Well, let’s get to it.”
    “Hang on, Elliot. We don’t just rush off, remember?” Mulhaven reiterated the agreed-upon rules. While Elliot was the magnet that had brought everyone together, Mulhaven was the glue that held them together. He didn’t want any more incidents like the one that had cost poor Neddy Gorden his life.
    “I don’t like the idea of splitting up either, Riley, but we have no choice if we’re to get more wheels.”
    “All right then, we’ll keep half here and the rest can go into Shoshone to grab a truck.”
    “What