Read The Regime: Evil Advances for Free Online

good stuff in one afternoon was unusual enough for Rayford that they knocked him out and he slept soundly, even through dinner—normally pretty good in first class.
    “That’s quite all right,” Halliday said later. “I needed your butter and your dessert anyway.”
    “Not like me,” Rayford said. “I usually sleep light enough that smells wake me, especially hot food right under my nose.”
    Still logy, Rayford was long enough from his last drink to trust himself to drive home. But this was the day Irene had her meeting with Jackie. Well, the women saw each other almost every day, but this was the official one, the study one, their own little mentoring-and-accountability group. Deep down Rayford wished he had a friend like Irene did. But still he dreaded her rambling accounts of all that had gone on.
    These days there was a light in Irene’s eyes, a glow he both resented and envied. Rayford decided to just settle in and listen, because he was going to get both barrels anyway. He was not, however, prepared for today’s account.
    “Jackie had some stuff to do today,” she said at dinner. “So she gave me a practical assignment.” Irene paused, as if waiting for Rayford to ask what that meant.

    He would not bite. It was enough that he was giving her eye contact and not showing his boredom.
    “I was to pick someone on my prayer list and do something specific for them today.”
    She’s going to say she picked me. And I wonder what she did for me.
    “I chose your parents.”
    “My mom and dad?”
    “Those would be your parents, yes, Rafe.”
    She had his attention. “Yeah, I know, but what? What did you do?”
    “I visited them.”
    “In Belvidere?”
    “Where else, hon? It’s not like they get out much.”
    “You drove all the way to Belvidere?”
    “No, I took our helicopter. Thanks so much for providing that.”
    “Stop being so snippy, Irene. I mean, seriously? You drove to Belvidere on a weekday, without me, to see my parents?”
    “I thought you’d be pleased.”
    “Pleased? I’m … I’m speechless. I’m dumbfounded. Frankly, I didn’t know you cared. That much, I mean.”
    “You know what, Rayford? I never did care that much before. I mean, they were your parents and I liked them all right. But your father has not really been with us mentally for years, and your mother is hard on his heels. But ever since I started praying for them, I—”
    “What do you pray for them? It’s not like they’re going to be healed of Alzheimer’s.”

    “No, I know. I pray for their souls. I pray they’ll have moments of lucidity and that when they do, someone will be there to interact with them. I pray they’ll have more good days than bad, that God will comfort them, that they will have peace and safety, and that the staff at the home will be kind to them.”
    Rayford didn’t know what to say. He was moved. Touched deeply, actually. “Thank you, Irene,” he said, surprised by a catch in his throat. “That was a very nice thing you did for me. For my parents, I mean.”
    She hadn’t said it was for him. It was for his parents. They were the objects of her prayers. But it also had been a gift to him. That his wife would see him off to the airport, get Chloe to school, bundle up Raymie, and make that drive … well, talk about above and beyond the call.

FIVE

    This was the day. And Nicolae was ready. He had risen early and followed a hard, sweaty five-mile run with a vigorous half hour on the rower and a weight-lifting set. In the shower he rehearsed his pitch and could barely wait to get to the phone. He had to wait until mid-afternoon to allow his target in the United States to begin his workday, so Nicolae filled his morning checking in on staff and staying atop everything.
    When the appointed time came, he rubbed his hands together, sat back with his feet on his desk, reminded himself of everything he knew about his prey and the product, strapped on his ear set, and called the CEO of Corona