Days Gone

DAYS GONE BY A SAM POPE NOVEL ROBERT ENRIGHT CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Epilogue Get Exclusive Robert Enright Material Sam Pope Novels Sam Pope Boxsets Sam Pope Novellas The Power Of Reviews About the Author Copyright © Robert Enright, 2023 For my girls, CHAPTER ONE TWELVE YEARS AGO… The Paris skyline was always a magnificent sight, with the Eiffel Tower a totem to the majesty of the capital city. Swathes of tourists would pay extortionate prices just to revel in its beauty and ride the elevator all the way to the top for their posed pictures and fond memories. The surrounding vendors, hawking ‘I Love Paris’ T-shirts would be rubbing their hands at the footfall, and even as the sun began to set, the bright lights of the city would only enhance the visage of culture that Pairs had cultivated. It made Pierre Ducard proud. As he walked across the viewing platform of the tower, he weaved between the groups of hysterical tourists, all of them giddy from their trip to the magnificent structure. Music was playing through the speakers, and the good vibe of the city was etched across the face of every smiling visitor. Ducard made his way to the edge where the tall, thick glass panels kept the tower safe from potential jumpers, and he peered out at the city before him. His city. Below was the Jardin de la Tour Eiffel, the magnificent gardens that surrounded the iconic tower, where street artists beguiled tourists with their talents and food vendors served delicious meals for extortionate prices. A city alive beneath his feet. He then turned and watched as the tourists gathered for photos and returned any gaze that fell upon him with a handsome smile. Ducard was the quintessential French gentleman. His dark hair was speckled with grey flecks and flowed in thick waves behind his ears, immaculately combed into a side parting. His strong jaw was clean-shaven, and his muscular frame was enhanced in a tailormade, perfectly fitted pinstripe suit. He looked a decade younger than his forty-eight years of age, and he was proud of that fact. To the passers-by, he was just a handsome man waiting for his guest to arrive. They had no idea he was one of the most powerful and influential men in the country. The Chef d’État-Major des Armées. As the military head of the French armed forces, Ducard was responsible for the safety of his country and their international military position. As one of the most powerful countries and armed forces in the world, it was a position he held with ferocious pride, and every step along his thirty-year career within the military had been towards this position. The notion of a family life had never been a factor, and while Ducard was never shy of attention, he had always kept a serious relationship at arm’s length. As cliché as it was, he had been married to his job from the moment he put on his uniform over three decades ago, and there wasn’t a woman or a thought of fatherhood that would lure him from it. It was why he was perfect for the job. And why he was on the verge of a dangerous move. Protecting his country wasn’t just about sending the well-trained soldiers of the French military into battle. While his career as a soldier was highly respected within the government, it was Ducard’s ability to play the political game that drew him the most plaudits. Although he knew that his morals would need to be malleable, Ducard had served numerous presidents with loyalty and respect. If there was a favour to be gained or leverage to secure, Ducard would seek it ruthlessly and over the years, he had amassed such power that those in higher positions would still sit up when he walked into the room. It was power that couldn’t be bought, but it was a power that could be stripped, and that was why the next few days were so important. It was why his morals were going from malleable to missing. Three days prior, two French diplomats, on an official visit to Peru, had been abducted during transit from the French embassy to the airport. Simone Rabiot and Didier Chavet. The media was a melting pot of conspiracy theories, all of them running sensationalist stories on what could have happened to the two captives and why it had happened. Thankfully for Ducard, the public seemed to have accepted the very real fact that abduction and ransom was rife in the country, and that his proposal on seeking help from allied countries was the best course of action. There was no need for any escalation between united countries, and as the Chef d’État-Major des Armées, he knew he needed to have the coolest head to prevail. He also needed to ensure that everything was put in place for the breadcrumb trail to stop before it arrived at his doorstep. The only thing the world needed to be able to prove was that he had done everything within his power to ensure the safe retrieval of the two French diplomats, even if he was unsuccessful. Even when he knew they had been killed. That he had given the order. Ducard knew how to play the political game, and while every step of his military career had led him to his current seat at the top table, every move he made while in it was engineered to one final move. The day he became Président de la République Française. For many, the idea would be a pipe dream, but he knew, as he looked out over