Harvey couldn’t help laughing. “You know I can’t give you any names. It would cost me my job.”
“They wouldn’t have to know it came from you. Just point me in their direction.”
Harvey shook his head. “You turn up after all these years, tell me you’re a CIA agent, and expect me to forget all the lies, forget how you broke my heart by disappearing suddenly, and now you want me to put my career on the line to help you? Are you crazy?”
“Maybe, but you’re still here. If you won’t do it for me, do it for our daughter.”
She handed the stunned British agent a photograph of herself with a girl who looked to be about nine years old. “Her name’s Maria. That was taken a couple of months ago.”
Harvey felt like he’d been hit by a bus. The photo showed Emilie just as he’d remembered her, and the young girl was the spitting image of her.
“But . . . how?”
“No contraceptive is one hundred percent effective,” she told him. “She’s safe, for now, but if they catch up with me, she won’t last long.”
He searched the smiling face but couldn’t see any of himself in Maria. That wasn’t unusual though. He’d read enough parenting books to know that one parent often had a dominant gene, and Alana took after her mother.
“If you want, we can go inside and ask what Sarah thinks.”
“No!” Harvey shot back, a little too harshly. Then, “I’m sorry. Let’s leave her out of it.”
“Okay, but I need names of good people you know. I’m willing to pay well.”
“Why can’t you use your own contacts?”
“Because they’re all compromised, and I can’t use mercenaries because I need people I can trust.”
That was understandable. “What would they have to do? Is it just surveillance, or would they have to get their hands dirty?”
She held back her response until a passing jogger ran out of earshot. “I’d prefer someone with a little tradecraft, but it’s essential that they know how to handle weapons. If they’ve ever been in a firefight, then all the better.”
That ruled out anyone Harvey had ever worked with at MI5, but three other names leaped to mind.
“I know some people. They’re ex-SAS, British Special Forces.”
“Ex-forces are a dime a dozen. I could find a hundred to choose from on the Internet. Most of them are just in it for the money, and they’d run at the first sign of trouble. No, I need someone more reliable.”
“I trust these guys with my life. In fact, I have. They risked their own necks to break me out of a Russian prison, and they did it out of loyalty, nothing more.”
She considered it momentarily. “Okay, give them a call.”
“It won’t be that easy,” Harvey told her. “One of them has a daughter of his own, and it’ll take a lot to get him on board. If he’s going to risk his life, it had better be worth it.”
“How much?”
“How much are you offering?”
“I’m not price-sensitive,” she replied. “Within reason.”
You’d better not be. Harvey knew all about Tom Gray’s financial situation. If anyone could do with a serious cash injection right now, it was Tom, Len, and Sonny.
“When do you need an answer?”
“I need them on a plane to the States by tomorrow lunchtime, preferably with new identities. I don’t want them setting off alarm bells before we even get started.”
“That’s short notice, but I’ll see what they say.”
“No time like the present.”
“It’s not something I can discuss over the phone,” Harvey told her. “I’ll call you after I’ve spoken to them in person.”
“There’s no point. I’ll have a new phone fifteen minutes after you leave. Not that I don’t trust you, but you understand.”
Harvey nodded. “Then how do I get in touch with you?”
“There’s a Starbucks a couple of blocks away. Meet me there at eight tomorrow morning.”
“And if they want to negotiate?”
“Do you have any alternates in mind?”
“No,” Harvey admitted.
“Then there’s nothing to discuss. They’re either in or out. If they don’t want the job, I’ve wasted my time. I hope that’s not the case, for everyone’s sake.”
The inference that it would affect his newly discovered daughter wasn’t lost on Harvey, and he could imagine the effect it would have on his relationship with Sarah if she found out about Emilie and Maria.
“I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He looked at her one last time, but still could only see the barest hint of the woman he’d fallen for all those years earlier. He walked away wondering what it would take to get Tom Gray to part with his daughter and take on such a mission to save Harvey’s own.
He prayed it wouldn’t be too much.
CHAPTER 26
Harvey pulled into the parking lot of Minotaur Logistics a few minutes after seven. He’d thought long and hard about how to explain his reason for going back out and had decided to keep it as close to the truth as possible. After all, Sarah had been with him when Len Smart called. That followed a text message he’d sent Len from the toilet after getting home—a message he had deleted immediately after. He doubted Sarah would search through his phone, as Len was a longtime friend, but he was taking no chances. He’d have to concoct a story about their meeting by the time he got home.
Sonny Baines held the door open as Harvey approached the building.
“Howdy, stranger.” Sonny smiled. “Please tell me this is business, not pleasure.”
“You’re in luck,” Harvey replied, although in truth he had no idea what he was about to ask his friends to sign up for.
Sonny led him into the manager’s office, and Len Smart walked around the desk to shake his hand.
“I’m intrigued,” Smart said. “You text me to call you, then you say, ‘Yeah, I can be there at seven.’ What gives?”
“I’ve got a job offer, but it’s not for Minotaur. It’s for you two, plus Tom.”
“He’s unlikely to be interested,” Smart said. “He’s got a lot on his plate at the moment.”
“I know, but this could be a huge payday for all of you.”
“Now I’m intrigued,” said Sonny. “Who do we have to kill?”
“Joking apart,” Harvey said, “that might be necessary. I haven’t got all the details, but I’ll tell you what I know. The client is being hunted by agents of the US government. They killed her brother and now they’re after her.”
He omitted the fact that Emilie had a daughter, saving it as leverage in case they had misgivings.
“So, you want us to take on the might of the US government, is that it?” Smart asked. “CIA, FBI, et cetera?”
“It sounds more like a rogue section of it, but basically, yes, you’ll be up against the lot.”
Smart and Sonny looked at each other, then burst out laughing.
“What have you been smoking?” Sonny asked.
“Guys, I’m serious.”
“Sorry,” Smart said, trying to adopt a straight face. “It’s just . . . they’re friendlies, right? If it was the North Koreans, or the Russians, then we’d probably be interested. But the Americans?”
“You mentioned a woman,” Sonny said. “What did she do to piss them off?”
“She doesn’t know, only that they want her dead.”
“What’s she to you?” Smart asked. “You wouldn’t come to us with something this big if you didn’t have a stake in her well-being.”
Perceptive, as always.
Harvey had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but he’d known them too long to lie now. These men had saved his life and they deserved to know the truth.
“She has a daughter,” he said. When that didn’t prompt a reaction, he added, “I’m the father.”
Both men looked shocked, with Sonny the first to grin. “You kept that quiet.”
“I only found
out an hour ago,” Harvey said. He told them about the meeting with Emilie, down to the last detail.
“And you’re positive the child’s yours?” Smart probed.
“She didn’t show me a birth certificate with my name on it, if that’s what you’re asking, but the timeline makes sense.”
Silence descended while Smart and Sonny considered the offer.
“When do you need a response?” Smart asked.
“Ideally, now, but definitely before eight tomorrow morning.”
“Then we’d better get Tom on the phone. How much did she say she was offering?”
“She didn’t,” Harvey said as Smart dialed Gray’s number, “but she gave me the impression you can name your price.”
“That should help.”
Smart put Gray on speaker. “Tom, it’s Len. I’m here with Sonny and Andrew. Andrew has a job offer for you. I’ll let him explain.”
Harvey exchanged quick pleasantries, then got down to business. He told Gray exactly what he’d shared with the other two, with Gray remaining silent throughout. It was only when Harvey asked what he thought of the offer that he finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, Andrew, but I can’t go. I appreciate this might involve a daughter you didn’t know about, but Emilie might just have said that to get you on board. Any schoolkid with Photoshop could have put that picture together. I’ve got to think of Melissa, and I need to be here to sort out my business.”
Harvey had been hoping for a positive response, but he could hardly blame Gray. Tom had already saved Andrew’s life once, and the idea that Emilie might have lied to him about Maria did make sense. It was something he planned to revisit with her later.
“I understand. I guess it was wishful thinking on my part.” Harvey looked at the two men in the room. “What about you?”
“It’s up to Tom,” Sonny said. “We still work for him.”
“Go for it, if you want,” Gray said. “We all know how tight things are going to be in the next few months, so you might as well make some money while you can. I’ll fly over in a couple of days and speak to Gill, get her to take charge for a few weeks. Anything she can’t handle, she can pass on to me.”
“In that case,” Sonny said, “count me in.”
“Len?”
Smart glanced over at Sonny. “Someone’s got to keep an eye on this reprobate.”
Although he was sending his friends into the unknown, Harvey was relieved that they were willing to take part. He had no idea how Emilie would react if he turned up empty-handed in the morning. At the very least she might call Sarah and tell her about Maria, and that was the last thing he wanted.
“What about your fee?”
The two ex-soldiers looked at each other for a moment.
“Two grand a day,” Len said.
“But try for three,” Sonny added.
“Plus expenses,” said Len.
That seemed reasonable to Harvey. All that remained for him to do was to get false travel documents for each of them. That could prove to be a monumental task, given that it would require a written request from Veronica Ellis, and he had a feeling Emilie wouldn’t be happy involving MI5’s director general. On top of that, it usually took a couple of days to work up passports, and time was not on his side.
“Something wrong?” Smart asked, and Harvey realized his facial expression had mirrored his inner turmoil.
“Emilie wants you to use false passports, but we don’t have time to organize it from my end.”
“She’s probably just being overly cautious,” Sonny said. “We’ve been to the States a couple of times on our current passports and there were no problems at immigration. It’s not as though we know the woman or hang around with her every weekend. I’m also guessing she used false papers to get over here, considering the US government is after her. I wouldn’t sweat it.”
“I agree,” Gray said over the phone. “There’s nothing to link her to the guys.”
Given the logistical challenges at his office, Harvey had to concur. “Okay. I suggest you two get packing. I’ll meet her tomorrow morning and let her know your terms.”
“I’d be there if I could,” Gray said. “I hope you understand.”
“Of course. It was a bit much to ask you to go to bat for me again. Hopefully, once this is over, we can all get together and catch up.”
“Deal.”
Gray said his goodbyes and hung up, and Harvey turned to Len and Sonny, thanking them. The next words he spoke were unnecessary, but he said them anyway.
“We never had this conversation.”
CHAPTER 27
Eva sat in an independent coffee shop across the street from the Starbucks. She had no reason to believe Harvey would report her visit to the CIA, especially as he believed the fictitious Maria could come to harm, but Eva didn’t intend to take unnecessary chances.
Harvey arrived seven minutes early. She watched him walk into the coffeehouse, but her attention was on the street traffic. No sinister-looking SUVs had pulled up in the last half hour, and after another five minutes she saw nothing to cause her any concern.
Eva walked across the street and went inside, spotting Harvey sitting at a table, a disposable cup in front of him.
She took the seat opposite him. “Good morning,” she smiled, trying to create as normal a scene as possible.
“Morning,” Harvey replied.
“How did the house-hunting go?” The area they were sitting in was quiet, most of the customers queuing for coffee to go, but she didn’t want to risk anyone listening in on their conversation.
It took Harvey a moment to realize what she meant, but his tradecraft quickly kicked in.
“Not bad. I saw three places but only two are available and they’re not cheap. They’re asking three grand.”
Relief washed through her, despite the fact that only two of the three men would be taking part.
“That’s each, obviously.”
“Obviously,” she echoed. The price was fine, a tad low even, if they were as good as Andrew said. “And you’re sure there’s nothing else on the market?”
“Nothing of this quality. I’ve got a personal stake in this, and I would only want the best of the best.”
Eva would have preferred a few more capable fighters who could be trusted when the shit started flying, but she wasn’t in a position to choose. Taking on the ESO with just Farooq and Colback by her side would make for an extremely short battle. Though another two probably wouldn’t make it any easier. She considered doubling the asking rate if he could get others on board. But, once again, there simply wasn’t time.
“Okay,” she said, “go with those two.”
“Will do,” Harvey replied, handing over a piece of paper.
Eva took it and noted the bank account details, along with the instructions to wire the first five days’ pay before noon. She would have demanded the same, so didn’t complain.
“Is all their paperwork in order?” she asked.
“I was unable to arrange it without approval from above. I didn’t think it prudent to involve the director at this early stage.”
Not good. Traveling under their real identities was far from ideal. The weaker the potential link back to her, the better. But, once again, she had to accept what she couldn’t change.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ve written down the names of a few other areas you might want to check out.”
Eva handed him a piece of paper with instructions for the new recruits. They were to rent a car when they landed at Atlanta’s international airport, then meet her at the Hard Rock Café downtown at eight that evening. She would be wearing a red beret so that they’d recognize her.
“Thanks,” he said, handing the paper back to her. “I’ll check them out this afternoon.”
Eva smiled and took Harvey’s hand. “Thank you. For everything.”
CHAPTER 28
Carl Huff sat behind the wheel of the Lexus, chewing on a sandwich as the latest traffi
c camera pinpointed Driscoll’s car. He was in the parking lot of a roadside diner on I-40, and the target was still heading his way.
After arriving in San Antonio, he’d expected to see that she’d turned south, heading his way, but instead she’d continued due west. It seemed she was either aiming for the Mexican border in California or paying one of her western US contacts a visit. Fortunately, he’d been far enough ahead of her to position himself in her path, and now she was closing in.
Once she passed, he would pull out behind her, trailing her by at least half a mile and preferably with a few cars between them so she wouldn’t notice his presence. They would have to stop at some point, if only to change drivers, and that would be his moment to reacquaint himself with her.
It was a moment he’d been looking forward to ever since Sanders had handed him the envelope.
During their CIA training, a rumor had surfaced that Driscoll and he had become intimately involved. Both had denied the charge but had been subjected to polygraph tests, which they’d passed with flying colors. Their lovemaking that evening had had an extra intensity about it.
Sadly—at least, as far as Huff was concerned—it had been the final time.
Driscoll was a driven woman, and the challenge posed by the clandestine-ops course added a new dimension to her competitive streak. In the early days, Huff had bested her in a couple of disciplines, and she hadn’t taken it well. Those minor defeats had spurred her on to greater efforts, soon putting her in a class of her own.
Their relationship had started by accident. After an intense, week-long survival course, the class had been given the weekend to recover. While most had gone back to their apartments to shower and sleep, Huff had headed for the nearest bar and ordered the tallest, coldest beer they had. Ten minutes later, halfway through his second drink, Driscoll had climbed onto the stool next to him and ordered the same.
Alcohol had blurred his memory of the time in the bar, but the latter part of the evening would stay with him forever.
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