We met in a smaller dining room, where Millie had set out eggs, toast, bacon, and a pot of tea strong enough to strip paint. We ate in silence at first, our knees bumping beneath the table. Oliver kept stealing strips of bacon off Kiernan’s plate until Kiernan gave him a look that made him grin and reach for another one anyway.
My mobile vibrated in my pocket, and Viper’s name appeared on the screen.
“Sorry. I should take this,” I said, pushing from the table to step into the hallway.
“Prima.” Viper’s tone was clipped as always. “Your leave ends Thursday. What are your plans?”
Thursday. Two days. While I’d acknowledged the amount of time we had left at Greymarch, hearing it out loud from my boss made it feel more real.
“I can report Friday morning, ma’am.”
“Right. First, there’s another matter to be addressed.”
Pinpricks of dread flooded my system. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Typhon is making noise about you joining Unit 23.”
“I’m honored.”
“Yes, well, I can’t say I’m thrilled about you transitioning out of your position with MI6; however, the likelihood we’ll conduct more collaborative missions in the future is strong.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I repeated. “Regarding Morse?—”
“Right. He’s my next call. Before we can discuss his future within SIS, he’ll require medical clearance to return to active duty. It may not happen right away.”
Not right away.Did that mean Oliver would remain in Scotland—at Greymarch—while I’d have to return to London? Or would that even be required?
“May I ask what role I’d fill in the unit?” I didn’t have training as an assassin, which I understood to be a requirement to be on the team.
“He mentioned you’d start off as a handler when I expressed my concern about how well your skill set fit the unit.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Before we ring off, is there anything else I should know, Prima?” she asked.
My eyes widened, and the pinpricks returned. “No, ma’am,” I responded, hoping the lie wasn’t apparent.
“Good. Typhon will contact you directly with the next steps. Until then, consider your leave extended.”
I stood in the hallway and stared at my mobile after the line went dead.
When I returned to the breakfast table, both men raised their heads.
“That was Viper,” I said, taking my seat.
Kiernan raised his head. “And?”
“She mentioned that Typhon expressed interest in my joining Unit 23.”
When Kiernan’s brow furrowed and he looked away, it felt like a slap in the face.
“I could turn it down,” I said too quickly.
“Why would you do that?” Oliver asked. “That’s good, isn’t it? You’d be brilliant.”
I shrugged a shoulder, wishing Kiernan would look at me again. He didn’t.
“She also mentioned you’d be her next call,” I said to Oliver. “She indicated that your medical clearance to return to work might not happen right away.”
