“Or she could be working with the Tunisians.” Jake played devil’s advocate. “Trying to get to Hanna to silence her.”
“If that’s the case, Olivia and Marielle will sniff her out,” Trent declared with enviable conviction.
Would they?
Omar sank lower into his seat. His head pounded, a relentless throb that matched his heartbeat. He closed his eyes and tried the breathing exercises his counselor had taught him.
It didn’t help.
Jake appeared beside him with a bottle of water and a packet of ibuprofen. “Here.”
“Thanks.”
“You good?”
“I will be.”
Would he?
5
Marielle was curled up in an overstuffed armchair in the royal suite’s sitting room, wrapped in one of the hotel’s plush robes. Across from her, Olivia sat cross-legged on the sofa, reading their book club’s choice for the month.
Poppy emerged from the bedroom, her copper curls piled on top of her head in a messy bun, wearing silk pajamas that probably cost more than Marielle’s monthly rent.
“Okay, ladies. I ordered room service. Champagne, oysters, the works.”
Olivia put down her book. “Sounds perfect.”
“Right?” Poppy beamed. Her phone chirped and she reached into the pocket of her pajama pants and pulled it out.
Her smile faltered, and she slipped the mobile back into her pocket.
“What happened?” Marielle asked softly.
Poppy sank into the chair next to hers. “Idris is off the grid. Idris and the three of his bodyguards who aren’t hospitalized, to be precise.”
Marielle adopted an innocent expression. “Define ‘off the grid.’”
“He’s not on his yacht. He’s not in Marseille. He’s not at your grandmother’s cottage.”
“You think he’s coming after Hanna,” Marielle surmised.
“Don’t you?”
“Probably,” she allowed.
Poppy popped to her feet and began pacing. “This complicates things.”
“You think?” Olivia’s voice was dry.
“I need to meet with Hanna tomorrow,” Poppy said. “That was the whole point of keeping you here.”
“About that,” Marielle said carefully. “Before we give you access to Hanna, we need to know more about your investigation.”
Poppy stopped pacing and studied them both. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” Olivia said. “Starting with why CSIS thinks there’s a threat on Canadian soil, and why you think Hanna has information about it.”
