“I don’t care what you think you need. You’re our protectee and we’re going to do our damn job whether you like itornot.”
Jamie didn’t have time to stand around and argue. “Then get in, but from here on out, you follow my fucking orders or I’m throwing you out on the street and won’t bother to stop the car whiledoingso.”
The SUV could comfortably hold six; it ended up carrying eight, as did the one behind it. Larson took the wheel over the protestations of a Secret Service special agent, who ended up in the farbackseat.
“Where to, sir?” Larsonasked.
“Seaport District,” Jamie ordered. “Dockside.”
“Yes,sir.”
“I hope you brought more gear thanjustmine.”
“Ofcourse,sir.”
Larson put the SUV into drive and gunned the engine. He made a sharp U-turn, the seatbelt digging into Jamie’s chest. They were heading in the direction of the protesters and would have to circumvent the crowd. Jamie wasn’t sure how big of a detour they would have to take considering even three streets over they were met by a heavy police presence facing off withprotesters.
“He should’ve canceled the fucking rally,” Jamie said as he stabbed his fingers at the control screen embedded in the dash. “Rerouting.”
“Yes, sir,” Larson repliedcalmly.
The new route popped up in bright blue, cutting through the streets of Boston, as Jamie’s comms buzzed with an incoming call. He answered without looking to see whoitwas.
“Callahan,”hesaid.
“Time’s up,” Stanislav replied in greeting. “It’s beenaweek.”
Jamie’s lips peeled back from his mouth in a silent snarl. “I’m aware of the passageoftime.”
“And yet, we’ve received no informationfromyou.”
Jamie stared out the windshield, grinding his teeth so hard he was afraid he’d crack a few. He had the list of names Stanislav wanted memorized; he could call up Katie and have her transmit the names of people he thought would be easier marks for the Pavluhkins. But that would undercut his family’s business in such a way that could destroy Empyrean if word got out they sold private information for personal gain at the behest of thegovernment.
Nearly a year playing a role built by the MDF had put too many people in the crosshairs of the Pavluhkins and theirPresnenskaya Bratva. Yes, they’d gained information which had enabled the MDF and its foreign affiliates to destroy several Splice labs, but it had put numerous people at the mercy of a criminal enterprise. The Saunders & Associates aspect of the mission had endangered wealthy targets who might never escape the hole Jamie and his team had helped digforthem.
In retrospect, they were naïve to think they could win against someone who could see the future. Jamie wondered if they’d been dancing to Stanislav’s tune all along while believing they could outmaneuver aprecog.
The bitter taste of failure in the back of his mouth was difficult to swallow. Jamie knew what answer he should give to Stanislav, what the director expected him to say. But the words wouldn’t come. All the ties they’d uncovered, all the shell companies and money-laundering and quid pro quo political gifts to turn a blind eye to reality in some cases—all of that wasn’t worth the lives of two of histeammates.
The Pavluhkins, rogue CIA agents, the Sons of Adam—there would always be an enemy. Whatever void of leadership was made in a short-lived win? It would be filled with someone new, reigniting theus versus themmentality that led to an endless supply of bloodshed. Jamie was reminded of what his father had said once, a year and a half ago, before Jamie truly knew what waited on thehorizon.
The war would never be over. At some point, you had to stand down before they putyoudown.
The path going forward was impassable. They needed to regroup, reassess, and figure out a new plan of action that didn’t require peopledying.
That didn’t requirehisteammates to make the ultimatesacrifice.
It was selfish of him, Jamie knew, to say that this, right here, was his line in the sand. Not when they’d ruined multiple lives in dozens of countries, or when they’d done the dirty work required to make nice with the enemy. All the lies they’d lived and told—worth it until the moment Jamie decided they weren’t. The arrogance in that line of thought wasn’t lost on him, but Jamiedidn’tcare.
All Jamie cared about was his team, his family, and surviving this mess in one piece long enough to offer up a ring to the man heloved.
“I’m not handing anything over. We’re done, Stanislav,”Jamiesaid.
“You should have given methelist.”
Stanislav didn’t sound angry or surprised, which was oh so telling. Jamie could no longer ignore the question he’d bitten back too many times since London and their game of words in the Victoria and Albert Museum. “I’m sure there’s a future where I did give it to you. Are you saying you neversawit?”
“I see what’s important,Apollo,” Stanislav said, stressing Jamie’s code name. “And I will always see you coming. The question is, how well do youseeme?”
