Luckily, Samaira saved him.
“We had kebabs last night. I brought you some for lunch, but it looks like you could do with some breakfast instead,” Samaira said when she entered his office fifteen minutes after the call ended.
“You are my favorite person,” Liam said fervently as he leaned back in his chair, rubbing hard at his eyes.
She passed over the container holding a few cold kebabs, but he ate the food anyway. Heading down to the commissary to warm it up meant putting off eating it, and Liam wasn’t in the mood to wait.
Samaira sank down into the seat in front of his desk, crossing her legs. She looked tired, but he hoped she’d slept more than he had. “Ascot still on?”
“On schedule,” Liam said around a mouthful of food. “We’ll all be there.”
“If we go in uniform, that’s going to upset the toffs.”
“They can be upset, or possibly dead. Since they don’t get a choice in the matter, they’ll just have to suffer our presence.”
“Will you be riding in the carriages with the rest of your family?”
“It’s tradition.” Liam made a face. “Bloody tradition.”
“We’ll make sure everyone is safe. I hear we’ll have help with that.”
“Jamie and Kyle were invited as guests of the queen. They’ll be watching the races from the Royal Box. I’ll want a long gun up there for Kyle just in case.”
“Chapman doesn’t seem thrilled about their presence.”
“I invited them as civilians before all this nonsense happened. Chapman is just angry that we need to give the MDF a heads up about Bennett’s location.”
“Itisour intel.”
“I’m aware of that, but it’s the United States’ traitorous official. It was inevitable that we would have to tell them.”
Samaira nodded slowly. “Well, I’m not going to say no to their support. I dare say I’ll breathe a bit easier knowing Kyle is on overwatch if the need arises, even if they’re no longer Alpha Team.”
Liam took another bite of the kebab. “We’ll figure it out.”
“When do they arrive?”
“Today.”
“Tell them I said hello. We should all get together for a meal if our schedules allow for it.”
“They’re staying for a week, so I’m sure it will happen at some point if the Reborn IRA doesn’t upend everything.”
Samaira chuckled as she got to her feet. “Now you’ve done it. Another disaster is inevitable at this rate.”
“That’s why they pay us.”
“Better a paycheck than the dole. I’m heading over to Victoria Station to get eyes on the scene. I’ll report back later.”
Liam waved her off, refocusing his attention on the details of Ascot and every single way the event could go wrong. Liam wasn’t normally a pessimist, but his time with the SAS and the UMG had drilled into him to always expect the unexpected and prepare for the worst possibility. Considering that his family was a potential target, Liam’s entire focus was on the job at hand.
Samaira’s kebab got him through lunch and into the late afternoon. By the time his stomach started growling again, Liam had been working for ten hours straight. He only stopped when the reminder on his calendar chimed on his tablet, notifying him that he had dinner plans with Jamie and Kyle.
He sent his updates to Chapman, Samaira, and the supervising agents overseeing the field at the moment. Closing down his terminal, Liam headed back to the hub to check in with his chief before he left. Chapman didn’t look much better than he had earlier in the day. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, the remnants of a lunch were on a tray nearby, and the layers of holoscreens had grown.
“Sir, I’m heading out to update Jamie and Kyle. I’ll be available by comms if you need me,” Liam said.
“I want to brief them personally tomorrow morning. Have them be here at 0800,” Chapman said without looking away from the data.
