“Why are you telling me this?”
“I intend to recruit you.”
Rhys pulled back, the faintest beat of excitement and anticipation pulsed through his veins, something he had not experienced in a long time.
He thought he was done with spying, but perhaps he had been working for the wrong agency.
“Your gift for languages. Your ability to listen, hear without anyone noticing your presence. You’re a chameleon that blends. There are times that I have missed you in a place when I knew you were there. Such skills would be useful in intelligence gathering.”
And, in an instant, the potential thrill of once again being embroiled in espionage disappeared.
“No.” He would not return to eavesdropping for anyone. It was intrusive and people were not as interesting as they believed themselves to be. “Such assignments are the very reason I resigned my position.”
“I am aware, but your silence also makes you deadly, along with your knife. You can silence for good, or temporarily and until you have gained your information. Few are as talented as you at interrogation.”
Rhys would not be swayed by mention of his other talents, ignored by the Alien Office.
“I have retired from espionage.”
“If you do not work for me, you will be recruited by the Home Office,” Lionston warned casually with a shrug. “I am a better employer. Further, I will always trust your instincts and I pay better wages. Your skills are valuable to me, even if the Alien Office has not utilized your talents.”
“The Home Office nor the Alien Office can force me back into duty.” Such a threat was not going to convince Rhys to work for Lionston. “I will no longer eavesdrop no matter the wages.”
“I am giving you an opportunity that they will not.”
“How do you even know they want me back?”
“When the Crown lacks the agents for particular missions, they have reached out to The Lion Watch because there is very little that we cannot do.”
“Is that because their spies now work for you?”
“My network is stronger, better, and more skilled, and I am very particular about who I approach for The Lion Watch. If there is the slightest lack of trust or if I know someone is known to have been sloppy in their work, they are not wanted by me.”
Rhys noted that His Grace did not actually answer his question, which led him to believe that others dissatisfied had sought a better option. “And you wish to recruit me into your elite group of spies.”
While intrigued at what His Grace was about, and interested in what The Lion Watch could accomplish, Rhys had no desire to return to that type of work. The thrill had lost its appeal.
“You are the perfect person for this assignment, which is why I wanted to reach out to you first.”
He was going home to Antigua. He was done with espionage.
“I appreciate the offer but I must decline.”
“The Home Office plans on having someone call on you in two days and they will not allow you to dismiss them. It is better if you work for them but through me.”
“They cannot force me back,” Rhys argued once again.
“Do you forget they have the power to do whatever it is they wish.” Lionston reminded him.
“They still cannot force me to return to my former position,” Rhys argued.
“They plan on calling your debts due and seeing that you are thrown into debtor’s prison if you refuse the mission.”
Rhys wanted to believe that his former employer would not stoop so low, but he knew that they would without hesitation to get what they wanted. While his debts were not great, they were enough that he could not afford to have already sailed home.
“What is so important that nobody else can do this mission?”
“I cannot tell you unless you agree.”
