After Francesca left, Lucia first washed the two mugs because why jump right into the fire? It was so much more productive to watch and fret over it.
Infuriating. It shouldn’t be possible to annoy yourself so much.
Eventually, she withdrew into the bedroom, pulled out her phone, took a deep breath, and called Penelope.
“Hey, how are you?” Penelope answered on the second ring.
“Been better. You?”
“Better now, to be honest.”
Lucia smiled. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I got lost in my head.”
“I noticed.”
“Do you…do you want to come over and talk, or are you busy?”
“Let’s talk on the phone. I don’t want to get distracted,” Penelope said.
“Distracted? Oh. Right. Yeah. That would be…bad.”
“I wouldn’t call it bad, but…yes.”
“Right, so… the thing that happened. We’re pretty sure our mutual not-friend arranged an interception. Armed. Efficient. They relieved us of everything we worked so hard to get.”
“I assumed it was her, too. Do you know how they found you?”
Lucia exhaled. “They think the breach didn’t happen during the actual run. It started earlier—during prep. Something dormant. Waiting.”
“So it wasn’t reactive,” Penelope said quietly. “It was planted.”
“That’s how it sounds,” Lucia said. “By the time we moved, they already had what they needed.”
A pause.
“If that’s true,” Penelope said, “then whatever system you touched was already compromised.”
“That was our takeaway, too.”
“I won’t ask for details,” Penelope said. “But I can make sure our side is swept. Quietly.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“And what happens now?” Penelope asked.
Lucia hesitated. “My Italian friend isn’t inclined to let this go. So we’re…considering alternatives.”
“Riskier ones?”
A breath. “Yes.”
Stillness.
“I made some connections—between my father and…our mutual not-friend. I’ve been meaning to bring this up before, but it was never the right time. It might be best to discuss this with your Italian friend present, too.”
“Oh, OK. Yes, we can totally do that. I’ll talk to them, and we’ll set something up.”
“Great.”
