Lehrer glanced at his wristwatch. “Ten thirty. You missed basic.”
“You should have woken me.”
“I thought you might prefer to sleep in.” Lehrer readjusted his cuff, tugging it down over his wrist once more. “You haven’t been well lately.”
It was true. Lehrer had already been in bed when Noam got back last night. The vial of suppressant had been burning a hole in his trouser pocket, Noam’s nerves alight with anticipation—already trying to figure out how he’d distract Lehrer long enough to dose him, if he even had it in him to keep a straight face when Lehrer took a sip. Only the apartment was dark, Lehrer a formless shape beneath the duvet. Noam had considered going back to the barracks to sleep, but Lehrer had explicitly said ... and so Noam crawled in between the sheets slowly, worried too much movement would wake him. He’d curled up on his side facing the wall, so focused on pacing his breaths and keeping his eyes squeezed shut that he didn’t realize Lehrer was moving until his hand was already on Noam’s hip.
Not tonight,Noam had said and tried not to flinch away.I have a headache.
This morning, Lehrer watched Noam with an even pale gaze.
Always two steps ahead.
“And ... don’t you have work? It’s Tuesday.”
“I canceled my meetings to stay here with you,” Lehrer said, and he finally gave Noam a slim smile. “I told you—I’ve been worried.”
Two months ago, that statement would have landed very differently. Today, Noam just wished he had more clothes on.
“I’m gonna get coffee,” Noam said, jerking his thumb toward the kitchen. “Do you want any?”
“Why not,” Lehrer said, and it was that easy—it really wasthat easy, it seemed, to dart back into the kitchen and pour two mugs from the carafe. To pop the cap off the vial with shaking fingers and stir a dose of suppressant into Lehrer’s drink.
For a moment Noam stood there doing nothing, staring down at the black liquid swirling in Lehrer’s cup—imagined Lehrer in this same kitchen, pouring a vial of his own into Noam’s drink.
That was enough to make Noam pick up the cups and carry them back into the living room, passing the dosed mug into Lehrer’s expectant hand.
Noam sat down on the sofa, gripping his own cup between both hands. He couldn’t bring himself to drink—felt certain the moment the coffee hit his stomach, it’d come right back up again.
“Tell me what happened last night,” Lehrer said, and as Noam watched, he lifted the mug to his lips.
Noam stared. He didn’t know what he expected. There was no change in Lehrer’s expression, no dawning realization. No fear.
“We met in a bar off Geer Street,” Noam said at last.
“You and Dara,” Lehrer said and waited for Noam to nod. “Who else?”
“Two women named Claire and Priya, both from a terrorist cell in the quarantined zone. The bartender—first name Leo, I don’t know the surname. And ...” He hesitated, long enough for Lehrer to lift a brow. “Minister Holloway. The home secretary.”
Lehrer’s expression didn’t change, but he did put aside his book. His hand lingered a moment on its spine, thumb stroking the embossed letters of the author’s name as he took another sip of coffee.
“I’ve suspected Maxim for some time,” Lehrer said at last, almost musingly. “But I always assumed if he moved against me, it would be within the political sphere. This is quite the departure.”
Noam’s mug felt slippery against his palms. “He seemed to be deeply involved.”
“Mmm.”
What if this was a mistake? What if Lehrer changed his mind about his plans to wait and see, let the grassroots rebellion make a honey trap of themselves, drawing in would-be revolutionaries for Lehrer to crush under his heel?
But Lehrer didn’t reach for his phone, didn’t call the Ministry of Defense to have Holloway taken into custody.
Instead, Lehrer tapped his armrest:one-two. “What else?”
“Oh. Um.” Noam fumbled for something else to say, something that wouldn’t damn them all. “They had planned to assassinate you at the Keatses’ gala. Obviously that failed, but there’s no decisive new plan.” Except for Noam’s plan.Undermine Lehrer’s command. Find the vaccine. Kill him.“Suppressant came up a few times.”
Lehrer’s laugh was bone-dry. But the smile that curled around his mouth was benign, even indulgent. “Good. For now, your orders are to carry on as you have been. Attend their meetings, and report back to me. We should gather more information before we decide what to do about this situation.”
“Yes, sir.”
