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$500k fee
Payment on receipt of proof of death. No advances. Moriarty is armed and extremely dangerous.
“What?” Confusion streaks her eyes. She studies the screen, carefully, trying to piece things together. “What did you do?”
I don’t tell her. Not yet.
“News got out. The laptop is missing,” I say. “And people think we stole it.”
“We did steal it.”
“Exactly. We stole it. Together.”
Epiphany fills her eyes. Oh. We’re a team. Which means she’s working with Mi6.
Which means—
She’s fucked.
But she doesn’t allow that possibility yet. “So my boss thinks I took the laptop to give it to the good guys. So what?” There’s denial in her voice. A refusal to face reality. “I can get in touch and explain the situation. I’ve been in tighter spaces.”
“But she hasn’t,” I say.
Her brow furrows.
“Hera hasn’t been at risk like this.” I look her in the eyes. “There’s no sign of her in the payroll information.”
“Isn’t that good for her?” Jamie asks. She doesn’t see it the way Hera does. She’s too loyal for that.
I shake my head. “There are thirty names on that laptop. Thirty people who are willing to trade Hera’s identity for their freedom.”
“Only a few people know her identity,” Jamie says. Then it hits her all at once. Her eyes go wide. Her lip corners turn down. Her body gets heavy. She almost sinks into the bed.
Jamie is one of the only people who knows Hera’s identity.
Jamie is a liability.
There’s absolutely no reason for Hera to keep Jamie alive in this situation. It’s far too risky.
“Who else knows you know?” I ask.
Right on cue, my phone buzzes with another alert.
Wanted Alive, Jamie Moriarty. Will double any other offer. Serious inquires only.
“Only the women in my training group,” Jamie says. “And Hera.”
“Are you in touch with any of them?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “How… how did she find out the laptop was missing? Did Camille report it.”
“Probably,” I say. “But I reported it first. My team knows. So your boss knows.”
“There’s a mole at Mi6?” she asks.
“Apparently.”
Her pupils dilate. Her lips curl into a frown. “You used me to test your fucking theory?”
