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“You kill people for a living, do you not?”
“I do a lot more than that,” I said in annoyance.
“But it is an essential and necessary part of your job, is it not?”
“I kill people when I have to, yes. But they’re…” I tried to think of the translation of the Swedish phrase I had in mind. “…enemies of the state.”
“It won’t be any different in this job. The only difference is that ‘the state’ will no longer be Sweden… but it will still be Sweden’s ally.”
“I don’t want to kill anyone or do anything that would go against my country.”
“We would never ask you to do that.”
“I also don’t hurt women or children.”
Alistair gave me a look from the corner of his eyes. “You might have to compromise on that one.”
I gave him a stern look. “No.”
“There are female terrorists, you know,” Alistair exclaimed in a tone that suggested I was being ridiculous. “Female spies, female assassins – you might be called upon to – ”
“If hurting women or children is part of the job, then I’m not interested.”
“Alright, fine,” Alistair huffed. “I’ll make sure that men are your only targets.”
That seemed fair enough.
“…okay.”
“What does ‘okay’ mean?” Alistair asked impatiently. “Are you in or not?”
“I’m in… but I need to see something official first. To make sure you are who you say you are.”
Alistair smiled smugly. “Would an honorable discharge from the Swedish military do the trick?”
“…yes,” I admitted.
“So, we are in agreement: if I can obtain an honorable discharge for you, you accept the terms I’ve set forth in our conversation.”
I paused.
Rachel’s worth it.
“…yes.”
Alistair frowned. “I understand it’s a big decision, but I can’t have any hesitation on your part – ”
“I’ve made my choice. I’m in.”
He looked satisfied. “Alright. The discharge will be in motion by the time you get home. Don’t tell Rachel until it’s complete. And do not, under any circumstances, reveal that you and I talked – or what we talked about.”
“What should I do after I get the discharge?”
Alistair gave me a white business card with a handwritten phone number and nothing else. “Memorize that, then destroy the card. Once you receive word on the discharge, call that number.”
“I’ll need some kind of cover story if I’m going to move here,” I said. “I mean, I have to be able to tell landlords where I ‘work’ if I want to rent a flat.”
“Don’t rent anything just yet – just continue staying in hotels for now. I’ll even throw in a relocation bonus on top of your salary to handle the expenses. But don’t worry, we’ll have an entire story worked up for you by the time you move to London.”
