Page 51 of The Hijack

“How was the omelet?” Clark asked innocently.

“Good,” Lukas agreed. “But we can’t keep sitting around. Not when people are dying.”

“What do you suggest?” I asked.

Clark still hadn’t made a decision about whether to go off on her own. I hoped that topic of conversation would stay buried, and I could count on her to join the rest of us when it came time to take action.

“I think we need to go back to Europe. Linc is our best bet in terms of finding the thread that will unravel New Dawn,” Lukas replied.

I glanced at Clark, trying to read what she was thinking. But all I got from her was a stony wall that kept all her feelings at bay. I didn’t know whether to approve of Lukas’s plan or not, but I agreed with him that inaction was not an option. If I was going to stick with Clark, maybe it made sense to go after New Dawn first. And if Regg was involved, then we could kill two birds with one stone. If not, we could deal with him later.

“All right,” I said finally.

“Z?” Lukas asked.

“I’m not really a field agent,” Z said cautiously.

“We can’t leave you here alone,” Lukas said.

“Why not? I’ve been fine so far,” she argued.

“Things have changed. I won’t take the chance,” Lukas declared. “Either we all go or no one goes.”

“That’s not a very flexible plan,” I pointed out.

There was a deafening silence from Clark’s corner of the room. We all turned to her to see what her verdict would be. I knew she was already considering whether to part ways with me, and I hoped this new direction would offer her another choice rather than split her loyalties even further. After a long time, she finally shrugged.

“Okay,” she said.

Lukas breathed a sigh of relief. “We’ll leave in the morning. I can charter a plane so we don’t have to go through official channels.”

“Thanks,” I said politely.

It was good to remember that Lukas was head of an organization that, while not as influential as New Dawn or the CIA, was still robust in its own right. He had operatives in multiple countries and a base of operations that put Abernathy’s mansion to shame. He also had multiple jets and cars at his disposal, allowing him to move about the world freely.

“I’d like to study the files more,” Clark said.

Z pulled up a chair and began to sit down.

“Alone,” Clark specified.

“Let’s not start second-guessing each other,” Z suggested.

“Please,” Clark added.

Z rolled her eyes, looking up at Lukas.

“How about this?” Lukas replied, playing the peacemaker, “You get two hours and then we get two hours. Anything you want to share, that’s fine. But no deleting files.”

“Agreed,” Clark said.

“I’ll know if you do,” Lukas warned.

“I won’t,” Clark replied. “I just need to think, that’s all.”

Lukas gave me a glance, but I stayed put. I wasn’t going to leave unless Clark specifically asked me to, and she didn’t seem concerned about my presence. Z and Lukas walked away, hurt but not tremendously so. You wouldn’t last long in the espionage community if you got hurt when someone asked you to leave the room.

“What do you really think about Lukas’s plan?” I asked once we were alone.