Page 2 of 72 Hours

But like Simon said, we’d all suffered from the tension and weariness it brought. And some of us had let it take hold. I knew that better than all of them here today.

“Tanner?” He was staring at me. “Work with me on this, will you? You were with us on that mission. You’ve been with us all the way since the beginning of the Team. Look, I don’t know exactly what happened when you left. But it’s important to talk about that time and fully trust each other.”

“Sure.” My gaze met his, steady as before, and he turned back to the matter at hand.

“Well, like I said, things were calm. Then just a month ago, the attacks started. We were alerted of random sabotage at locations where the Team had been working during Dove, although obviously we’d tried to keep the whole mission under the strictest cover.”

“Any idea why?”

He shook his head. “None at all. No warnings, no formal threat, no obvious connection with any other current political or military event. The strikes have all been amateurish, but dangerous nonetheless.”

“How dangerous?”

“A couple of small explosive devices. A sabotaged vehicle. There’s been damage to telecommunications and computer networks.”

“Weird. Someone with a grievance against the talks?”

He shrugged. “There have been no further political demands since it all ended, no overt protests. But yes, at first we assumed it was part of a fresh reprisal against the official event.”

I frowned. “But why did they choose those locations?” Simon had said they were where the Project Team had been working. I’d always been impressed at the way our cell was kept in the shadows of the Department. Some people used to say that even the HR section didn’t know we existed, and Judith handled all our remuneration issues herself. One of those urban myths, I’d assumed. “How could anyone know for certain where we’d been?”

Simon put his hand on a mug as if he were concentrating on making the tea. Both of us knew he wasn’t. He was suddenly very still.

“You mean there was a leak from the Department?” No further response. “Dammit, Simon, from the Project Team itself?” A traitor sounded way too melodramatic, but wasn’t that what he was implying? After all, who else would have had access to all the information?

“No! I mean... we don’t know that for certain.” He rolled a teaspoon back and forth between his fingers. I reckoned he’d spooned six heaps of sugar into his mug already, and I hadn’t even poured the tea yet. “No one knows enough about it yet to make any assessment. Brad....” His voice faltered, but he went on, the words tumbling out more quickly. “Brad was—is—following the trail right now. He’s been monitoring every communication in or out of the Team since Mission Dove was concluded. He’s been checking recent logs and reissuing access protocols. If there’s ever been any breach of security, he’ll find it. But it takes time.” Tendrils of panic flickered in his eyes; anger too. “There must be another explanation, Tanner. We’re such a small team. We all know each other so well.”

Or not, as the case may be. I felt a nasty little chill raising the hairs at the base of my neck. “And so you’re here to check me out? Thinking it might be me?”

“Dammit, no!” He looked genuinely affronted. “Why the hell would you think that?”

I shrugged, hiding my relief. “I guess it’s common knowledge I have issues with the Team. I didn’t exactly get a gold watch when I left.”

“You didn’t give anyone enough time, one way or another.” His tone was terse.

“Whatever. But I know about you all, about the missions.” I wasn’t sure why I was pursuing this. “I know enough about sabotage.”

“In theory, maybe.” Simon was trying not to smile, although his eyes were still worried. “Remember that time you nearly blew your fingers off, helping Joe’s training class?”

“Amateurish, you said. The attempts.” I sounded stubborn.

“To hell with it, Tanner! We’re not here to place blame. We’re here to work out what to do! No one thinks it’s you. I said we came here because we can trust you, didn’t I?”

“Okay, okay.” I’d rarely heard him so upset. “And... thanks.”

He frowned and shook his head, but his expression softened.

“So tell me more. You said ‘at first’ you thought it was to do with Dove. There’s been more since then, hasn’t there?”

“Yes, there has.” Simon tensed up. “Over the last couple of weeks the attacks have changed direction. There’s no mistaking the focus. They’re targeting Project operatives themselves.”

“The Team members?”

“And their support staff, yes. Some of our suppliers, too, and our contacts in other governmental departments. More random attacks on property, computer viruses... some aggressive but untraceable telephone threats. All personal, all very specific.”

“Those people and places are only in our files. No one else knows where we work, how we work.”

Simon glared at me, his expression fierce. Like I was the one giving him this grief. “For God’s sake, Tanner, don’t you think we know that? But there’s been barely any time to investigate how this attacker gained such information. We’re too busy trying to protect ourselves!”