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17
“Hello?”
“You have chosen to ignore my instructions.”
“No. I haven’t,” she responded.
“You have chosen the man over your own flesh and blood. No matter. They’ll both be gone soon enough.”
“Wait—” she pleaded, but knew it was too late. She’d already heard the beep indicating the call had been disconnected.
—:—
Gunner heard every word, confirming he’d been right about someone blackmailing her. What he didn’t know, and evidently neither did she, was what the person doing it wanted. That would not be the last call she received, of that he was certain.
What he also didn’t know yet, was what course of action they should take. Should he and Raketa proceed on their own for now, or loop K19 in?
Raketa’s eyes were focused on his, and in them, he saw pleading. He put his hands on her shoulders.
“What is the first thing you know about blackmail?”
She shook her head.
“Focus. What’s the fi
rst thing?”
She shook her head again.
“The blackmailer wants something.”
This time she nodded.
“Number two. Blackmailers will target your absolute weakness to get what they want.”
“Yes.”
She was starting to respond, and instead of despair, he watched the fight come back into her eyes.
“Let’s set that aside for a minute and talk about UR. I want you to think really hard about anything you might have on them that we could use to get them to let you go. Anything, Raketa.”
“There’s nothing,” she admitted.
“Keep digging in the recesses of your mind. There’s got to be something they want enough that they’ll let you go. Start thinking outside the box. What might UR want badly enough that either K19 or MI6 can orchestrate making sure they get it?”
For now, the assassination threat was more urgent than finding Petrov. Soon, he’d contact Doc and see if he’d come up with anything, but not until he was certain Raketa wasn’t going to pull away from him again.
“I know how hard this is for you,” he said, stroking his finger down her cheek.
She backed away from him. “It isn’t any different for you. You haven’t had to choose between anything.”
“I’m not following.”
“You make every decision based on what you think is best. You don’t consult me. In fact, you rarely consult your team. You lecture me to do something you would never do.”
“I don’t agree.”
She shook her head. “Of course you don’t. Here’s an example. You told me where my half-sisters are only after you had considered whether doing so would jeopardize their safety. You decided it wouldn’t, so you told me. If you say you don’t weigh everything you tell me first, you’re a liar.”
