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“You and I need to stay out of it.”
I understood. Rick would put the man capable of giving the Invincible team the information they needed for a successful extraction, in direct contact with them. Jinyan was a code name for a Chinese intelligence officer who had direct ties to the highest level of U.S. government. In other words, he was an invaluable double-agent whose identity needed to be protected at any and all costs. The less Emerson’s father and I knew about what he told the Invincible team, the better it would be for everyone seated at this table.
Emerson stood. “I need to take a walk.”
She didn’t invite me along, but I was on her heels anyway.
By the time she stopped walking and looked over at me, we were beyond the place on the beach where I’d caught up with her earlier.
“What in the hell was Benjamin thinking? Has he no idea what he’s done?” she asked.
Benjamin’s agenda was to protect the United Kingdom. Emerson understood that stopping China from gaining further advances in the areas that would define a country as a superpower, was a global concern.
She sat down on the sand and dug her fingers into its warmth.
“Tommy and I didn’t meet by chance, did we?”
“No.”
“Did you have anything to do with it? My meeting him?”
“I did.”
She shook her head. “I’m an idiot.”
“You’re not.”
“When it comes to men, I am. You set me up. Why, Lynx?”
“I told you before, I had no idea that you, the Emerson of our encounter three years ago, were Dr. Charles.”
“Like I said, idiot when it comes to men.”
I reached over and took her hand. “Not with me.”
She looked down at where my thumb caressed her palm. “With you especially.”
“Why?”
The longer she stared into my eyes, the more hers filled with tears. “Because with you, I’d want more.”
The moment of truth had arrived. It was up to me to tell the beautiful woman next to me whether I could offer more. I couldn’t lie. The truth was, I didn’t know whether I could or not.
As I watchedEmerson walk away, I called the only person I could think of who might understand what I was going through.
“Lennox, Nora and I were just talking about you. How’s the patient?”
“Listen, Stephen,” I said, cutting to the chase. “I need a favor.”
“Name it.”
“Are you on duty this weekend?”
“As a matter of fact, I’m off.”
“Can you and Nora, and the kids of course, manage a weekend down the Cape?”
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