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It was something she’d considered before she called the group together. “What if he succeeds?”
Another silence fell, Vivi chewing on that. “If he succeeds, he probably won’t need therapy.”
She knew it was hard for her friend to admit that her card was the right one. “I’ll do what I can to get him to talk to you. His childhood, even before his brother’s death, was fraught with issues that I’m sure he needs to work out.”
Vivi pulled her legs up under her, leaning an elbow on the chair arm. “Like what?”
“It’s his story to tell. It’s a doozy, believe me.”
The corners of Vivi’s eyes narrowed. “Abuse?”
Beatrice shook her head. “Not in the manner you’re thinking. If I manage to get him to speak up about it, you’ll be the one he needs to talk to.”
Vivian uncurled herself and stood, setting the cup down and stretching her arms over her head. “I better go refuel your IT guy and see if there’s any news. Parker and Moe were heading out on horseback to see if they could pick up the trail. Can you imagine? In the middle of nowhere, in the dark, on horses.” She picked up the mug and strode for the door. “Thank God, you didn’t send me on that mission.”
Beatrice chuckled. “Not into horses?”
“Not into any of that. I would have begged Emit to keep me in operations, so I wouldn’t have done Parker much good anyway.”
Beatrice retrieved her pen and doodled on her calendar. “Keep me posted.”
At the door, Vivi turned back. “Hey, is it today when Jon and Jaya arrive?”
The one bright spot in the coming few hours. “Their plane lands at two. Connor and Sabrina will pick them up.”
“I know that it will be nice for Sloane to have her friend here to play with, and I’m glad you took that suggestion to heart.”
Blurry vision sitting in front of a computer too long and staring at reports on her desk made her blink a few times. All the words were beginning to run together. “Moving the service dog program here makes sense, and yes, it’ll be good to have them back under my roof.”
* * *
By the timethe sun rose, Beatrice had slept four hours, showered, fed Sloane and Maddy, their dog, and was ready for an update when her phone rang. “What is it, Connor?” she asked. She’d honestly intended to find a new office manager at some point, but he was so good at what he did. He liked being around Sabrina, too, so it was a win-win. “Did they find her?”
“Not yet. The full report is on your desk, but there’s a call for you. An important one. I think you’ll want to be in your office for it.”
Gathering Sloane, she took a golf cart to the main building, the birds beginning a song to the rising sun. Inside her office, she found coffee and a fruit bowl waiting alongside the update Rory had provided. Sloane crawled onto her plush loveseat and promptly went back to sleep, Maddy jumping up beside her and doing the same.
Beatrice pushed the report and food aside, took a sip of the delicious coffee, and settled her breathing before she answered line one. “Good morning, Director Flynn, Sorry for the delay.”
Conrad Flynn was the GOAT of the espionage world, a former agent who’d pulled off incredible missions, faked his own death, and rooted out a high-ranking traitor inside Langley’s walls before he’d been promoted to DO, Director of Operations. No one kept the man in charge of the CIA’s spy group on hold, but he didn’t seem upset. “I apologize for this early call. It’s important.”
Beatrice tensed, her eyes darting to Sloane, her precious girl unaware of the world’s turmoils—and her mother’s involvement in protecting her against them. She wondered if Flynn thought about those he loved during moments like this. “What can I do for you?”
“I need to talk to you in person. I’ll come to you if you can see me this morning.”
What had been Code Orange went Code Red. No way did she want him inside her compound, but she couldn’t leave with the current operation in progress. She had to be here. “Can you give me a hint about what this concerns? Have we stepped on your toes, Director? If so, I’ll make it right.”
“I realize your schedule is as hectic as mine. An inconvenience to meet me, I’m sure. However, I assure you it will be worth your while. I need to bring my head of counterintelligence, but I’ll leave everyone else outside the gate. Will that suffice?”
If he was willing to do that, he understood her reasons. He also knew she held the cards here, and was willing to abide by her wishes.
How very, very unusual. Her curiosity was piqued. What could the Director of Operations possibly want so badly to speak to her about that he would leave his security detail at the gate? “You’ll have to be relieved of any electronics, and nothing we say inside my compound can be repeated.”
He was quiet for a long moment, and she thought he would refuse, but then he said, “I agree to the first part, but the second half may need to be negotiated after you hear my proposal.”
A spike of adrenaline shot up her spine. A proposal? Her mind scanned through dozens of options, opportunities, and possibilities. There were many, and she realized her conversation earlier with Vivi was coming back to haunt her. No one could predict what any player in this scenario might do. “As long as it’s my discretion whether or not you can share what we discuss. Are you agreeable to that?”
“Shall we say eight?”
