Chapter Fourteen
Quinn read for an hour before a chirp from James’s computer interrupted the quiet.
She kept her head down, but peeked over at James. He looked at his laptop and said, “Good afternoon, sir.”
“James,” a man’s voice said from the computer. “Your report indicates Ms. Ellington was instrumental in deciphering Ben Hadley’s e-mail.” Upon hearing a different last name for James’s partner, Quinn realized Baker was Ben’s cover name just as James’s was Lockwood.
“Yes, sir,” James said. “She recognized that the string of digits broke down into ISBNs and figured out Ben sent it to inform me he was going into hiding.”
“Excellent work,” the voice said. “Is Ms. Ellington available? I’d like to thank her personally.”
He twisted around in his chair. “Quinn? My boss wants to talk to you.”
She put her bookmark between the pages and closed the book. As she cautiously approached, James stood and offered her his seat. She sat and saw a gentleman in his fifties with brown, curly hair graying at the temples looking back at her. Behind him was a row of books on a shelf. She wished she could read the titles, knowing she’d learn a lot about the man from the books he kept. The head of a golden retriever briefly appeared at the lower corner of the screen.
“Ms. Ellington, I’m Aldous Meyers. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, sir.” She hoped the forced smile plastered on her face didn’t reveal her serious case of nerves.
The smile on the man’s face was friendly in return, but his eyes were as sharp as his features. He was evaluating her even through the monitor. “We’re sorry unforeseen circumstances have forced you into your current predicament.”
“Things don’t always go the way they’re supposed to.” She shrugged.
“Regardless, we appreciate your ability to roll with the punches, as it were.” After a beat, he added with a trace of amusement in his voice, “And land a few as well.”
The only response she could come up with was another tiny shrug and a less than eloquent “Um, okay.”
“James has informed me that you were instrumental in decrypting Ben Hadley’s e-mail. Well done.”
“Thank you.”
“From what I understand from James’s reports, you have been quite an asset to him.”
“Doing research is kind of in my wheelhouse. I enjoyed it.”
“And from what I can tell, you’re quite good at it.”
“Thank you. I try.”
“Which is why I’m asking you to continue to work with James by accompanying him to London.”
The gasp from behind her was almost as loud as her own. Had she heard him right? “I, uh,” Quinn said, reeling, “I was under the impression from here I would go back to work in L.A., but have protection with me until James’s mission is complete.” Was it her or had the world gone slanted?
“We need you in London.”
“Why would we go to London?” James asked from behind.
“We need you to ascertain why Hadley went off grid.”
“He hasn’t told you?”
“He hasn’t made it to any of our safe houses.”
Quinn peeked over her shoulder. James wore a grim expression. It was obviously a bad thing that Ben wasn’t in a safe house. Where would she be if not for the cabin in which she was securely tucked away?
“There’s no good reason why he’s not in a safe house, is there?” she asked James.
James shook his head. “No.” After a pause, he said, “I still don’t see what this has to do with Quinn going to London. She’s not a trained operative.”
“I want her to look around Ben’s apartment to see if she notices anything that will tell us why he went off grid and where he was going.”
“Haven’t you already sent people to search his apartment?”
It was time for Quinn to speak up. “You think there might be bits of information or clues a librarian might see but others would pass over. Is that it, sir?”
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
“That sounds like a long shot,” James said.
“Not at all,” Meyers said. “He’s already sent you a message coded in such a way only another librarian would easily uncover its meaning.”
“I understand why he did it that one time,” James said. “But to assume he did other things like that is a huge leap.”
“It is a huge leap,” Meyers responded. Quinn watched the man’s features grow stern. “We will be pursuing every avenue to ascertain why he went into hiding and where he might be. For this one, we need Ms. Ellington’s expertise.”
James wasn’t backing down. “So send an agency librarian.”
“Ms. Ellington is already up to speed with this op, she has clearly demonstrated her ability to take care of herself in a scrape and”—his steely expression gave way when a smile twitched on his lips—“none of the librarians are willing to leave the library.”
Quinn couldn’t help but smile.
“But—” James tried again.
“This isn’t your decision, Anderson,” Meyers snapped. “It’s Ms. Ellington’s and hers alone.” He folded his hands and leaned closer to the screen. To Quinn, he said, “I know this is a lot to process and you’ll need some time to think it over. If you could get back to me by the end of today, I’d appreciate it. Weather data indicates the snow in your area will end soon. That means you should be clear to leave by tomorrow at the latest. If you choose to stay in L.A., protection must be in place for your arrival. If you choose to go to London with James, preparations for that need to be made as well.”
“I don’t need to think about it,” she said without hesitation. “I’m ready to help James and your agency in any way I can.”
Behind her, James groaned.
Quinn balled her fists and fought the anger flaming in her chest. Why was James being such a jerk about this?
“Very good, Ms. Ellington. Your country and the agency appreciate your assistance. I’m sure you comprehend you may be putting yourself in danger.”
“Yes, sir. I do.”
“And since you are a civilian, your taking part in an active operation puts us in a bit of a predicament when it comes to, ah, liability.”
“I’ll sign whatever forms you need me to.”
“Excellent,” he said. “We’ll get those sent to you on James’s tablet as soon as possible.”
“I don’t have a passport,” Quinn said.
“Not an issue. We’ll have one prepared for you.”
While she and Meyers spoke, James paced behind her.
Meyers raised his voice to get James’s attention. “Anderson.”
James stopped and stood directly behind her again.
“It’s clear you have some problems with Ms. Ellington continuing on this op with you. I don’t know what they are, nor do I care.” Meyers’s nostrils flared. “Get them squared away. You two will be spending a lot of time in each other’s company. Make it work.” He gave James a long, pointed stare. “We’ll speak again later today to discuss the specifics regarding your travel to London.” With that, the video feed ended and Meyers disappeared from the screen.
The room fell silent.
Quinn leapt up and whirled on James. “What the hell was that all about?”
“I don’t want you going to London,” he stated flatly.
“Yeah, I got that. Loud and clear,” she snapped. Her head throbbed. “What I want to know is why? I think I’ve been pretty cool dealing with the steady stream of crap you’ve flung my way. And now all of a sudden, when everything finally makes sense and I’m on board, you say no?”
He turned his head and stared out the window. The way the muscles in his jaw worked, Quinn could tell he was fighting some kind of internal battle. After a long pause, he said, “It’s complicated.”
She huffed a mirthless laugh and crossed her arms. “Try again.” When he remained silent, she asked, “Is it because I’m not a spy? The agency obviously doesn’t care. Neither should you.”
“I’m the one who has to protect you.”
“So I’m an albatross.”
“You’re not an albatross. If anything, you’re a natural at all this. You’re brilliant and perceptive and intuitive and frustratingly fearless.”
She blew out a breath, not knowing what to make of that. “So why do you want to leave me behind?” A rock lodged in the pit of her stomach. “You don’t want to be around me that much.”
His shoulders sagged. “It’s the opposite. I do want to be around you. So much. That’s the problem.” He looked into her face. “The way I feel about you scares the hell out of me. If something happens to you . . . I can’t go through it again.”
“Go through what again?”
“I can’t . . .” It felt like a dagger jammed through her heart when she saw the storm of agony raging in his eyes. “I can’t,” he said again. He walked to the door and stepped out into the swirling snow.