‘You were worried? Mavers was going to torture me.’ Silva looked away. ‘Jesus, Sean, I was so scared.’
‘Ahem.’ Silva’s father made a waving motion from the other side of the table. ‘I’ll leave you two alone, but I just want to say something about this young man.’
‘Really, sir, there’s no need.’ Sean bowed his head.
‘There is a need.’ Silva’s father looked across with a scowl. ‘Rebecca is stubborn and difficult. She won’t listen if you tell her.’
‘Tell me what?’ Silva said.
‘Sean saved my life and probably saved yours too.’
‘What on earth are you talking about? He nearly got me killed.’
‘Perhaps, but after he failed to contact you he came here. Luckily those bunglers hadn’t set the fire very well and it took a while to take hold. Even so, had he not turned up I’d have been fried.’
‘Sean?’
Sean nodded.
‘And,’ Silva’s father continued, ‘he did something else. When I told him Mavers was involved he suggested we check out the black site, guessing you might have been taken there. I got the information to Matthew and he was able to effect a rescue.’
‘Right.’
‘So an apology is due.’ Her father rose from the chair and patted Sean on the shoulder. Cast Silva a glance. ‘OK?’
As her father walked off, Sean stepped forward. Silva held up her hands.
‘I killed Hope,’ she said.
‘Is that hope with a capital H?’ Sean said. ‘Or are you playing with words?’
‘No games. I need to know if you can accept what I did.’
‘A week ago the answer would have been “no”, but now I’ve been fully briefed and know the truth, yes I can. Karen Hope didn’t offer any kind of hope. If she’d stood for president millions of people would have voted for her, but she was a con. Once elected she’d have been in the pocket of Haddad and the Saudis. US foreign policy would have been shot to pieces.’ Sean tilted his head. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean…’
‘And she killed my mother.’
‘That’s worst of all. In your situation I’d have played it exactly the same.’
‘Right.’
Silence for a beat and then a shrug from Sean.
‘So, are you going to give me a sit rep? Or is that information classified?’
‘The situation’s not great, to be honest. The terrorists are still out there, Haddad or his allies probably have a death squad after me, and what’s left of the Hope family will be seeking some kind of vengeance.’
‘Have you got protection?’
‘Nope.’
‘Doesn’t seem right after what you went through.’
‘They offered me a job. I guess it’s sort of carrot and stick. Take up their offer and stay safe, refuse and run the risk of getting popped.’
‘And are you going to take it?’
‘No.’ Silva gave a half smile. ‘Even though I am now unemployed.’
‘How come?’
‘I was sacked for taking too many days off. If only they knew.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I don’t know.’ Silva shrugged. ‘Stay here for a bit maybe. Help my dad with some stuff. See if Itchy needs a hand decorating his house.’
‘Doesn’t sound very edifying.’
‘After the last few weeks it’s exactly what I need.’
‘And when you’ve done helping and decorating?’
Silva didn’t answer. Was she really going to return to her boat, get another crap job, and just carry on with her life as if nothing had happened? That didn’t seem credible. What was the alternative though? Huxtable’s job offer was out, but perhaps Fairchild could find her something to do. Then again, did she want to join his band of mercenaries and get paid for being shot at? Probably not.
‘What about your side of things?’ she said.
‘All out damage control,’ Sean said. ‘The State Department are trying to placate our allies, while the Agency are coming to terms with the fact that they allowed this to happen in the first place. Operationally, Hope should never have been permitted to go off on her own in Tunisia, but the bigger issue is how she was ever allowed to rise to a position where she might become president. Of course the Agency isn’t allowed to operate inside the US, but somebody should have been feeding intelligence on Brandon Hope back to the Director of National Intelligence.’
‘And why weren’t they?’
‘Either nobody knew, which is bad enough, or somebody made the decision to keep quiet, which is worse. Heads will roll.’
‘And your own position?’
‘I hear I’m up for some internal commendation for helping to expose Mavers.’ Sean grinned. ‘What can I say? I’m just your average all American hero.’
‘Then I guess I’d better do as my dad said and apologise.’
Silence for a moment before Sean moved a step closer.
‘Rebecca?’ he said. ‘After all that’s gone on, I need to know where we are.’
‘We’re quits, that’s where we are. Same as before. No better no worse.’
‘And what about the future?’
Silva smiled at Sean as she reached for a glass of lemonade. ‘Let’s just say I’m thinking about it, OK?’
Epilogue
Irene Caxwell had tried for ages to get a rental for the little annexe attached to the rear of her bungalow. The place was small, admittedly, and perhaps not ideally located for tenants who wanted easy access to the nearby town of Windsor. The lodgings were cold, too, but she’d had a wood burner installed and a big stack of logs sat ready for the fire. This winter the occupants would be toasty. Not that the summer was over yet, of course. September had so far been unseasonably warm, and the woods round her house still teemed with life. Swallows flitted back and forth, fattening themselves with the last of the season’s bounties before their long flight south. She could see rabbits hopping at the edge of the field, and the squirrels were causing havoc when she put food out for the birds.
The two men turned up late one evening. At first she felt a little unsettled. They were…
