“What? What’re you talking about?”
“I do always think too much about other people. You see that as a weakness, I think it’s a strength. Right now you should be grateful. The glass I gave you had been coated in your compound, if the alcohol didn’t burn it away.” She looked at the untouched one, “I chose not to give you that one with no compound in it, not because you didn’t deserve it but because I don’t want to live with the knowledge I killed you.”
“Let’s go.” the man crossed the room to Charles.
“Don’t send me with him.” Charles said. “That’s on your conscience.”
Eva shrugged. “What they choose to do with you is nothing to do with me. I’ve done the right thing in handing you over to justice.”
“I’m not going anywhere. You can’t do this.”
The man withdrew his service weapon. “It’s already done.”
61
Eva studied Owen Benfleet’s face on the secure video call while he watched the recording of her last meeting with Charles. Gordon stopped it at his admission that the US had been training sleeper agents to pretend to be British.
“Mr President, you understand now why this was for your eyes only.”
Benfleet looked sincere. “I appreciate you being so circumspect.”
“I realise you’re very busy with the change of administration.” Gordon went on, “so just two more minutes of your time, if you will.”
Benfleet smiled and nodded, Mr Benevolence.
“Just so we’re absolutely clear from the outset of our working relationship,’ Gordon went on, “I’m spelling it out. We are more than allies, we have our special relationship to consider. Obviously we won’t stoop to blackmail with this dynamite. However, as insurance, we’ll be keeping it safe.”
“I think we can both agree is not in the best interests of either of our countries for this to enter the public arena.”
“I think you’ll find the United Kingdom is the wronged party here and that’s the message the evidence reinforces. I should also tell you that we have evidence that your predecessor instructed the assassination of several of his former colleagues. Something else we’ll be keeping safe.”
Benfleet inclined his head. Would he curse or thank Jed Carson’s untimely demise, giving him the top spot when he hadn’t even spent a day in office as a VP?
“Well, if there’s nothing more, Gordon.”
“Just the one thing, Mr President, decommission the British village mock-ups. That kind of hackneyed tradecraft crap belongs in the Cold War, where it was born. From the Russians, I’d understand it, from you?” Gordon shook his head. “I know that wasn’t on your watch, but this is day one of a better relationship, isn’t it?”
The president nodded. “It is.”
“If a satellite were to fly over any of the co-ordinates of these places on, say Monday, it’d see nothing other than rubble?”
“It would not.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Gordon cut the link and pulled a bottle of whisky out of his desk drawer. “I think we’ve earned this.”
Eva looked at the drink in horror.
Luke laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re not a whisky girl anymore?”
“I never was.”
“In this line of work, you usually have to take what’s on offer.” Gordon poured three measures and handed them out. “Job well done.” They chinked and drank. Eva shuddered. “Forgiven me yet for not telling you about Luke?”
She nodded.
“Your takedown of Charles, that was masterful.” Luke raised his glass at her.
“It was hardly a do or die chase across the rooftops or any of the other things you spies get up to.”
“The greatest misconception, that.” Luke said. “It’s our biggest asset. Mostly we’re making use of what we have around us, of anything in the environment we can turn to our advantage, of anything we know about our enemy that can be used against them. You did all of that.”
Gordon leant back in his chair. “If I ask you to come back and work for us again, will you say yes this time?”
“There is one thing you should know though, before you decide,” Luke said. “Your husband was right when he said I’m The Society.”
Eva nearly dropped her glass.
“They came onto the scene about five years ago completing a number of high-profile assassinations, causing havoc with no agenda.” Gordon gestured at Luke, “You tell her, it was your idea.”
“After they killed my partner, I caught one of their assassins in a sting operation and we got what we could from him to take them down. The group had a die or disappear policy so we mopped it up, but their name was known, their reputation feared. We agreed it was something we could use, so we took it over, not really convinced it would work but we’ve managed to save a lot of people who would have been killed otherwise and make sure those ordering the assassinations got the justice they deserved.”
“That’s what this unit is.” Gordon said. “We’re an extension to MI6 to anyone who doesn’t know the truth, licence to operate globally. And, of course, there’s cross-pollination and co-operation between us. The Society is what we’re asking you to join, Eva.”
Eva closed her mouth. “It might have saved me a few sleepless nights, few heart palpitations if you’d told me earlier.”
“Need to know, hence the strict security here, our closed door policy—anyone not part of our unit in the building and we lock it down further. We achieve a lot of good if that secret is kept.”
With Every Drop under investigation its reputation, and Eva’s, was shot and it would have to be wound up. If the charity couldn’t be her father’s legacy, maybe this could. It would be nice to be back amongst people she liked and respected, doing something that still made a difference.
But putting herself in needless danger wasn’t the way to parent Lily, especially as Eva was a single mum again.
“What?” She looked from Luke to Gordon, having their own conversation. “Trainee what?”
“First lesson.” Luke said. “Every field agent, spy as you so lovingly call them, starts as a trainee. How about it, trainee
