MI5 officers, and they boxed and steered him with grace.
No one around Evan realized he had been plucked into custody.
The agents escorted him into a small, windowless room. It smelled of coffee. Bedford stood at the end of a conference table. Then Evan saw Carrie on the other side of the room. She rushed to him, embraced him. ‘Thank God, thank God.’
She held him for a long minute, tight, and he gave in to her embrace, being careful of her hurt shoulder.
‘I thought you were dead,’ she said into his neck.
‘I’m sorry. I tried to stop your car but you didn’t see me. I was too far away. But I knew you were alive. You’re okay?’
‘Yes. British intelligence had a team following us. They found me after the blast. Took me to a safe house for questioning.’
She pulled back from him, kissed him quickly, put her hand on his cheek. Giddy in her relief. ‘What’s with the Sting look?’
He shrugged. Bedford came forward, put his hand on Evan’s shoulder. ‘Evan. We are all tremendously relieved that you’re alive and well.’
Another man sat next to Bedford: clipped hair, good suit, a face bland as air. ‘Mr. Casher. Hello. I’m Palmer, MI5.’
‘My counterpart, of sorts,’ Bedford said. ‘Not his real name. You understand.’
‘Hello,’ Evan said. He ignored Palmer’s outstretched hand, shrugged his shoulder out from under Bedford’s grip.
‘Evan?’ Carrie eased him into the chair next to her. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘My problem is with you,’ Evan said to Bedford. ‘You delivered us into the hands of a murderer.’
Bedford went pale. ‘I’m sorry. We’ve looked at every moment Pettigrew’s spent in the Agency for the past fifteen years and still haven’t found the connection to Jargo.’
‘I know where you can get the accounts linking Pettigrew and Jargo. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll give it to you. But you and I have to make a deal.’
‘A deal.’
‘I don’t think you can keep me alive, Mr. Bedford. You’re so worried about showing your face you don’t know who to trust. I’m not waiting to be shot by Pettigrew, Part Two.’
Carrie asked Bedford, ‘Could I talk to Evan alone?’
Bedford measured the chill in the room and gave a quick nod. ‘Yes. Palmer, let’s you and I talk outside, please.’ They shut the door behind them.
Carrie took his hand. ‘How could you let me believe you were dead? I’ve spent the past twenty-four hours grieving.’
‘I am truly sorry. But I didn’t know who other than you and Bedford I could trust. Clearly Bedford doesn’t know either. I wasn’t going to phone in and walk back into the arms of another Pettigrew.’
‘How did you get information tying Pettigrew to Jargo?’ she said.
‘I got resourceful.’
‘Will you give it to me?’
‘No. If I hand it over, my father is dead. I need your help. I have to get out of here.’ Evan spoke in the barest whisper. ‘If Jargo gets word that the CIA has picked me up, he’ll call off trading me the files for my dad.’
‘You really have the files.’ She sounded stunned.
‘Yes.’
‘I can’t go against Bedford. You’re not thinking straight.’
‘I’m so far down the rabbit hole now… I can’t trust anyone. Jargo not to kill me, Bedford to protect me. You to love me.’
‘I do love you.’
He was suddenly afraid the poker face he’d worn the whole day would crack. He closed both his hands around hers. ‘I want to forget everything. I want us to have a normal life. But that’s not going to happen while we’re still down the rabbit hole. I have to take the fight right to Jargo, and I’ve got a way to stop him cold, but I need your help. I have to get to Florida. I need you to stay here, out of harm’s way.’
‘Evan…’
Bedford opened the door. Walked in without waiting to see if their conversation was done. Palmer and one of the MI5 officers followed him into the room, the officer carrying Evan’s luggage. He set it down and left, shutting the door behind him.
Carrie mouthed, He won’t let you go.
‘Evan,’ Bedford said. ‘What do I have to do to regain your trust?’
‘It’s gone. You’ve got leaks, and those will get me and my dad and Carrie killed. Now we can talk about a deal or you can let me go.’
‘You’re not going anywhere, Mr. Casher.’ Now Palmer spoke. ‘Would you open your bag for us, please?’
Evan did, deciding to let them think they were still in charge for another minute. He saw the bag had already been searched. It held only a few clothes that he had bought and a few thousand in American cash. He had left Khan’s gun with Razur.
‘Your carry-on, please,’ Palmer said.
Evan opened up a small briefcase bag. Palmer reached in and pulled out a laptop computer.
‘What’s this?’ Bedford held up the computer.
‘A laptop.’
Bedford opened up the laptop, powered it on. ‘It’s pass-worded.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Enter the password, please, Evan.’
‘I don’t know it.’
‘You don’t know your own password.’
‘That’s Thomas Khan’s computer.’
‘How did you get it?’
‘Doesn’t matter,’ Evan said. ‘I did what I said I promised, which is get the files my mother stole. Khan is Jargo’s moneyman. Or was. He’s dead.’ Evan raised his hands in mock surrender to Palmer. ‘It was self-defense. In case you’re prosecuting me.’
Palmer shook his head.
Evan turned to Bedford. ‘Here’s the deal. Let me go get my dad. I guarantee I’ll still give you what you need to take down Jargo, but my dad and I, and Carrie, if she wants’ – he turned to her, and she nodded – ‘we vanish on our own terms.’
Bedford sank into his chair. ‘Evan. You know I can’t agree to your request.’
‘Then I get a lawyer and I talk a mile a minute about CIA officers carrying explosive devices into Kensington bookshops. Your choice.’
‘Don’t threaten me, son,’ Bedford said.
‘I have an alternate suggestion,’ Carrie said. ‘Maybe one that will make you both happy.’
Both men waited.
‘If Evan trades his dad for this laptop, it requires a meeting. That brings Jargo out in the open. I know him – he’ll handle this himself.’
‘Where is this exchange, Evan?’ Bedford asked.
‘Miami. Read my ticket, Bricklayer.’
‘I’m not your enemy. I never was,’ Bedford said.
‘I pick the meeting site,’ Evan said to Carrie. ‘Once I’m in Miami.’
Carrie turned to her boss. ‘This meeting pulls Jargo into the light. It’s our best chance to stop him.’
‘And he’ll be lightly guarded. Maybe just Dezz. He won’t tell his operatives a word about this if he can avoid it,’ Evan said quietly. ‘No way his network knows they’re on the verge of being exposed. He would face a mass, very fatal defection.’
