She nodded, her mouth quirking.“Yes.Our Luis.”
The Portuguese computer scientist they’d fought over in Krakow.
“He was living up in Porto, under our protection,” Mystique said.
Steinbeck remembered her name now.“London,” he said.“You were with a guy?—”
“Shep, yes,” she said and turned back to Emberly.“We think the Bratva got their hands on Axiom, or maybe a version of it?—”
“How?I promise it was destroyed.”
“Maybe there’s a leak in the DOD,” Stein said.“I know Declan sold it to them.”
London-Mystique held up her hand.“It doesn’t matter.The truth is, it’s not when the program gets out into the wild, it’s how many governments will get their hands on it.”
“We need that virus,” Emberly said quietly.
“Yes,” London said, now perching on the arm of the sofa.“Which means we need the program.”
“And Luis.”Emberly folded her arms.“You think they’re forcing him to corrupt it?”
“I don’t know.But we’ll find him.I’m on that.”She pointed to Emberly.“You need to get that program from Declan.”
“Wait a hot minute,” Steinbeck said.“You’re not suggesting another heist, right?How about we justaskhim for the program?”He shot a look at Roy.“He was Dark Horse.Alosha.The infamous spy who took down the Russian cybertech lab in Vladivostok.”
Roy nodded.“Yes, he was.Still is.”
“Wait.What?I don’t know who—” Emberly looked at London.“You said he was a terrorist.”
“To be fair, we didn’t realize that the Caleb Group had reactivated his cover and had pulled him in to spy on the Bratva when you set out to get the program,” London said.
Steinbeck glanced at Roy.
Roy held up a hand.“I’m just a chess piece.I don’t control the board.”
As opposed to Steinbeck, who clearly watched from the gallery.“Okay, so we get the program and then what?”
“Emberlygets the program,” London said.“You go home.”
His mouth opened.Closed.“Over my dead body.”
“That’s what I’m trying to prevent.”London took a breath, shook her head.“The last thing I want is for Boo to lose her brother.”
“You’re kidding me, right?I was aSEAL.She’s well aware of the risks.”
London’s mouth tightened.“You haven’t been vetted?—”
“I was Declan’s bodyguard.I have top-secret clearance.And I sprang Miss Pants on Fire here from a Russian dungeon.I feel like that qualifies for vetted.”And yes, he meant to raise his voice.
Aw,who was he kidding?Since Emberly had stepped back into his life, and he into hers, something had awakened inside him.No,ignited.
Phoenix, indeed.She was a live coal inside him, and he wasn’t going to let it die.
Andthathe didn’t want to look at too closely.“Listen.Clearly she needs someone watching her back?—”
“What?”
“And Declan trusts me.”He glanced at Emberly.
