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As soon as I was off the estate, I drove into Shere, pulled into a parking area, and sent a secure message to Hornet through Unit 23’s portal, explaining what went down and letting him know I wanted him to remain on the compound for the time being.
Next, I sent a message to Kima, reminding her to keep her distance should Saint reappear.
Finally, I placed a call to Reaper, who I knew was in charge of monitoring security feeds. “I need a favor,” I began.
“Roger that, sir,” he said after I’d explained what I was looking for.
Once finished, I got on the highway, headed to Brighton. I had an hour’s drive to think through how I wanted to handle Saint’s threats and who I wanted to know about them.
I couldn’t simply disregard the altercation. He’d not only gotten physical, but he’d threatened my life and perhaps Kima’s. At the very least, I had to bring it to Z’s attention. As far as I knew, Saint’s proposed role with the coalition was as a special advisor, still employed by MI6, which meant his chain of command would remain the same.
When I reached Brighton, I found El in her studio. Mike was with her, and the two were head-to-head at the drawing table. The kiln was on, and there was music playing.
“Good afternoon,” I hollered over the noise.
Their heads popped up, and while El walked over to greet me, it looked as though Mike had covered something with a cloth before I had the chance to see it.
I thought about our agreement to always believe the other had the best of intentions in what we said and did. Rather than ask what the two were hiding, I kissed her.
“It’s a surprise,” she whispered.
Her smile before she returned to the station where Mike waited washed away the anxiety of my encounter with Saint, and in its wake, I was able to see things clearer. Something had to have triggered him. While merely seeing me could incite his ire, the degree of his anger was disproportionate.
If all he’d done was approach and threaten me and no one else, I probably would’ve shrugged it off. As soon as he threw the first punch, the dynamic had changed.
There was an outside chance Saint anticipated I’d tell Eliza what had happened, thus putting her in a position of choosing sides. If this were a chess match, he’d be foolish to think that I, his opponent, would make a move so rash. While I’d never liked him, and eventually grew to hate him, I never believed him to be stupid. Careless at best, a double agent at worst.
The longer I thought about it, the more evident it became that something else was at play.
Not wanting to spoil her surprise, I called out to El to let her know I’d be at the house.
“I won’t be much longer,” she responded.
We’d decided the fourth level would be the best place for me to set up an office, so I went straight there. I’d just closed the door behind me when I received a message from Kima, saying Poseidon had decided to return to Malta and she was traveling with him.
I responded, asking when they were leaving.
Zero nine hundred tomorrow, she replied.
Rather than wait, I rang Poseidon, hoping I’d catch him on his own. “There’s a matter I’d like to discuss with you if you have time.”
“I can spare a few minutes.”
“It won’t take that long.”
I’d expected his initial attitude to be as cold as it was. However, as soon as I told him I’d received word of an unconfirmed threat against Delfino, he engaged, agreeing to not just keep an eye out but to assign someone to her detail. Without my saying it, he knew whoever it was should be good enough that Kima wouldn’t pick up on the surveillance.
The next message I sent was to Z, asking if we could schedule a video chat. He initiated one immediately.
“Thanks for responding so quickly,” I said.
“You caught me at a good time.”
“There’s a situation with Saint.”
Z rested against his chair and sighed. “What’s happened?”
I recounted the incident, how Saint had gotten physical, along with the first threat he’d made.