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“I do not.”
“This meeting is over.” I stood, then turned to Macht. “Be prepared to meet with Reaper, Verity, and me in one hour.”
“Yes, sir,” he said.
Schön appeared stunned when I walked to the door and held it open.
“So, did she decide to act on this on her own, or was it with Marchand’s blessing?” Verity said after the two had put on their coats and left without saying much other than goodbye.
“I don’t have a strong opinion either way. The only thing I am certain of is we need to exercise caution where Schön is concerned.”
“What about Macht?”
“We can learn more from him if we allow him to stay on, at least temporarily.”
“Agreed.” Verity nodded and stood by the window.
“What’s on your mind?”
“If Schön’s actions were either condoned or encouraged by Marchand, Nemesis has a big problem on her hands.”
“Z has been the one to run interference on our behalf in the past. Now that he’s resigned as chief, we’ll no longer have his support.”
“We might. He could continue as an advisor to the coalition even though he’s no longer with MI6. He’d be in the same role as his daughter, Wren, and her husband, Wilder.”
Verity had a point. “I suppose it depends on whether his resignation is specific to SIS or to all intelligence.”
“If I had to guess, I’d say he got tired of being a paper pusher. He seemed different during the ops he participated in for the AMPS mission. It was as if donning tactical gear made him feel like an agent again.”
I agreed. “And then, there’s George. I’m sure being with her will make him feel like a randy young man.” While I smiled, this thing with Schön weighed heavily on me.
“Back to work?” Verity asked.
“We should do.” I sat on the bed and opened my computer. “Our goal now is to figure out whether the woman with Godwin at the restaurant is relevant, what his role is with AMPS, and why he isn’t in prison.”
Verity checked her mobile. “I hesitate to interrupt Nemesis again. My guess is the meeting at Z’s is still taking place.”
When she turned her head away from me, I studied her. Each time I did, I saw things I hadn’t noticed before. Her beauty, of course, but so much more. Right now, her shoulders were hunched. Was she feeling insecure? If so, it would surprise me. I’d always believed her to be arrogant rather than lacking self-esteem. Perhaps it was something she did when worried.
Instead of continuing to watch from a distance, I joined her at the window. “It’s certainly picturesque,” I commented, noting the falling snow similar to when we arrived yesterday. “I was thinking we should dine in the main lodge tonight. Make ourselves visible.”
“Agreed,” she murmured.
“And tomorrow? Would you be interested in hitting the slopes?” I asked.
“I was about to suggest the same thing.”
While keeping my thoughts to myself might be more prudent, I’d never been one to hold back. “Amazing, isn’t it, how we so often have the same thoughts?”
“I suppose.” She shrugged without looking at me, her shoulders once again hunched.
At once, every part of my body longed for hers. My lips to kiss her. My arms to draw her to me. My cock to bury itself in her heat. “Alena,” I whispered, leaning close enough for our shoulders to brush.
She turned, her eyes boring into mine.
“I wonder if we’re thinking the same thing now.”
“Why did you call me Alena?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.