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“Oh, and, Olivia, that dress is totally inappropriate for this meeting.”
The comment brought a genuine smile to Olivia’s mouth. “Thank you, Iris. Coming from you, that’s a real compliment.”
Without another word, Iris walked out the door, and the lights went dark.
“She’s a piece of work, I’ll give her that,” Hawke said.
Feeling as though she’d just walked over hot coals, Olivia said, “I need some air.”
Taking her hand, he led her out the door. “Follow me.”
They went down a different hallway than when they’d first arrived. A steel door with an exit sign above it and a lighted security pad beside it was obviously his goal. He punched in a series of numbers. As soon as it beeped, Olivia shoved the door open and drew in a shaky breath. That had not been fun.
Hawke led Olivia by the hand down a worn path into the open field. A bench beneath a large oak tree looked both peaceful and serene. The instant they sat down, she turned to him.
“What’s going to happen to her?”
“I don’t know. MI6 is aware of her capture and what she’s done.”
“So she really was MI6? It wasn’t just a front?”
“Both your parents were MI6 agents, but they were apparently recruited by this shadow organization years ago.”
“Double agents?”
“So it would appear. The British government isn’t very tolerant when it comes to traitors, but this info might never reach the higher-ups. Wouldn’t be the first time things get done in the dark.”
Olivia huffed out a breath. “You would think I wouldn’t care.”
“You’re a decent, compassionate person. Besides, no matter how much we might despise our relatives, they’re still blood.”
When his old man had finally passed away, Hawke had grieved for the lost opportunities, the loss of a life that had been destroyed by alcohol long before cancer had claimed him. But he didn’t think he had grieved for the loss of the man himself. Cooper Hawthorne had been a cowardly bully who had never owned up to his mistakes.
“Were you surprised about Glen?” he asked.
“That Iris betrayed him? No, not at all. I never witnessed an ounce of affection between them. I am surprised, I guess, that he had a limit when it came to evil.”
“Yes, and that got him killed.”
“So what now?”
“We go back and try again. She’s going to break eventually. We just need to wait her out.”
“How did she know about the baby?”
She said it so matter-of-factly, anyone who didn’t know her well would think she didn’t care. The truth was the exact opposite. Something had broken inside her that day. He had witnessed it. And he had been the cause of it.
Matching her tone, he said, “She had to have bugged the house.”
“I checked for bugs daily.”
“Who knows? With this shadow organization’s deep pockets, they likely had sophisticated equipment that’s not on the market.”
She nodded, looking out at the empty field as if mesmerized. He knew she was pulling in her strength. This had been tough on her, as he’d known it would be. The below-the-belt remark about the baby they’d lost had cost her even more.
He wanted to reach out and touch her but knew she wouldn’t welcome him right now. Not that he didn’t deserve it. What he’d done was unforgivable. They had been struggling already. He’d been gone for months at a time. When they were together, talking had taken a back seat to the passion that never seemed to die. If they had talked, none of that horror would have happened. And he might be able to look in the mirror without flinching.
Bringing up the painful subject right now wasn’t remotely appropriate, but he couldn’t help but ask, “When did you change your mind about having children?”