Page 93 of Edge of Honor

“We’re pulling you.”

She was confused. “From Blackwood?”

“From everything,” the man replied.

“Defineeverything.”

“We’re sending you home.”

“Home, home?” she asked.

He looked at her. “Isn’t that what you want? To be reunited with your family? To be among your people again?”

“Yes,” she answered, knowing it was the only acceptable response. “Of course. But what about Blackwood?”

“That’s not for you. We will handle the senator.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant by “handle” and didn’t dare ask. All she could say was “When?”

“You leave tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

He nodded. “We have already made your arrangements.”

“If I up and vanish, aren’t you worried that Blackwood will be suspicious?”

“You’re not going to vanish. You’re going to tell him exactly what you’re doing.”

“Which is?”

“That you are headed to Istanbul on business.”

Now she was even more confused. “Turkey? I thought you said you were sending me home?”

“We are. But you’ll go to Istanbul first for your debriefing.”

She didn’t know if she liked the sound of that.

Seeing the concern in her face, the handler stated, “Relax. You are one of the SSD’s first success stories. Without you,Chernaya Liniyawould have never have gotten off the ground. The GRU is talking about giving you a medal.”

She brushed that aside. “There is no success story. Operation Black Line isn’t complete yet.”

He stood, indicating that their meeting was over. “It will be,” he replied. “In the meantime, I hear the weather is lovely in Istanbul. We’ve arranged an apartment for you with a beautiful view of the Bosphorus. Pack light. Just for a week. Leave everything else behind in your condo.”

It was all so sudden. So seismic. After all the training and preparation, it was now over. Just like that. She was speechless.

“Vy ponimayete?” he asked.

When she didn’t reply, he repeated himself.

Pulling herself together, she answered. “Yes, I understand.”

“No. I want to hear you say it in Russian.”

“We don’t need to do that now. There’ll be plenty of time for me to speak Russian once I’m back.”

Her handler insisted. “In Russian, please. Now.”