Page 46 of Fire Must Burn

‘I do have some expertise in the field, sir.’

‘But you kissed him!’

‘As I said before, he kissed me,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t expecting it.’

‘You told me last week that the two of you weren’t lovers.’

‘We weren’t. We’re not.’

‘Yet you allowed this.’

‘I didn’t think that punching him in the throat would have furthered the mission, sir.’

‘What concerns me is the possibility that you have feelings for Danforth, and that they are going to compromise this operation.’

‘Understandable.’

‘Am I right to be concerned, Sparks?’

‘The friendship, the fondness for him are still in me somewhere,’ she said. ‘But I won’t let them stand in the way. There’s no reason for them to interfere. If I had given him the cold shoulder, it would have aroused suspicions on his part.’

‘The kiss meant nothing to you?’

‘It was quite off-putting, to tell you the truth,’ she said. ‘I don’t like being used for target practice.’

‘Do you think he has any romantic feelings for you, Sparks?’

‘Not likely,’ she said. ‘I made it very clear that I was not on the market, neither now nor any time in the near future.’

‘And yet—’

‘And yet he kissed me, yes. It doesn’t mean he loves me, or that I love him. I’ve kissed many men I didn’t love. Hey, Carruthers! Want me to kiss you so I can prove my point?’

‘No thanks, Sparks,’ replied Carruthers.

The Brigadier finally turned to look at her as he finished his cigarette. She met his gaze steadily.

‘I’ve gone out on a limb for you, Sparks,’ he said. ‘More than once. I cannot have you repay my trust and protection with this erratic behaviour. If someone else’s man had seen the two of you together like that, you’d be a guest of His Majesty’s prison system more quickly than you can blink.’

She looked at him for a long moment, then blinked.

‘I’m still here,’ she said. ‘I guess that means you’re releasing me back to the wilds of London.’

‘If he calls you, if he sees you, if you bump into each other on the Tube, I want to know about it inside of five minutes,’ he said. ‘Is that understood, Sparks?’

‘It is,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t call you straight away.’

‘Apology accepted. Get out before I change my mind.’

‘One more thing, sir,’ she said, reaching into her coat pocket.

The two men tensed, but all she brought out was a folded piece of paper which she handed to the Brigadier. He opened it, scanned it briefly, then looked at her.

‘That much for a book about bugs?’ he asked.

‘Water beetles are not bugs, sir,’ she replied. ‘They’re Coleoptera, not Hemiptera. And yes, the book cost that much, but the plates are superb. May I remind you that I am not otherwise being paid for this assignment?’

He pulled out his wallet, extracted a few bills, and handed them to her.