Page 109 of Girl in the Water

The boss looked up from her computer. She had a sunburn on her nose. Maybe she’d been on a vacation. “I’m deciding on assignments right now.”

Ian thought about his empty apartment. “I’d like something far away. Something that’ll take a while.”

She watched him. “Do you want to talk about what’s going on?”

About as much as he wanted to sit in a tub filled with piranhas. “I just want to work.”

She considered him for a couple of seconds. “An American businessman disappeared in Russia. Could be mob related. The Russians don’t really want us there but agreed as part of some kind of diplomatic exchange. The bureaucracy over there will be enough to make you tear out your hair. They’ll do whatever they can to stonewall you. Are you ready for months of diplomatic maneuvering?”

Just the thing he needed to keep his mind off Daniela. “I’ll take it.”

He turned to leave, but then stopped and stuck his head back in the door again. “What are you assigning Daniela?”

Karin raised an eyebrow. “She came in first thing this morning and quit. You’re friends, aren’t you? I thought you’d know all about it.”

She quit.

Good.

Ian didn’t want her anywhere near danger. He wondered what she was going to do next. He wanted to offer his help. As he left Karin, his hand was in his pocket, on his phone, ready to call Daniela.

But by the time he walked out of the CPRU office into the hallway, he realized he shouldn’t. He wished he could be the man she needed, but he wasn’t. Hanging on to her would be unforgivably selfish. No matter what anybody said, he had to let her go.

Rocket booster, say good-bye to rocket and prepare to plummet.