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KEVIN DOYLE SAT in a diner on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge. He was reading a number of newsfeeds on his iPad. He had connections with military suppliers and former government operatives all over the Western world. He used to be sent on important missions that the people who hired him said were a matter of national security. Now he was stuck in New York, killing old men and women, and he wasn’t clear on the reasons. He’d been told why he had to do it. He just wasn’t as certain as his employer that it was necessary work.

Doyle liked the diner. This was his fourth time here this week. It wasn’t anything fancy. When you ordered coffee, your choices were black or with cream and sugar. He appreciated the simplicity of ordering coffee without having to go through a list of what he wanted or didn’t want. Best of all, the same friendly waitress had been there every morning. Her name was Tammy, and she’d told him that she was training for an IRONMAN triathlon. She’d also shared that her uncle owned the diner, though he was a horrible boss who treated both her and her mother terribly. At least she got to pick what shifts she wanted to work, so she could fit in her training.

He always sat at the far end of the counter so that if Tammy had a few free moments, she could come over and chat with him without anyone else too close. Today he was in a little later than usual, after the breakfast rush. There was one person at a small table near the front door and two others at the other end of the counter. Tammy came down with a fresh pot of coffee. He could tell by her biceps that she was an athlete. But she also had a pretty smile.

Doyle asked, “What’s your workout for today?”

Tammy said, “It’s an easy jog. I thought I might even take the subway and run in Central Park. Just for a change of scenery.” She poured some coffee into his cup, then said, “You look like you’re in pretty good shape. Wanna go for a run with me?”

Doyle couldn’t hide his smile. The only problem was he needed to keep a low profile while he was here in New York. He remembered an unfortunate situation in Berlin when a girl he’d had a one-night stand with almost gave him away to the police. It was after he’d eliminated a right-wing extremist who was becoming too popular for some people’s tastes.

Doyle had been afraid for a little while he might have to eliminate the young German woman too, but he’d managed to get out of the country without doing anything drastic. He was still distressed about killing Elaine and didn’t want to make the same mistake here. Then he looked up at Tammy’s bright smile and couldn’t help himself. “That sounds like fun, as long as you don’t run me into the ground.”

She giggled and said, “Six miles, then we’ll do a little ab work. That’s it.”

“Yeah, but at what pace?”

“I’ll let you set the pace.”

He realized this girl really did want to spend some time with him. They made a plan to meet later, then she rushed off to help other customers. Doyle laid down twice the amount of the bill and gave her a quick wave as he headed out the door.

He left the diner in the best mood he’d been in since arriving in New York.