Page 6

6

Thomas

T he rain had stopped by the time we reached the platform. The sky above Gare de l’Est was still heavy and low, painted in the dull gray of a city that had already started to forget us . . . for the moment.

That was how it always was. You leave, and the world moves on without you.

Manakin stood apart, his hands in his coat pockets, the glow of a cigarette flickering against the sharp planes of his face. Raines was next to him, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else, and Arty leaned against a luggage cart, adjusting his glasses as though he hadn’t just sent us off to walk straight into the lion’s den.

Will turned first, offering Raines his hand. There were no words, just a firm shake. It was the kind of thing that carried all the meaning it needed.

“Try not to get killed,” Raines muttered.

Will grinned. “I was going to say the same to you.”

Raines exhaled through his nose, unamused. “One of these days, Calloway , you’re going to realize your luck isn’t infinite.”

“But today is not that day,” Will said.

Manakin watched, quiet and steady, before flicking his cigarette onto the tracks and stepping close to our group. His voice was low when he spoke.

“You have three days before the KGB starts really paying attention. Don’t waste them.”

Sparrow nodded. She’d been silent most of the morning. Tension hung in her shoulders, her hands tucked deep into her coat pockets. It wasn’t fear. She just didn’t like goodbyes.

Egret, on the other hand, was grinning like a man heading off to a weekend in the countryside. “Three days? Why, that’s practically a holiday!” he declared, clapping his hands together. “I can fit in some sightseeing between being professionally suspicious and pretending to care about Hungarian manufacturing techniques.”

Manakin did not laugh.

Egret sighed. “No one here appreciates my enthusiasm.”

“No one here believes your enthusiasm,” I muttered.

Egret smirked.

Arty pushed off the luggage cart, adjusting his tie. “I know I don’t need to tell you all to be careful, but I’m going to say it anyway.” He looked over at me. “Especially you, Dr. Beckett .”

“Oh, I see,” Egret cut in, grinning. “And the rest of us? Chopped liver?”

Arty ignored him completely.

“Beckett,” Manakin said, his unflinching gaze boring into me. “Don’t get cocky. The moment the Soviets catch even a whiff of deception, they’ll act.”

I nodded. I didn’t need the warning, but I appreciated it all the same.

The train whistle sounded, sharp and final.

Time to go.

We gathered our things, moving toward the carriages, but before we could board, Manakin caught Will’s sleeve.

“If it goes sideways,” he said, “burn everything and get out.”

Will didn’t answer right away.

Then, just as quietly: “Understood.”

We had taken a private compartment—first class, of course. The Soviets expected Western diplomats to behave as though they weren’t walking through a minefield, and appearances mattered. Besides, America’s reputation as the richest nation in the world was on the ascent, and Manakin was determined for us to ride that wave all the way into Hungary.

As soon as the doors slid shut, I felt the tension shift.

We weren’t alone on this train. We couldn’t be.

That meant the act started immediately, not when we reached the border.

Egret plopped himself onto a seat, stretching like a man who had just settled in for an easy ride. “Ah, the joys of scientific travel!” he declared. “Nothing but long conversations about the most riveting of topics. Industrial production models, telecommunications encryption, post-war reconstruction! Ours is the life of academics—one of unceasing thrills.”

Sparrow made a quiet, choking sound, like she was trying to hold back laughter.

Will didn’t hold back at all.

“You’re in rare form today,” I said, smirking.

Egret sighed dramatically, crossing one leg over the other. “It is not my fault that our esteemed profession lacks a certain . . . shall we say, flair?”

I rolled my eyes. “It lacks a flair because it’s not supposed to be interesting. It’s supposed to be serious.”

Egret gasped in mock offense. “Oh, I’m sorry, Dr. Beckett, I didn’t realize I was in the presence of such solemn devotion to our ‘scientific’ cause. Please, enlighten me—what would you have us discuss? The magnificent structural integrity of post-war railway systems?”

Will snorted.

“Railway infrastructure is quite serious,” I said, deadpan.

Egret leaned forward, eyes twinkling.

“Then by all means, Professor,” he said, grinning. “Illuminate us.”

I glared.

Will grinned wider.

Sparrow, to her credit, had shrunk down into her seat, looking one degree away from disappearing altogether—though the small, betraying shake of her shoulders gave her away.

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose. “We’re supposed to be professionals. ”

“And I am professionally enjoying myself,” Egret shot back.

The train lurched forward.

We were moving.

The mood shifted again, just slightly.

This was it.

Egret stretched again, arms behind his head. “What’s the first stop on our thrilling itinerary, Dr. Beckett?”

I sighed, pulling out my papers.

“Upon arrival, hotels first,” I said. “Juliette and you go to the Astoria, Henry and I head to the Gellért. We’ll wait a few hours before making our presence known to the Hungarian authorities. Henry will schedule his diplomatic meetings, while I’ll make inquiries into cryptographic research.”

I was good at the spy game, but getting used to all the new cover names still took effort. But, I supposed, it was better to get some practice in while we were still in friendly territory.

“Ah, yes, the academic hard at work,” Egret mused. “You must be tingling with anticipation.”

“You’re enjoying this too much,” I snapped.

“You’re enjoying this too little,” he countered.

I sighed again, looking to Will for support.

He smirked at me. Utterly useless.

Egret chuckled. “I must say, our esteemed Dr. Beckett is the perfect bureaucrat already. No humor, no joy, only duty.”

“At least one of us is taking this trip seriously,” I said, shaking my head.

“We’re all taking it seriously,” Sparrow said, her voice quiet but firm.

Egret glanced at her, something flickering in his expression, and for a moment, he softened.

“Of course we are,” he said.

I glanced out the window in time to watch the lights of Paris fading behind us.

Budapest waited ahead, a city full of ghosts, full of secrets, full of men who had spent their lives watching for shadows that looked like us.

Egret settled into his seat. “Wake me when we get there or if someone tries to kill us, whichever comes first.”

I glanced at Will, shaking my head.

He just laughed.

It was going to be a long ride.