Page 100 of The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon #6)

The traffic on Evropská was at a crawl, and Finch estimated another thirty minutes before he reached the ambassador’s residence. He hoped Nagel was making Langdon and Solomon as comfortable as possible.

Offer them an afternoon cocktail, Finch thought. Or two.

Nagel had been an effective asset in Prague, and despite her bitterness over how she had been hired, she had carried out Finch’s directives effectively and flexed her diplomatic muscle when necessary. Granted, she had pushed back on his order to use Michael Harris to get close to Sasha Vesna.

“Why monitor Sasha?” Nagel had asked him. “Do you think she’s spying?”

“Sasha is not a spy,” Finch assured Nagel truthfully. “Nor is she dangerous.”

Sasha Vesna is far more valuable than a spy.

She is an investment…a work in progress…an unwitting CIA asset.

“She needs to be watched…simply as a precaution,” he explained.

She remains entirely unaware…

Finch’s phone chirped with an incoming Signal call, which he guessed was Housemore with an update from the bastion. When he checked the caller ID, however, Finch sat up straight, seeing it was his boss on the line.

“Greg,” he answered calmly, skipping the formalities generally due a CIA director. “This is a surprise.”

“It won’t be a pleasant one,” Judd fired back, apparently in no mood for small talk. “It’s about Nagel. She knows you framed her for those documents.”

“She’s known that for a long time. As have you.”

“Be that as it may, I’m still appalled by the way you recruited her.”

Appalled? Really? Finch had no patience for the man’s self-righteous commentary. The director had hired Finch to oversee Prague for one reason only—his track record of doing whatever was necessary to win a war, even if it meant circumventing policy.

“I intentionally left you out of the loop, Greg—for your own protection,” Finch said. “To shield you from accountability.” You’re welcome.

“I appreciate that, but Nagel deserved better.”

“Better than an ambassadorship? She’s now a United States diplomat! And she’s served us incredibly well in Prague. Win-win.”

“Maybe not the win you think. She’s threatening to go public with everything she knows about the project.”

Finch was certain he had misheard. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

“A threat to go public…That makes no sense.”

“She’s incredibly pissed off. And she has demands.”

“But…she knows nothing !”

“She claims to have detailed proof. She sent some kind of video to me at Langley. I’m headed in shortly to see it.”

“A video of what ?!” Finch snapped. “Nagel is far too smart to cross the agency. I have no idea what she’s playing at…but she’s bluffing.”

“I worked with her for years,” Judd said. “She was the goddamned general counsel of the CIA—Nagel does not bluff.”

Finch felt his stomach tighten uncomfortably. Did the ambassador cross me?! “What are her demands?”

“She hasn’t made any yet.”

Finch wondered if that was true.

“I’m speaking to her again shortly,” Judd said. “But if there are security concerns you need to deal with, do it immediately. I don’t need to remind you that it would be catastrophic if details of this project were to leak.”

“I’m handling it personally. I’ve just arrived in Prag—” Finch winced, realizing he’d said too much.

Judd paused carefully. “If you are in Prague, then clearly you already knew there was an issue brewing.”

Among other things, Gessner is missing. “Yes, a few small wrinkles last night, but everything is under control. I’m on my way now to tie up loose ends.”

“You damn well better. Don’t make me regret putting you in charge—this is one of the most important ventures this agency is running.”

“You chose me, sir, because you know my capabilities.”

“Yes…and on that topic,” the director said, “a word of warning. If anything happens to Heide Nagel, anything at all, I will be sure you pay. For everything.”

“I’m not the enemy,” Finch said flippantly. “I’m on your side.”

“Watch yourself,” Judd said. “You don’t want to test me.”

The line clicked and went dead, and Finch sat in dazed silence as his vehicle raced toward Prague.

Finally, fuming, he called Ambassador Nagel.

The call went straight to voicemail without ringing once.

Has she turned off her phone?

Anxious, he dialed Housemore at Crucifix Bastion, and thankfully her line began to ring. After eight rings, however, it too went to voicemail as well. What’s going on? Field Officer Housemore answered Finch’s calls on the first ring, day or night…without fail. He tried her again. No answer.

Finch pocketed his phone and gazed out at the skyline for a long moment, thinking.

Then he made up his mind.

“Change of plans,” he said to his driver. “Skip the residence. Take me to Crucifix Bastion.”