“Hey, Shiv,” said Doc when he answered my call.
“We’ve just landed at Reagan.”
“I wish I had better news for you…”
“What’s happened?”
“Losha isn’t in Washington anymore.”
“Bloody hell.” I ran my hand through my hair. “Where is she?”
“I believe she’s on her way to California.”
“Why?”
“I can’t answer that, and Shiv, this is starting to get a little tricky on my end.”
“What do you mean?”
“I believe she may be traveling with Zary.”
“Which means Gunner knows where she is.”
“That’s right.”
“And he hasn’t told you that directly.”
“You’re catching on.”
I’d say I was surprised, but I wasn’t. If there was anyone Losha would turn to for help, it would be Zary. I should’ve considered that possibility sooner.
“How do you want to move forward?” I asked.
“At this point, I’m handing it off to you.”
“Understood. Send me the bill for time and expenses, Doc. I appreciate all you and the K19 crew have done, especially at this time of the year.”
“By all means, Shiv, and good luck to you.”
I disconnected the call when I saw Darrow come out of the ladies’ room.
“Ready?” she asked.
“There’s been a slight change of plans.”
“What now?”
“I have to leave tonight, once you’re settled in at the hotel.”
Darrow rolled her eyes. “So you’re dumping me off, is that right?”
“Hardly, sweet pea. I’m not leaving right away. I just told you that I won’t leave until you’re settled.”
“And I told you that my friend won’t be back until tomorrow.”
I sighed. “Tell me again who you’re here to visit?”
“I’ve told you countless times. Poppy and I were at university together. Her father is Bryce Davies.”
“Right.” Now I remembered. Davies and the duke had never gotten on well, so Darrow had spent more time at their place than Poppy had at Whittaker Abbey. “I thought you were meeting friends, not a friend.”
Darrow rolled her eyes. “You’re my brother, not the duke. Give it a rest, Thornton.”
It was a fine line I walked between being her older brother, as she said, and an MI6 agent. “Fancy a pint before we catch a taxi?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
I directed Darrow toward the USO lounge and, when we walked inside, saw someone who looked familiar.
“Alegria?”
“Shiver?” She kissed me on both cheeks.
“This is my sister, Darrow. Darrow, meet Alegria. She’s with K19.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Darrow looked from Alegria to me. “Do you ever go anywhere without running into someone you know?”
“Rarely.”
“Where are you headed?” Alegria asked.
“My brother is dropping me off to stay with friends in DC. Where he’s going is always a mystery.”
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“Dutch and Mantis are flying in from Mogadishu.”
I raised a brow. From what I’d heard, Alegria had ended a long-term relationship with Mantis and had recently started seeing Dutch. What complicated things further was that Dutch and Mantis had been best friends since they both attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado.
“Don’t ask,” she said, looking away and then pulling out her phone when it vibrated. “They’ve landed.”
“Tell them we’re here,” I suggested, not knowing what else to say.
“Do you have plans? Maybe we could all have dinner? My friends won’t be back until tomorrow, but my brother couldn’t wait another day to dump me here.”
“It isn’t like that,” I muttered, wishing my sister hadn’t suggested dinner. As it was, I would be hard-pressed to find a flight to the West Coast tonight.
Two hours later, I was about to give up hope that dinner would ever come to an end.
“Excuse me,” I heard Darrow say, and watched her walk in the direction of the ladies’ room.
“Anything I can help with?” Mantis asked when Dutch and Alegria went off to have what appeared to be a private conversation.
“Thanks, but I don’t think so.”
Mantis nodded. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
I nodded in return. “What about you?”
“Come again?”
“Anything I can help with?”
Mantis looked over his shoulder at Dutch and Alegria, whose discussion appeared to have turned heated. “I don’t think there’s much hope.”
I shook my head. “You’re wrong.”
“What makes you think so?”
“After watching the two of you tonight, it’s obvious Alegria still loves you.”
“What if that isn’t enough?”
“I’ve wondered that myself, mate.” I had no idea what compelled me to say that out loud, but there it was. I was relieved when Mantis didn’t ask what I meant.
“Hey, Shiv.”
“Pinch? You don’t sound well.”
“Long day. Listen, I have an update on Kuznetsov’s whereabouts.”
“I talked to Doc earlier.”
“And?”
“I’m headed to the West Coast in the morning. I’ll take it from here, Pinch. There’s something else I need your help with though.”
“Name it.”
“Darrow is meeting up with Poppy Davies here in DC; however, she’s being vague about who else she’s spending time with.”
“I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks, mate. As with Losha, this is personal. Send me the bill for your time and expenses.”
While Darrow stayed closer to the capital, I went back across the Potomac and got a room near the airport. I was scheduled on the first flight out in the morning and needed to get some rest.
I poured a glass of scotch and sat near the window from where I could see the lights shining on the river.
How in the hell had I gotten here? How had something I was so certain of, turned into such a Charlie Foxtrot?
One day I was in bed with Losha’s luscious body next to mine, having breakfast, and trying to convince her again to come to Bedfordshire and meet my family. The next, I was chasing her around the globe for the sole purpose of finding out who the wanker was that she’d left me for.
I downed what was in the glass, thought about having another, but stretched out on the bed instead and fell asleep without as much as taking my shoes off.