away, I almost believe him.
Frederica arranges for me to meet with her and Chief Ha in one of the FBI’s unmarked offices near Capitol Hill. It looks like a dentist’s office, but after I sign in with the front desk receptionist, I notice she’s packing heat. Great. Is everyone in this stupid town armed but me?
“Back this way.” Frederica appears in the lobby to usher me down a bland corridor. “You weren’t followed, were you?”
“Not as far as I could tell, though I’m not so sure these days how good of a judge I am of that sort of thing—”
“Just do the best you can,” she says.
Sounds like the perfect epitaph for me, after a bunch of Russian goons put me six feet under. She did the best she could.
“The chief is very pleased with the information you elicited from Mister Drakonov the other night,” Frederica continues, her sensible loafers clopping against the linoleum flooring. “And not a moment too soon. There are a great deal of people at the Bureau who are unhappy with the way this case is playing out.”
Join the club, I think.
“They’re advocating for a more aggressive approach,” Frederica says.
“What the hell could be more aggressive than what we’re already doing?” I cry. “You’ve got me pushing him way past what he’s comfortable with, and sooner or later, it’s going to make him suspicious.”
“Now, Miss Pereira, I think you might be surprised how oblivious the average civilian is—”
“Sure, American, maybe. But Russians are a very different matter. I don’t know how many Russians you’ve met—I’m guessing not many—but they’re not exactly known for their trusting, open nature.”
Frederica presses her lips into a smile so thin it could give you a papercut. “I think it’s best if I let Chief Ha explain.”
Explain what? I think. The dread grows heavier as we wind our way down the hall.
Chief Ha is waiting for us in a cramped, windowless office, his long legs squashed up around him as he hunches over a too-low keyboard. Well, at least I’m not the only person deeply uncomfortable here. He stretches and holds out his hand for a firm, entirely cold and impersonal shake. “Jael. So good of you to join us.”
Please. As if I really have a choice. Again Todd’s offer dances at the back of my mind—a chance to make use of my skills outside of the FBI. But it’s too late for me. I’m in too deep.
I plop down on the uncomfortable wooden chairs, vaguely cube-shaped, that look like they were plucked from a yard sale during the burst of the first dot-com bubble. “Chief Ha—”
“Call me Roger.” He narrows his eyes.
“Roger.” Ugh. “I want to assure you that I’m doing the best I can, and if you think I’m being too cautious, it’s only because . . .”
“Because you don’t want to push Sergei Drakonov away from you. I understand.” Roger forces a brief flicker of a smile to his face. Like he can’t possibly ever understand such foolish human emotions.
“I was going to say, because I understand how he works, how he thinks, and that if I try too hard, it’s only going to backfire. For all of us.” I toss a pointed glance toward Frederica.
“I promise, Jael, I haven’t been locked in my corner office so long that I’ve forgotten how it works out in the field.” Roger’s expression softens; he stares somewhere over my head. “I realize the dangers inherent in being an informant, or an undercover officer. In fact, I think you’re right—that it’s high time we take some of the heat off of you.”
I slump forward, like a twenty-pound weight sitting on my chest has finally been lifted. “Thank you.” My eyes start to water, I’m so relieved. “Thank you so much, Roger. I’m not sure how much more I can—”
But Roger holds up one hand. “Because we’re going to start sending in our teams.”
A lump forms in my throat. “Excuse me?”
Roger
Frederica arranges for me to meet with her and Chief Ha in one of the FBI’s unmarked offices near Capitol Hill. It looks like a dentist’s office, but after I sign in with the front desk receptionist, I notice she’s packing heat. Great. Is everyone in this stupid town armed but me?
“Back this way.” Frederica appears in the lobby to usher me down a bland corridor. “You weren’t followed, were you?”
“Not as far as I could tell, though I’m not so sure these days how good of a judge I am of that sort of thing—”
“Just do the best you can,” she says.
Sounds like the perfect epitaph for me, after a bunch of Russian goons put me six feet under. She did the best she could.
“The chief is very pleased with the information you elicited from Mister Drakonov the other night,” Frederica continues, her sensible loafers clopping against the linoleum flooring. “And not a moment too soon. There are a great deal of people at the Bureau who are unhappy with the way this case is playing out.”
Join the club, I think.
“They’re advocating for a more aggressive approach,” Frederica says.
“What the hell could be more aggressive than what we’re already doing?” I cry. “You’ve got me pushing him way past what he’s comfortable with, and sooner or later, it’s going to make him suspicious.”
“Now, Miss Pereira, I think you might be surprised how oblivious the average civilian is—”
“Sure, American, maybe. But Russians are a very different matter. I don’t know how many Russians you’ve met—I’m guessing not many—but they’re not exactly known for their trusting, open nature.”
Frederica presses her lips into a smile so thin it could give you a papercut. “I think it’s best if I let Chief Ha explain.”
Explain what? I think. The dread grows heavier as we wind our way down the hall.
Chief Ha is waiting for us in a cramped, windowless office, his long legs squashed up around him as he hunches over a too-low keyboard. Well, at least I’m not the only person deeply uncomfortable here. He stretches and holds out his hand for a firm, entirely cold and impersonal shake. “Jael. So good of you to join us.”
Please. As if I really have a choice. Again Todd’s offer dances at the back of my mind—a chance to make use of my skills outside of the FBI. But it’s too late for me. I’m in too deep.
I plop down on the uncomfortable wooden chairs, vaguely cube-shaped, that look like they were plucked from a yard sale during the burst of the first dot-com bubble. “Chief Ha—”
“Call me Roger.” He narrows his eyes.
“Roger.” Ugh. “I want to assure you that I’m doing the best I can, and if you think I’m being too cautious, it’s only because . . .”
“Because you don’t want to push Sergei Drakonov away from you. I understand.” Roger forces a brief flicker of a smile to his face. Like he can’t possibly ever understand such foolish human emotions.
“I was going to say, because I understand how he works, how he thinks, and that if I try too hard, it’s only going to backfire. For all of us.” I toss a pointed glance toward Frederica.
“I promise, Jael, I haven’t been locked in my corner office so long that I’ve forgotten how it works out in the field.” Roger’s expression softens; he stares somewhere over my head. “I realize the dangers inherent in being an informant, or an undercover officer. In fact, I think you’re right—that it’s high time we take some of the heat off of you.”
I slump forward, like a twenty-pound weight sitting on my chest has finally been lifted. “Thank you.” My eyes start to water, I’m so relieved. “Thank you so much, Roger. I’m not sure how much more I can—”
But Roger holds up one hand. “Because we’re going to start sending in our teams.”
A lump forms in my throat. “Excuse me?”
Roger
Similar Books
