Gibson’s dismissal of the man was cruel, but it also took the wind out of Bennett’s sails. She’d come to his house ready for a fight, but the battle was over before it had begun. They stood looking at each other for a long moment, before Bennett said something that surprised them both.

‘Can I take him back?’ It was the first question she’d asked Gibson in almost a year that had been a genuine request instead of a thinly veiled accusation, and the first time her tone with him had been anything other than combative. ‘I’m the one who brought him in. He’s my responsibility. And I’d like to be the one who sees him home safe.’

Gibson was silent for almost a full minute, during which Bennett imagined how he might process her sudden, desperate request.

He had every right to haul her in front of a disciplinary board just for going into the MKULTRA building and reading their files. Adding in her insubordination in Cerro de San Francisco and general attitude problems, he might even get her thrown out of the agency. But, pushing the issue too far could cause problems for him—he was ultimately responsible for all security and staff at Haina, and Bennett’s actions wouldn’t reflect well on him. She also now had something she could hold over him—the woman upstairs waiting for him to come back to bed who wasn’t his wife. If he gave Bennett what she wanted, he’d get what she guessed he wanted too: her out of his hair.

‘Fine,’ he said, putting his glass down next to the Scotch bottle. The ice had now completely melted, and diluted the amber liquid too much to be worth drinking.

Bennett couldn’t believe she’d got the answer she’d wanted, but she also didn’t dare say anything else out of fear Gibson would change his mind.

‘Now,’ he said, jutting his chin at the door. ‘Hopefully for the last time, get out.’

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Captain Konon Tokorev stood alone on the tiny turret deck of the Yorsh. The night was dark and dull. Clouds covered the sky and misty rain filled the air, yet none of it seemed to touch the captain in his thick jacket and hat, or the large cigar wedged between his lips.