The night was black and the seas calm, and the little boat swung lightly on her deep-water anchor. Slaton should have relaxed. He was right where he wanted to be—free of the outside world and with his wife in his arms. He should have slept, but didn’t want to sacrifice an instant of what he had right now. They were naked and intertwined, her breathing rhythmic, his hand flat on her belly. He knew better than to expect a heartbeat or a kick, but their child was there—of this Slaton was sure. He imagined he was holding it, protecting them both. He wondered if he would ever get this close again.

He lay very still, not wanting to wake Christine. Not wanting to change anything. Yet if his body was motionless, his mind was reeling. He was losing count of the variables, and tomorrow would only bring more, threats and complications like no mission he’d ever seen. Tonight’s revelation raised the stakes immeasurably, and this brought a sobering realization. He was at a precipice, a point of no return. He was on the verge of losing control. Slaton had confidence in his abilities—he would never have survived this long otherwise—but he was not infallible. He had seen it happen before to good men. Hard men. The odds had a way of catching up.

Laying in near silence, with the boat enveloped in a sheath of mist, it struck Slaton that he had been out of the life for nearly a year. In his absence, he wondered what had changed. Had Israel become a more or less secure place? Not likely. Probably no more change than he’d seen during his years on the job. So what had it all been for? Others had taken his place—the men on the Strandvägen?—and soon others would take their place. The futility seemed overwhelming. His mood darkened, and at that moment, with Christine pressed against him and their child in her womb, he felt a protective instinct he’d never before experienced. One overriding question came to the forefront: How could he keep them safe?

He suspected there was a way, but it would be more difficult than anything he’d ever done. And the more he thought about it, the more he knew it was the only way.

How could he keep them safe?

He would have to let them go.

*   *   *