“You couldn’t be any clearer. But I told you anything I did could be reversed. You’re not telling me to do it.” He smiled. “And I doubt if anyone in your life has respected you as much as I do, Alisa.”

“Then show it,” she said crisply. “I gave you Baldwin, and instead of interrogating him, you sent Gilroy to Masenak’s camp to do something you knew I’d object to.”

“Gilroy and I both knew another night of leaving Baldwin alone to stew would only soften him. He should be ready for Gilroy after a few more hours.” He paused. “And don’t you feel better knowing that nothing terrible happened to Sasha after we took Baldwin?”

She frowned. “You know I do.”

“Then that made my action at least fifty percent okay. Making certain Sasha had possession of defensive weapons to save herself and her fellow students took care of the other fifty percent.” He smiled faintly. “And something Gilroy mentioned he’d heard Masenak say to Sasha put me way over the top.”

“Of course it did. You wouldn’t accept anything else. The top wouldn’t be good enough for you.” After a silence, she asked, “So what did Masenak say?”

“That he’d been investigating Sasha’s parents because he’d suspected she might not be who her paperwork claimed she was. One of the ideas he was toying with was that she might be the daughter of a mafia head or some other underworld figure who’d wanted to hide her at the school for safekeeping.”

“Not a bad guess,” she murmured. “And it would make sense to Masenak. That’s his world. Sasha was probably relieved he hadn’t connected her to me. I don’t want to think what his take would be about her being the ward of a CIA operative.”

“No, he went the crime family route. And Masenak also mentioned that the reason Baldwin might have left camp was that he found out who her parents were and hoped to cash in by contacting them.” He smiled. “If we convince Baldwin to present that same scenario to Masenak, he might swallow it hook, line, and sinker since he’s had the same thought himself.”

“How would you use it?”

“I have no idea yet. But it’s a piece of the puzzle we can work on until it comes together. It might be a way to let me get my hands on Masenak as well as those students. That possibility is fading away fast.” He finished his beer and put the bottle on the ground by the fire. “I’m open to suggestions. Feel free to offer any solutions as they come to you.”

“Oh, I will,” she said dryly. “How kind of you to allow me to step into your world. Now I know you respect me.”

“Sarcasm.” He sighed. “I can never please you.”