“Tell them you got the green light for them to take point on the op. We’ll start sending any and all intelligence we have and even arrange the pickup point with the shopper who’s working the Chinese guy now. He’s already asked to defect. There’s an upcoming science conference in Hong Kong we were whiteboarding an operation for. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. We’ve laid the groundwork; now all we do is step back and let the Shepherds take the risk.”

“And if they want to bring him back here?”

“Let ’em,” Schmidt said, laughing again. “We’ll take custody when they’re done, and you’ll be there for the initial debrief as part of the subordinate task force arrangement you’re going to propose when we hang up.”

“So I’m on the team and they report to me, but I let them take lead?”

There was a long pause that made her more uncomfortable.

“Yes, but I don’t want you traveling with them. If they get picked up by Chinese intelligence at the airport, I don’t want you anywhere near them,” he said.

“I travel alone?”

“Yeah, you fly commercial in a benign OC. I’ll see if we can get you into the Four Seasons. You’ll love it there. You run the TOC but keep distance to maintain our deniability. If the whole thing gets rolled up, we claim you were there to try and stop some rogue American contractors from kidnapping a Chinese scientist.” Another laugh. “Man, this is gonna be great. Awesome work, James. I’ll get everything rolling. Expect data on your high side within the hour.”

The line went dead and she replaced the receiver and sighed.

She decided she hated her new job. Using people, sometimes even burning assets, that was part of the job. But not your friends. Steve was old-school, but the joint operations world that had grown out of the twenty-year war on terror had become more collegial and cooperative than ever. Sure, the CIA didn’t exactly lead the charge when it came to teamwork, but even the Agency had embraced the new paradigm.

Until the times when it didn’t suit them . . .

She thought of Jed, Bex, Nisha, and Eli. Thought of letting them twist and flap in the wind if this op went south.

I’ll just have to say a prayer that nothing goes sideways.