No downtime. Interesting. Nigel must have a unique job geared for Harry’s talents. “What’s the mission? Can you say?”

Harry glanced around, then nodded. “Someone’s pilfering arms shipments off Glenkinnon Base.”

“That’s a brilliant fit for your first solo.”

“What are your plans?” he asked, neatly switching the topic.

“I have a christening in Bascombe this weekend.”

His brows came together, and she hid an internal grin. It was nice that she could surprise him on occasion.

“Jack Pressley-Coombes’s wife had her baby. A boy.” Warmth filled her at the idea of Jack having a son.

A calculating expression came and went in Harry’s gray eyes. “When do you leave for Bascombe?”

“Tonight.”

“I don’t imagine you’ll be riding your motorbike?” he asked politely.

Elise was not fooled; Harry was fishing, and she was too tired to outmaneuver him. “No.”

She crossed her ankles and glanced down the corridor. Her motorbike was her lifeline. Whenever the world pressed upon her, she took to the open road with her camping gear packed in her side cases. But her last injury had cancelled that out. She had been holed up inside her flat for months, only venturing out for doctor appointments, shopping trips, and an occasional pop in at the gym pool.

“Let me give you a ride. I’m in Bascombe until Sunday. I’ve a flight from Heathrow that afternoon and can give you a lift as far as the airport. Can you catch a train back to Chelsea from there?”

Physically, his offer was a godsend. Unlike the train, she could ask him to stop and let her relieve her hips when the pressure grew too intense from sitting. “I’d like that. Thanks.”

“I’ll collect you at your flat around four. We can grab a bite to eat, then head for Bascombe. Sound good?”

“Pure dead brilliant. Thanks.”

“Cheers.” Harry got up, gave her a troubled smile, and started down the corridor toward the exit.

After completing her X-rays, Elise slipped back into her clothes and returned to the examination room. Paper crinkled beneath her as she sat on the table and waited for the doctor’s return. A short rap on the door a few minutes later, and he entered, the nurse following.

The nurse went straight to the wall and clipped her X-ray on the illuminator.

The doctor cleared his throat. “Miss Taylor, we have the results of your exam. The additional screws from your more recent accident, coupled with the one two years prior, riddle this section of your pelvis.” He pointed to the semi-healed fractures held together by pins and screws, emphasizing the shaded area of earlier breakage in the same region.

Elise’s eyes widened. Her pelvis resembled a jigsaw puzzle and would set off every metal detector at any given airport.