Behind the wheel, she fired up the engine, then shut it off. The tears she had kept dammed inside burst forth and poured down her face, mirroring the rivulets cascading down her windscreen.

For a time, dreams had blossomed in her heart that she and Harry could make a go of it. But the doctor’s verdict had destroyed all that. And as much as she loved Sammy, she couldn’t give him siblings. It would be best for all of them if she disappeared.

Chapter 37

Harry proceeded down the SIS building’s corridor toward Nigel’s office. Stopping occasionally, he poked his head in doorways and greeted other agents and staff while he systematically searched for a tall, redheaded agent with pale-blue eyes. The stubborn woman hadn’t answered his calls or texts in the last seven days. She had vanished from Torwoodlee Castle, like a puff of smoke.

When he reached Nigel’s office, his boss’s secretary buzzed him in.

“Agent Benson, it’s good to see you,” Nigel said, rising. He shook Harry’s hand and indicated a chair. “I meant to thank you last week for locating our arms dealer, but I was a bit preoccupied with interrogations.” Nigel retook his seat and rolled his chair closer to the desk.

“Did Thompson cough up anything valuable?” Harry leaned back, the envelope crinkling inside his blazer pocket.

“Thompson gave us the name of a former surgeon Gilmont had hired for his organ-harvesting project. Evidently, Danny Travis paid Thompson a visit and threatened to use him as a donor if he didn’t cooperate.”

“You believe Thompson?”

Nigel nodded, a brief and stiff jerk of the head.

Organ harvesting. Harry’s stomach knotted, and the slight remorse he experienced for taking Gilmont’s life vanished. Harry crossed an ankle over his knee. “Did Drew Featherstone divulge any information after he was treated?”

“Mr. Featherstone’s only involvement with Gilmont’s regime entailed transport.” Nigel steepled his fingers. “He did give us one valuable clue—a woman by the name of Lauren. She’s in custody and singing like a canary.”

“Excellent.” Harry inhaled deeply, but it did nothing to slow the thundering inside his chest. Retrieving the crumpled envelope, Harry pushed it across the desk toward Nigel.

“What’s this?” Nigel glanced at it, then looked back at him.

“My resignation. Much as I love my job with MI6, I’ve a responsibility as a father. My son needs me more.”

“Does this have anything to do with your father’s health?”

Harry’s chest tightened, and he flicked his gaze to the white envelope on Nigel’s desk. “Let’s just say my father’s health scare widened my vision as a parent.” More like woke him up to his responsibilities.

Nigel assessed him with that cool, impossible-to-read stare.