Gilmont reached into the bag and withdrew the fortune cookie, splitting open the cellophane wrapper.

Hold on to your dreams—they are achievable.

He waved the slip of paper under Danny’s nose. “Confucius agrees. Agent Taylor’s days are numbered.”

Chapter 5

Almost home. Harry’s eyes feasted on the crops patchworking the fields. In another week, bright-yellow blooms would blanket the landscape.

Elise shifted in her seat.

“Would you like me to pull into the next layby?” Harry asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Right.” The drive had to be murder on her mending bones, but he wouldn’t suggest another stop unless she asked.

She crossed her long, shapely legs, and it was all he could do to keep his focus on the road. A puzzle—that’s what Elise was—a complex puzzle wrapped in a mouthwatering package. Almost a decade had passed since he’d first laid eyes on her, and the woman still fascinated him as much today as ever.

“What’s the latest on Lebatu?” Elise shifted again, unable to suppress a grimace.

“Who told you about Lebatu?” Harry shifted uncomfortably. That information was need-to-know only.

“I have my ways.” The corners of Elise’s lips curved.

Of course she did. Elise had been at this cat-and-mouse game a lot longer than he had. Her contacts must be legion.

“Before I answer that question, BBC World News started a few minutes ago. I’d like to hear what they’re peddling before I fill in the gaps,” Harry said.

“Fair enough.”

Harry switched on the news broadcast.

“The pound continues to plummet in its second straight week.

“Beloved actor Hugh Metcalf passed away this morning at his Mayfair home surrounded by his third wife and his children from previous marriages.

“Mortar shells destroyed more than a dozen tenements, killing thirty-one men, women, and children in Lebatu’s capital city. NATO has requested more troops to assist, and the United States has entered the conflict. The SS Albuquerque, a naval aircraft carrier, is on its way to the Mediterranean.”

Tendons stood out on Harry’s hands as they gripped the wheel. Mental images of bombed-out schools. Blown apart tenements and factories. Mass graves . . . All of it a result of Nheshal’s insurgents when they had rolled into town in unmarked tanks. Harry cleared his throat and forced the memories of dismembered bodies from his mind. Hopefully, tonight he’d sleep without nightmares.

“Did the media get it right?” Elise asked.

“Not even a little.” Harry snapped off the radio, aware that Elise had seen more than he cared to show if that furrowed brow of hers was in response to his reaction.