“I’m not sure, to be honest. She came on as an acquisition in the PR space. He’s pursuing nature-based technologies, militarized conservation, but he didn’t need a magazine to do that. The rumor around the office is he bought The Sovereign to please his daughter.”

“So you promise me you’re not working for him.”

“For him? No.” He looked at her. “What’s with the third degree?”

“Two prosecutors investigating Ncube have been murdered. PGM outlets covered the stories. They were mouthpieces for Ncube.”

“Jesus.”

“I have to be extraordinarily careful.”

“You’re going to need a silver bullet, Hungry. Something that takes down Ncube on your first shot.”

They lay back and watched the ceiling fan turn.

“Do you have it?” he asked. “A silver bullet?”

Hungry sighed. “I have a bullet, I’m not sure yet what it’s made of.”

“You want to tell me about it?”

“You shouldn’t even be asking that.” She rose onto an elbow and poked a finger into the scar below his shoulder. “Does this hurt?”

“Ow. No.”

She smiled. “And you think it was Botha’s people?”

“I do. He denies it, of course. The weird thing is he says he got me my surgeon.”

“Lord, that man.” She shook her head. “And he told you this how? When?”

“I bumped into him in the Philippines. Must have been just before you arrested him. He was with his son.”

“Hmm,” she mused. “How would he know you needed a surgeon?”

She got up and started to dress.

“See! We’re a good pair. That’s a question I didn’t ask.”

“Well, we’ve got him at New Lock. You’re free to ask him anything you like.” She reached for her dress. “I have good investigators. Three South Africans to speak truth to power. You’ll like them.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting them. But I’m hoping . . . I’m hoping there’s time for more us . . .”

“For us, what?” she said. When he didn’t answer, she cleared her throat. “Tom, I’m not sure we’ll get to be like this again,” she said stepping into her shoes.

Klay was pulling on his pants. “Are you telling me something?”

“The president’s got me under surveillance. And Botha’s people may be watching you . . . if not already, then soon.”

“We’ll figure it out, Hungry. Sharon wants me close to you, which I said is a hardship.”

He noticed she didn’t smile.

“How long are you here?”

“I have to get Tenchant back in ten days. His wife’s pregnant.”

“Not long,” she said.

“No,” he said, facing her, “but I can come back.”

She turned for the door. “We should go.”

Something was bothering her. There’d been something in their lovemaking, too. Not something more. Something less.

BLOODING A KRIEGER

Kimber Conservancy, Zimbabwe