“Thank you. You’re an angel.” She went to get her passport out of her desk, checked that she had everything she needed, and closed her valise, just as Patrick came down the stairs carrying his suitcase. She had never traveled with him before, and she explained to the head DGSE agent that she was flying to New York to see a sick friend. They said they would advise Agent Thomas, and wait for further orders from him. He called her in the car on the way to the airport. She was staring out the window, feeling dazed. She couldn’t believe that fate could be this cruel to her again. She had lost Matthieu and Axel, and Mike had fallen into her life like an angel from the sky. She couldn’t lose him too. And regardless of her, he didn’t deserve that. He was such a good person and kind man, who had spent a lifetime protecting others. He couldn’t die at forty-nine. But another voice in her head said he could. If Axel could die, an inncocent child, so could Mike.

She answered the phone when Guy Thomas called her.

“I understand you’re leaving for New York to see a sick friend?” He sounded puzzled and surprised. “I hope it’s not serious.” But he knew it must be if she was leaving so hastily.

“It’s Mike. He was shot during an operation last Tuesday. I just found out. He’s in critical condition, in a coma, in the ICU in a hospital in New York.”

“Oh, I am sorry. He’s a good man, and a strong one. He’ll pull through it,” he said with a conviction he didn’t feel but thought he should show to her. The poor woman had been through enough. “Give him my best. We’ll handle everything here. And hopefully we’ll have your other problem taken care of by the time you get back. I’m in close communication with MI6. They’re combing England for our man. My men will be waiting to take care of you when you get home. I hope everything turns out well in New York.” He hoped that fervently for her. If anyone ever deserved not to lose another person close to her, it was Theo. She had been unspeakably brave through some of the worst that life had to give. Then he added, “I’ll say a prayer for him.” It wasn’t something he offered to do often, but he thought it was warranted in this case, for both of them. Her eyes filled with tears and she could hardly speak when she answered.

“Thank you. I am too,” was all she could say for a minute. “I’ll be at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York, if you need to reach me.”