Page 29 of Pervade Montego Bay
He shrugged. “Their firewalls prevented anyone from the outside accessing it.”
“You believe you’re at risk from the intel you gathered?”
He shook his head. “You were told to assassinate me if I refused to comply. Aren’t you curious why?”
“I will neither admit nor deny—”
“You think I went rogue?” He gave me a sad smile.
I sat on the edge of his bunk. “Tell me everything.”
Xavier shifted back against the wall. “That’ll put you in more danger.”
I grinned, letting him know I never shied away from adventure.
“You think you’re doing me a favor by bringing me home,” he said.
“I’ll tell your barrister you came willingly.”
“Right.”
“That you saved my life,” I added. “You could have just saved yourself, Xavier.”
He could have left me to die.
Xavier swallowed hard. “How can I get you to believe me?”
“Tell me the name of the man in MI6 who you believe is a national risk.”
At that moment I saw the real man behind the quirky demeanor. Gone was his arrogance—though a near-death experience tended to tame the ego.
I rested a palm on his shoulder. “I’ll make sure your transport to the U.K. goes smoothly.”
He shrugged off my hand. “You’re never going to see me again.”
“Are you going to refuse to see me?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what’s the issue?”
“They’ll come for me.”
“Who?”
“Can you get me off this sub?”
“When we reach England, yes.”
“It’ll be too late by then.”
“I suggest you take up meditation, Xavier. This confined space—”
“I want to trust you.”
“You can.”
He threw me a paranoid look. “I’m guessing we’re thirty minutes from Hong Kong?” He squeezed his eyes shut. “If you can get me to Lan Kwai Fong, I’ll tell you everything.”
