Page 38 of The Blonde Who Came in from the Cold
The island was a ninety-minute flight from the Portuguese shore, and, like it or not, she and the grouchy bear across the aisle had work to do, but he was still twisting and cursing and mumbling, “Going to kill her,” under his breath.
“Why, Michael Kingsley! You mean there’s someone you hate more thanme?” She almost sounded offended, but then he glared in her direction.
“You’rewhyI’m going to kill her.”
He looked like a two-year-old who really wanted to have a temper tantrum, but it sounded likeso much work. Alex didn’t want tolaugh at him. And shereallydidn’t want to smile, so she reached for the materials Merritt had handed her that morning.
“Come on. We have work to do.”
King grabbed the briefing packet and scanned through the things that Alex already knew.
“Is this right?” He sounded... concerned.
“You tell me, you’re the genius.”
“This isn’t funny, Sterling.”
“I’m not laughing, Kingsley.”
She reached for a large manila envelope and spilled the contents out onto the table.
“This says we are tasked with infiltrating a literal fortress.” He scanned down through the fact sheet, voice so low she wasn’t even sure if the words were meant for her. “Portuguese fort... Volcanic rock... Shallow harbor... Decommissioned... You’ve got to be kidding me.” Now Alex knew he was talking to her. “This.” He tossed a glossy photograph onto the top of the pile. “This is the best picture we have of the place?”
It was nothing but a rooftop poking through a layer of fog and surrounded by mountains. “The peaks are tall enough that cloud cover makes satellite imaging an issue.”
“You think?” Now he sounded angry.
“I don’t control the clouds, Kingsley.”
But his attention was already back on the materials.
“Yay. There are volcanic tunnels. And... excellent. It was once a stronghold for pirates.” She was almost certain that was his sarcastic voice, but she didn’t want to ask him.
“I hope they packed me a bikini. I’ve been doing a lot of crunches. I think—”
“Sterling!”
“What?”
“Have you looked at this?” He sounded... scared. Or at the very least concerned.
“I have!” Alex sounded excited. “I’ve always wanted to see ablack sand beach. Do you think they thought of sunscreen? I hope they thought of—”
“This isn’t an all-inclusive beach vacation.”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure they’ll feed us.”
“This is a mission!”
“I know.” Now Alex wasn’t teasing anymore. “And I’ve already read all about it. I know how high the peaks are. And that we’re the fifth team the Agency has tried to send in. I know that there’s one airstrip that services both sides of the island, but that’s the extent of the crossover because there’s a literal mountain in the middle. I know one side is black sand beaches and waterfalls and hot springs while the other is nothing but volcanic rock and a real steep climb, sheer cliff faces, and an old fort with literal cannons. I know what we’re facing, Kingsley. And I also know...” But Alex couldn’t bring herself to finish.
“What?” He wasn’t going to let her off that plane until she’d said it.
“They wouldn’t be sending us if we couldn’t do it.”
“Canwe do it?” It was like he really wanted to know—like their roles had been reversed, and for the first time, he was the outsider and she was the badass, so Alex didn’t even blink when she leaned forward.
“You’re smart and I’m fearless. Of course we can do it.”
