Page 14 of Code Name: Reaper
“What is it?” I asked.
“Received fresh intel on Mercury. Need to meet. Come alone.”
“Who sent it?”
“Tatum Bright, code name Beacon. She’s?—”
“On Minerva’s council of twelve,” I finished for her.
“Something I only recently learned myself.” She set the phone down. “I thought she was an NSA Swiss intelligence asset. Now, I know her affiliation goes far beyond that.”
“Given her role in Minerva, if anyone would oppose Prism, it should be her,” I added.
Amaryllis picked the phone up and reread what was on the screen. “The ‘come alone’ part bothers me. She’s passed leads on to me previously without making that request.”
“Your instincts about people are good. What are they telling you now?”
It was obvious by the look on her face that my praise was unexpected. Granted, we were more apt to find fault with each other, instead of noticing anything good.
“My gut says it’s a trap,” she finally admitted. “But if she has intelligence about Mercury, I want to know what it is.”
“Then, we respond, but on our terms. No splitting up. Make it clear that coming alone isn’t an option.”
She set the phone down again, apparently not ready to follow my suggestion.
Instead of pushing, I changed the subject. “I’m sure you know we lost Jekyll.”
“I do. How is Delfino handling it?”
“A combination of sadness and closure. By the way, before he died, he said corruption goes to the very top—which we now think was referring to Minerva. He also said there are connections we don’t understand.”
“Many, I’m sure.”
Rather than press her on what she meant, I continued. “He also told Delfino that Suzanne Henning wasn’t Mercury’s real name. It’s Lyra Carrington. Which I’m sure you already know.”
Amaryllis folded her arms. “Unless that’s another alias.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
Like my compliment, my question jarred her. Her shoulders tightened, then she let out a deep breath, and the tension in them eased.
“Not really. There are so many things I don’t understand. So many questions. I mean, why did she spend all those years making me think she was someone she wasn’t?”
“My guess is she had reasons.” The memory of Jekyll’s intensity during his final moments was impossible to shake. Now, I wished I’d asked more about what he meant. “What Jekyll told me…It felt personal for him.”
“That connects to something I found.” Her expression shifted as if pieces were falling into place. “I have a photo of him with Mercury at an intelligence symposium. Their body language suggested they knew each other well.”
“While unrelated, another thing you should know is that he protected me during the interrogation, convincing the FSB I was more valuable alive than dead.”
“Why would he risk exposure to help you?”
“He requested I pass something on to Delfino.” I set my fork down, watching her reaction. “Along with emphasizing theimportance of finding Mercury, he wanted me to tell her he was running out of time.”
“He knew she was alive.”
“Or hoped she was.”
“Do you think her disappearance triggered Jekyll’s return or Aldrich’s escalation?” she asked.
