Page 37 of Code Name: Reaper
“Sorry.” I closed my tablet. “We received some critical intel.”
Blackjack’s expression shifted as he took in our faces. “Everything okay?”
“We’ll brief inside,” Reaper muttered, shutting off the engine.
As we walked toward the manor, Blackjack fell into step beside his brother. “What the hell happened to you two? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Tell you later,” Reaper snapped.
Blackjack didn’t press, but I could feel his curious glances as we entered the building.
The morning briefing was a blur. I tried to focus on Nemesis’s updates on the intel that had come in overnight, but my mind kept racing with what the Briggs discovery could mean. After seven months of dead ends and false leads, we’d finally hit on something significant. While I doubted it would help us find Mercury now, knowing what she and Prism were investigating all those years ago might provide some clues.
I caught Nemesis glancing between Reaper and me several times, her sharp eyes noting our distraction. We were seated side by side, and I could feel the tension radiating from both of us. I hoped she wouldn’t call us out directly. I couldn’t speak for him, but I wasn’t prepared to discuss our discovery in front of a room full of people.
When she concluded the briefing, she didn’t miss a beat.
“Reaper, Amaryllis, I’d like to see you both in the library. Wren, you too.”
Once we were seated around the library table, Nemesis got straight to the point. “What’s going on?”
Reaper and I exchanged glances. No point in delaying the inevitable.
“We have a target.” I reiterated all we’d learned about the man from a few minutes of online searches.
“It all adds up in terms of him being the focus of the investigation.” Nemesis leaned against her chair and folded her arms. “Thoughts on our next move?”
“I think we should meet with him,” I responded, hoping like hell they’d green-light it. As I’d told Reaper prior to agreeing to travel to England with him, if the coalition tried to bench me or shut me out of my own investigation, I’d walk.
“The cover is easy enough,” Wren began. “If he’s a Russian intelligence expert, then us wanting to bring him in on Romanov makes perfect sense.”
I looked between her and Nemesis.
“Good thinking,” she finally said, then opened her laptop. “I was going to suggest scheduling a videoconference with Hal Edmonds, but if your intention is to meet with Briggs in person, you could engage him at the same time. Actually, first.”
“Where’s he based out of?” Reaper asked.
“Briggs is based out of Newport News. Edmonds is based farther north. You could fly into Williamsburg…”
Nemesis was still talking, but the sound of blood rushing through my system drowned her out. Newport News? Yes, it was a city with a population of close to two hundred thousand and a place where many military and civilian government employees retired to, but that yet another person was based in my hometown didn’t feel like a coincidence. I glanced up at Reaper, who was studying me. When our gazes met, he shifted his leg so it pressed against mine. God, how I wished he could take my hand in his, or better yet, pull me into his arms and tell me he understood how I was feeling and the two of us would follow this lead like any others—together.
The idea was ludicrous, given, no more than a minute ago, I was prepared to walk out if Nemesis hadn’t agreed to the meeting with Briggs. Then what? Would Reaper follow, or would I be on my own again?
His leg pressed harder against mine, and I raised my head.
“Amaryllis?” Nemesis prompted.
“Sorry. Can you repeat that?”
“Would you like me to facilitate both meetings?”
“I’d prefer to reach out to Edmonds myself.” I couldn’t explain why, but something told me I’d get further with him than she would.
“And Briggs?”
“As commander of the coalition, I think Nemesis should be the one to establish first contact,” Reaper suggested.
“Roger that,” I said, but my mind was on Edmonds. There had to be a connection between Mercury living in the same area as I had, and now him.
