Sasha removed herself from AJ’s side.
He missed her warmth, instantly.
“Any self-preserving spy wouldn’t have made contact,” Sasha told him.
The two of them walked toward the center of the square. “Okay,” AJ started. “Maybe I’m a little paranoid.”
“You’re a lot paranoid.”
AJ paused in the middle of the plaza and stared at the massive horses that sat atop the gate. The image of his sister at Christmas the previous year surfaced. It was the last time he’d seen her alive. “I know Amelia’s death wasn’t random, Sasha. I feel it with every breath I take.”
She sighed. “I know you do.”
He looked at her. “You don’t believe me.”
“I believe you believe.”
He lowered his head, studied the salt-and-pepper colored stones beneath his feet. “You’re not going to help.” Damn it . . . he was back to ground zero.
Another heavy sigh from the woman at his side. “I will help you.”
AJ snapped his head up. “What?”
She placed a hand in the air as in warning. “Not because I think you have anything other than grief inside you. The not knowing, or never accepting the facts, can eat you alive.”
Not ground zero. He wanted to kiss her. Not that she would be receptive to that kind of thing. “Why are you doing this?” There wasn’t anything in it for her.
Sasha turned away from him and focused her attention on the Brandenburg Gate. “Because I’m not bored.”
“Am I supposed to know what that means?” he asked.
“No.”
She shook her head as if dismissing a thought and started to walk.
AJ followed.
“I have a couple of names you can look into while I try and figure out if there was any connection between your sister and Miss Shrum.”
Walking felt easier and the sky was a tad bit brighter. “I can do that.”
“You need to do that from here. In Berlin.”
He hesitated. “Why?”
“How long have you been hanging around the outskirts of Richter asking questions?”
“Do you always answer a question with one of your own?”
She didn’t answer. “How long, two weeks?”
“About.”
“Long enough for people to recognize you and warn anyone who might be able to offer some information. It’s time you backed off and took your search away from Richter.”
AJ stopped walking altogether. A serious cloud of doubt started to hover over him. “You’re trying to stop me.”
Sasha pivoted; the wind blew fake blonde hair in her eyes. “I’m approaching this as if there is a shadow of truth in your theory. Let’s pretend that your sister is somehow connected to this other woman, if only by the person that removed them from this world—”
“There’s a connection.” AJ felt it.
Sasha continued. “If that person has ties to Richter, or has lumped them together because of Richter, then it’s safe to say they will have their ear to the grounds around the school.”
“My sister’s death was in DC, Keri’s was in Wales. I doubt the killer is in Germany.”
Sasha looked around them, lowered her voice and her head. “What makes you think this person works alone?” She paused. “You’re not.”
She had a point.
“You stay in Berlin.”
“But—”
“I make the rules, or I don’t help. This is not negotiable.”
Sasha’s eyes met his and held.
His chest tightened. “Fine.”
A satisfied smile crossed her lips. “I’m going to give you a phone number, someone I trust in the States. If you come across anything in your research, I want you to call Reed, not me. You and I will not have direct contact for the next three days. If Reed feels the need, he will get ahold of me on your behalf.”
“A middleman.” He hated middlemen.
She turned and started walking again. “I hope you’re taking notes.”
“I have a decent memory.”
“Good. Now why don’t you go find a hotel? Play tourist.” She started to cross the street.
He stopped, called after her. “What about that number?”
“It’s in your phone.”
Of course it was.
The woman was cunning. “Hey, Sasha?” he yelled.
She stopped, peeked over her shoulder.
AJ grinned. “The blonde doesn’t work for you.”
He was pretty sure his comment made her smile. Not that she stuck around for him to see it. Within a minute, Sasha was swallowed into the crowd.
As much as AJ cautioned himself not to trust her, he knew that he did.
Chapter Seven
“Twice in one week, are you okay?”
Sasha had ditched the wig and the housewife clothes, and sat in a café drinking coffee before heading back to Richter. With her phone to her ear, she watched Berlin’s rush hour traffic from a curbside table.
“Are you a dad yet?”
Reed released a sigh. “Obviously you’re fine.”
“I need you to