it would be a mistake. I know it would be a mistake. I’d be a liability. I don’t have the training.” She added gloomily, “I think I should get Novak to send me to that same CIA training camp in Afghanistan where he sent Gideon.”
“What? I don’t believe you’d stand a chance in persuading him,” Eve said. “And he’d probably be right. That’s not where you make a real difference in life. You don’t shoot people. You use your brain and figure out how to change the way they think so that they’ll do what you want. It’s part of your ability as a storyteller. That’s where you make the difference. That’s your talent, and who should know better than I how good you are at it?” She grimaced. “Though considering the kind of situations in which you become embroiled, it might not be a bad idea to keep that training camp on the back burner as an alternate plan. But I’d find another way to reach the same goal.”
“Easy to say. Right now I feel like one of those medieval women who were left home to tend the castle while the men rode off to save the world. It’s driving me crazy.” Her gaze suddenly narrowed on Eve’s face. “And I bet it’s driving you crazy, too. You’d hate it as much as I do. How do you cope?”
“Like you, I try to be reasonable about the greater good. I have a son to think about, and that has a tremendous influence.” She suddenly smiled recklessly. “And when I can’t stand it any longer, I go for it, get on my trusty steed, and ride hell for leather and leave that safe, boring castle behind.”
Jill smiled back at her. “I thought as much.” Her smile faded. “But what are you going to do today?”
“I’m going to work on Mila.” Eve went over to her worktable. “Because that’s where my expertise lies. And I’ll try to get lost in my work and forget that Varak might have a more sophisticated land mine than we’ve seen yet. I’m going to trust Joe and Gideon and Novak. I’m going to wait for Joe’s call. If I have to stay in the castle, I’ll be as productive and inventive as I possibly can. So that next time, I might be the one to save the world.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Sound like a plan?”
“It sounds like you,” Jill said. She turned away. “I’ll have to think about it. I’m having trouble adjusting at the moment. Thanks for letting me vent. I needed it.”
“I could see that. No problem.” She smiled. “It was good talking just to remind myself of all the things I knew were important. Sometimes emotions get in the way.” She paused. “I’m scared, too, Jill. Varak seems like the ultimate bogeyman. He’s escaped so many times during these last years. No one has been able to touch him. And now he’s got Zahra Kiyani in his corner. When Gideon told us about the compound, I thought that it was going to be okay. But what if it isn’t? Novak’s drones uncovered some nasty surprises.”
“They’ll find a way to get around them. It might just take a little while.”
“Yeah, I know.” Eve forced her gaze to shift back to her reconstruction. “Definitely time for me to get to work.”
Jill watched Eve’s hands flying over the clay. Eve was focusing, her determination unquestionable as usual. It was a quality Jill envied at this moment.
Then do something about it, she thought impatiently. She turned and went out the door. The morning sunlight was getting stronger, and it was warm on her arms as she sat down beside the door. She had promised to watch over Eve, but she needed a little distance now.
Because Eve’s words had struck a strong, resounding chord. She had to think about them, examine them, let them begin to come alive. She knew about words. They were a part of her mind, part of who she was. And these words might be some of the most important of her life.
You don’t shoot people. You use your brain to figure out how to change the way they think so that they’ll do what you want. It’s part of your ability as a storyteller.
That’s where you make the difference.
That was true. All her life that was what had made the difference. Yet from the time she had brought Eve to Maldara, she had stepped back because of guilt and uncertainty.