was ruthless, but she found she wanted to disturb that coolness. “How nice of you. But you can see how Joe wouldn’t believe you’re particularly efficient.” She glanced at Jill. “Look what you let happen to her.”
His lips tightened, but there was only a flicker of expression in his eyes. “That’s true. So what’s your remedy for the situation? How do we keep him out of this?”
“We can’t. It’s too late. If there were any way that I thought I could keep him in London, I’d do it. But the minute I ended up in that hospital yesterday morning, I knew it was the end. Even if I left this place, he’d be back here checking out that hotel and why it happened to me. Joe never lets go, it’s not his nature.”
“I repeat, do you have a remedy?”
“I can’t keep him out, so I tell him the truth.” She paused. “And we invite him to help clean up this mess. He’ll be here anyway the minute he hears what’s been happening.” She shrugged. “And he can be a great help, he’s a superb detective. Give him all the facts and turn him loose. You’ll be surprised how good he is.”
“I don’t doubt it. He has that reputation. I would have ordinarily welcomed his help. But I remembered that when I met him, I thought he’d probably be a difficult man to control, that he’d always go his own path.” He was searching her face. “And you don’t want him here, do you?”
“You’re damn right I don’t. But I can’t go away until I know about Varak. And Joe will come regardless when he knows I was targeted.” She added curtly, “And I might still be targeted. You can’t deny that, can you?”
“Not as long as you’re working on the skull. After that, you might be safe.”
“Might?” She shook her head. “Then your job is to keep Joe so busy that he’s nowhere near me while I’m working on that reconstruction. Otherwise, you can forget about my doing it. I won’t risk him. Do you understand?”
“I understand. Anything else?”
“Evidently you don’t trust me to Skype him. Get me a satellite smartphone that’s virtually impossible to hack. And make sure my security is good enough that Joe will feel comfortable about leaving me alone here.”
“I would have done that regardless.”
“I had to be certain. Joe would notice.”
“I imagine he would,” he said. “But you should know that Gideon is fully capable. After his parents were killed, he came to me and asked to be sent to a training camp the CIA runs in Afghanistan. He did very well.”
“You mean he’s fairly lethal.” She nodded. “I can see he’d be motivated. But he just doesn’t give off those vibes.”
“He’s complicated,” Jill said. “He adapts to the situation. I think you’ve found that out.”
“Yes, I have.” She added, “But then so do you, Jill. But I don’t think you persuaded Novak to send you to a training camp to increase your kill quotient.”
“I was tempted to blackmail her into it at one time,” Novak said grimly. “I still might decide to do it. She’s damn vulnerable.”
“Back off, Novak,” Jill said. “I’m not that vulnerable. I made one mistake. You keep coming back to it.”
“Because I can’t forget it,” he said grimly. “Though you appear to have managed.”
“Do I?” Jill asked. “No, I haven’t forgotten. Though I try very hard.”
Novak muttered a curse as he turned back to Eve. “I’m supposed to take possession of the skull at eleven tonight. Can you put off talking to Joe Quinn until I’m certain the switch has gone through? You might not have to bring him here. That guard, Swanson, is very edgy, and even the prospect of retiring with a fortune may not overcome his nerves. I might have to start all over if he panics.”
“I can’t believe you’d let that happen,” she said caustically. “Joe said you were the CIA’s go-to man.”
“Which only means in situations like this I can’t delegate, I’ll have to be there tonight when the switch is made.”
“Then you won’t let this Swanson change his mind.” She shrugged. “I’ll wait, but the result will probably be the same. Once I let Joe know how sick I was, it will be all over. If I don’t tell him I’m on my way to him, he’ll be coming here.” She stared him in the eye. “So handle it, Novak. Having Joe hovering over me while I complete that reconstruction would be suspicious to