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“Joanna Smith’s reputation proceeds her. She’s been making noise about her brother since the Architect went down. We are very aware of her and her belief that Raptor is still active, albeit not in any official capacity we would recognize.”
“And?”
Her gaze was hard emerald. “I have nothing for you, Leonid. We’ve worked together for a long time, but I’m no longer sure it’s in our best interests to continue.”
Even though he’d spent the last few weeks doing his damndest not to call her, the idea she might tell him she didn’t want to speak to him flared hot and caustic in his gut.
“What are you saying?” He fought to keep his voice neutral.
Kat sighed, glancing sideways as if wary of being overheard. “MI6 frowns on my sharing intel directly. They prefer the bureaucrats handle information dissemination.”
Leo’s jaw tightened. “Not those capable of taking action.”
Her head bobbed in agreement, but she remained silent.
He gritted his teeth. This was her choice. Besides, it wasn’t as if they were in a relationship or anything. He should respect that. Hell, he did, but still. “I need background on Pharmasyn. The non-official stuff.”
Her gaze sharpened. “That would be illegal.” She didn’t blink.
“What can you tell me about C45 or Carbon45?”
Something flickered across her fine features, but the charms on her wrist clinked gently in the ensuing silence. “I’m sorry, Leonid. I can’t help you.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
She flinched, and he instantly regretted his words.
“I have to go, Leonid. Goodbye.”
The screen blanked, and Leo was staring at his reflection.
Fuck.
He stood up and kicked back his chair, dragged his hands across his head. Sweat chilled his back and his heart raced. Chaos ruled his emotions.
What the fuck.
What the actual fuck?
When he sat back down, he was calm. It was fine. Perfectly fine. She was a contact. Contacts came and went.
He seized his phone, hurling it violently across the room. It shattered against the wall, broken pieces clattering to the floor. The destructive act brought no release.
Kat was gone.
29
The drive from Fairbanks International airport wound endless miles through the dense Alaskan forest, sunlight barely penetrating the canopy of black spruce and paper birch overhead. Jo rolled down her window, the biting chill instantly numbing her face. She welcomed the sting, breathing in the crisp air laden with the scent of pine resin. It was a relief after the stifling confinement of the long flight from Norway.
Somewhere out here they’d find Sophie Ivanova, the woman who potentially had the power to give them the answers they needed.
She’d spent a chunk of the flight reading and had identified Hellisheiði, the name she’d heard in the submarine base, was a geothermal power plant in Iceland, one of the largest in the world, but she still hadn’t been able to find anything about Carbon45. So far, the substance remained an enigma. One she was determined to crack.
“It’s so beautiful.” She closed her eyes, allowing dappled sunlight to pattern her eyelids.
Griff grunted his agreement. “I’d forgotten how much.”
She turned her attention from the slide of increasingly rugged wilderness to the man at her side. He’d rolled up his shirt sleeves, showing off impressive arm candy. Good Lord.
