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My mouth went dry. This was the kind of danger Neil had warned me about, the reason he was so adamant we couldn’t be together. My tongue prodded the inside of my numb lips, urging words to form, but none came. A cold sweat bloomed across my neck.
“I know this is a lot to take in,” Dixon said.
“What should I do?”
“Neil would advise you to vanish. Go underground until the danger passes. I could assist you with that.”
I pictured an existence in hiding, paralysed by powerlessness, while my dream trip passed me by. How long would I need to stay in hiding? Weeks, months, years?
“But I have an alternative proposition,” Alan continued. “One I believe you are uniquely poised to assist with, if you’ll lend your courage.”
I hitched in a sharp breath. My next words emerged faintly. “I’m listening.”
Dixon motioned to the unknown woman who had been so silent I had almost forgotten she was present. “Do you recognise her?” Dixon asked me.
I looked the woman up and down, searching for clues. “No. Should I?”
“Not exactly, but she has been with you since you arrived in London.”
“What do you mean?”
“She has been keeping a lookout for threats. While I don’t expect Daniel to strike so soon, we can’t be too careful.”
“I had no idea.”
“Her name is Hannah Frank.”
My neurons fired, making connections. “But that’s the name of my friend I’m going to stay with…”
Hannah inclined her head.
“…You’re going to impersonate my friend?” I asked.
“Bingo,” Dixon said. “I want you to stay with this Hannah, not your friend, and she will be your bodyguard.”
“And I won’t have to go into hiding?”
“If it all works out.”
“What about the real Hannah? Will I have to tell her I can’t stay with her anymore?”
“I’m afraid so. We have a story prepared that you can use as cover.”
I bit my lip. I hated to stand up my friend, but it seemed deception was part of this cloak-and-dagger game. “Okay. I think I get it. But what’s the catch?”
Dixon leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table. His eyes locked onto mine. “You will be bait.”
I started. “Bait?”
“We put you out there, let Daniel’s agents catch your scent. When they inevitably strike, we’ll be waiting to intercept them.”
Out there? Out where?
The fake Hannah took over explaining, her voice as cool and smooth as glass. “We would set you up in a safe house. You’d continue your travels as planned—within reason—while I accompanied you as protection detail under the cover of being your friend. Behind the scenes, my team would monitor you at all times. You would, ostensibly, serve as bait to draw out Daniel’s men, but the moment things get hairy, I’ll extract you.”
I tried to unscramble this information in my frazzled brain. If I had it right, they wanted to dangle me in front of the enemy to lure them out. “It sounds dangerous.”
“There’s no denying that,” Dixon said. “But it’s potentially very high reward. If Daniel takes the bait, we will be able to build a stronger criminal case against him, adding to the file of evidence we already have, ready to release at the most advantageous moment.”
