Ever the consummate actor, Ellie shrugged and lied in a totally convincing way. “It’s as we suspected: Herald was under suspicion by the Russians. They came here to permanently shut his mouth.”
“I don’t believe you’re telling me everything.”
Though she didn’t show it, Will’s perception caught Ellie by surprise. “Why not?”
“Because you’re standing here talking to me, when instead you should be getting as far away from here as possible before cops show up.”
“Maybe I just want to spend a few moments with the man who saved my life.”
“Touching, but impractical. I doubt a deep-cover officer like you wants to get anywhere near a Norwegian police cell.”
“Jail doesn’t scare me.”
“No. But having your cover blown does.” Will admired the great strength of character Ellie had shown by winking at him when she was faced with the likelihood of her own death. Moreover, for the first time in his life he believed he was standing before someone who, like him, truly understood what it was like to operate in the very darkest recesses of the secret world. Plus, he liked her on sight. But, he knew that he had to be mentally one step ahead of her.
Ellie felt the same way about Will.
Will continued, “You’re standing here because you want to know why the Agency was prepared to let you die.”
“Obviously.”
“Less obvious is the possibility that you’re in possession of information that’s unsettled you. Information that maybe you want to share with me, if you decide to trust me. Herald information.”
Ellie held her fingertips together against her mouth and studied Will. Should she tell him what Herald had said before the Russian team stormed the cabin? Say nothing and walk away without knowing why the Agency had been willing to sacrifice her? Leave Will to the dogs? Help him? It all came down to a matter of trust.
Trouble was, trust was a dangerous concept in her line of work.
Will knew what she was thinking. “It’s a judgment call.”
“It is indeed. And what’s your judgment of me?”
“My judgment’s incomplete and therefore flawed. But we’re running out of time. Maybe you have something for me and I have something for you. And maybe they’re linked. We have to make a decision.”
Every instinct told Ellie to keep her mouth shut and walk away. She’d survived her entire deep-cover career by making it a rule to never put her faith in others in the field. Today should be no exception.
But it was.
The CIA had been willing to have her killed. Herald had told her that there was a Russian mole at the top of the Agency. And she was standing before a man who’d not only risked his life to save hers, but was also paying a huge price for doing so.
She was silent for one minute before making a decision. “Herald told me the Agency is compromised. A Russian mole’s sitting in Agency senior management.”
Will’s eyes narrowed. “Identity? Other details?”
“Nothing else, aside from Herald telling me to trust no one. We were then snatched before he could tell me more.”
Will shook his head and muttered to himself, “Shit, shit.”
“Does it mean anything to you?”
“On face value, nothing. But I’m trying to put the pieces together of what happened here today, and maybe that will help me understand more about the mole. Have you heard of Project Ferryman?”
Ellie shook her head.
“It’s what nearly got you killed and why Langley wants to cut off my balls. It’s a CIA operation, by all accounts highly classified. I reckon even the duty officer who told me to back off wasn’t cleared to know about its relevance to what happened here. But I’m also betting your man Sheridan is Ferryman cleared, considering he was called in.” He pointed toward one of the mountains. “Earlier, a senior Russian spy sat there, watching over everything. The men who attacked you were doing so under his orders. His code name’s Antaeus. I had him in my sights and should have been allowed to kill the bastard. Ferryman protocols blocked me from doing so.” He shook his head. “Antaeus will be long gone by now.”
“Do you know what Project Ferryman is?”
“No. But here’s the thing…”
Ellie interjected, “Top Russian spy turns up in person here to oversee the execution of Herald; Herald knows there’s a high-ranking Russian mole in the Agency; you’re told to back down because of an Agency operation called Project Ferryman. Ergo…”
“Ergo there’s a link between them all, and as a result I’m fucked, the Agency’s fucked, and”—Will smiled—“you came very close to a fate worse than being fucked.”
Ellie laughed. “I sure did.” Her expression changed. “I could take this to the FBI.”
“You could.”
“But Sheridan told me our countries’ leaders personally authorized your incarceration for breaching protocols. That means…”
“They’ve bought into the significance of Ferryman and you could be in danger of compromising Western security if you go to the feds and try to blow this open.”
Ellie walked to Herald, crouched beside his dead body, placed his hand in hers, and whispered, “Thanks for the coat.” She looked at Will. “Herald could be a pain in the ass, always waffling on about crap, loving the sound of his voice. But I liked him. He gave me invaluable insight into Russian secrets. And he put his life on the line for me.”
“As you did for him.”
“Yeah, as we all do. And on and on it goes until we all fall down.” She gently rested Herald’s hand on his chest, stood, and asked, “What are you going to do?”
“I’m not sure I should tell you.”
Ellie shrugged. “Why not? We’ve done the foreplay, moved to second base, might as well go the whole distance.”
Will faced west toward the mountains. “I’m going to try to get to the States and find out what Ferryman is.”
Ellie moved to his side. “You think you can make it that far? European agencies will be put on your trail.”
“I’ve got to try.”
“Even if you make it to the States, they’ll shoot you before you get anywhere near Langley and the answers.”
“What other choice do I have?”
“Two choices. Either give yourself up and I’ll support your actions. Or disappear, get a new identity, and forget all about Ferryman.”
“Is that what you’d do if you were in my situation? Surrender or vanish?”
Ellie followed his gaze toward the mountains. “Surrender? No. But vanishing’s something I excel at.”
“And you’d do it now if you were in my shoes?”
“I…” She turned to face him. “Look, I don’t know what I’d do.” She smiled. “But I do know that there’s no more 007 days for you, Mr. Bond. You’ve just had your license to kill revoked. No chance of you getting access to Project Ferryman.”
“I could track Sheridan down and make him talk.”
“Tough-guy stuff? You could end up being put in jail for laying a hand on such a high-ranking U.S. official.”
“True. It’s also unworkable. For the same reason you can’t go to the feds, I can’t confront Sheridan until I know the details of Project Ferryman. It seems Ferryman’s of vital importance to our countries. I can’t just blunder into the States to get answers. I could compromise something that’s beyond our comprehension.”
“Beyond my life, judging by what happened today.”
“Exactly,” Will said. “Sorry, that was insensitive. I—”
“Stop.” Ellie fixed another cigarette in her mouth, lit it, and winked at him in the same way she’d done before. “You want to be insensitive, then start patronizing me.”
“Fair point.”
Ellie nodded. “There. Fourth base achieved — first lovers’ tiff.” She exhaled smoke and said in a measured and cold tone, “There is another potential option open to you.”