“Are you sure now?”
“One hundred percent.”
Max thought something still didn’t fit. Wilkes wasn’t giving him everything, and both of them knew it. But a good intelligence operative knew when to stop asking questions.
“Alright, thanks. I’ll let you know what I hear from Charlotte.”
“Max.”
“Yeah?”
“Relax. I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”
Max gave a small smile. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
He got in Renee’s car and they drove away, careful to check that they weren’t being followed.
17
When they got back to their hotel, Max and Renee took a quick walk on the nearby beach to talk and go over their plans. Their hands brushed together a few times as they walked, and Max caught Renee glancing at him when it happened, an unmistakable look of affection on her face.
Neither had said much about the rekindling of their old flame. There hadn’t been time. Was it just a byproduct of the fear and adrenaline that was pumping through both of them after nearly being killed twice in one week? When this was over, would they go their separate ways? Or would it grow into something more?
All Max knew was that he loved the feel of her smooth bare skin on his body. And he loved seeing her smile at him in that special way.
But he was glad they hadn’t spoken about it. He wasn’t exactly the kind of guy that liked to talk about relationships or feelings. And they had plenty of other things to discuss.
“You don’t trust Wilkes, do you?” Renee said.
“Not really, no.”
“Why?”
“There’s just something bothering me about the whole thing.”
“About what Wilkes wants you to do?”
“More than that. Why would MI-6 go out on their own within the United States? Why does Wilkes want Morozov to hack into Fend Aerospace for a second time? It’s all highly unusual.”
“Didn’t Wilkes say—”
“I know what he said, but it just doesn’t feel right.”
“There will be passengers on the flight?”
“There will be tomorrow. They have a few dozen aviation and tech writers sitting on the aircraft. And some company executives.”
Max stopped and picked up a stone, throwing it out towards the water. It skipped a few times before it plunged beneath the surface.
He said, “I’m letting things influence me that I shouldn’t, in this situation. The well-being of my father and his company. And my desire to hurt Morozov. I’m still wrapping my mind around everything that they told me yesterday.”
She placed her hand on his shoulder. “You mean about your mother?”
He nodded. Her hand dropped and they continued walking. The sun reflected off the water. A light breeze kicked up a whitish haze of fine sand.
“What if Wilkes has another motive?” Renee said.
“Like what?”
“You said MI-6 disagreed with him, right?”
“Yes.”
“Think about it from his position. What actions has he taken? Ignore what he’s said his objectives are. What has he actually done?”
“He has been working with the FBI. He contacted my father and convinced him to help bring me in to him. And he had a disagreement with MI-6.”
“What did he say about Georgia, when you told him we were attacked there? Did he seem surprised?”
“No. But I wouldn’t expect him to be. Our fingerprints were all over that place. The FBI knew about us being there, so he must have.”
Renee looked troubled. “I’m worried that Wilkes is playing you.”
“To what end?”
“What if he wants Morozov to succeed in stealing the Fend 100 data tomorrow?”
Max stopped walking and turned to face her. “Why would Wilkes want that?”
“What if Wilkes wants you to take the fall for it? Maybe both you and your father?”
“I don’t see what he has to gain.”
“He’s saying he’s working to entrap Morozov. But what if he’s not? What if he’s working with Morozov?”
The call came at eight p.m. sharp.
Renee and Max were both in the hotel room. Renee analyzed the data she had stolen from Morozov’s yacht, while Max worked out on the floor beside the bed.
Max picked up the phone with a sweaty hand.
“Hello, Max.”
“Hello, Charlotte. Are we still on?”
“Can you join me for a drink?”
“Where?”
“The Lemon Bar. Do you know it?”
“Yes. When?”
“One hour.”
“I’ll see you then.”
The Lemon Bar was situated right on the shore of Atlantic Beach — one of the great bars in a great bar district of Jacksonville Beach.
A group of tall blue tables on an outdoor patio, umbrellas over some of them. The smell of the ocean to the east. A long outdoor bar to one side. The nearby street was lined with palm trees, and the shallow dunes to the east didn’t quite hide the magnificent ocean view.
The bar was packed with people. A mix of local twenty-somethings and off-duty Naval personnel from the nearby base at Mayport. The atmosphere was lively. Mixed drinks garnished with slices of fruit. Live music. Everyone smiling.
Max saw her standing alone as he walked towards the bar from the beach.
She looked stunning in a tight black dress that hugged every curve on her body. Not much left to the imagination. But Max had a lazy imagination anyway.
“Hello, Max.” She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, then sipped a pink concoction through a straw.
He smiled. “Drinking on the job again? You seem much happier than when I last saw you.”
“Well, you aren’t disobeying me this time. That was some stunt you pulled on the yacht.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“There is video, Max.”
He raised his hands, palms up. “Sometimes you need to break the rules.”
“Well, Morozov was furious. But if you can pull this off tonight, we’ll have him — and my job will be over, thank God.”
“Where is it?” Max asked.
“Up in my room.”
She thumbed behind her. Max followed her gaze over to a tall resort hotel. She finished her drink. “Come on. I’ll take you up.”
The playful look in her eye was not something Max expected. But it was familiar. There were competing voices in his head. The quiet and reasonable voice of a professional intelligence agent, and the loud shout of her dress, clinging to her derrière.
Max felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He silenced it. “Okay, I’ll follow you.”
Charlotte held his arm as they walked out the same way Max had come in. Once on the beach, she removed her shoes and strode barefoot on the sand.
“I’m ready to be done with this dreadful assignment. Things were a little rough after your shenanigans in Key West.”
“I was wondering if you would suffer any repercussions.”
“It wasn’t bad. I know how to cover my tracks.”
Max felt the phone going off in his pocket again. They stopped outside her hotel. She was wiping off her sandy feet and putting her flats on again before they walked inside.
“I’m sorry,” Max said. “I need to make a phone call. Can I meet you up there?”
“I can wait.”
“No, really. It’s okay. Just tell me the room number.”
She gave him the room number, and he held his phone until she was through the door and into the lobby of the hotel. He looked down at his missed calls.
Wilkes.
He turned to make sure no one was around him and called him back. Charlotte was out of sight now.