Chapter 158
158
Iwent to work the next morning and checked in with Sean, my research point man. “Do we have any more intel on the Bangladesh mission? I’m supposed to fly out next Monday and – ”
I could tell by Sean’s look that something was wrong.
“What?” I asked.
“…you got pulled off of Bangladesh,” he said hesitantly.
Now it was my turn to frown. “Is the mission delayed p>
“…not exactly p>
“Then what the fuck’s going on p>
“…it got assigned to Burnham p>
Lionel Burnham was an idiot who made a complete cock-up of everything he touched. But he was a well-connected idiot – plus he had a penis, so all his failures tended to get chalked up to ‘bad luck’ or ‘unforeseeable circumstances p>
“What did they put me on, then?” I asked.
“…nothing p>
I stared at him. “Nothing?! You’ve got to be fucking kidding me – ”
And then I knew exactly why I’d been pulled off of Bangladesh.
Rage began pumping through my veins.
“Rachel…” Sean said, sounding unnerved. “I know that look… people wind up dead when you get that look p>
“Wait right here,” I said, then turned and walked out.
“Rachel?” he called after me. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s a BAD idea – Rachel?! DON’T DO IT p>
I stormed over to see Alistair, but the double doors of his office were closed.
His bootlicking secretary, who sat to the right of the double doors, informed me that The Director of Operations is in a meeting and can’t be disturbed.
I went ahead and disturbed him anyway.
I tried the doors. When I found them locked, I gave them a massive kick with the sole of my boot.
The doors went flying open with a CRACK –
Revealing Alistair, two members of Parliament, and another division head of MI6.
They all stared at me in stunned surprise.
Normally, the level of power assembled in that room would have given me pause –
But at the moment, I didn’t give a fuck.
I had no fucks left to give.
“Ah – my lovely fiancée,” Alistair said, plastering a sickly smile on his face as he got up and walked around his desk towards me. “Making one of her famously dramatic entrances – ”
“Why was I taken off of Bangladesh?” I snapped.
“Sir – sir,” his secretary moaned, “I had no idea she would kick open the door – ”
“It’s alright, Harris, just go back to your work,” Alistair said with a smile, but he stared daggers at him like You’ll PAY for this later, you fool!
Harris slunk away to his desk like the frightened little mouse that he was.
Alistair came up to me, took my elbow, and whispered, “We can talk about this later – ”
I shrugged him off violently. “No, we’ll talk about it now. Why was I taken off of Bangladesh p>
Alistair turned and smiled ingratiatingly at his guests, who were staring at us like they were watching the most fascinating soap opera ever. “Excuse us, gentlemen – this will take just a second – ”
“No,” I snapped, “let’s talk about it right here. They’ve got the security clearance. Why was I taken off of Bangladesh p>
“You were reassigned, darling,” he said with a fake smile. “That’s all p>
“No – I was taken off the mission and not assigned to anything else. Why p>
Alistair clenched his jaw like he was deciding whether he was going to take this all the way.
He apparently made the decision to go for it.
“Well, I was hoping to save it for an official announcement,” he said in a chipper tone of voice, “but you’re being promoted p>
I stared at him angrily. Field agents didn’t get promoted unless it was out of the field.
“Promoted to what p>
“Joint Field Command p>
Joint Field Command was the section within Operations that researched, assigned, and supervised field agents. It was a bureaucratic post for agents who’d had a few too many close calls and wanted to call it quits. Agents who had lost their inner fire – or their nerve.
“I don’t want your promotion,” I snarled. “I want to stay in the field p>
“Well, you’re not going to stay in the field,” he hissed.
“Why p>
He grimaced. “I don’t think we need to get into specifics right now – ”
“Oh, no, please get into the specifics p>
Alistair cracked his neck to the side, then stood ramrod still. “There have been certain… reports about your performance in the field – ”
“Is that so?” I asked in a tone of sardonic surprise.
“And… it’s felt, not just by me, but others in the chain of command, that you would do better in a supervisory position – ”
“Oh, really,” I said, nodding like I finally understood. “And here I thought it was because I wouldn’t fuck you for the last two weeks p>
There was a gasp from one of the other men in the room.
Alistair’s eyelid twitched, and a vein pulsed in his forehead. “I don’t think we need to bring our private life into this discussion – ”
“OR,” I said, “ maybe it was because I had to throw you out of my house last night because you got drunk and started saying bullshit you ought not have said p>
“That’s enough,” he hissed. He grabbed my arm roughly and tried to push me out of the room. “You will go back to your office and – ”
Alistair obviously didn’t know a thing about arm holds because I easily twisted out of his grasp. It required bending his wrist back a bit. Painful, but nothing that would cause any damage.
“I will not go back to my office – ” I snapped –
And that’s when Alistair slapped me.
This time, there was an audible gasp from all the men behind him.
“Really, Webb, this has gone far enough!” the other MI6 guy snapped.
None of them moved to help me, though.
I turned back to Alistair and stared at him.
I don’t know how to describe his expression.
It was a strange combination of shock…
Horror at what he’d done…
And something verging on glee.
Like he’d just shown me exactly who was boss.
The sting on my cheek wasn’t what stunned me –
It was that he’d done it at all.
The thought flashed through my head, THIS is the man you were going to spend your life with p>
And then I exploded in rage –
And hit him in the face.
A clenched fist right to the jaw.
I didn’t pull my punch.
He crumpled to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
Now all the other men screamed in outrage.
One dropped to his knees to help Alistair on the floor.
Alistair petulantly pushed him away as he stared up at me.
“You – you – ” he gasped, looking up at me like he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
“I quit,” I hissed.
Then I pulled off my engagement ring and threw it on the floor.
“I quit EVERYTHING!” I shouted.
Then I turned and stormed out of the room –
And MI6 –
Forever.