Chapter 67
“An old name, my dear. One that should have remained lost in time. There’s no other threat now.
That name only ever led to James.” She would contract the hacker that the GCHQ trusted and have him verify that the PM had all records of herself and this incident purged as promised.
As to the dead agents in Choteau and Brize Norton, sadly it was nothing that a fabricated training exercise couldn’t account for. Such was the clandestine world.
Hopefully she was at long last rid of it. She could feel her shoulders sag with relief as she settled into the plush leather of the up-armored SUV.
Although there was a chance that the Saudis could trace their paid lackey’s demise to her, they knew better than to come after her if they wished to retain control of their bit of desert.
Their secrets ran as deep and dark as the oil under their sand.
Of course, James, too, should have known better.
Perhaps she’d send the Saudi Crown Prince a little reminder.
He was a man with even greater pride than James and, as such, could be manipulated with so little effort.
She could also ruin him with a flick of her wrist, but such power had never interested her.
“What would you have done with James Lloyd?” She looked at Dilya.
The girl never seemed to seek power. Yet Miss Watson had searched so long for a replacement that she second-guessed every decision.
Though she’d recruited Dilya a decade ago, she still had doubts that she’d found a proper heir.
Dilya’s skills were so advanced at such a young age that there would be no controlling her if she went off the reservation, so to speak.
If that happened, Miss Watson knew there were those who would take care of the problem, and she hated the mere thought. Did Dilya want power or—
“Nothing. He’ll never live to be tried. Between MI6 and the Saudis, he knows that and will most likely kill himself to hide everything. Tonight if he can—before his arrest is made public so that it can be covered up. Knowing his own life is lost, he’ll protect his family.”
Sadly, she was right. But it was also comforting. There were a dozen obvious ways to manipulate this situation to her advantage and Dilya had thought of none of those. That was a good sign for future—
“Of course, if I wanted to shift the balance of power in the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance, I would…”
Miss Watson twisted to face her…and was greeted by a seraphic smile. She forced herself to return the gesture. Now she’d have to keep a closer eye on the girl…if she could. That thought made her smile genuine, and gave her hope for the future.