24. Delfino
24
DELFINO
T he clock on the wall ticked quietly as I finished recounting my conversation with Poseidon to Hornet. Night had fallen over London, and we sat close together on the sofa in our temporary flat, takeaway boxes spread across the coffee table between us.
“He didn’t seem surprised at all?” Hornet asked, reaching for his water glass.
“Not even slightly. He said he’d been expecting it since I left London to track Jekyll.” I tucked my feet beneath me, settling deeper into the cushions. “What surprised me was how supportive he was.”
Hornet raised an eyebrow. “Supportive how?”
“He said that, while he regrets losing me from the Maltese task force, he respects my decision to follow a different path. He called it ‘a natural evolution, given recent events.’” I smiled, remembering Poseidon’s kindness. “He even said he was pleased to hear we’d be maintaining some connection through liaison work.”
“That’s a far cry from Typhon’s reaction when I started this journey,” Hornet said with a wry smile. “Although I cannot fault him for anything said in our own meeting.”
“My opinion is that he’s changed since he married Eliza. Actually, I saw the transformation the first night I spent with the two of them.” I speared the last piece of chicken from my container. “Oh, and Poseidon mentioned that Nemesis wants to meet with us.”
“Nemesis?” Hornet’s expression shifted to one of mild surprise. “Did he say why?”
I shook my head. “No specifics. Just that she has ‘matters of mutual interest’ to discuss.”
“When?” he asked.
“Whenever we’re available. No rush, apparently.”
“We should probably make time for that before we fully commit to Minerva.”
“Agreed.” I set my empty container aside and pulled my knees to my chest. “You know what I won’t miss? Being caught between Nemesis and Typhon when they disagree on operational priorities.”
“Which is almost always,” Hornet added with a chuckle.
“Exactly. Walking that tightrope of loyalty was exhausting.” I sighed, remembering countless moments of diplomatic navigation between two strong personalities. “Typhon demanding one approach, Nemesis insisting on another, and me trying to satisfy both.”
Hornet reached over and brushed a strand of hair from my face, his touch lingering. “I won’t miss having to hide how I feel about you.”
“Me either,” I said, winking.
“The constant vigilance. Making sure I maintained appropriate distance in meetings. Never letting anyone see how much I cared.” His eyes held mine. “Having to pretend you were just another colleague when you were becoming everything to me.”
My heart quickened at his words. Even now, after everything we’d shared, his honesty about his feelings still made my heart pound.
“I love you,” I whispered, leaning into his touch.
“I love you, my te?or .”
He rose suddenly, gathering our empty containers. “Wait here a moment.”
I watched as he disappeared into the kitchen. When he returned, all traces of dinner had vanished, and he carried two glasses of wine.
“Thank you,” I said, accepting the one he offered and wondering what he was up to.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, settling beside me again. “With everything changing so quickly—new roles, new organization—there’s something I want to make certain doesn’t get lost in the transition.”
“What’s that?”
“Us.” He set his untouched wine aside and took my free hand in both of his. “Kima, these past weeks have been the most chaotic of my life. Chasing leads across Europe, fighting the FSB, everything with Jekyll…” He paused, his thumb tracing patterns on my palm. “But they’ve also brought me the greatest certainty I’ve ever known.”
Something in his tone made me also set my wine down. “Devin…”
“I love you, and I want to build a life with you.” His voice stayed steady, but I could see the emotion building behind his eyes. “Whatever comes next—Minerva, Romanov, all of it—I want to face it together. Officially.”
My breath caught as he shifted from the sofa to one knee before me.
“Kima Sakari,” he said, producing a small velvet box from his pocket, “will you marry me?”
He opened the box to reveal a ring unlike any I’d seen before—an elegant band of platinum holding not a diamond, but a deep-blue sapphire surrounded by smaller stones that caught the light like stars.
“It reminded me of the sea in Malta,” he explained, a hint of nervousness finally breaking through his composure.
Tears welled in my eyes as I looked from the ring to the man kneeling before me. This man who had followed me across continents, who had stood beside me through grief and danger, who had never once faltered in his support.
“Yes,” I whispered, then found my voice. “Yes, Devin.”
His smile was radiant as he slipped the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly. When he rose to kiss me, I felt something settle within me—a certainty that whatever challenges lay ahead, we would face them united.
After several moments, I pulled back just enough to rest my forehead against his. “I love you so much, Devin.”
“I love you too, Kima.”
We stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, until my phone buzzed with an incoming message. I was tempted to ignore it, but years of training made me reach for it automatically.
“It’s from a real estate agent,” I said, quickly scanning the text. “About a flat in Notting Hill.”
“The one with the rooftop garden?”
My eyes opened wide. “How did you know?”
He smiled. “I saw the listing too.”
“The agent says we can see it today if we want. The owners are eager to sell.”
Hornet pressed a kiss to my temple. “Then, let’s go see our potential first home.”
We were putting on our coats when our mobiles chimed simultaneously. One glance confirmed what we both suspected—identical messages from the same sender.
“Dr. Aldrich,” I confirmed, reading the brief text. “She’s in London and wants to meet immediately.”
Hornet checked his watch. “The timing is…interesting.”
“Says she has critical information that can’t wait.” I looked up at him. “What do you think?”
“Our real estate viewing will have to wait.” He reached for his secure phone. “Let me confirm the meeting location.”
Ten minutes later, we were in a car heading toward central London. Aldrich—Prism, I reminded myself—had chosen a private dining room at a discreet restaurant known for its exclusive clientele and stringent security.
“What do you think this is about?” I asked as we navigated through the evening traffic.
Hornet’s expression was thoughtful. “If she’s traveled to London rather than summoning us to Lausanne, it must be significant.”
The restaurant’s host immediately recognized Dr. Aldrich’s name and led us through the main dining area to a secluded room at the back. She was already seated, a pot of tea in front of her.
“Thank you for coming quickly,” she said as we took our seats.
“As you requested,” I replied, studying her. Though composed as she was previously, there was tension around her eyes that hadn’t been present in Lausanne.
“I’ve received a communication,” she began, “from Nikolai Vasiliev.”
I exchanged a quick glance with Hornet. “The head of SMO Romanov?”
“The very same.”
“What did he want?” Hornet asked.
“To make a deal.” She withdrew a thin folder from her briefcase and placed it on the table between us. “They have Mercury.”
My stomach tightened. “You’re certain?”
“They provided proof of life,” she confirmed, opening the folder to reveal a photograph dated two days earlier based on the current newspaper she held. The woman, who’s expression was defiant despite the circumstances, looked thinner than in Jekyll’s files, was unmistakably Dr. Lyra Carrington.
“What are their terms?” Hornet asked, examining the photo.
“An exchange,” Aldrich replied. “Mercury for Ilya Sokolov.”
“Sokolov? The former FSB deputy director captured a month ago?”
“The very same,” she confirmed.
“That explains their urgency,” Hornet said, his expression thoughtful. “Sokolov knows the entire command structure of their Eastern European operations.”
“And the locations of at least a dozen black sites where they’re holding other intelligence assets,” said Prism. “His value to them is immeasurable,” she added, her voice hardening. “Yet we cannot abandon Mercury either. She possesses critical knowledge of Minerva’s security architecture—knowledge that, given enough time and pressure, Vasiliev’s people might eventually extract.”
“You want us to find her,” I said rather than asked.
Prism met my gaze directly. “Yes, before we have to consider their terms.”
Hornet leaned forward. “Do you have any leads?”
“Only that she’s being held somewhere in Eastern Europe, likely within FSB-controlled territory.” Aldrich’s finger tapped the folder. “And one other thing—the communication came through a channel only Jekyll and two others knew existed.”
“Suggesting?” I prompted.
“That either Jekyll revealed it under duress before his death, or…”
“We’re dealing with a traitor,” I finished, remembering his final, unfinished warning.
“The council needs to know which it is. And we need Mercury back—alive.”
“When do we start?” Hornet asked.
“Immediately,” Prism replied. “You’ll have full access to Minerva resources, and I’ve arranged for Typhon’s cooperation as well.” She glanced at the ring on my finger. “Congratulations, by the way.”
“Thank you,” I said, surprised she’d noticed.
“Hydra would have been pleased.” She rose, gathering her briefcase. “I’ll have complete briefing materials delivered to your flat within the hour. The council expects regular updates.”
After she departed, Hornet and I remained at the table, processing everything we’d just learned.
“So much for easing into our new roles,” I muttered.
Hornet reached across the table and took my hand, his thumb brushing across my new ring. “We knew what we were signing up for.”
“True.” I intertwined my fingers with his. “Finding Dr. Carrington, uncovering a potential traitor, and stopping SMO Romanov—just another day at the office.”
“We need help in order to pull this off in the given time frame.”
“Agreed.”
“Would you rather make contact with Typhon or Nemesis?” he asked.
“Hmm. Typhon,” I responded.
“I was afraid you’d say that,” Hornet said under his breath.
“You’d rather speak with him than her?” I asked, more curious than surprised.
“Yes. Nemesis has always intimidated me.”
“More than Typhon?”
When he nodded, I chuckled.
“More than Oleander?”
This time, his eyes widened and he shuddered. “No, she terrifies me.”