The sun was out. I crossed the street ready for a cup of hot coffee. Today I planned a trip to the library. I would have to mask my research in case Blackwing was watching. Vaughn thought that was unlikely. As long as I went along with Eloise she would back off. He still believed they weren’t interested in alienating me, but rather indoctrinating me. Still, I wasn’t going to take a chance.
I wanted to research sanctuary cities. We needed a location that would offer political asylum. I was determined to make a case that Vaughn’s work for the government and his high-level of training and security clearance had always made him a target for foreign adversaries. He was compromised because of what the government did to him. It was a weak argument, but it was all I had at this point. I hoped we never had to use it, but we could at least start to narrow down cities that would give us the most leniency if I ever had to persuade them to keep us safe.
I expected a long afternoon in the library, pouring over stacks of French herb collections which hid international law documents. Documents I hoped would give me legal precedents to use in applying for asylum. I hadn’t convinced Vaughn asylum was the best option, but only because I wasn’t armed with enough information. Yet. I shook my head when I made it to the other side of the street. How in holy hell had this become my life?
I checked my wallet before I stood in line to place my order. I had plenty of cash.
“Bonjour, Marie,” I greeted the coffee maker behind the counter.
“Ahh, Kate. Bonjour.” Marie grinned.
“The usual,” I ordered.
“Make that two.”
My neck bristled when I heard Eloise behind me. I turned to see her wearing a bright red scarf over her leather jacket. Her beret was tucked over one eye.
“Kate?” Marie seemed confused.
“Oui.” I nodded. “Deux cafes, sil vous plait.”
“It’s nice we can meet for coffee, Kate. And it’s a gorgeous morning. Sunshine finally after all the snow and ice we’ve had.”
I gritted my teeth. I was ready for this. Ready to play my part in our escape.
I paid for the coffees and handed one to Eloise. “Here.”
“Merci.” She tugged on her scarf to loosen it against her throat. I noticed her curls were practically straight today.
“Where are we going this time?” I asked begrudgingly.
“Let’s sit here, shall we? It’s warmer in here than on the street or at the park.”
I shrugged. “Whatever you want to do, Eloise.”
We slid into a corner table away from the register and cases of pastries. She sipped her coffee.
“It’s been two days since we talked. I wanted to follow-up on our conversation. I hope I gave you enough time to think.”
“By follow-up I assume you mean pressure me into doing something you know I don’t want to do.”
She exhaled. “There is no pressure. There are facts you need to consider. But never any pressure. This is always going to be your decision.”
“So if I walked out of here without agreeing with you, that would be ok? You’d let me do that, Eloise?” I baited her.
“Of course.” She spun the cardboard sleeve around the cup. “But don’t you want the facts first? You are our resident attorney.”
“Has something new happened?”
Eloise flipped her phone over and tapped the screen. My stomach fell to my feet when I saw the image flash in my direction.
“You know, we thought it was strange that you made a call to North Carolina before Christmas. Not that strange, but considering how close you and your husband are, I knew it was out of bounds. I had our techs dig into it a little and I discovered this was the person on the other end of that call.”
I covered my mouth with my hand. The picture of Garrett looked recent. He was smiling. His eyes were clear. He was clean-shaven.
“Why do you have a picture of my brother on your phone?” I glowered.
“Do you know what would happen if the FBI discovered where you are? Have you really thought about it? Do you know how easy