“You met at the church at night,” Dominic pointed out.
“That might be a hole,” Whit admitted. “But we have to know for sure.”
“And Kuchin is still out there,” said Mallory.
“It’s not done, Prof. I can’t keep breathing knowing he’s still alive.”
“And I’m sure Fedir Kuchin is thinking the same thing about us,” responded Liza.
“That’s what Shaw said,” added Dominic. “He wanted to help protect us against Kuchin.”
“And I told him we didn’t need his protection,” said Whit sharply. “And we don’t.”
“And no clue as to who he’s with?” said Liza.
“They have their own wings, so they’re not operating on a shoestring like us,” Whit told her with a touch of envy in his voice.
“I don’t like this at all,” said Mallory after a long silence. “I don’t know whether I’m more worried about Fedir Kuchin or this man Shaw.”
“Know what? I say we worry about them both,” retorted Whit.
CHAPTER
65
REGGIE, clutching her stomach, stepped onto the wharf, knelt down, and kissed the grimy boards as the ferry pulled back from the dock and began its drift out to sea in heavy swells. It was piloted by a Dutchman whom Shaw had known for years, for reasons he would not divulge to Reggie. The drop-off point was actually a long-forgotten World War II–era naval landing spot technically in the middle of nowhere. It had taken nearly three days for Shaw and Reggie to get back into England, much of it spent on the vessel as it slowly made its way through turbulent waters.
“Thank you, Jesus,” moaned Reggie.
“The boat ride was a little rough,” Shaw remarked as he helped her back up.
“A little rough?” Reggie’s throat convulsed and she looked ready to throw up again, but finally she stood straight and let out a long breath, putting an arm on his shoulder to steady herself. “I thought the only place we were going to reach was the bottom of the bloody sea.”
“Last boat ride I took was across the Irish Sea. It was pretty choppy then too. The woman I was with kept throwing up, just like you. Must be a girl thing.”
“Who was that?” Reggie asked while eagerly if gingerly walking next to Shaw toward solid earth.
“That was a long time ago.”
“How did you know about this place?”
“It’s come in handy a couple of times in the past.”
“Quite a hole in our border security.”
“Every country has at least one.”
When they reached the grassy area next to the pier, Reggie checked her cell phone. It only had a sliver of juice left and no bars. She hadn’t been able to contact anyone about her status and still couldn’t. “Damn it. This is just great.”
“I’ve got bars and juice. Give me the number and I’ll make the call.”
“I don’t think so. Then you’ll have the number on your phone.”
“This isn’t my phone. It belongs to one of your guys. The one I knocked out with a toilet.”
“Did you look at any of the contact information on it?”
“No.”