Chapter 127
AS ERIC MOSS predicted, we exited the embassy via the front gates. The police were nowhere to be seen and Eliza’s wheelchair had been returned. We sat in the back of a diplomatic car, with a Chinese driver separated by an electric screen. I had no doubt he was listening to everything we said on the way to the airport.
&nbs
p; She gripped my hand tightly in the back seat, all but emotionally spent.
I ran over what Moss had told us. Eliza would never know his true identity, for his own reasons. The lack of documentation was deliberate. He was a CIA operative and didn’t leave a paper or digital trail. Anything else could have been wiped by the CIA once he went rogue.
Eliza placed her head on my shoulder. ‘Do you think he was lying?’
I watched the view from my window.
‘I think he honestly believes he’s doing the right thing. It sounds as if he’s been disillusioned with his work for a long time. Maybe it was time for him to stop lying.’
She lifted her head and turned her face to mine. ‘He’s still trying to look after me. Swiss treatments? Wasn’t stopping wars enough?’
I smiled at her resilience. ‘Maybe that’s how he justified it to himself – his last act to make sure you’re taken care of.’
‘Craig, he’s a traitor, isn’t he?’
To be honest, I wasn’t sure. ‘It depends on which side you’re on. Julian Assange, Edward Snowden polarise opinion all the time. If he does change the face of warfare, he’ll be a hero in a lot of people’s stories.’ Although I suspected it was more likely the regime he was defecting to would be just as disillusioning. ‘One thing is clear,’ I added. ‘He loves you more than anything and wants you to get the best possible treatment.’
‘About that. I didn’t know how to tell you. There never seemed to be a right time.’
I kept painful secrets myself and couldn’t blame Eliza for shielding her privacy. If disability didn’t define her, a progressive condition wouldn’t either. I looked into her eyes and our faces touched. I kissed her softly at first, then with increasing intensity. For a few minutes, the world went silent.
Chapter 128
THREE MONTHS LATER
We’d arrived at the international airport early and were outside the departures gate. I couldn’t believe the day had come so quickly.
‘I can always tag along if you change your mind, carry your bags?’
Eliza held my hand and smiled. ‘Kiss me like Peyroni and the paparazzi are watching,’ she joked.
‘Think he’s a little busy preparing for that court case of his. Now talking of cases …’
‘We’ve been over this. I have to go alone. If they think I’m suitable for the trial and there’s a chance of improvement, I’m going through with the treatment no matter the risks. I don’t need Mr Logic here muddling my thinking, or kissing me to cloud my senses.’
I bent down and kissed her again. These months had been memorable. My apartment would be lonely without her. That incredible smile, the raucous laugh and her zest for life, in spite of the loss and heartache.
‘The genetic testing should be able to – I mean, before things go any further between us, I need to know.’
Eliza had no idea if her condition could be passed on to children. Before committing to any long-term relationship, she deserved the chance to find out.
I kissed her button nose.
‘Well,’ she held up her passport, ‘love you and leave you.’
She wheeled away, then spun around. ‘Hey, you’d better get practising the “YMCA” dance. It’s the first thing we’re doing when I get back.’
I raised both arms in a Y-shape and she laughed before disappearing through the departure gate.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. Since winning the Edgar™ Award for Best First Novel with The Thomas Berryman Number, his books have sold in excess of 300 million copies worldwide and he has been the most borrowed author in UK libraries for the past eight years in a row. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades – the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels – and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers. He lives in Florida with his wife and son.