what ?”
“I wasn’t in charge of the operation,” she protested.
“But you are the one the boy trusted. You told him what to do,” Caraday insisted.
I turned to my mom. “Tell me. What happened when Seth returned the ring?”
She didn’t speak for a long moment.
“I can tell you,” Caraday said.
“No, I will.” Mom shifted in her seat. “When Joe found the ring,” she said, speaking of her dead partner in Seattle, “he had it scanned to retrieve the list of names etched into the stone. That’s how he was able to identify Stuart as a member of The Mole’s cell.” Stuart had been her other partner, a double agent. I could see the hurt of his betrayal still in her eyes. He had nearly killed us both. In that moment, I understood her reluctance to tell me what I wanted to know. She was trying to protect me. What she didn’t understand was that not knowing what had happened to Seth hurt worse than anything The Mole or any of his minions could do to me.
“So what happened then?” I prodded.
“We couldn’t let them know we had discovered the secret of the ring; it was the only reason they were keeping Victor Mulo alive—as a trade to get the ring back. But we knew, based on their track record, that they would probably kill him once they had the ring, so we had to take steps to prevent that.”
“It would have been an awful death,” Caraday put in. “He had crossed his former comrades. They have a special hatred for traitors.”
Mom shot her a withering look and Ryan coughed. “A little too much information,” he said.
Caraday slid him a sideways glance. “She’s old enough to handle the truth, don’t you think? She’s seen enough of it already.”
She was right. I folded my arms and looked back to Mom. “What did you do to prevent it?”
“We knew that they would consider it a coup to kill two Mulos, so . . .” She ran her hand through her hair. “We did arrange for Seth to make the drop. But he was heavily covered. We knew they would come after him, and we were ready when they did. He wasn’t harmed at all.”
I stared at her, seeing her in a much different light. She looked like a complete stranger to me. “I can’t believe you’d allow that. I thought your job was to protect Seth and his family.”
“He was protected.” She reached for my hand but I pulled it away. “An entire team of highly trained specialists were with him.”
“Just like a team will be with Aphra when she goes to Varese,” Caraday said.
“She’s not going to Varese,” my mom shot back.
I pushed away from the table. “Stop. Just, stop!” I ran from the kitchen but the apartment was so small I didn’t really have anywhere to go. I paced in the tiny front room, ready to burst.
I heard a chair scrape against the kitchen floor and then Caraday’s voice said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have dropped this on you like that. I should apologize to your daughter.”
I folded my arms and waited for her to appear in the doorway.
She entered the living room tentatively. “This has been a lot for one day, hasn’t it?”
I raised my chin. “You think?”
She took a step toward me. “Look, Aphra. I’m sorry. I know this isn’t easy for you.”
That was putting it mildly.
“You have to understand, I—”
“You were right.”
She threw a quick glance over her shoulder to the kitchen and then lowered her voice so my mom wouldn’t hear. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve got to bring him in,” I said. “As long as he’s out there . . .” I gestured vaguely out the French doors and past the balcony. Out to where I knew The Mole and his minions watched and waited. “Until The Mole is captured, this will never end.”
Caraday quickly covered the remaining distance between us and took my hand. “We can talk about this later,” she whispered. She glanced over her shoulder again. “Your mother . . .”
I nodded. Mom didn’t need to know.
Agent Caraday returned to the kitchen to smooth
“I wasn’t in charge of the operation,” she protested.
“But you are the one the boy trusted. You told him what to do,” Caraday insisted.
I turned to my mom. “Tell me. What happened when Seth returned the ring?”
She didn’t speak for a long moment.
“I can tell you,” Caraday said.
“No, I will.” Mom shifted in her seat. “When Joe found the ring,” she said, speaking of her dead partner in Seattle, “he had it scanned to retrieve the list of names etched into the stone. That’s how he was able to identify Stuart as a member of The Mole’s cell.” Stuart had been her other partner, a double agent. I could see the hurt of his betrayal still in her eyes. He had nearly killed us both. In that moment, I understood her reluctance to tell me what I wanted to know. She was trying to protect me. What she didn’t understand was that not knowing what had happened to Seth hurt worse than anything The Mole or any of his minions could do to me.
“So what happened then?” I prodded.
“We couldn’t let them know we had discovered the secret of the ring; it was the only reason they were keeping Victor Mulo alive—as a trade to get the ring back. But we knew, based on their track record, that they would probably kill him once they had the ring, so we had to take steps to prevent that.”
“It would have been an awful death,” Caraday put in. “He had crossed his former comrades. They have a special hatred for traitors.”
Mom shot her a withering look and Ryan coughed. “A little too much information,” he said.
Caraday slid him a sideways glance. “She’s old enough to handle the truth, don’t you think? She’s seen enough of it already.”
She was right. I folded my arms and looked back to Mom. “What did you do to prevent it?”
“We knew that they would consider it a coup to kill two Mulos, so . . .” She ran her hand through her hair. “We did arrange for Seth to make the drop. But he was heavily covered. We knew they would come after him, and we were ready when they did. He wasn’t harmed at all.”
I stared at her, seeing her in a much different light. She looked like a complete stranger to me. “I can’t believe you’d allow that. I thought your job was to protect Seth and his family.”
“He was protected.” She reached for my hand but I pulled it away. “An entire team of highly trained specialists were with him.”
“Just like a team will be with Aphra when she goes to Varese,” Caraday said.
“She’s not going to Varese,” my mom shot back.
I pushed away from the table. “Stop. Just, stop!” I ran from the kitchen but the apartment was so small I didn’t really have anywhere to go. I paced in the tiny front room, ready to burst.
I heard a chair scrape against the kitchen floor and then Caraday’s voice said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have dropped this on you like that. I should apologize to your daughter.”
I folded my arms and waited for her to appear in the doorway.
She entered the living room tentatively. “This has been a lot for one day, hasn’t it?”
I raised my chin. “You think?”
She took a step toward me. “Look, Aphra. I’m sorry. I know this isn’t easy for you.”
That was putting it mildly.
“You have to understand, I—”
“You were right.”
She threw a quick glance over her shoulder to the kitchen and then lowered her voice so my mom wouldn’t hear. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve got to bring him in,” I said. “As long as he’s out there . . .” I gestured vaguely out the French doors and past the balcony. Out to where I knew The Mole and his minions watched and waited. “Until The Mole is captured, this will never end.”
Caraday quickly covered the remaining distance between us and took my hand. “We can talk about this later,” she whispered. She glanced over her shoulder again. “Your mother . . .”
I nodded. Mom didn’t need to know.
Agent Caraday returned to the kitchen to smooth
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