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Just keep it
short, OK? I can get you a private jet into D.C., New York, or Atlanta.”
    “Atlanta’s
closest.”
    “OK, that’s
settled then.”
    I didn’t know
if it was. Here she was applying pressure to get me to stay. At the same time
she was willing to help me go. Part of me wondered if she planned to tell the
pilot to circle around for five hours and land in London.
    Sasha pulled
out her cell phone. “Would you excuse me for a moment?”
    “No need to get
up. I’ll grab some fresh air.” I stood and walked to the front door. The
hardwood floor felt springy under my steps. Did the place have a basement? What
was down there? The questions lingered for a second or two as I pictured the
space.
    I stepped
outside. The air felt cool against my warm cheeks. Thick clouds blocked the
moonlight. What time would the storm start? Would it be bad enough to keep the
plane from departing? The chances of that were slim.
    A trace of
cigarette smoke passed by. It had been months since I smoked. My first reaction
had been to cough. An old desire popped up, though. Will power, I told myself.
    I turned around
and opened the door to the pub. The old man who gave me a talking to barreled
through the door. He didn’t back down. I stepped back and held the door for
him. He puffed his chest with pride. There was no reason to disrupt his moment.
    My eyes
adjusted to the lighting in the pub after I stepped inside. Sasha waved at me
from the table. Our food had been brought out. Steam rose from the thick cuts
of steak.
    “Eat up,” she
said. “You leave in two hours.”
     

Chapter 6
    We left the
restaurant after eating and having a few more beers. After navigating through
the streets, Sasha got on the M4 heading west. I figured we were further east
than I had estimated. I closed my eyes for a few minutes. The Audi’s soft
leather headrest felt better than most hotel pillows. Five minutes passed. I
opened my eyes and saw we were still on the highway.
    “Why are we
headed toward the city?” I asked.
    She glanced
at me and gave me a look. “We’re going to the airport.”
    “I know I’m
not from around these parts, but isn’t Heathrow behind us?”
    “Who says
you’re leaving via Heathrow?”
    I thought she
would understand by now that I hate wasting breath. “Then where are we going?”
    “London City
Airport.”
    “Never been
there.”
    “It’s not the
type of attraction a tourist would head to.” She paused a moment, presumably to
see if I would take the bait. I didn’t. She continued. “It’s all charters.
Definitely easier for us to use in a case like this. You’ll get out unnoticed,
which is better for all of us. We don’t need anyone over there to know that
you’ve left the country.”
    “Do you have
intel that says someone is watching me over here from there?”
    She shook her
head. “Don’t need it. You’ll always be watched, Jack. And as long as you work
for me, it’s in my best interest to keep them off your back.”
    I shrugged.
“I can handle that.”
    She said
nothing. She changed lanes without signaling. A car honked at us.
    I glanced out
the window. “So you’re sneaking me out of England to deposit me into the
busiest airport in the U.S.?”
    “No, you
aren’t going to Hartsfield-Jackson. We’ve arranged to drop you off at Dobbins.”
    Sean couldn’t
get on base. This grew more complicated by the moment. “This isn’t necessary,
Sasha. I can fly under an alias. I’ve got a clean one no one knows about.
Passport, credit cards, everything.”
    She wagged
her hand at me. “Don’t tell me things like that. Besides, someone, somewhere,
knows this information, which means they might, too.”
    I resigned
myself to the fact that she had an answer for everything. She always did. And I
didn’t mind. Last thing I wanted to do was worry about the details. It had been
a hell of a day. My head ached, and so did my heart.
    I called Sean
as we passed through the center of London. He didn’t