Page 116 of Gilded Saint

“Interpol got involved with the pharmaceutical scandal. Cross-border crime.”

He’s been showing me photos of my sisters for years, but they were taken by surveillance. I face Sophia and Fisher. “I thought the two of you?—”

“They did,” Jack interrupts. “But they all met at a legal proceeding, and your sister Sage seems to be good at maintaining friendships.” I smile at that. Because yeah, she is. “Ryan was on vacation in Europe at the time of the big bust, and he got to know Tristan and his wife, and we all got together last year. And of course, part of Nomad’s assignment was to stay abreast of your sisters so he would have updates for you.”

He was good about it, too. At every meetup, he had an update. But he never shared he’d become friends with them. “I’ve missed a lot over these years, haven’t I?”

“A great service to your country, but also a great sacrifice,” Jack says.

Not one to dwell on commendation, I ask, “Do we know yet who rushed the extraction?” If it had gone as planned, I would’ve been alone. I would’ve had Willow set up with security in a new location.

“Nikolai Ivanov,” Liam says.

Liam is the one who originally set up my going abroad under the guise of a Sullivan Arms salesperson.

“The immediate extraction was one of his conditions,” Liam adds.

I let out a breath, confused. I left Nick a number but didn’t know if he’d use it. “He’s an asset now?”

“Our first meeting is in a week,” Sophia says. “Fisher and I need your help. We’ll be his contacts. Interpol is reallocating resources. We need to understand everything about his schedule. The players in his world. Anything that will help us so we can cultivate him.”

“And keep him safe,” I add, given that’s the part she left out of her statement.

Fisher adds, “Absolutely.”

That’s good. I’m glad Nick’s working with us. It’s the best possible scenario.

“Why did Nick rush the extraction?”

Jack smiles. “Because you did what any good undercover operative does. You developed a genuine friendship with the man. And he said you needed your wife. That she was the best thing that happened to you.”

“But…he didn’t know the extraction details.”

“No. But you convinced him to be an asset and gave him a number to call.”

“And?”

“He called. Pieced things together. Nick can be a persuasive individual,” Liam says.

“He’s the one who hired Cohen? Nick sicced Mossad on us?”

“Ex-Mossad,” Jack corrects. “We told Nick we needed more time. He told us he wanted to see us in action. Wanted to see us prove our worth.”

“And you all jumped.” Fucking CIA. “Prioritized an asset over an officer.”

“You know what’s at stake,” Jack says in a tone that lets me know he’s had enough insolence and he’s on the verge of pulling rank. “Besides, our new asset made it clear you and your wife were his priority. He gave us no choice.”

Dammit, Nick. He always has to believe he knows best.

“He also sends a message,” Liam says.

“Yeah?” I ask, wondering what exactly he would have to tell me.

“He says that if you ever need him, to call.”

My throat tightens a notch. Nick and I worked closely for years. We treated each other like family. But I thought once he found out I’d been his leak, he’d want me dead. I feared he’d kill my sisters if he ever got their real identity.

“You didn’t share with him?—”

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