High Alert

CHAPTER 51

Nick sat next to Selena on the couch in their loft, looking out over the Potomac River. He had his arm around her shoulder. A Paul Kleé painting hung over the couch, a gift Selena had given him when he still lived in his apartment.

It was early evening. A bottle of wine sat on a coffee table in front of them.

"Rice is going to give us a medal," Nick said. "Of course we don't get to wear it, just hold it for a little bit until they put it away somewhere."

"We don't deserve a medal. We didn't stop that bastard from launching those missiles."

"No, we didn't. But we knew what had happened. That meant I could tell Harker and she could tell the Russians. If she hadn't gotten hold of Vysotsky, we wouldn't be sitting here. That river down there would be glowing in the dark."

"It was close, wasn't it?"

"I thought I was the one that understated things," Nick said.

Selena picked up her glass and drank.

"Is it all right for you to drink that now?"

"You mean the baby?"

"Yes. Junior."

"What if it's a girl?"

"You're not answering my question."

"After saving the world, I'm entitled to one glass of wine. But it's the last one for a while."

"We were really lucky," Nick said. "If one of those Tomahawks had gotten through, Moscow would've gone up in a mushroom cloud. As it was, some of the THAAD missiles did a lot of damage when they hit."

"I imagine the Pentagon is busy analyzing the Russian defense system," Selena said. "It's a lot better than we thought it was."

"That's not all they're analyzing. First they had General Sanford handing over plans to North Korea, then it turns out there's a rogue element in the Pentagon that thinks we should have nuclear tactical weapons on the ground in Europe. Their little stunt just blew the whole nuclear proliferation treaty to hell."

"Maybe in the end it'll be a good thing," Selena said. "Everyone will be forced to go back to the negotiating table after this. Who knows, we might even get an agreement to reduce these weapons."

"Yeah, maybe."

Nick refilled his glass.

"We need to talk. About you and the team."

"I know. When I was driving toward that gate, I wasn't thinking about much except going through it without getting killed. But afterward, I started thinking about us. I could've lost the baby. I don't know why I didn't. I hit the ground pretty hard when I jumped out of that truck."

"You can't go into the field anymore."

"We talked about this before. Even if I hadn't gotten pregnant, it was time. I want to go back to the languages, studying and translating ancient writings. Teaching people about them. I'm good at it and I miss it. It's less exciting than chasing down assholes like Haltman, but in its own way it's just as challenging."

"We'll still work together," Nick said. "The only difference is you're back in a consulting role. Like when we met."

"I hope not quite like when we met. That wasn't the most peaceful day I've ever had. I really loved that car."

Selena snuggled up against him.

"What are we going to name him?" Nick asked.

"Her," Selena said. "What are we going to name her?"