Private Dublin

Chapter 65

I drove through Dublin, my mind racing. I’d been knocked off balance by the attack on the refugee center and hadn’t been as careful as I should have been to ensure we weren’t followed from the scene. With hindsight, it was easy to see that I should have taken more precautions on the way back from the fire, and I realized how simple it would have been for the Dark Fates on the ground to put a man or two on our tail. They could have watched me being interviewed by the Gardai and afterward followed me and Andi, identifying our safehouse and making a move at their leisure.

I hit the steering wheel in frustration, and Andi jumped.

“Sorry,” I said.

“No, I’m sorry,” she replied. “I should have been paying more attention on our way back.”

“I was thinking exactly the same thing,” I confessed. “About myself, of course.”

She smiled wistfully. “A couple of high achievers blaming themselves for a perceived failing they probably could have done very little to prevent,” she remarked.

I wasn’t sure where I was heading, but we were on Morehampton Road, heading south, and had just passed the intersection with Herbert Park when my phone rang. I hadn’t saved any contact details yet, but I knew this number by heart.

“Mo,” I said when I answered.

“Jack, where are you?” she asked.

“In the car. We had to evacuate in a hurry. Some unwanted guests came to visit.”

“Jeez, Jack. Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I replied. “Apart from a bruised ego.”

“Is Andi with you?” she asked, and something about her tone made my hackles rise.

“Yes,” I replied, glancing at Andi, who smiled.

“But she can’t hear me?”

“No,” I said, glad I hadn’t connected my phone to the car’s Bluetooth system.

Mo hesitated for a moment.

“Jack, I went through Sam Farrell’s narcotics cases. His biggest was a joint operation between the Gardai and the Metropolitan Police in London,” she revealed, and my stomach lurched in anticipation of what was coming. “His Met liaison was Andrea Harris.”

I looked sidelong at Andi and tried to conceal my dismay as the implications of this revelation hit me.

“They worked together for six months, Jack,” Mo-bot continued. “She knows him. She knows him well.”

“Thanks for that,” I replied, trying to maintain my composure. “Follow up and let me know what else you find.”

“I will, Jack, but please be careful,” Mo-bot cautioned. “She’s dangerous.”

“I hear you,” I replied. “You don’t need to worry. I’ll be in touch.”

I hung up and pocketed my phone. I felt sick but forced myself to look at Andi. I was horrified when I saw her reach into her pocket and produce a small .38 revolver, which she rested on her lap. She wrapped her fingers around the gun, its muzzle pointing straight at me.

“I knew it was only a matter of time,” she said, and my whole body flushed with rage as I realized I’d been outsmarted by a traitor.