Red Widow

THIRTY-FOUR

Theresa stands outside Lyndsey’s office, listening. She has always been as quiet as a nun. Able to hide from her parents, sneak up on her husband.

She overheard all of Lyndsey’s conversation with Kincaid’s supervisor. There can only be one reason Lyndsey is looking for Kincaid: Lyndsey is onto her. Once she finds out Kincaid is in the hospital and starts tracing Theresa’s steps, it will be over.

She will lose everything. Her son. Her one chance to get Richard out of prison.

Which means all these terrible things she’s done will be for nothing. Betrayed her country, caused one man’s death, probably responsible for a second (though not Yaromir Popov, she had nothing to do with that).

All for nothing if the Russians don’t pull her out in time.

Tick tock, tick tock. With every minute, she feels Lyndsey closing in on her.

Tarasenko is a sadist, keeping her on tenterhooks.

She feels helpless. She doesn’t like to feel helpless.

She tiptoes away from Lyndsey’s office, silent as a swan gliding across a lake. She needs a minute alone. She grabs her purse and heads to the ladies’ room. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, she plucks nervously at her hair. Reapplies her lipstick, moisturizes her hands.

What she needs is a plan, a way to buy time if everything goes to hell.

She’s pretty sure Lyndsey hasn’t put it all together yet, or else they’d have arrested her already.

All she has to do is keep Lyndsey from putting the last pieces together.

There’s still time.

As she returns the moisturizer bottle to her purse, her hand falls on the tiny Altoids tin. She picks it up, gives it a shake. Is rewarded with a tinny little rattle.

There’s still half a pill inside.