Blades of Winter by G. T. Almasi

think she’ll come right back, but she stays in the other room. I switch to infrared and see her leaning against a counter with her arms wrapped around herself. It isn’t until she buries her face in her hands that I realize she’s crying. I switch off the infrared, suddenly feeling like a Peeping Tom.
    Patrick picks this fabulous moment to comm in. “Hey, Alix, got a minute?”
    “Uh, not really. I’m in the middle of some intense time with Mom.”
    “Oh, sorry. I’ll comm you later. This can wait.”
    “Real quick, what is it?”
    “We’ve got a Job Number.”
    I sit up straight, and my pulse shifts into overdrive. “Where? When?”
    “France. As soon as your hand is healed enough for you to travel. We’re going to retrace your father’s last mission and see what we can turn up while Info looks into Carbon. Chanez wants us to start by talking to our House in Paris.”
    “Why don’t we just call him?” I comm.
    “Because the Director wants to keep this job out of CORE. Long-distance comms go through the satellites and are automatically logged. Chanez doesn’t want to leave any kind of data trail to tip the other agencies that we’re going after Big Bertha.”
    “How would competitors’ agencies read our comm logs?”
    “No,
our
agencies,” Patrick comms. “He’s setting us up with a cover mission. Something we’ll have to physically go to Paris for.”
    What the hell is he talking about?
I tilt my head to one side. “Huh?”
    “I’ll tell you later. You get back to your mom.”
    Whatever
. “Okay. Later.”
    “Later,
ma cherie
. Hang in there.”

    TO: Front Desk, German Section, ExOps
    FROM: Office of the Director, ExOps
    DATE: May 5, 1980
    SUBJECT: Job Number 74-17667A
    Cyrus,
    You are requested and required to dispatch an Interceptor/IO team to Paris. Their mission is to destroy the operational capabilities of a cell of the Fuerza Libertad.
    The FL has become the largest faction of the revived Cuban Liberation Movement, and this group in Paris is channeling money to the Cuban terrorists. Make an example of them. We believe that this movement aims to violently derail next year’s twentieth anniversary celebration of Cuba’s statehood. They must not be allowed to gain momentum.
    Your team will rendezvous with our House in Paris, who will provide additional details.
    Good luck,
Eduardo Chanez, Director
    Cyrus
,
    Here’s the real one. Based on the signals intelligence from Hector’s meeting in Manhattan, we’re unofficially reopening the internal investigation into Big Bertha’s capture and alleged termination. I’ve taken to calling it BLOODHOUND
.
    This is not going into CORE. I share your sense that one of our sister agencies has a mole. Also, we don’t need to remind our friends in Langley about one of ExOps’ biggest disasters, especially on a long shot like this
.
    As we discussed, assign this to Scarlet and Solomon. Philip’s last mission was controlled from Paris, so have them begin their search there. Remember, if the trail is cold, you’re to bring Scarlet and Solomon directly home and we’ll see what Info can discover. Speaking of which, Harbaugh is privy to this mission and will provide remote—and very discreet—support
.
    Good luck
,
    E.C.

C HAPTER 10
F IVE DAYS LATER , S ATURDAY , M AY 10, 4:05 P.M. EST L UFTHANSA F LIGHT 617 TO P ARIS
    One advantage of being so short is that I’m perfectly comfortable in an economy airplane seat. Trick also fits well since he’s only a couple inches taller than I am. I feel bad for those huge guys who have to fold themselves into a pretzel whenever they fly coach.
    We drink cherry schnapps and play cribbage on the flight from Washington to Paris. The cribbage board sits on my partner’s tray table since he’s the one who deals the cards, keeps score, and pours the schnapps into the cans of Coke we got from the waitresses. I’m a terrible card player, but I make it clear that I won’t play if I lose. When Patrick points out