Shady Oak, Fairfax County, Virginia
11.30 p.m.

The CIA staff vehicle pulled up outside Alex’s little white wood house in the sleepy town a few miles from the Headquarters at Langley. Alex and Zoë climbed out of the back doors, and two agents walked them up the pathway through the tiny garden to the front door. The street was empty and quiet. Alex opened the door and the guards checked all over the house. Everything was fine. They returned to the car. In a few hours another would come to take its place.

Alex showed Zoë inside the open-plan living room. ‘Make yourself at home,’ she said, flipping on sidelights. The house felt a little cold and unlived in, she thought, and went over to the fireplace and turned on the imitation gas fire for instant flames. She checked her answerphone. No messages. Life with the Company.

Zoë flopped on a white leather sofa, rubbing her eyes.

‘You look exhausted,’ Alex said. ‘I think we both could do with a drink. What do you say?’ She walked through to the neat kitchen and took a bottle of red wine from the rack, opened it and poured them each a large glass. Zoë accepted hers gratefully.

‘Well, here we are,’ Alex said.

Zoë smiled. ‘Here we are.’

‘It’s been a hell of a time, hasn’t it?’

Zoë nodded. ‘I don’t even want to think about it. It feels so strange to be here. I can’t wait to get home.’

‘Your parents will be glad to see you again.’

‘I called them from Langley.’

‘How did it go?’

‘They cried.’

‘There’ll be more of that when you get there,’ Alex said.

‘Probably.’

‘I’m going to make us some dinner. You like pizza?’

‘Anything.’

‘I just remembered you’re vegetarian. It has pepperoni and anchovies. Want me to scrape them off yours?’

‘Leave them on,’ Zoë said. ‘I could eat a pickled donkey.’

Just then the phone rang, and Alex answered on the speakerphone.

‘It’s all arranged,’ Murdoch’s deep voice said on the line. ‘Miss Bradbury is booked on a commercial flight to London from Arlington in the morning. Callaghan will be at your place just after ten to pick her up and escort her to the airport.’

‘Copy that,’ Alex said.

‘Then I want you to take some leave for a while,’ Murdoch said. ‘You’ve been through a lot.’

Alex thanked him, and the call ended.

Zoë was starting to look warm and relaxed on the leather sofa in front of the fire. She peeled off her jumper and tossed it down on the floor. ‘So it looks like you’re on vacation.’

‘I could use it, I tell you.’ Alex went back into the kitchen and fished the pizza out of the freezer. She stuck it in the microwave, and a few minutes later the two of them were sitting at the maple wood breakfast bar, washing down the pizza with more wine.

‘This is such a cosy little place,’ Zoë said through a mouthful.

‘It does the job. It’s practical and functional. I’m barely ever here, so it suits me fine.’

‘You live alone, then?’

‘Just little me.’

‘No boyfriend?’

‘No time.’

Zoë emptied her glass and set it down, a smile playing on her lips. ‘You like Ben, though.’

Alex was just raising the bottle to top up their glasses. She froze. ‘That obvious?’

‘Pretty obvious.’

Alex sighed. Raised her eyebrows. ‘Not much of a secret agent, then.’ She poured the wine.

‘He likes you too.’

Alex didn’t answer.

‘But I don’t think he likes me very much,’ Zoë said, frowning as she took another sip.

‘I don’t know that’s true,’ Alex lied.

‘I don’t blame him. I’ve been a shit to him. In fact, I’ve been a shit to a lot of people.’

‘You were under a lot of stress.’

Zoë shook her head. ‘No excuses. I want you to know that I’m really sorry for what I did, and all the trouble it caused.’

Alex smiled and patted her arm. ‘It’s over now,’ she said. Just the small matter of World War Three about to start, she was thinking. ‘Your part is, anyway.’

‘Will you be seeing Ben again?’

‘I don’t know. I hope so. Maybe.’

‘If you do, will you tell him something from me?’

‘Sure.’

‘Tell him I never meant for his friend to be… for what happened to his friend. I never wanted anyone to be hurt. It was just a stupid hoax. I didn’t think it through.’

‘I’ll tell him, don’t worry.’ Alex smiled warmly.

Zoë gazed into the middle distance for a while. ‘I’m so sorry about Nikos,’ she whispered. ‘He’s dead. And it’s my doing.’ She sniffed. ‘And Skid. His poor legs. He didn’t deserve that.’

‘No, I don’t suppose he did.’

‘I’m going to change,’ Zoë said. ‘Things are going to be different from now on. It’s time I grew up.’

‘Why don’t we open another bottle of that wine?’ said Alex.