Page 17 of Stolen Salvation

“Charlie was just telling me how she knew Jack Granger back in the day.”

Bishop’s gaze flew to his ex-wife in shock. “You did?”

Her small nod and the fact she couldn’t seem to look him in the eye made him suspicious. She was hiding something. “How?”

“We worked a couple of cases together when you were in Iraq on assignment.”

Bishop sat in the seat beside her, remembering the time she was talking about. It wasn’t long after they’d met, and they worked cases independently. He’d been stationed in the fucking sandbox for six months as the usual case officer had been injured and he spoke fluent Arabic. “You never mentioned it.”

Charlie shrugged. “It didn’t seem important.”

“Hmm.”

Bishop tightened his grip on the arm of the chair as he processed the knowledge. Charlie knew the man who’d rescued him and subsequently offered him his place here in Shadow. Coincidence? He didn’t think so.

“Are you two all set for today?”

Charlie nodded at Bás. “Yes. I believe so.”

“Actually, there are a few things if you have time, Charlie.”

She looked wary. “Oh, okay.”

Bás stood. “Perhaps you two can drive up together and discuss it. I don’t want us to get caught in traffic and end up late.”

“Yeah, sure, that works.”

Perhaps a few hours in the car would help him figure this link out.

An hour later they were on the road with him in the driver’s seat and Charlie holding on to the seat as her inner control freak tried to find peace.

“Still hate being a passenger, I see.”

Charlie physically relaxed her death grip on the seat. “Some things don’t change.”

“And others do.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Concentrating as he changed lanes and merged onto the motorway, Bishop thought about how best to ask the question mulling around his brain, without causing a fight.

“Ask what you need to ask, Noah.”

He glanced at her to see her eyes still on the scenery outside. “Did you ask Jack to give me this job?”

“No. I arranged for him to be there to extract you after I shot you, but I didn’t ask him to give you this job, I had no idea he was involved in Shadow until now.” Her eyes came to him then and he had to look away from the warmth in them. “That was all you, Noah. You made a name for yourself at the agency, and he clearly needed someone with your skills on his team.”

“So you planned to leave way before that night at Armand’s villa?”

“I wanted my bases covered.”

“That’s not a fucking answer, Charlie.”

She threw up her hands, twisting in her seat to face him. “What do you want from me, Noah?”

“The truth.”

“You know the truth. I fucked up. I wrecked our world, and I gave you an out.”