The Project 01 - White Jade

drinks. The waiter returned.
    Selena downed a third of her drink and set her glass on the table.
    Carter said, " I was going to offer you dinner somewhere. Maybe another time. "
    " People just tried to kill us and you ' re thinking about dinner? "
    He shrugged. " Still have to eat. You all right? "
    She took another hit from her glass. " Better. "
    " Want another? "
    " Yes. "
    Carter signaled the waiter.
    When he came over she said, " Art, can you bring us some calamari and a cheese plate, maybe some bread and oil on the side, with some of those little sausages? And another round? "
    Nick reached for his wallet. " I ' ll get it. "
    She touched his hand. " Please. Let me. If you hadn ' t been with me I wouldn ' t be sitting here right now. "
    True. He put his wallet away.
    " Where did you learn to drive like that? " he said.
    " I took a course in case I ever needed it. My uncle was wealthy , it made me a potential target. I thought I might have to get away fast some day. "
    " You were right. Why didn ' t the airbags deploy? "
    " I turned them off. There ' s a switch on the dash. " She emptied her glass. " I never thought anyone would shoot at me. "
    " They missed, that ' s what counts. Harker 's putting a guard outside your room tonight. "
    Selena fiddled with her straw. " You always carry that gun? "
    " Yes. You shoot? "
    " I ' ve got a Ladysmith, but I don ' t carry it. I never felt I needed to, but I will now . I ' m a good shot. "
    She took the straw from her glass, looked down at it and twisted it in her hands.
    " I can ' t get over how fast it was. I don ' t know what to think. People died out there. "
    " Better them than you. "
    " Maybe they just wanted money. I could have given them that. "
    " I don ' t think so. I think s omeone wants that book. It would have been bad if they ' d grab bed you. "
    " You think they know about the house? Where we ' re going? "
    " Probably not . They don ' t know the book is in California and they think you ' re here in D.C. It should be okay. "
    Carter wasn ' t sure it would be okay, but there wasn ' t anything to do about it . K eep his eyes open.
    Art brought the food and another round.
    "How did you get involved with Harker?" she asked.
    "She recruited me when I came back from Afghanistan . A friend introduced us."
    "What was it like, over there?"
    The memories started. He didn't want them. "It was insane." He picked up his glass and changed the subject. "Harker said you're a language expert?"
    " D ialects and ancient languages. I give lectures and I consult with NSA. I come to Washington a lot. " She sipped her drink. " Your Director seems pretty sharp. "
    " Not much gets by her. "
    " What branch of the service were you in? "
    " Marine Recon , thirteen years. "
    There was an awkward pause. Carter picked up a piece of bread.
    She said, " You have any family around here? "
    " No . My mother ' s in California. She's got Alzheimer ' s. My sister is two years older than me. We don ' t see eye to eye on things. My father's dead."
    Something about Selena made it eas y to talk .
    " My father was a drunk. He used to beat the hell out of my mother and me. He was one of the reasons I went into the Marines , to do something about people like him . People who use fear to get what they want . I figured the Corps would give me a shot at making a difference. It didn't work out like I thought. "
    Nick looked at the gleaming bottles behind the bar, thinking about his father.
    " How about you? " he said.
    Something flickered across her face, a moment's darkness. " My parents and brother died when I was ten. Uncle William brought me up. There ' s no one else now. "
    She set a half eaten snack down on her plate. " How are we going to stop these people who came after us ? "
    " With Harker on it we ' ll get them. It might take some time. "
    " I want to help. "
    " We need to know what ' s in the book and why they want it . Maybe you could translate it. "
    " The Sanskrit's no problem. Everyone guesses at Linear A. "
    Nick looked at his watch. " I have to make a call . Thanks for the drinks. "
    " My pleasure. "
    " Here comes your bodyguard." He gestured at a tall man coming into the bar. " Harker will send a car in the morning. You want me to walk you to your room? "
    " No, I ' ll be fine. "
    He got a cab outside the hotel and thought about her standing on a highway littered with spent shells and bodies . Standing in an instant war zone . S he could have gotten hysterical. Instead, she ' d been