The Project 02 - The Lance

sleep. A car will pick you up at 0700. We will start our joint effort then, beginning with your contact."
    " Understood."
    It felt good to stand up after hours of sitting. The stitches hurt. Outside the interrogation room, Herzog gave him his possessions and his pistol. Nick strapped it on and breathed easier. He was spattered with blood from the mall, his head hurt and he needed a shower and about ten hours of sleep he wasn't going to get.
    A police car took him back to the hotel.

CHAPTER EIGHT

    It was after two in the morning on Wednesday in Jerusalem. It was seven in the evening on Tuesday in Washington. Nick called Harker. He told her about the attack on the mall, his new alliance with Shin Bet.
    " Give me a minute."
    Carter heard her coughing in the background. He rubbed the back of his head where he'd hit the pavement. He had a hell of a headache and he was dizzy. Probably a mild concussion. He'd sleep it off.
    After a brief pause Harker came back. "I've got a file on Herzog on my screen now."
    " How far should I go with him?"
    " He's a serious player. You don't get Jerusalem as your job in Shin Bet without a great track record. Wounded twice in the field, commendations from his superiors, a medal from the Prime Minister. He's a good man to have on our side."
    " So, full cooperation?"
    " Yes. Let Herzog run the show, but keep your ear to the ground and keep me informed."
    " Roger that."
    " Get some sleep. You'll need it."
    Carter signed off. He thought for a moment and decided to call Selena. He wasn't sure why.
    " Hey."
    " Hey, yourself. How's Jerusalem?"
    "Not what I expected." Her voice made him realize he missed her. It was an odd feeling, something he'd forgotten. He told her what had happened.
    "Are you okay?"
    " I'm fine, just tired."
    H er voice was tense. "You were almost killed by a bomb, two thugs went after you with knives, you were arrested and you're just tired? That's it? How do you feel?"
    " Like I said, tired. What am I supposed to feel?"
    " I don't know. Upset, maybe?"
    " What good would that do? What did you do today?"
    Carter felt his head getting tight, like it always did when someone pushed him for feelings. After Afghanistan some shrink was always asking how he felt. It was a stupid question. He'd always answered it the same way. How would you feel, if you'd blown the head off a kid? There wasn't any point in talking about it. Probing it. He'd had to do it, that's all. He didn't want to think about it. Feelings just got in the way.
    Selena took a deep breath. "I worked out with Ronnie. He's something, isn't he?"
    That was better. " You bet. He'll run you under if you let him."
    " I got even, though. We practiced some hand to hand combat. After that he decided we'd go to the range."
    Nick laughed. Selena had a 7 th degree black belt in Kuk Sool Won. Ronnie was outmatched.
    "I miss you," he said. It surprised him. It was true. "I wanted to hear your voice."
    " When are you coming back?"
    " I don't know. After Rice's speech."
    " When you get back, let's go someplace and drink too much wine."
    "A date? You're on."
    A few more words and Carter hung up.
    On the other end, Selena set the phone down. She let out a long breath. Talking with Nick was like talking to someone who lived inside an armored car. As long as it was about anything except the way he felt, it was fine. Try to get in, and the doors were locked.
    She knew something about armor. She'd been ten when her parents were killed. Armor kept the pain away. Hers was forged out of achievement. Perfection in everything. Academics, sports, it had worked like a dream. Maybe it intimidated some people, but it had worked.
    At least it had worked until her uncle had been murdered.
    Then she'd met Elizabeth Harker and been tossed into Nick's world. A violent, dangerous world, and she'd gotten hooked on it, hooked on Nick in spite of herself. She'd never be able to go back to the life she'd had before. It was gone. Gone like the wind.
    It made her mad at herself. She was hooked on a man who kept the lid clamped down tight on his feelings. Who kept them locked up in the dark. Sometimes looking at him was like looking at a mirror. She wasn't sure she liked what she saw.
    She went down to the workout room in the hotel and began stretching. She was almost ready to test for her next belt. At her level, there was no room for error. One mistake and it would be a year before she could test again.
    For the next hour she practiced, watching herself in