assassin had been ferreted out and the extent of his exposure was known. The War Department wouldn’t let him work cases if they felt he was in danger of being caught because of identity leaks.
He couldn’t be removed from this case. It was too important. Too personal. He had to solve it and solve it quickly.
Isley shot Lucas a glance. “It’s hard to say if Emily was discovered. The use of women as spies is one of the deepest secrets in the War Department. But either way, Mr. Tyler needs our help. He’s been ordered to take our help.”
Lucas flinched. Yes, that was true. “Very well, Isley, but just what are you suggesting?” He folded his arms. “We’ve established Lady Allington won’t be going into the field any time soon. What would you have me do?”
Isley gave a little smile that Lucas didn’t trust at all. A cold chill ran up his spine. Whatever the man was about to say, he wasn’t going to like it.
“No, Emily can no longer work with you,” Isley conceded. “Even if she weren’t hurt, we can’t take the risk that her identity has been exposed. But there is one person who can help you.” He turned to Anastasia Whittig. “Ana.”
Ana actually felt the blood draining from her cheeks as both men turned to her. Despite her bravado in proclaiming herself a spy when Lucas Tyler questioned the ability of female agents, she wasn’t . In fact, in spite of her training, she was terrified of the prospect!
Lucas looked her up and down with the same sharp, all-seeing stare he had turned on her a few moments earlier. And like before she felt judged.
He shook his head with a dismissive air. “ Her ? In the field?”
Ana’s hackles rose, pushing aside her fears. What right did this pompous, arrogant man have to declare what she was and was not capable of? He who did not even know her beyond a few piercing glances and less than five exchanges of conversation?
She folded her own arms in mimicry of his tense posture.
“Actually, Mr. Tyler, I am the expert with code-breaking in our organization, not Emily, so if you’re looking for assistance in that arena, I’m the better choice. And if it means finding the person who attacked my friend and bringing him to justice, then I am more than happy to work in the field.” She couldn’t believe the words that were falling from her lips. Nor, apparently, could she stop them. “In fact, I insist upon it.”
Her rational mind screamed at her to stop talking. That she didn’t want to take to the field. That she wasn’t ready. But it was too late. The words had already escaped. Charlie was staring at her with a proud beam on his face. And Lucas Tyler was smirking in a way that made her want to load a pistol and charge into battle, if only to bring his superior attitude down a notch or two.
Irritating man.
He turned away from her pointed glare. “LookIsley, I never wanted to work with a woman in the first place, but at least it was clear Lady Allington knew what she was doing.” His gaze swung back to Ana. She shifted beneath it and the angry heat it inspired in her chest. “Have you even been in the field?”
Ana let her tense arms slowly ease to her sides. She shifted, dodging his seeking eyes. She hated how just a look from this man made her so nervous and unsure of herself. “I—I have worked on cases.”
His eyebrow arched. “In the field, my lady.”
Ana pursed her lips. She couldn’t avoid such a direct inquiry. “Only once. I assisted our other associate, Meredith Archer, in closing a case last year.”
He barked out a laugh of triumph. “And that is all?”
She nodded with reluctance. “But,” she continued, “I have done research, broken codes, developed devices…”
Lucas raised his hands and let them drop at his sides as he turned back to Charlie. “You see, she’s sequestered herself away doing research. She’s hardly faced any real danger. Her uncertainty could be deadly to us both.”
She gasped in outrage. “You