Chapter 3

The protesters were at bay, the threat level was significantly less than they'd expected. The delegations were all playing nice and for once all was quiet. Why it had to be like that today she had no idea. Danger and mayhem would have been a welcome distraction. Still, at least she'd had to have no more contact with Harry since their meeting by reception.

It was too quiet. He had nothing to do but babysit politicians and diplomats. They could look after themselves, he decided. He was going to the bar.

He regretted what he'd said to her but he still didn't know quite what he'd done that had so upset her. The only times he's seen her were last night when she delivered the file to his room, which was awkward, but not unusually so, for them. Perhaps it was that she had caught him looking her, could hear him warring with himself, fighting the desire to just kiss her and damn the consequences. Ruth was capable of many things, maybe she was a mindreader now.

God help him.

The only other time he'd seen her today, before she snapped at him infront of the whole team, was as she left the restaurant earlier in the morning. He'd just come down and Lucas caught him mid yawn.

"Late night?" Lucas had asked.

"No, just didn't get much sleep."

He'd heard the plate drop, looked round and saw Ruth nearby attempting to pick it up. It reminded him of her first day and he couldn't help but smile. He had caught her eye only for a second then she had looked away and studiously avoided him, she'd left still holding the broken bits of crockery.

He still couldn't see it.

"Another malt" The barman nodded understandingly.

"Ruth, there's nothing much happening, if you want to go and …" Lucas tailed off, he couldn't actually think of what Ruth might go and do. "You know, read, go for a walk, or something".

He was right to hesitate, she had nothing to do, , nothing but feel sorry for herself and curse Harry. However she did sense that they would probably all feel a lot happier if her black mood was no longer casting a long shadow across the Ops room.

"Ok". She walked, eyes cast down out of the room.

"I can't take much more of this, what's got in to them today?" Dimitri was only vaguely aware as to the finer feelings between them.

"Harry loves Ruth, Ruth loves Harry. Nothing ever happens." Tariq's assessment was a good one.

"Something happened last night" said Beth and they all turned to look at her.

"Not that, not… whatever you're all thinking". They looked disappointed. "Actually, to say something happened is a bit of an exaggeration, it was that something didn't happen"

"Well, that sounds much more like them" said Lucas.

"So what was it that didn't happen?" Dimitri prompted Beth.

"I was watching her, she was really distracted. Anyway eventually she went to Harry's room and made to knock but then she froze, looked really upset and ran off back to her room."

"God, they're worse than teenagers" Lucas laughed but from fondness.

They all pondered.

"What time was it? Asked Tariq

"Eleven thirty ish"

"Which room?"

"Harry's room. 23."

Tariq and Lucas looked at each other. "Harry's old room" said Tariq.

"What?" She was confused.

"Did I not put it on the briefing notes this morning?" Asked Lucas to a quizzical Beth and Dimitri. They shook their heads.

"Sorry, obviously run off my feet! I had some concerns over Harry's security, there were issues with sight lines into the grounds. I asked him to change rooms last night."

Tariq smiled. "So Ruth finally got up the courage to go to Harry and even if she hadn't chickened out, she would have been knocking on the wrong door."

"They are a hopeless case, it's official." Dimitri added.

"No, she didn't chicken out." Beth was still mulling over what she'd seen.

"It wasn't that. She reacted to something."

"Well, she couldn't have seen anything" Dimitri added. "She must have heard something."

"Tariq, was anyone moved into Harry's old room?"

They all gathered around Tariq's desk as he sought to answer Lucas's question.

"Yes. A member of the Italian delegation, Alessandra Del Piero." Her picture came up on Tariq's screen, he raised his eyebrows, Dimitri looked appreciatively.

"Shit" said Lucas.

They all turned to him. "She's the mistress of the Internal Affairs Minister, amonst others. She has one hell of a reputation."

"So she was probably in there with someone when Ruth called by" said Beth, all things becoming painfully clearer.

"Shit" echoed Tariq. "No wonder Ruth was upset this morning."

Harry had had enough. He needed air. He was sick of feeling sorry for himself. He got up and made his way into the grounds. A brisk walk would do him good and he needed to get away.

Ruth was gazing at her book. She'd brought a book of Arabian poetry, well that was a huge mistake, a slasher movie would have been more suited to her mood.

She needed air. She needed to get out of the hotel and clear her mind of him, clear her mind of hotel rooms, hotel beds, tangled sheets.

She closed the door, leaving her phone, if they wanted her they'd have to come find her. For once she didn't care.

"What do we do?"

They'd all been sat quietly until Dimitri broke the silence.

Lucas had an answer "We hold off, give them a little time and see if they can sort it out for themselves"

Three pairs of eyes looked sceptically at him.

"Okay. Stupid"

There was a silence. It was Beth's turn.

"Well, I don't think we can talk to Harry about it, he'd probably chew us up before we'd even got past the name of Ruth…so it has to be Ruth. I'll phone her and say that the briefing notes were incomplete this morning, make something up about the French and then just remember to tell her Harry's security was under scrutiny and he was moved to a new room yesterday."

"Easy" said Dimitri.

"I doubt it" said Tariq.