"Harry? Harry are you sure about this?"
There was a bubbling of rage and hurt coursing through his body that he could not seem to ignore. Ruth had followed him out of the forgery suite to second guess him and he turned, leaning in close. Perhaps a bit too close. Perhaps a bit too menacingly. "Doubting my judgment?"
She froze and put her head down submissively. "No. No, I was just saying…"
"We've done what was asked," he interrupted. "That's an end to it." And with that, he turned away and walked back to his office.
Ruth did not follow this time. He was glad to be given a reprieve from her judgments over his constant failings in her eyes. But at the same time, he almost wished she would follow him. Talk to him, really. They'd had that awful fight on Saturday after dinner with Malcolm when she'd stormed out of his house. And not having anything else to do, he had come to the Grid on Sunday to get some work done. He still had some reports to review and finalize after the Westinghouse debacle last week. Anything to get his mind off of Ruth. But of course, she'd had the same idea he did, and she showed up at her desk about an hour after Harry had begun his work. All day, he'd allowed them to work in peace. She had not come to talk to him, and he had a feeling she did not really want him to talk to her. Finally, when it was getting late, Harry decided to offer an olive branch and ask her to dinner so they could talk.
Fat lot of good it did. This mess with Azakstan and the AFF had come about, which of course took precedence over their personal life. He had hoped to clear the air with her so their issues wouldn't affect the work, but Ruth rebuffed him again. And he'd just had to let her get to work.
Lucas went to Russia, Ruth and Tariq prepped and monitored the entire operation beautifully, and Harry, Beth, and Dimitri watched at Tariq's desk. The Paroxocybin sample was destroyed, job done. Then the FSB, in typical fashion, slaughtered all the witnesses to blame on the AFF and discredit the group. And when Tariq had tried to tell Lucas that one of the AFF members had survived, Harry stopped him. As he'd told Ruth, the man had just lost his country. He did not need to lose his life.
Harry sighed and decided to call it a day. He got his coat and left the Grid without saying another word to anyone. Tomorrow was another day.
Ruth either did not see him go or did not care. She didn't show up at his house, as he'd half-expected her to do. She did not even call him. Perhaps he should have tried harder to get her to talk to him. But he didn't. Sad and exhausted, Harry just went to bed.
The next day, of course, the AFF was all over the news, as was the Home Secretary's decision to ban the group from the UK. Harry found it despicable, but it wasn't his place to have opinions. Equally despicable was the message he received just after arriving on the Grid that the Russian Ambassador wanted to see him. He'd not even taken off his coat yet. He turned around to walk over to the river by the embassy, as instructed.
"Where are you off to?" Ruth asked as he walked by.
"Russian Ambassador wants to meet," he said simply.
"Be nice," she warned.
If they'd been on better terms, Harry might have given a smile at that. Instead, he just grunted noncommittally. He wasn't in a very nice mood. Particularly not toward the Russians.
But Harry had a friendly smile and a kind greeting when he did meet up with the Ambassador.
"A small gesture of our appreciation," the man said, giving Harry a bottle bag. "Your favorite, I believe."
"You are very well informed." It made Harry's skin crawl. Old habits died hard.
The two men walked along the riverbank as the ambassador thanked Harry for Section D's assistance with the Azakstan issue, comparing Russia's invasion with the British involvement in the Falklands. It took everything in Harry to maintain a base level of politeness.
Azis Aibek, the man Harry had allowed to escape with his life, was apparently on his way to London in search of the last remaining Paroxocybin sample, and the Russians wanted Harry's team to find him and return him to the Russians. The absolute bloody nerve of them.
"It is a new world, Sir Harry," the ambassador said.
It felt to Harry that it was the old world, still, just with less sincerity. Yes, Russia and the UK might vote together in the UN, but the countries were not friends. No feigned pleasantness by politicians would ever change that. Christ, Harry was tired. "We are not in the business of doing the FSB's dirty work for them," he said to the ambassador.
"Aibek is a desperate man. He will have worked out who helped us in Azakstan. I can assure you he won't hesitate to use this weapon in London, any more than he would in Moscow. Common enemies need common friends, Sir Harry." The ambassador held out his hand to shake Harry's.
"We have new guidelines about accepting gifts from foreign government officials," Harry said with his own false friendliness. He placed the bag back in the ambassador's open hand. "I'm sure you understand." Harry walked away, eager to return to the Grid and calm himself down on the way.
Harry set the team on this business with Aibek, and soon enough, Lucas was giving a briefing about Aibek and giving assignments to Beth and Dimitri and Ruth related to Aibek and Paroxocybin. The field officers went about their tasks, leaving Harry and Ruth alone in the meeting room.
"Go ahead, Ruth. I know you want to say it. 'I told you so'?" Harry opened bitterly.
Ruth stared at him with those luminous eyes. Judging. Disappointed. "If Aibek is a threat and the Home Secretary realizes we let him go…"
"I can deal with Towers," he insisted.
"No," she snapped. "It isn't just Towers. We have to have a strategy." Her tone turned from disapproval to something that was almost like imploring.
Harry gazed at her, wondering yet again how they'd gotten here. "I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Ruth," he said quietly.
"I know you don't," she replied. "But you need to allow me to be your partner. You are the Section Head, but I am your Senior Analyst, and I'm not some new seconded translator from Cheltenham dropping files in front of you. My opinion has value. And even more so when we're not on the Grid. You aren't the only one who makes decisions. If we're going to be married, we need to be partners. In all of it."
Harry was stunned into silence. He opened his mouth to try to find some words to fall out of it, but Tariq interrupted. The Home Secretary needed to speak with him urgently. What a bloody surprise.
He stood up, thanking Tariq and giving Ruth a small nod. There was work to be done. Back out to Whitehall.
Towers wasn't happy with Harry. But of course, Harry Pearce had lost count of how many times he'd gotten a bollocking from a politician. The only one who had ever really intimidated him was Thatcher. This was nothing in comparison. Towers threatening to replace him if he wouldn't cooperate with the Russians was a mild annoyance. As he'd told Ruth, Harry could deal with Towers.
Well, he'd thought he could until Towers instructed him that the FSB would be sending someone to the Grid and they all needed to work with him. "An FSB officer at Thames House? That's absurd," Harry protested.
"There's a real threat here, and your Russian expert agrees."
Harry felt his heart drop into his stomach. "You've spoken to Ruth?" Christ, had his voice really betrayed his hurt?
"She's an advisor, Harry," Towers chided. "That's what she's there for. To give me advice. I told the Ambassador it won't be a problem. So don't let it be."
Towers dismissed Harry with that warning. If he'd been annoyed after talking to the Russian Ambassador, it was nothing like his feeling now. He'd spent far too much time being frustrated with someone or other lately. He particularly didn't like it when his ire was directed at Ruth. As soon as he walked back onto the Grid, he summoned her.
"You're back," she greeted after he barked her name.
"The Home Secretary asked me to pass on his thanks. He's grateful for your help," Harry said.
"I'm sorry?" she asked in confusion.
"In future, Ruth, I'd appreciate it if you'd come to me before going behind my back."
"What was I supposed to do? He asked me for my opinion, so I gave it to him."
"Apparently."
"Oh, no, this is ridiculous. Harry, we have to work together," she hissed.
"We are working together, Ruth. This is what it looks like."
They were interrupted by Lucas, letting him know that Viktor, the FSB agent, was on his way. Beth and Dimitri were going to accompany him.
Before he followed to the Grid front doors, Harry turned back to Ruth, speaking in a low tone, "We are partners here and at home. I heard what you said, and I agree. But whilst I cannot make decisions without consulting you, neither can you go off and share your opinion with the bloody Home Secretary without my knowing about it."
It as perhaps a petty victory, getting the last word in like that, but Harry felt rather pleased with himself as he went to greet the Russian. Maybe Ruth would be right. She usually was, after all. Maybe it would be fine having the FSB in their house. But everything in Harry told him that nothing would be fine at all.