Free The Mark of the Assassin by Daniel Silva

The President of the United States is making decisions based on what we tell him, and in a situation like this it’s impossible for me to leave the office, even for a couple of hours.”
    “Michael, I have a job too. It may not be as important as working for the CIA, but it is damned important to me. I’m juggling three cases right now, I’ve got Braxton breathing down my neck, and I’m trying desperately to have a—”
    Her composure cracked, just for an instant.
    “I’m sorry, Elizabeth. I wanted to come, but I couldn’t. Not on a day like today. I felt horrible about missing the appointment. What did the doctor say?”
    She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Michael crossed the room, sat down beside her on the bed, and pulled her close. She put her head against his shoulder and cried softly.
    “He’s not sure what the problem is exactly. I can’t get pregnant. Something might be wrong with my tubes. He’s not certain. He wants to try one more thing: IVF. He says Cornell in New York is the best. They can take us next month.”
    Elizabeth looked up at him, her face wet with tears.
    “I don’t want to get my hopes up, Michael, but I’ll never forgive myself if we don’t try everything.”
    “I agree.”
    “It means spending some time in New York. I’ll make arrangements to work out of our Manhattan office. Dad will stay on the island so we can use the apartment.”
    “I’ll talk to Carter about working from the New York Station. I may have to go back and forth a few times, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
    “Thank you, Michael. I’m sorry about snapping at you. I was just so damned angry.”
    “Don’t apologize. It was my fault.”
    “I knew what I was getting into when I married you. I know I can’t change what you do. But sometimes I need you to be around more. I need more time with you. I feel like we bump into each other in the morning and bump into each other again at night.”
    “We could quit our jobs.”
    “We can’t quit our jobs.” She kissed his mouth. “Get undressed and come to bed. It’s late.”
    Michael rose and walked into the large master bath. He finished undressing, brushed his teeth, and washed his face without looking in the mirror. The bedroom was dark when he returned, but Elizabeth was still sitting up in bed, her arms wrapped around her knees again.
    “I see it in your face, you know.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “That look.”
    “What look?”
    “That look you get on your face every time someone gets killed anywhere in the world.”
    Michael lay down on the bed and rolled onto his elbow to face her.
    Elizabeth said, “I see that look in your eyes, and I wonder if you’re thinking about her again.”
    “I’m not thinking about her, Elizabeth.”
    “What was her name? You’ve never told me her name.”
    “Her name was Sarah.”
    “Sarah,” Elizabeth said. “Very pretty name, Sarah. Did you love her?”
    “Yes, I loved her.”
    “Do you still love her?”
    “I love you.”
    “And you’re not answering my question.”
    “No, I don’t love her anymore.”
    “God, you’re a terrible liar. I thought spies were supposed to be good at deception.”
    “I’m not lying to you. I’ve never lied to you. I’ve only kept things from you that I’m not allowed to tell you.”
    “Do you ever think about her?”
    “I think about what happened to her, but I don’t think about her. ”
    She rolled onto her side, turning her back to him. In the darkness, Michael could see her shoulders shaking. When he reached out to touch her, she said, “I’m sorry, Michael. I’m so sorry.”
    “Why are you crying, Elizabeth?”
    “Because I’m mad as hell at you, and because I love you desperately. Because I want to have a baby with you, and I’m terrified about what’s going to happen to us if I can’t.”
    “Nothing’s going to happen to us. I love you more than anything in the world.”
    “You don’t love her anymore,