~4.26~

In the end, it was Marley who found Ivan, which was exactly what he’d been counting on. The attempts to ferret him out had the effect of letting him know he was being sought and disrupting his cozy life… and after observing the extent of the efforts to flush him out, Marley had to conclude that the head of eastern security was either behind it or he would know who was.

There had always been a chance this would simply force him further underground, but from what Ivan understood of Marley, the man liked the comfort his unnoticeability gave him. In the tunnels and back alleys, being unnoticeable helped protect him against anyone he might encounter but it didn’t give him access to food, shelter, or warmth like it did on the streets.

Ivan was sitting at a diner nursing a paper cup full of tea and reading the classified section when Marley sat down and cleared his throat.

“I have a job for you,” Ivan said, not looking up

“You couldn’t have just sent a message?” Marley asked.

“I did,” Ivan said. “And I see that you received it. The job that I have is of an urgent and time-sensitive nature.”

“You’re on a deadline?”

“Always,” Ivan said.

“How long do you have?” Marley asked.

“Until it all comes crashing down,” Ivan said. “All my tasks are urgent ones, Marley… if they were not, they would not be mine. This is why you should be watching for my calls, so I do not go through such lengths to fetch you.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of the boy who cried ‘wolf’?”

“Yes,” Ivan said. “It is why I would not call for you if there was not a problem that needs attending. But you see, that story has another moral that people forget: had the villagers dealt with the boy the first time, they would not have lost any sheep.”

“Interesting interpretation.”

“Any problem worth the name needs dealing with,” Ivan said. “Immediately.”