She's gone.

It's time for me to be gone, too, I guess, but it's not that easy to leave this building with Jorge in it, as it was already proved. He stands in my way, again. He's not a fast learner.

"Where do you think you're going, boss?"

I shrug.

"I told you, Jorge. I borrowed the army only for this mission."

"But that was before missus dumped you! Which was mean of her, and kinda proves my grandma's theory, but life goes on, and you have an army, at least!"

I should try to focus on him, no matter how numb I am and how little I care for the things he has to say, or else he might grab me by my ankle again to keep me from leaving.

"Killing a client isn't good for business, Jorge. But if I disappear, no one will connect Pavlov's death to your name. That's what you need at the moment. A fresh start."

"Fresh start, my ass. What I need is that I don't see the black mark on your forehead ever again, boss."

"What mark?"

"The ominous one."

"Don't start this again. It's none of your business, anyway. Your business is the army. Which I won't ask you to give back again, so—"

"And what do you mean by disappearing, huh?" Jorge goes on as if he wouldn't hear me. "Is that what you want? To disappear?"

I almost say yes, but the worried look in Jorge's eyes makes me reconsider my answer.

"I'm going on vacation."

"Where?"

"Well, everywhere. Here and there."

"Bullshit."

"I agree," Frank interjects. "You're in a state of emotional shock, Mint. The last thing you should do is to be alone now. You're not in a better shape than back in the time when I diagnosed you with a disposition to mental instability and self-harm."

I seriously consider knocking both of them out and run. But, unfortunately, Duke still has an uncanny proficiency in noticing my plans before I make a move, and he drags me away, out of the room. I can't even protest, I'm too frozen to do that.

"Cheer up, bro," he says after we find a quiet corner. "It's not the end of the world. She will reconsider it with time."

"Why would she?" I ask.

"Well, if she always says what needs to be said to reach a goal, then she might have done that this time too, right? To fool you."

"And what would said goal be? To get rid of me? What is the difference, then, between simply kicking me out and reaching that goal?"

"I don't know, bro." Duke shrugs. "I don't know. I'm too stupid to know. I only feel that there is a difference."

"It doesn't matter now. She's gone. She won't even know where to look for me if she changes her mind, and I won't know where to find her, either. All in all, she was right. I know nothing about her."

"Well, if you managed to find that pedophile military boss hiding in Zimbabwe," he reminds me, "I'm quite sure that you can find her any time."

"But she doesn't want to be found."

I wish my voice were less thin. It's not my normal voice. It's someone else's voice.

"Well, I don't know much about her either," Duke says. "Nothing, in fact. Talking to Frank made me realize that—never mind. It made me realize a lot of things I should have known sooner."

"I should talk to Frank, too. I deluded myself that Mary liked me. That's her real name."

"See? You know a thing about her. You already know more about her than anyone else."

I almost tear up.

"I can't stand to see you like this, bro," Duke says, patting me on the shoulder.

"Well, you don't have to see me for long. I really must be gone, Duke."

"That's not what I meant, mate. Just tell me how to help you."

"Knock Jorge and Frank out in my stead."

"Come on, Mint. Seriously. I'll do anything."

"You did so much already. You let me leave the Agency when I had to, and I never thanked you. So why are you doing this?"

"As I said, Frank made me realize something," Duke answers, avoiding my gaze, crossing his arms on his chest. "And when you broke into my safe place, it was a revelation, in itself. I have nothing that I'd deny of you, Mint. Nothing. So just tell me what I can do for you, and I'll do it. It's that simple."

I muse for a few minutes in silence. It's hard to say it out loud, but I have no other choice.

"Talk to her," I ask him.

"To Gabriel?"

"Yes."

"About you?"

"Hell no," I huff. "About yourself. And her."

"What?!"

"She might want to stay with you. And then, you could take care of her. Making sure that she's all right."

"Oh, Mint. We already tried this, remember? You can't pass her on to me. She's a person. A person who doesn't want to be with me."

"She doesn't want to be with me either," I reason on. "We already know that for a fact. But she never said anything about you, Duke. You'd be so much better for her. You're a much better person."

"Excuse me," Duke laughs grimly. "How and why? I have my share of problems. I told you. You're the one who—"

"I have panic attacks," I interrupt him. "I should have told you when you told me about your drinking. Well, not when I'm with her, but I'm not with her anymore, so I expect them to return."

Duke looks at me with a quizzical expression. Like he's considering my request, finally, getting ready to convince her about them two being together.

It's painful to imagine. But in a good way. She'd be safe with Duke. No one could hurt her.

Duke keeps examining me for a few more seconds, shaking his head slowly. I wish I knew what he's thinking about. Most of the time, he's so easy to read. But not now.

"You're right, Mint," he says finally, making up his mind. "There's no harm in trying, right?"

I nod. I couldn't force a word out if my life depended on it.

"That's what I've been dreaming about, for so long, in vain," he says. "So I can't let her go without a fight."

I nod again. I hope he prevails where I failed.

I read in a book once that hope felt like the feather of a dove. Well, this one feels like a lump of lead. But it's still hope, anyway.