"Of course," Karen says, nodding. She can't quite help the smile that plays at the corners of her mouth, but she also knows better than to take a subject like this any less than seriously. It's too important; there's too much at stake. That's just all the more reason to continue playing along, speaking in code, and there's really no getting around the fact that there's something amusing about talking about guns as books. "We wouldn't want books like that falling into the wrong hands."

She isn't used to keeping weapons around that aren't on her at the time, usually just the one she keeps in her purse, but she's sure she'll get used to it. No matter what they don't talk about, they've been together long enough for her to know what kind of man John is and why, how important his — their — work is, and that's nothing she'll take issue with.