It hurts him to think about lying to Rufus, but what choice does he have? It makes his skin crawl, but he takes a deep breath before speaking, hoping to settle his nerves at least. “Tseng is on an important mission, and he’s got to be contact free. No in or out. When he’s back I’m sure he can explain the situation to you better than I could.”

He sips his coffee, looking at the pastry and then at Rufus. It doesn’t feel good to hide things from him, but he reminds himself that it’s only temporary. “If we don’t hear from him by tomorrow, I’ll tel you everything. I promise.”

Tseng better show up to that meeting. In the meanwhile, Rude takes a bit with his fork to taste. All he really knew was that Rufus liked to have it a long time ago. “It’s good. Why isn’t it your favorite anymore?” One bite and already he’s wiping at his face to check for crumbs on his facial hair.