by Michele Hauf
* * * *
Hunter Dixon led Michael Walters down the hallway toward the small cafeteria, where the smell of brownies had lured them both. The frosted treats had been left by an asset who always cooked after a long few weeks on an intense job.
“You do a work-up on Lincoln Blackwell yet?” Dixon asked.
“In the process. Horst keeps providing incredible information. Blackwell has a long list of crimes. How long will he be locked up before the ECU takes him?”
“Not sure. The Commander thinks a few years behind bars might serve him well. I'm gunning for one year. We can use someone like him out in the field. So are you meeting with Horst tomorrow?”
“Yes, my flight to Italy leaves this evening. Keeping that man as a double agent was brilliant on the Commander's part. He helped put Blackwell out in the open by cleaning out his accounts.”
“Just don't ever let Xavier Lambert know his accountant works for us.”
“Lambert has kept his accounts clean since he's been with us. The man is smart. He's not going to fuck up his last chance. Case in point. He didn't take off with Josephine Devereaux when he had the opportunity.”
“How is Devereaux working out?” Dixon asked around a bite of brownie.
“She's adjusting to the program nicely. We won't have a problem with her.”
“Is that so? I just watched the GPS track her into a clothing store, and I know she's not much of a clothes hound.”
Walters smirked as he poured a cup of coffee.
“You know Lambert is in town on hiatus for a few days as well,” Dixon added.
“We both know what's going on between then. And I suggest we turn a blind eye. It's best for both of them. And, ultimately, for the success of their missions. A happy asset is a valuable asset.”
“Is that your professional opinion?”
“You know I've turned my eye from others who engage in the same sort of liaisons.”
Walters tilted his head, giving Dixon a message that was plainly understood. He didn't have to mention the Commander's name. It was implied.
“Right,” Hunter said. “All's well in the Elite Crimes Unit.”
“Indeed.”
Want more from the Elite Crimes Unite?
Then don't miss. . .
When Interpol’s covert behind-the-scenes Elite Crimes Unit looks for new talent, they recruit someone who knows all the tricks—and sometimes a troublemaker is exactly who’s needed for the job . . .
Olivia Lawson’s bosses at Scotland Yard don’t take her work very seriously. Art and antiquities? Bor-ing! But her latest investigation, at London’s world-renowned Tate, is turning out to be far more explosive than anyone expected. In fact, the vandalized, booby-trapped painting hanging on the gallery wall would have blown her off her feet if it wasn’t for the tall, dark-haired stranger who tackled her at the last second—a stranger as finely sculpted as any masterpiece in the museum.
Ethan Maxwell is working this case for the Elite Crimes Unit because it was a choice between that and lockup. A (barely) reformed art forger, he’s got the expertise to lead Olivia through a dangerous manhunt. But the crime may have a more personal connection to him—and the all-too-real feelings he’s developing toward Olivia could pull her into the line of fire too . . .
Click here to get your copy.
Meet the Author
Michele Hauf has been writing romance, action-adventure and fantasy stories for over twenty years. Her first published novel was Dark Rapture (Zebra). France, musketeers, vampires and faeries populate her stories. And if she followed the adage “write what you know,” all her stories would have snow in them. Fortunately, she steps beyond her comfort zone and writes about countries she has never visited and of creatures she has never seen.
Click here to get all the latest news from Michele Hauf!