“What, I’ll be kidnapped too?” she sneered. Hell, she’d already been shot in the head, graze or not. Not to mention drugged and nearly raped. “Like that won’t probably happen anyway.”
Mason had an immediate response. “You’ll be held indefinitely under Executive Order 748029, formerly known as the Patriot Act-”
“Both of you need to calm down.” Preston’s voice was louder and firmer this time. “This isn’t productive.”
She realized, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that Mason was right. An operative couldn’t just quit, certainly not in the middle of an op. She could be tried for treason. Although she continued to glare at him, she forced herself to sit down. After a moment, he sat down as well, followed by Preston.
Elle and Mason continued to stare each other down until she finally asked, “Why didn’t you tell me the independent contractor was Adam?”
After a pause, he said, “It was standard operating procedure, just like most people at the agency don’t know of your affiliation. Following protocol is especially critical for this operation given the significant breaches we’re experiencing.”
It made sense, she knew it made sense, but dammit, she was still pissed. “How can we work together if you hide critical information from me?”
“The information wasn’t critical.” She couldn’t believe he kept a straight face while making that comment, but he did.
“Wasn’t critical? How-”
“The question now, Ms. Paquet, is whether or not this will impact your work on this operation.”
She could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears. Her head pounded. “I’m getting sick and tired of you questioning my ability at every turn-”
He countered, “Then don’t give me reason to.”
It took all of her control not to stand up and punch him. “Reason? What reason have I given-”
“Threatening to quit whenever things get difficult-”
She couldn’t stop her voice from rising again. “That’s not fair, dammit! I passed field training-”
“Training is over. Your probationary period is over.” Each word was like an individual bullet, aimed directly at her. “Now you actually have to do the work, even when unexpected things happen. It’s part of the job.”
She breathed deep, again trying to get control.
Preston said, “We’ll get him back, Elle. I’ve heard great things about the group assigned to this case: these guys will bring him home.”
Who knew what kind of shape he’d be in by then, but at least the agency wasn’t just cutting Adam loose and viewing him as expendable.
“Can you focus, Agent Paquet?” Mason asked. “Despite your past… relationship with the independent contractor?”
There he went again, questioning her. Well, she had just threatened to quit, but he’d given her damn good reason. And he’d finally addressed her as “Agent.” What the hell was about? She took a deep breath. It was time to get her head back in the game.
“Yes,” Elle finally said. “I can focus. I can do this.”
She looked Mason right in the eye. “I’d just like to be trusted, treated as a teammate.” She spared Preston a quick glance before refocusing on their handler.
“You’re working on a classified mission that has a significant bearing on national security,” he pointed out. “Many operatives with far more seniority than you aren’t involved.”
“I need to get all of the critical information,” she insisted.
“I always provide all of the critical information.”
She guessed he did, from his perspective. They just weren’t in agreement about what was critical. But she couldn’t bail now. It would be treason. Besides, she was more committed than anyone to ensuring Adam made it home alive. She nodded. “I can do this.”
“We have some strong leads we’re following up on now,” Mason said. “We hope to be able to pinpoint his location soon.”
This was an olive branch, and she needed to take it. She nodded. Hopefully they would locate him soon.
***
Somehow Elle was able to calm herself down enough for the debriefing to tell Mason and Preston what she’d found on Adam’s tablet, which was nothing, so it was an easy report to give. She told herself it was likely her imagination that Mason seemed to be in an especially big hurry as he left with Adam’s tablet.
Seeing that Preston seemed to be waiting around for her, she wasted no time trying to hustle out of there herself, but he was right behind her.
“We need to talk,” he said as she strode through the library.
“There’s nothing to talk about.” She didn’t even slow down. She may have had to get a grip to focus on this op, but she had zero interest in hearing his bullshit excuses. The moisture in the humid air did nothing to improve her mood when she stepped out of the library.
“Yes, there is.” He grabbed her shoulder, his grasp too tight for her to pull out of easily.
Since she couldn’t keep walking, she whirled around. If he wanted a confrontation, then she would damn well give him one. “When did you know about Adam’s involvement?”
“Mason called me while we were driving to Langley.” He didn’t even hesitate.
They had driven in their own cars, so she hadn’t been there for the call.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she finally asked.
He sighed. “You know how it works. We can only share authorized information-”
“Why wasn’t I authorized to know this? I’m on the op. Why keep it a secret?”
He didn’t say anything, which told Elle something. It had nothing to do with the “need to know” line, or he would lay that line on her.
“We are a team,” she said. “How can we be teammates if you keep secrets?”
“You need to be able to focus on the task at hand,” he said, “with no distractions. Do you realize how big this op is? This security breach is extensive. From what we can tell, it goes pretty far up the chain of command in multiple agencies.”
Elle shrugged. “What does that have to do with who the independent contractor is?”
He looked like he wanted to shake her again. She started to turn in order to stalk off, but he stopped her by grabbing her arm. “Look, Elle, first: you didn’t need to know the identity of the contractor for your duties. Second, we both know your past relationship with him is going to… influence you.”
She felt the slightest twinge of satisfaction that he was at least willing to admit the fact that Adam was her ex-boyfriend was the issue. “As you yourself said, his identity isn’t related to my duties. I need for you to treat me like a colleague. Why do you keep treating me like some incompetent-” She glanced around, realizing they were exposed. Using the word “operative” was definitely a no-no. “-worker?”
He folded his arms across his chest, as if to refrain from… shaking her? Hitting her? Why the hell was he so upset? She hadn’t been withholding information from him.
“I think,” he finally said after a measured pause, “if you consider how our meeting just went, you’ll have your answer.”
She clenched her fists so tight her palms stung as her fingernails dug into them. She fought to keep her voice low. “Our meeting went that way because the two of you have been lying to me-”
He glanced around. “No one lied, we-”
“Lying by omission is no different-”
“He is an independent contractor.” He took a step closer, as if closing the physical distance between them would help close the gap personally. “You act like you’re still dating him.”
“You made sure that wasn’t the case, didn’t you?” The words were out of her mouth before she could think.
She knew she’d gone too far as soon as she saw the surprised look on his face. Dammit, dammit, dammit, she was becoming completely unhinged. “I’m sorry.” She forced the words out of her mouth. “I’m just giving you more evidence to support your actions, aren’t I?”
He ha
d the good grace not to actually answer.
She forced herself to inhale. She had made the decision to end things with Adam and see where her fling with Preston would go. It hadn’t gone where she wanted it, but she still wouldn’t change anything. She knew that. “I understand, really I do.” She took another deep breath. “I just don’t like it. The secrecy, the judgment- all of it.”
“This is who you work for.” He gave her a hard, probing look. “You keep telling me you know the score.”
“I do.” She could hear the exasperation in her own voice.
“Then act like it.” And with that, Preston walked away.
Chapter 24
Reese was glad the day was full of grueling training activities. They all had to keep in shape, so the physical conditioning was nothing new, but his mind was on overdrive thinking about Elle and that guy. At least the physical activity quieted his mind. Somewhat. At the moment, he was in the middle of a long-distance run on Virginia Beach.
A part of him knew he was being irrational. They were hooking up. That was it. He was going to be deployed soon, and the earliest he would return to the states would be six months. Even when he did return, he could be sent off for training anywhere in the country, or even the world, for that matter. That’s why it was far easier for Navy SEALs to be single: between training and deployments, they could be gone for up to 300 days a year.
Yet plenty were in committed relationships, even married. Sure, the divorce rate was high, but there were SEALs who kept their marriages together and had families. It wasn’t impossible; it was about the ability to stay committed and deal with long separations in relationships.
The sand was damp, making it heavier, but the extra resistance didn’t even slow him down.
He and Elle were hooking up, though; that was what they had agreed to. It was none of his damn business what she did when they weren’t together. He had no right getting so pissed about her hooking up with another guy. And who knew: maybe they weren’t hooking up. Maybe they were working together. Yet nothing she did included working in a hotel.
Reese put an extra burst of speed in his step, ignoring his screaming thighs and calves as he ran faster.
Dammit, couldn’t people change their minds? He hadn’t known her at all when he’d reassured her he wasn’t looking for anything serious. He’d had plenty of hook ups and knew whatever was going on between them was more than that.
Besides, she wasn’t the type of chick to hook up. She was smart and funny and sexy; she had her own career, so she didn’t need to find a guy to take care of her. She deserved more than just a hook up.
That was part of the reason Reese was so surprised to see her with another guy. When had she even had time to see him? They had been spending a lot of time together, and she worked long hours. Unless… unless she wasn’t really working.
How well did he know her, really?
Water lapped up around Reese’s feet; he kicked up some of it. The salt water stung his eyes, but he was used to that small discomfort. It didn’t even cause him to blink more than usual.
Maybe Gabe had a point. Perhaps he should cut things off with Elle now. Clearly he didn’t have the usual detachment he had with his hook ups. He didn’t need to get his head all fucked up right before heading out to spend six months on a sub.
Yet he didn’t think he was the only one who felt that way. She seemed to enjoy spending time with him, in bed and out. And he wouldn’t let some other guy run him off.
“You look like you could run another fifteen miles,” Gabe said as they finished at the edge of the beach where the parking lot started.
They made their way to Reese’s car, where he unlocked the trunk and got two water bottles out of the cooler, tossing one to Gabe and opening the other for himself.
“I can always run another fifteen,” he said before taking a deep swig of water. “It’s your pansy ass that can’t.”
“Oh now you’re talking shit,” Gabe said in between swallows of water himself.
He shrugged, taking a perverse pleasure out of needling his friend. “Truth sucks sometimes. For you.”
Gabe drained his bottle and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. “Race you to that lifeguard stand and back. Let’s see who’s fastest.”
Reese tossed his own empty water bottle into the trash can and lined up at the edge of the parking lot. “You’re on.”
***
An hour later they were both showered and back at the naval base, ready for a briefing their commander had called for the officers of the platoon. The only thing this type of briefing could mean was that something was up.
Reese and Gabe joined their second-in-commands as well as their ensigns (junior officers just out of training) in a meeting room. Their commander entered, so everyone rose and saluted.
He was joined by the guy Reese had seen with Elle. He exchanged glances with Gabe. What the hell?
The commander said, “This is Lieutenant Preston Raddick.” The guy nodded at them as they nodded back while the commander introduced each of them in turn. The second-in-commands, who were junior lieutenants, and the ensigns saluted again. Reese and Gabe were Lieutenant Commanders, which outranked Lieutenant, so they didn’t have to salute.
“Used to be on Seal Team Four; now he’s working with the CIA as a paramilitary operations officer.”
It was one little-known option for what special operators could do once they left the service: the CIA hired them basically to be “super spies,” since they could use their military training. While it sounded kind of cool, Reese wasn’t sure he’d like having to work alone: he much preferred being part of a team.
“Decided to go solo.” The commander gave Raddick a teasing glance.
Raddick was unphased. “We can’t all sit in an office designing military operations. Some of us still like to get our hands dirty.” Clearly they were friends.
“Chasing bad guys and women without getting your suit ruffled.” The commander smirked. “Not the worst gig.” He focused on the platoon officers. “Raddick is here about an op that may require both of your platoons.”
“The United States government,” Raddick said, “is under a very well-orchestrated technological attack from a terrorist group. They’ve managed to obtain a significant amount of classified intel, including personnel files and weapon designs. On top of that, they’re disabling our computer networks with a number of blended threats- kind of like a computer super virus. We had an independent contractor developing our own blended threats, but he’s gone missing.”
For the first time ever, Reese had to force himself to focus during a briefing. It sounded like the standard op, much like the one they had been rehearsing the night before: infiltrate, extract the hostage, gather intel, get the terrorists if possible, blow the place up, and get the hell out of there.
He wondered what the commander meant about “chasing bad guys and women.” Word had it the commander had been pretty wild himself when he was still in the platoons, before he got married. Had Raddick been a wingman or something?
“We think we’re pretty close to locating where the independent contractor is being held,” Raddick concluded, “so be prepared to head out within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. As soon as we get confirmation, we’ll set up a training compound so you can rehearse.”
He knew how they operated; Reese had to give him credit for that.
“So is this one of your old running buddies?” Gabe asked with a grin.
Trust Gabe to get to the heart of the matter.
“We had some fun at Shore Leave,” Raddick said as he and the commander exchanged sly grins, “until this guy went and got married on me.”
“One of us had to grow up,” the commander retorted.
So Raddick was still a womanizer. And if he was with the CIA then there was no way in hell Elle was working with him.
Reese felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. A few times.
“Okay,” Gabe said once they were back
in their offices, “we’re going back to Shore Leave this evening, and tonight, you’ll take Lindsay home.”
Normally, it would have sounded like a great plan to Reese, but now it didn’t. The plan sucked.
“Maybe.” He knew being noncommittal wouldn’t get his friend off his back, but it was worth a try.
“You’re giving that chick a call?” Gabe demanded.
“Why not?” Reese knew he was getting defensive, but he couldn’t help himself. “We’re still hooking up. Why should I let him have all the fun?”
“It’s not worth screwing your head up,” Gabe pointed out.
“My head’s not screwed up.” He didn’t look up, instead focusing on straightening up some papers on his desk.
Gabe didn’t even bother to try to hide the disbelief in his voice. “Like hell it’s not.”
Whether it was or not, Reese knew he was definitely seeing Elle again.
Chapter 25
Elle was just about to send Reese a text when there was a knock on her door. She opened it to find him standing there, carrying a bag of what smelled like some delicious takeout.
“This is a surprise.” She grinned at him as she opened the door wider for him to come in.
“A nice one, I hope.” He captured her lips in a deep kiss as his hand closed around her upper arm, holding her close.
She could feel herself melting into him. “Very nice. I was just about to text you.”
He sauntered into the apartment, glancing around. “Great minds and all that.”
She laughed as she went to the kitchen for some plates, unable to stifle the little thrill she felt at seeing him. Really, why bother? She couldn’t help her feelings and didn’t want to, even if it would be hard when he left. “You were one step ahead of me, getting dinner.”
“So how’s work?” He set the bag down on the table as she brought out plates and utensils. Although his tone was casual, his gaze was unusually sharp.
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