Adam shook his head. “I don’t trust you. You’ve given meno reasonto trust you. And after what happened to the colonel…”
“I’m sorry about your father, Adam. You know I am. But this is about national security. He understood the risks. All our lives are on the line, William knew, and he accepted the assignment anyway because what we’re doing is greater than any one man’s life. We’re defending the very freedom of our country and our people. Don’t cheapen your father’s sacrifice by refusing to do the same.”
“Spare me the duty and sacrifice speech.I’ve done my part and given up more for this country than you’ll ever know. You want my help? Tell me what’s at stake instead of the cryptic bullshit you’re peddling. The JTT gave you Johnson. You haven’t done jack shit with the intel.”
“This goes deeper than Johnson. For now, we need to leave him in play.”
“Can’t do that. He’s the link to Takoda Keenan and my men and I want him back.”
“You know as well as I do, Johnson has no clue where Tak is or if he’s even still alive.”
“Maybe not. But he sure as fuck knows who does.”
“And if you go in half cocked, we’ll lose our only lead to Johnson’s backers. We can’t chance them going underground. This is too important. We need to work together.”
“Bullshit. I’m not playing this game with you.You’re running a black ops mission on American soil. That’s way more than a little out of scope for the CIA. You want the JTT? You need to level up and give me a good reason to convince the team working for you is in their best interest. Otherwise, we’re opting out for good, and I’m going after Johnson alone.”
“Don’t be dim. You get within five feet of him and you’re a dead man. Give me a week to connect with my people. Once they have the reassurance the JTT’s onside, I’ll have the clearance I need to debrief you on the mission scope and parameters.”
“And Tak?”
“I have my people looking. If we find anything, we’ll share. It’s the best I can do.”
“Yourpeople already missed a critical piece of the puzzle when they failed to flag a video depicting the supposed murder of one of my men up the line.I’m getting the distinct sense you don’t have your house in order.”
“An oversight. One I’ve already corrected by uploading Jay’s search parameters into our mainframes. If we get anything more on Tak, you’ll know about it inside of an hour. You have my word.”
Fuck. Adam pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine. One week. You give us a reason to support your mission, or we walk. I’ll have Jay set up a secure call.”
“About Jay,” she said. “Now that every enforcement agency on the planet is looking for him, it’s even more imperative he’s kept out of sight.”
“Why?”
“Jesus Christ, Adam. Will it kill you to give me the slightest bit of trust? Jay is an asset we can’t afford to lose, and if he falls into the wrong hands, it’s game fucking over. Get in line or give him back. Those are the only two options you have.”
“Give him back?”
“Your father didn’t tell you? Of course not. Think about it. Do you really believe I’d let him come in and steal the best analyst the CIA has ever had? I sent him to the JTT for a reason. He’s the mission. Keep him alive and busy so he doesn’t do anything stupid like steal a couple billion in dirty money.”
“He didn’t steal it. He moved it.”
“Semantics. And not the issue. He needs to stay off the radar and that stunt set him in the middle of the shit storm we’re trying to keep him out of.”
“Which is?”
She sighed. “You know I can’t divulge that information. Not yet. I’ll get back to you next week. In the meantime, don’t discuss this with Jay, and don’t let me down. I love you.” In typical Diane fashion, she hung up before Adam could respond, confident he would follow her orders implicitly.
And the tacked on “I love you,” what the actual fuck? His mother hadn’t said those words to him in years. Why now? And since when was Jay the mission? Jay? What the hell had the colonel dragged them into, and did Jay know the truth? Probably not given the order not to discuss it with him.
Another clue to decipher. Another mystery to unravel. Another puzzle to solve. One thread leading to another and another until they were all ensnared in a web of interconnected lies and half truths with no beginning and no end.
A dull throb set up shop dead center between Adam’s eyes, the ghost of a headache an unnecessary reminder of the list of things he had to do. Elbows on the desk, he dropped his head into his hands and wished for Eve’s magic touch. Her strong fingers, capable and cool, smoothing over his brow, easing his tension. Exactly what he needed.
A taste of her lips wouldn’t hurt either. Or the sound of her soft moan when he buried his cock inside her. Hell, he’d settle for having her blue eyes land on him from across the room. She eased him, calmed his thoughts, and quieted his mind. Everything about her called to him and seeing to her comfort and safety was his number one priority.
One week. He had one week to expose the Matthews, recover the missing victims, and find a serial killer. What could possibly go wrong? A knock sounded on the office door. “Yeah?”
Hinges squeaked and Grant stuck his head in. “Just got off the phone with O’Reilly’s contact in Culiacán. We got a problem.”
