“We are an IA, an Intelligence Agency. But our agents do more than steal jump drives with specs for doomsday weapons.” She sighed. “I watch spy movies, too, Dr. Vaughn.Our missions are to infiltrate and undermine dangerous organizations, interrupt planned attacks on the homeland, extract hostages and high-value targets at home and abroad.”
“Do some of those missions require people with military strike-team experience?”
“You’re a quick study.” X and I pivoted so the team’s entry door was to our backs.
We were standing a few feet away from a room to our right with glass from halfway up the wall to the ceiling so we could see into it. An interesting choice for a spy agency. I assumed that probably wasn’t the SCIF for classified discussions that X had mentioned earlier. But it was a conference room where Kyle and his teammates were gathered, some of them known to me and some of them not. They were gathered around a long table, and Bella lay at Kyle’s feet.
Kyle said something that made his teammates glance at him. Some of them smiled. A few of them laughed. Lang scowled. It reminded me of how Kyle was with me when he wanted to put me at ease or draw me out of my unhappy thoughts. And in that moment, I understood something new about him.
“Conference room,” X said, breaking into my thoughts. She pointed to the room beside it. “Commander’s office.”
I nodded. “So that’s yours?”
“No. I understand you know Kat Hartmann. She’s in charge of this branch, this building, and this team.”
“Oh, I thought you were.”
“I’m in charge of the entire agency.”
She pointed to the left wall where there were two separate rooms with glass from halfway up the wall to the ceiling. “The IT room, and tactical and logistics planning space.”
She pointed to the back, where there were rooms behind full walls. “Lounge with a full bar to the left, kitchen with a full fridge to the right. At least it will be until Wheeler and Rogers get to it. Now, if you’ll excuse me?—”
“Wait, what about the men who attacked us last night?” I wasn’t sure whether Kyle would be authorized to tell me.
“They were hired guns,” she said. “That’s all we know. Hired by someone, presumably Scott Riker, to send a message. They claim they never met their client in person. I doubt we’ll get much useful information out of them.”
I flinched when she said my ex’s name, then swallowed hard. “So, I’m not safe.”
“You are while you’re in our custody.” She motioned toward the kitchen. “Help yourself to anything you’d like. Hayes’s wife and his sister are in the lounge if you’d like to join them.” She entered the conference room and closed the door behind her, ending our conversation.
Kyle glanced at me through the glass and nodded. I waved. A few others noticed me. I walked toward the back wall before everyone was staring at me. At the same time, a tall woman with long, light brown hair and wearing a pale blue, sleeveless maxi dress emerged from the lounge.
“You must be Cami.” She held out her hand. “Kyle has told us so much about you. Well, he’s told Ben, who has told me.”
I shook her hand. “You must be Savannah, Ben’s wife. Congratulations, by the way, on your wedding and the baby.”
She laid her hand on her baby bump. “Thank you. We’re very excited. But tell me aboutyou. I understand you’re a vet and you own the local clinic.”
“Dial it back, Savvy.”
An even taller woman with short, dark hair emergedfrom the lounge. I’d only see Ben Hayes twice, once in Kyle’s foyer and again just now in the conference room, but I knew this had to be his sister.
“Mai, right?”
We shook hands. “My reputation precedes me.”
I furrowed my brow. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m a little confused. You know about HEAT from your brother? I can understand a wife or...” Or a what? What was I? “Someone who’s tangled up in their business. But a sister...”
Mai was nearly laughing. “Actually, my brother learned about HEAT from me. He’s two years younger and was two years behind me in joining the Army, then the Rangers, and then HEAT.”
“You and your brother were both Army Rangers? That’s intense.”
“The military thing runs in their family,” Savannah said. “And in this team.”
“Right. Ben and Kyle. Were the rest of them special ops, too?” I asked.
Now Mai did laugh. “Since Pasco’s in that room—he’s the one with the beard—that’s a hard no. But Lang was a Green Beret, and Bond—Doctor Samantha Bond, who’s standing beside Kat—was an Army field surgeon. She’s now the chief medical officer of the agency.”
