“Wow, okay.”
Providence rose. “That was more than five minutes, so I appreciate your flexibility.”
Brit bit back a smile. “Yeah, so about that… I’m interested in hearing more.”
“I thought you might be. Let me see if Cooper Grant’s available. He manages the Operatives while I manage the other teams and overall business.” Providence left her office.
Rather than wait, Brit popped her head into the corridor. Eager to find her sister, she collected the bottle of water before walking down the hall, peering into the offices.
A young woman with long, silver hair was working away on her computer. She glanced up, shoved out of her chair, and pulled her weapon. “How’d you get in here?”
“Whoa, I’m Addison’s sister. I’m meeting with Providence.”
The woman returned her gun to her holster. “Yeah, so you can’t be walking around unescorted.”
“Got that message,” Brit replied.
Providence joined them. “Britain’s meeting with me. Slash is one of our best Ops.”
“Thanks,” Slash replied. “Sorry about that, Britain. Whatcha interviewing for?”
Brit wasn’t sure she was interviewing for anything, so she glanced at Providence.
“Operative,” Providence replied.
“That’s great,” Slash said. “Good luck.”
Providence escorted her around the corner, stopping in front of an office. A good-looking man with short, blond hair was on his phone. He waved them in.
“The mission is rolling green,” Cooper said. “I’ve gotta go.” Pushing out of his chair, he offered a curt handshake, but no smile. Providence left, closing the door behind her.
“Please,” Cooper said gesturing to a guest chair across from his desk.
“I’m one of the few people who’s not a fan of Z,” Cooper began, as he sat back down. “I’m a rule follower and he colors too far outside the lines for me. You’ve got a great track record with DEA, so if you were coming straight from there, I’d have no problem onboarding you. But, you worked for Z for the past year.” Pausing, he shook his head. “I hire team players, not lone wolves.”
Brit wasn’t deterred. If the position of ALPHA Operative was meant to be hers, she’d get it. If not, she’d move on.
“I’ve played both sides,” she said. “Team player and individual contributor, so I can speak objectively about the advantages and disadvantages of both.”
“Before we get into the weeds, I need to know why you resigned from your current position.”
“During my last assignment, I was thrown a curve ball, made a split-second decision, and went rogue. I understand that people make mistakes and problems can arise during missions, but I almost took out an undercover agent.”
His eyebrows crowded into his forehead. “During the mission, did you confirm with your handler?”
“No.”
“Did you have a spotter?”
“No.”
The questions continued, and Brit answered them honestly and succinctly. She liked Cooper and thought he’d be a good boss. He was direct, honest, appeared fair, and she had no problem with someone who adhered to the rules. She didn’t care that he didn’t like Z. Lots of people couldn’t work with him. At the moment, neither could she.
She flat-out adored Z—as her dad—but this was work, where she did her best to leave her emotions at the door. Or, at the very least, keep them in check.
An hour later, Cooper concluded the interview. “Is the position something you’d be interested in?”
“Absolutely.”
