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Parker had been so lost in her thoughts that she’d missed the conversation turning to Ghost Fox.
Beatrice gave him a look of disbelief. “She’s more than competent and is persuasive, strategic, straightforward. Of course, she’d be effective. But everything you discuss will go right back to Flynn.”
A gleam sparked in his eyes. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Beatrice’s disbelief faded. “You want to play the director?” She snorted a soft laugh. “Good luck with that.”
“Flynn can’t be played,” Rory agreed. “He’s a shark.”
“Ghost Fox needs to build alliances with intelligence agencies if we’re going to be effective at steering policies and protecting not only our country, but the world, in the future. Julia is a top-notch analyst, knows the politics involved, and has the ear of the most powerfulsharkin the intelligence community. That’s the type of ally we need.”
No one had a comeback for that.
Except Parker. “You have top-notch talent right under your nose.”
All eyes turned to her, and, yep, Emit zeroed in on her, too. “Go on.”
She tried not to fidget, realizing he hadn’t wanted to fill the opening with someone who worked for him for two reasons: one—each of them had been hand-selected because of their specific expertise, and two—it would be a conflict of interest if they worked for SFI and consulted on Ghost Fox operations since he was already on the board. Two members could issue undue influence on the others. “They need to be impartial and look at all sides of every situation before they make recommendations to any of the intelligence services or other private security organizations, but”—she pointed at Lori and Maddox—“these two have the right background, field experience, and deep commitment to helping and protecting their countries. Plus, they both could use a job.”
Lori and Bryant became the center of the spotlight now, and Lori shook her head, sliding her chair back from the table as if she would stand and run away. “Oh no. I’ve had enough of all of this for a lifetime. I’m going to get a nice desk job and forget I know anything about being a spy.”
Maddox, however, looked intrigued. “I fear I’m not the best person for you, ol’ boy, but I’d be interested in hearing you out if there is some capacity I could undertake.”
Lori looked at him aghast. “Seriously?”
He nodded and patted her leg. “You’ll be bored silly with a desk job. I give it six weeks, and that’s generous.”
She smacked him, but it was playful. “Don’t act like you know me.”
He grinned, and something sparked between them. “You’re right. The woman I knew was a total badass. Fearless, confident, clever. I suppose I have to learn who you are now if you’re not those things anymore.”
The corners of her eyes narrowed. “Don’t try to bait me into this.”
Parker couldn’t keep the smile off her lips and noticed most of the others were grinning, too.
“Parker’s right.”
Everyone in the room swiveled. Moe stood in the doorway, his gaze on her. “Even if you were to pick from the pool of employees you have, you wouldn’t go wrong by enlisting them for Ghost Fox. The advantage is that you know they’re loyal, you’ve already done extensive background checks, and you have confidence in their skill sets. You could rotate several in and out on a regular basis, so you have different viewpoints and perspectives. That doesn’t mean you might not want to approach the director’s wife and have her consult on occasion. That would allow you to get information discreetly to the director.” He flipped his hands palms up. “Win-win. You have the best of both worlds.”
She soaked him up, seeing the dark shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep. There was no extra chair at the table, and she stood, gesturing him toward hers. “I need to lie down. You should eat.”
A stricken look passed over his features. “Is that why you ordered me to come to dinner, using the excuse of talking to my parents? So you could bug out?”
Her mouth fell open. “I texted because you’re part of the team, you need to eat, and Rory was telling stories that you might want to counter so your parents don’t think you’re a complete wildcard.” She hobbled toward the exit. “I’m glad we got to have this little tit-for-tat in front of everyone,” she muttered as she passed him.
He touched her elbow. “That wasn’t my intent.”
She stopped, blowing out a breath. “We’re both on edge.” The group was listening, although they were trying to act like they weren’t. Silverware clinked against plates and a soft murmur rose, Emit and Bryant tilting their heads toward each other.
Beatrice and Vivi watched her and Moe, and she tugged on his shirt sleeve, drawing him outside. Her thoughts bounced all over the place and she tried to tame them. “I don’t want to fight, but I can’t find the right words to say to you.”
A hardness tightened the corners of his mouth. “I get it, luv. It’s okay. You’re right, you should go lie down.”
“It’s not a rejection, Moe. There’s nothing I want more than to celebrate the fact that you have your birth parents in your life again. To hug you. Hold you. But I have a lot on my mind at the moment, and I’m under instructions not to…”
His brow furrowed when she trailed off. “Not to what?”
She lowered her voice another notch, making sure she wasn’t overheard, but this conversation was probably going to get her a reprimand anyway. “Beatrice wants to talk to each of us separately once we’re back at HQ. Our official statements have to match, and we can’t discuss the operation until we’ve finished those. You and I breached all kinds of protocols on this one, and while she sometimes looks the other way when personal stuff gets tangled up in a mission, I don’t think she will this time.”
