“It’s Nicola Wessex.”
The moment she said the name, I could picture the brunette with the big smile and slightly too small eyes. She specialized in sculpture, but also liked performance art. “Brunette artist. Sculptor, right?”
“I keep forgetting that you literally remember everything.” With a click of the remote she changed the screen. “Her record is clean. She’s actually an artist. But she showed up on some mission briefs as a sibling to a Fredrick Kozol.
My eyebrows snapped down. “Her brother is Victus?”
Maggie nodded. “Half-brother, but yes. She grew up with her mother in Tahoe and had very little interaction with her father when she was little and none since she became an adult. As far as our intel shows, she met her brother Fredrick once when they were both adults, but they haven’t had any real interactions or connections since then. Still though, Fredrick has taken an interest in her art. She has a foundation that funds arts programs for children around the world, and Fredrick has contributed quite a bit of money to it. Granted we can only see that from the bank transfers because he’s publicly quiet, leaving her to do her thing. It’s possible she doesn’t even know the depths of what he’s capable of.”
I worked my jaw as I read through her profile. All roads led to fucking Victus.
“Okay, what time’s the meet?” Rhodes asked.
“We don’t know. We have trackers on Stannis now. When he’s on the move, you will get a notification.”
I looked at Michael. “All right, so basically be at the event, intercept and bring in Mads.”
Michael nodded. “Yes. You are on verification and identification. Rhodes is your second and in charge of pick up, and we’ll give you a sniper as a third, just in case.”
I nodded. “Who’s the sniper?”
Maggie shrugged. “Becker’s available. So is Carson. Both are excellent.”
I preferred Becker, hands down. She was efficient, and most important, on missions she was deadly silent. You never heard from her unless you needed to. Carson talked too fucking much. He’d annoy me to death.
We all understood how I preferred to work, so everyone muttered, “Yeah, Becker.”
Maggie nodded. “One small detail.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck, eager to get back to the flat. “What’s the problem?”
“The party is invitation only. And it’s being pushed as a couples-only event. So Becker and Rhodes we can get in with staff. But you will need to walk in the front door. You’ll have the greatest freedom of movement. But you’ll need to be in a couple. They are very strict on this as part of the invitation. So I’ll need to pair you with an agent.”
I didn’t like the flicker of interest in her gaze. “I’ll take care of it.”
She lifted a delicately arched brow. “Are you sure? I could—”
I cut her off before she could get too far down that train of thought. “This mission is classified top secret, yes?”
Michael nodded. “Yes. You couldn’t divulge the real reason we’re there.”
“Okay then, better not take one of ours. I’ll bring a civilian. Just get us an invite.”
Are you insane? You don’t want Lyra near this.
I didn’t. And I was sure I was insane. But I wasn’t letting Maggie paw me in public. No way no how.
“Great, tablets will be updated. You will be on standby for the next several days.”
I nodded and turned to leave, but Michael called me back. “Actually, Marcus, we’re not done.”
Rhodes gave me a tap on the shoulder, and Maggie smiled as she excused herself as I turned to face the man who had been my mentor. “Yes, sir?”
He studied me with shrewd eyes. “Well, how did it go?”
I shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“No need to be so cagey. Curtis already let me know you were on a date.”
“Sir, I prefer not to gossip. We have mission parameters.”
Michael laughed. “God, am I that uptight?”
I shrugged. “Sir?”
“I trained you. Therefore, you must be a reflection on me. And because you are stiff as a board, it makes me wonder if that’s how I present myself.”
“It’s just that there’s nothing to say, sir. I was out with a civilian. I know mission parameters. Secrecy always and preserve civilian life. I couldn’t have gone after Prochenko without putting her in danger.”
He sighed. “No, what I mean is, did you actually like her? Command, as you know, has been eyeing you for senior agent status. Command obviously doesn’t like that you are a bit of a maverick, a free agent.”
“Understood, sir. At the same time, I’m not going to do something just because it looks good to Command.”
His lips quirked in a semblance of a lopsided smile. “And I would expect nothing less. I’m just interested, because as my pick for our next senior agent, you’re an excellent candidate. And if you are making strides that make you look better, I’m interested and enthusiastic about it.”
I gave him a sharp nod. I didn’t like considering dating Lyra, or anyone else for that matter, as a way to make me look like a better candidate. I liked her. She’d kneed a terrorist in the nuts and lived to tell the tale. She had spunk. She was brilliant. And yeah, she was well fit. The way her gorgeous dark brown skin always seemed to glow, and her hair changed practically on a daily basis, but I liked it best when it was natural, fresh out of the shower, springy sweet curls always bouncing around her face. Always tempting me to reach out and touch a curl. Which obviously, I knew better. Dating Lyra Wilkinson would make me look good to Command, yes. But I didn’t want her because she made me look good; I just wanted her. And she was going to need some convincing. So I needed Command to stay the fuck out of my love life because I didn’t need the extra pressure.
“Sir, she’s a civilian. I’m not sure where it’s going. Right now, my only concern is keeping her safe.”
He sighed. “I
