HOT SEAL Rescue (HOT SEAL Team - Book 3) by Lynn Raye Harris Page B
Authors: Lynn Raye Harris
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neutralize them in that condition. Too bad the dumb bastards hadn’t realized they’d been sent to grab a Navy SEAL. If they had, maybe they’d have done it differently.
Like maybe they’d have brought six more guys to do the job—and even then Alex figured the odds still wouldn’t have been in their favor.
“Victor Conti is attacking my SEALs? How is this possible? How the fuck did he find Cody McCormick in the first place?”
The other end of the phone was silent for a long moment. And then Samantha Spencer’s voice came through the speaker of the secure phone. She sounded cool, calm—and annoyed. Alex wasn’t sure, but he thought there was an extra level of tension between her and his boss.
“He must have tracked him down from the casino security tapes.”
There was another way and they all knew it. But Samantha wasn’t going to admit that her inability to find a mole could have led to this situation.
And Mendez wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
“Assuming it wasn’t your goddamn mole who betrayed my guy, your people were supposed to take care of those tapes,” Mendez growled. “You promised that my SEAL would be protected—and I agreed to go along with your fucking death scene in exchange for that promise.”
“It had to be done that way,” Samantha snapped. “It was the only way to smoke out our mole. If he—or she—thinks Agent Lockwood is dead, they might act a little more recklessly.”
They’d all agreed at the time that it was best if Cody wasn’t aware the Lockwood girl was alive, but it had been a damned dirty thing to do. Alex hadn’t liked it. Mendez hadn’t either. But they’d gone along with the CIA because that’s what they’d wanted. What they’d insisted upon.
Alex was pretty certain Mendez was done going along with Samantha’s ideas.
“And have they acted recklessly? Or are you as clueless to this mole’s identity as ever?”
“We’re working on it.”
“How do you know this traitor didn’t give Conti the information on my SEAL?” Mendez snapped. “Because I could believe that a whole lot easier than I can believe the fucking CIA forgot to erase some tapes.”
Alex could practically hear Samantha’s teeth grinding together. “No, we don’t know who it is or if they’re the one who passed the information about your SEAL. But we’re close—and we do know he or she gave Conti the information that we were coming for him.”
“And were you? Or was that just a ruse to get him to run?”
“I can’t comment on operations, Colonel. I think you know that.”
Mendez looked ready to punch something. “Listen here—you’ve put one of my operators at risk, which puts HOT at risk. And that , Miz Spencer, is a problem.”
Samantha sighed. “Look, I don’t know what happened—those tapes were destroyed within days, though it’s possible Conti got to them first. Access to the files on Miranda Lockwood, including the interview with your SEAL, was supposed to be controlled.”
“Then you need to be looking at everyone who had access to those files, don’t you?”
“It’s going to take time.” She was silent for a moment. “We fucked up. Is that what you want me to say?”
Mendez’s jaw tightened. “It doesn’t fix the problem.”
“We know where Conti’s gone. We’ll get him before he can do more damage. Once we have him, we’ll find out who’s been giving him inside information.”
“And in the meantime, what? I kill my guy too? Give him a new identity?”
“Send him to the sandbox, for Christ’s sake! You’re a black-ops outfit—put him to work and we’ll finish this thing. By the time he gets back, everything will be fine.”
Mendez clenched his hands into fists as if he was trying to get hold of his temper. And then he dropped into a chair, propped his feet on the table, and put his hands behind his head. Alex never failed to admire how Mendez could go from pissed to calm in a heartbeat.
Except he knew that the
Like maybe they’d have brought six more guys to do the job—and even then Alex figured the odds still wouldn’t have been in their favor.
“Victor Conti is attacking my SEALs? How is this possible? How the fuck did he find Cody McCormick in the first place?”
The other end of the phone was silent for a long moment. And then Samantha Spencer’s voice came through the speaker of the secure phone. She sounded cool, calm—and annoyed. Alex wasn’t sure, but he thought there was an extra level of tension between her and his boss.
“He must have tracked him down from the casino security tapes.”
There was another way and they all knew it. But Samantha wasn’t going to admit that her inability to find a mole could have led to this situation.
And Mendez wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
“Assuming it wasn’t your goddamn mole who betrayed my guy, your people were supposed to take care of those tapes,” Mendez growled. “You promised that my SEAL would be protected—and I agreed to go along with your fucking death scene in exchange for that promise.”
“It had to be done that way,” Samantha snapped. “It was the only way to smoke out our mole. If he—or she—thinks Agent Lockwood is dead, they might act a little more recklessly.”
They’d all agreed at the time that it was best if Cody wasn’t aware the Lockwood girl was alive, but it had been a damned dirty thing to do. Alex hadn’t liked it. Mendez hadn’t either. But they’d gone along with the CIA because that’s what they’d wanted. What they’d insisted upon.
Alex was pretty certain Mendez was done going along with Samantha’s ideas.
“And have they acted recklessly? Or are you as clueless to this mole’s identity as ever?”
“We’re working on it.”
“How do you know this traitor didn’t give Conti the information on my SEAL?” Mendez snapped. “Because I could believe that a whole lot easier than I can believe the fucking CIA forgot to erase some tapes.”
Alex could practically hear Samantha’s teeth grinding together. “No, we don’t know who it is or if they’re the one who passed the information about your SEAL. But we’re close—and we do know he or she gave Conti the information that we were coming for him.”
“And were you? Or was that just a ruse to get him to run?”
“I can’t comment on operations, Colonel. I think you know that.”
Mendez looked ready to punch something. “Listen here—you’ve put one of my operators at risk, which puts HOT at risk. And that , Miz Spencer, is a problem.”
Samantha sighed. “Look, I don’t know what happened—those tapes were destroyed within days, though it’s possible Conti got to them first. Access to the files on Miranda Lockwood, including the interview with your SEAL, was supposed to be controlled.”
“Then you need to be looking at everyone who had access to those files, don’t you?”
“It’s going to take time.” She was silent for a moment. “We fucked up. Is that what you want me to say?”
Mendez’s jaw tightened. “It doesn’t fix the problem.”
“We know where Conti’s gone. We’ll get him before he can do more damage. Once we have him, we’ll find out who’s been giving him inside information.”
“And in the meantime, what? I kill my guy too? Give him a new identity?”
“Send him to the sandbox, for Christ’s sake! You’re a black-ops outfit—put him to work and we’ll finish this thing. By the time he gets back, everything will be fine.”
Mendez clenched his hands into fists as if he was trying to get hold of his temper. And then he dropped into a chair, propped his feet on the table, and put his hands behind his head. Alex never failed to admire how Mendez could go from pissed to calm in a heartbeat.
Except he knew that the
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