INTO DANGER (Secret Assassins (S.A.S.S.) Book 1) by Gennita Low Page A
Authors: Gennita Low
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feeling.” A thought occurred to Steve. “Do I have to clear it with Harden?”
Cam shrugged. “Don’t think so. But if you have to, I don’t know why he wouldn’t approve it.”
Steve could give several reasons, none of them appropriate. “I suppose not,” he vaguely agreed. He hoped he didn’t have to, anyway.
Cam placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Look, Hard-On has been tough on you but that’s the way he is, man. He’s an SOB but he listens more than you think. He’s good at coordinating a sting.” He got up from the chair, brushing off tiny crumbs from his rumpled shirt and pants. “He just has this almighty attitude about control, that’s all. Doesn’t like to have unknowns in the equation, and you’re an unknown, Steve. You aren’t from around here. He can’t tell whether you’re reliable or not.”
Steve met Cam’s eyes steadily. “I’m a SEAL. I can be relied on to carry a team.”
“Hey, I ain’t saying you aren’t. You’ve been okay in my book since you arrived. Thing is, we haven’t had a big case till now, so this is like your test, capisce ? Not only that,” Cam lowered his voice several octaves, “Hard-On has a thing against what you’re doing.”
Steve frowned, puzzled. “You lost me.”
Cam bent down to pick up several of the files on the desk, as if he didn’t want to bring attention to what he was saying. “Not good to talk about it here, even though he’s somewhere else. Let’s just say that rumor has it, Hard-On was an operative for Internal Investigations a long time ago, and some female operative nearly destroyed his career. He was supposed to be going up into the elite tiers of the CIA but was demoted to almost nothing because of one slip-up.”
Things were certainly clearer now. “So he thinks I might go that way,” Steve murmured.
Cam slipped the folders under his arm and tucked a pen behind his ear. “Maybe. Maybe not. You can’t tell with him. Got to go, but will get you the info ASAP. Meanwhile”—his voice turned into a sneer—“make sure you don’t splatter any wine on your penguin suit tonight.”
That brought another scowl to Steve’s face. He wasn’t looking forward to a night of playing Marlena’s arm candy. “She’d better not make me dance. I don’t dance,” he warned nobody particular in the room.
Cam chuckled. “Life is good, man. I wouldn’t mind twirling that woman in my arms. She’s just my type, too: passionate, a little dangerous, and nice, shapely”—gesturing suggestively, he started chuckling even more at the look Steve tossed him before continuing—“ummm...shapely legs. Remember, she wants you around as an alibi at all times, and hey, if you ask me, Stash, you’ve had no cause to complain so far, penguin suit or no penguin suit.”
Steve decided to change the subject. Talking about Marlena and him together made him uncomfortable. He didn’t like sharing his private moments with her with anybody. “Yeah, well, I’d better go back to my place. You’ll get me the info, right?”
“It’ll take some time, since it’s all hard copy, but that’s my job.” Cam gave a mock salute. “Just remember I’m the one working hard while you’re hardly working.”
After Cam went off, Steve rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands. There were too many screens to stare at around here. Computers, TVs, videos, cameras hooked to videos. Everything focused on that one person who had somehow become mixed up with a mermaid in his mind. And like a mermaid, she had never been caught, never been seen.
Stuff of myths. He frowned. Another M word. Marlena the Myth.
He had a plateful piled high with information. Marlena stuff. His own operations chief stuff. His very own stuff. And somewhere in there was a nugget of truth. All he had to do was figure out how to see what wasn’t there, because he didn’t trust the cameras like these guys did.
That conversation between her and the seller bothered him somehow. He had a
Cam shrugged. “Don’t think so. But if you have to, I don’t know why he wouldn’t approve it.”
Steve could give several reasons, none of them appropriate. “I suppose not,” he vaguely agreed. He hoped he didn’t have to, anyway.
Cam placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Look, Hard-On has been tough on you but that’s the way he is, man. He’s an SOB but he listens more than you think. He’s good at coordinating a sting.” He got up from the chair, brushing off tiny crumbs from his rumpled shirt and pants. “He just has this almighty attitude about control, that’s all. Doesn’t like to have unknowns in the equation, and you’re an unknown, Steve. You aren’t from around here. He can’t tell whether you’re reliable or not.”
Steve met Cam’s eyes steadily. “I’m a SEAL. I can be relied on to carry a team.”
“Hey, I ain’t saying you aren’t. You’ve been okay in my book since you arrived. Thing is, we haven’t had a big case till now, so this is like your test, capisce ? Not only that,” Cam lowered his voice several octaves, “Hard-On has a thing against what you’re doing.”
Steve frowned, puzzled. “You lost me.”
Cam bent down to pick up several of the files on the desk, as if he didn’t want to bring attention to what he was saying. “Not good to talk about it here, even though he’s somewhere else. Let’s just say that rumor has it, Hard-On was an operative for Internal Investigations a long time ago, and some female operative nearly destroyed his career. He was supposed to be going up into the elite tiers of the CIA but was demoted to almost nothing because of one slip-up.”
Things were certainly clearer now. “So he thinks I might go that way,” Steve murmured.
Cam slipped the folders under his arm and tucked a pen behind his ear. “Maybe. Maybe not. You can’t tell with him. Got to go, but will get you the info ASAP. Meanwhile”—his voice turned into a sneer—“make sure you don’t splatter any wine on your penguin suit tonight.”
That brought another scowl to Steve’s face. He wasn’t looking forward to a night of playing Marlena’s arm candy. “She’d better not make me dance. I don’t dance,” he warned nobody particular in the room.
Cam chuckled. “Life is good, man. I wouldn’t mind twirling that woman in my arms. She’s just my type, too: passionate, a little dangerous, and nice, shapely”—gesturing suggestively, he started chuckling even more at the look Steve tossed him before continuing—“ummm...shapely legs. Remember, she wants you around as an alibi at all times, and hey, if you ask me, Stash, you’ve had no cause to complain so far, penguin suit or no penguin suit.”
Steve decided to change the subject. Talking about Marlena and him together made him uncomfortable. He didn’t like sharing his private moments with her with anybody. “Yeah, well, I’d better go back to my place. You’ll get me the info, right?”
“It’ll take some time, since it’s all hard copy, but that’s my job.” Cam gave a mock salute. “Just remember I’m the one working hard while you’re hardly working.”
After Cam went off, Steve rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands. There were too many screens to stare at around here. Computers, TVs, videos, cameras hooked to videos. Everything focused on that one person who had somehow become mixed up with a mermaid in his mind. And like a mermaid, she had never been caught, never been seen.
Stuff of myths. He frowned. Another M word. Marlena the Myth.
He had a plateful piled high with information. Marlena stuff. His own operations chief stuff. His very own stuff. And somewhere in there was a nugget of truth. All he had to do was figure out how to see what wasn’t there, because he didn’t trust the cameras like these guys did.
That conversation between her and the seller bothered him somehow. He had a
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