“Also, there’s no one around to object to my presence,” Kira pointed out.
Jarek and Sariah had gone off to Mea’Ave knew where.And Rhett and Tinsley were preoccupied with the forty-three.
“What do you say?”Kira asked, looking back at Graydon.
He glanced at Finn, who was acting surprisingly calm all things considered.He’d yet to voice a single objection.Nothing so much as even a token protest.
“How am I to say no to an offer like that,coli?” Graydon drawled.“Of course, my oshota and I will be happy to accompany you on your search.”
One thing solved.
“I’ll send you a list of the places the Sweet sisters tend to frequent.Along with a photo so you can identify them,” Kira told Raider and Finn.
Jin looked disgruntled as he raised his hand.“And me?What am I going to be doing?You’re not thinking of leaving me behind, are you?”
“See—I knew you were smart.”
“Oh, come on!”
“How much sleep did you get before I showed up?”Kira asked in an abrupt shift of subject.
The slightly guilty look on his face answered her question better than words ever could.
“You need rest, Jin.And I need someone who can run overwatch and act as the operations chief to coordinate all the moving parts.”
The best part was that he’d be out of danger.
“Eventually, someone is going to have to loop Jace in.We’ll need his help.”
Kira didn’t plan to let a single one of these assholes slip away.To ensure none escaped capture, they had to hit all known hideouts.
She lacked the resources for such an operation.But Jace didn’t.
“This is so unfair,” Jin complained.“If I was still the J1N, would you be forcing me to sit on the sidelines?”
“Probably not,” Kira admitted.“But the J1N would have already finished sifting through the data it got from Jace, Chance, and Harper.”
Jin’s lips flattened as he swallowed everything he’d been about to say.
Raider tucked his hands in his armpits and looked down, pretending to be a fly on the wall as Jin flushed with embarrassment.
“I’ll have you know I’m perfectly capable of multi-tasking,” Jin exclaimed.
“Not as well as you used to be.This is the kind of job that requires focus.”
Jin’s unflinching stubbornness fizzled like a punctured balloon, his shoulders drooping.
“Your role is important too,” Kira pointed out, not entirely without sympathy.
“Fine—but take one of my spawn with you.”
“Why?”Kira asked, startled.
“If you’re leaving me behind, I want certain assurances.The mini-me gives me that.”
“Fine—but you have to rest.”
“A small nap,” Jin bargained.
