A light step sounded behind him, and he turned, thinking Opal returned. But Sophie popped her head in. “Con’s ready for you.” Before he could react, she’d already popped out again.
As he made his way to the war room, the conversation he’d listened to between Con and Opal rose in his mind. His commanding officer called her out on not being a team player and all but warned her not to compromise Sinner.
He was glad he was important to Charlie, but wasn’t thrilled about what he was walking into with Opal.
When he entered the war room Con, Elin, Dante and Opal were already seated. Dante took up his post behind his laptop. Elin stood behind him, coffee in hand, watching the screen.
And Opal…she was as still as a statue, straight-backed and focused.
Con headed the table, computer tablet in his hand, his expression unreadable. He waited until Sinner joined them before speaking.
“The plan’s finalized. We’re going to walk through your covers together.”
Opal was seated across from Sinner. They were about to drop into unknown territory—together.
Elin settled next to Dante and passed a sheet of paper to him and one to Opal.
Sinner skimmed the first line.Mike Franklin.The name he’d be going by.
“Read them out loud. Don’t be shy,” Con instructed.
Sinner darted a look at Opal before taking the lead. “Mike Franklin. Construction worker. Injured on the job.”
Opal picked up on her part of the script. “Kelly Franklin.”
She looked nothing like a Kelly.
She continued, “Medical bills from Mike’s back surgeries and missed time from work put us in debt. We were going to lose the house and everything else. So we sold the house and downsized our cars. I switched to a government job in New York City as an accounting technician for the…” She looked up. “Really? The Department of Defense?”
Looking pleased with herself, Elin nodded. “We pulled some strings to get you into that position.”
“Even more reason for Cipher to try to use Opal—er, Kelly,” Sinner corrected.
Elin bobbed her head. “Cipher loves giving money and gifts as leverage. Your sob story is the perfect bait. And he likes using government workers so he can pry out insider info.”
Opal focused on her paper again. “We went from a modest two-story home in the suburbs to an extended-stay place on the outskirts of the city.”
Sinner was watching her face carefully, taking note that she didn’t give any outward reaction to the fact they’d be living in a cheap place and driving crap cars.
“Sinner,” Con prompted.
He read his part. “Mike is addicted to pain pills after his job-related accident. He has a pending claim to pay his medical bills,but the old employer is trying to say the injury was caused by a previous medical condition, therefore not their fault.”
He pushed the paper away. “I’m not sitting around all day playing a junkie while Opal is in the trenches.”
Her stare hit his so hard the whole table went quiet.
He wasn’t the kind of guy who sat on his hands in any op, and no matter what this cover said, he wouldn’t let her carry this alone. Her eyes narrowed a fraction—she knew it too.
Con made a noise in his throat that severed their stare. “Don’t worry, Sinner. You’re getting a job where you can still work with your hands on your new construction crew.”
Sinner skimmed the next lines.
No. He did not just read that.
He looked up and summarized. “Mike is addicted to pills and Opal’s going to be making drug deals for my goods.” He tossed the paper, and it slid across the surface. “Fucking great.”
He knew what went on in the dark corners of the world. And he knew what happened to women who walked into them alone.
