“Alright. There are just a few more minutes in the workday, so let me reach out now. I’ll let the special agent we’re expecting tomorrow know what comes of this idea.”
“Or,” he paused. “Or you could call me directly. Thanks so much to both of you. Neesa, I’ll speak with you tomorrow?” Jasper’s voice was warm and soothing, what Rylee would deem a “boyfriend voice.” Why would he be talking to Neesa like that?
But then Rylee saw Neesa’s face, Rylee realized, yep, she was bitten by a love bug.
When Neesa ended the call, Rylee lifted her brows high, waiting for the scoop.
Instead, Neesa got right on the phone with Hailey, and Rylee wandered back to her office to take a pain pill.
The buzzing in her hands and feet had kept her awake for the last few nights, and this week had been physically taxing.
She really should think twice before she flew off with one of the fast-reaction teams into the desperate circumstances of a mass disaster, where sanitation was at a premium and exhaustion was a given.
Should she be putting her body under undue stress? Or was there someone else who could fill that role?
And with that thought, Rylee stared out her window, her mind a complete blank until Neesa barged in with a grin on her face. “The videos, that was a clever thought. Kudos.”
“What did Iniquus say?”
“Hailey got me on a call with General Elliot and, since we already had Jasper’s blessings—"
Rylee quirked a brow.
“What?”
Rylee grinned. “Just the way you said Jasper.”
Neesa stopped and lifted her chin. “How’d I say it?”
Rylee lifted a coy shoulder and, batting eyelashes, purred, “Jasper.”
“I did not.” Neesa objected. “Did I?”
“We can talk about this Jasper guy later. What did General Elliot say?”
“I explained the situation and the ramifications to the integrity of our organization. Something the general well understood,” Neesa said. “He thanked me for the heads up because, like most groups going into disaster zones, Iniquus uses a cash economy, too. They’re putting their bills through the machine to check for authenticity. But yes, they’re sending an operator team over to collect the video data in the morning.”
“Did you consider, Casey Andrews?” Rylee asked. “His face is going to be all over those tapes.”
“Oh, shit.” Neesa froze. “I did not.”
CIA Case Officer Casey Andrews, at Langley’s request, often deployed alongside the WorldCares Rapid Response Teams to monitor issues arising from mass disasters. Things that WorldCares wanted protection from: terrorism, governmental instability and regime change, human trafficking, and other forms of exploitation. Andrews let WorldCares know when there was a threat and scooted them out of the area before they became victims, and in return, Andrews got to show up in parts of the world where he might stick out like a sore thumb if he wasn’t attached to a logo-wearing group.
“Okay. I’ll call Langley in the morning and let them know that Andrews might end up as a data point. And until given approval, I won’t mention Andrews to Jasper.”
“Jasper,” Rylee sing-songed. “Okay, tell me, what’s he like?”
“Smart, not too tall, which is good for someone of my stature. He just seemed really kind. Capable. Unflappable.”
“You could use those things in your life. Is he single?” Rylee asked.
Neesa dropped her purse on Rylee’s desk. “No ring. But what does that mean?” She pulled her coat on. “Speaking of Jasper. You done for the day?”
“Yeah. I think anything else can wait until morning.”
“There’s a bar up the street called Macadoo’s.” Neesa walked toward Rylee’s coat hook. “How about we go get a drink to unwind?”
“Suspicious,” Rylee said, tipping her head back. “We don’t go out for after-work drinks as a rule. Spill.”
