“Viper?” Sean asked. “Ourfamilies?”
Katie’s voice came through the secured uplink in the SUV since Sean’s phasing power had killed their embedded nanotech comms. “We’re doubling the agents on their security details and running facial recognition through city grids to see if any of Declan’s or Cillian’s peoplepopup.”
Alexei unconsciously dug his fingers into Sean’s hip. “Not pullingthemout?”
“Wraith’s family is a little too high profile to just pluck them out of their homes and hide them away without anyone noticing. The director has split up Delta and Charlie Team to help guard them. He also assigned Prism to your family, Inferno. They’re en route as wespeak.”
The MDF’s second strongest telepath was a twenty-two-year-old woman who’d been turned into a metahuman at the age of twelve. Mercedes Gaouette wasn’t as strong as Katie, but she was a shade more ruthless with her power than Alpha Team’s second-in-command when all was said and done. Katie thought of the big picture when in the midst of a fight while Mercedes, who came from a civilian background, had no compunctions about wiping out the problem beyond the extent the law allowed her to. Alexei couldn’t say he minded Mercedes being the one to watch over his family while the MDF figured thismessout.
“Get back to base,” Katie ordered. “The director wants to speak with bothofyou.”
Alexei let his head drop against Sean’s shoulder. Sean moved his arm so he could stroke his hand up Alexei’s neck. He closed his eyes at the touch, holding onto Sean tightly, because that was all he could do at the moment as everything else fracturedaroundthem.
He wanted to tell Sean that it would be all right, that they’d get through this, but it felt too much like when he was younger with nowhere to call home. Like when he was adrift with his family in the refugee camps before making it to one of the refugee cities in the Ukraine, never knowing what wouldhappennext.
7
Show Them ABeliever
“Whathappened?”
The tone in Jamie’s voice had Kyle’s head snapping around. They were sitting in the back seat of an SUV being driven by a Secret Service special agent and trailed by another car carrying several more. Both of them wore bespoke suits that complemented each other in color, the outfits more than nice enough to rank high on the gossip sites’ fashion pages, or so Leah had said. Kylewouldn’tknow.
Right now, he wanted to know what had put that hard look in Jamie’s blue eyes, because it wasn’t one Kyle liked. Out of precaution, he tapped into the comms to listen in, keeping an eye on the two agents up front as they drove through Manhattan’s traffic-congested streets on a Mondaynight.
“—uninhabitable after it was blown up,” Nazari was saying. “We’ve deployed metahumans to stand guard on the Delaney and Dvorkinfamilies.”
Kyle stiffened at that announcement. He opened his mouth before closing it, well aware they had no privacy in the SUV right now to ask the questions he wanted to. Jamie reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing gently in support. Their cover tonight was the same one they’d been using since January, only they needed to be discreet about it. At some point, the cover would no longer be needed and Kyle would cease to show up with Jamie to these kinds ofgatherings.
On the one hand, he’d be happy his face would no longer appear on gossip sites. The ugly comments made about his status by a jealous public didn’t bother him. Kyle was well aware that everyone still deemed Jamie one of the world’s most eligible bachelors even if that was no longer true. But on the other hand, any romantic time they could spend together in the spotlight would cease toexist.
“Why?” Kyle asked, pitching his voice low, needing to be brought up tospeed.
“Cillian targeted Wraith today by blowing up his apartment while they were in it. He and Inferno are fine,” Nazariexplained.
Kyle wanted to argue that nothing wasfineabout having a home blown up with his brother inside it. His immediate and visceral reaction to the news was one of fear, and cold sweat broke out down hisspine.
Kyle tightened his grip on Jamie’s hand, knowing Jamie wouldn’t mind, as they shared a long look. He could see by the way Jamie clenched his jaw he’d rather be back at base, hovering over their teammates than on their way toaclub.
Kyle couldn’t blame him. That’s what hewanted,too.
“As unfortunate as the current situation is, that’s not the only reason I called,” Nazari continued. “Callahan, we’ve become aware of a third party attempting to initiate a wiretap of your commssystems.”
Jamie’s eyebrows crept toward his hairline. “I’ve had no warning of that onmyend.”
Their embedded bioware and encrypted comms were military grade with the highest security. The fact that someone was able to attempt a hack without Jamie’s bioware flagging it was cause forconcern.
“The attempt has the CIA’s fingerprints all over it. If they’re initiating a wiretap against you, then there’s a good chance a FISA Order has been handed down. Your father and certain people high up in his campaign is also likely beingtargeted.”
Nazari sounded more irritated than worried by that fact. Considering the MDF had first requested a FISA Order months ago to monitor the CIA deputy director, the tables turning on them wasn’t unexpected, but it wasannoying.
“How do you want to play this?” Jamie asked, keeping his voice even through sheer will alone, even if the look in his blue eyes was puremurder.
“Continue as you are. We’ll keep the wiretap blocked on our end unless we think it might beuseful.”
“I want to be informed if youdofind ituseful.”
Kyle made a face. If Jamie hadn’t made the request, then he would have. Sometimes the MDF forgot about the toll these missions tookonthem.
