“This isn’t a topic that I’m going to discuss with you.” Kane kept his reply short, as if he thought that would end this conversation. “Much like Red is off limits around you, my sister has the same status.”
“Duly noted.” Catori felt each and every one of his words as if she’d just taken a bullet to her chest. It didn’t change the circumstance of needing to have this discussion. “Afteryou give me the reassurance I need, we don’t need to bring this up again.”
“And what reassurance would that be?” Kane inquired, his voice void of any emotion.
“You won’t use Red Starr’s operational access to obtain the answers you seek.” Catori stood and slipped her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, conveying a relaxed appearance when she felt anything but. She knew exactly how Kane suffered and there was nothing on the face of this earth that could give him the closure he needed. “We have military and government contacts that have extremely high and very special clearances, even as contractors. We’ll utilize them for our missions, such as our secure Siprnet server, encryption systems, and feeds from NRO for Tactical Data. These relationships that I’ve cultivated and hardware I’ve gained access to aren’t to be used for personal reasons. I won’t risk the lives of my team because you’ve burned bridges we need to operate.”
“And if I can’t guarantee that?”
Catori distinguished from reviewing Kane’s dossier that he was a man of honor and spoke only the truth. She respected that and had been prepared for it as well. Men like him were the reason others survived situations that would otherwise have failed. She was always willing to compromise, given that it benefited both parties.
“I give you my word thatIwill look into your sister’s death if you give me your word that you won’t jeopardize the affiliations that we’ve worked damn hard for at Red Starr HRT.” Catoriwaited for her words to sink in, and when the brown of his hazel eyes became more golden, she knew they had a deal. That didn’t mean she didn’t want a verbal promise. “I’ll need your word.”
“It would be hard for me to turn down that kind of offer, Starr.” Kane slowly extended his arm. “Which is why you have yourself a deal.”
Catori firmly shook his hand, emotions swirling inside of her that she’d actually just solidified her Alpha team. She wasn’t in the mood to sort them out, nor did she want to. There were still things that needed to be done and the effort to get this collection organized into a cohesive fighting unit would keep her and him busy.
“My team…I want to look over their profiles.”
“As I stated, their details have been emailed to you. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. My cell phone number is included. You have forty-eight hours to sign and return the letter of intent.” Catori headed for the exit and opened the door, allowing in the loud construction noises as well. She stepped down and then turned on her heel to find Kane still leaning up against the counter. “Your team reports on the first of August at exactly zero seven hundred. I suggest you arrive the week before so we’re able to go over their training schedule, inventory the team bunkhouse, inspect the hardware that will be available to us, and the software that we’ll be using. We have a support system staff of well over fifty personnel and that doesn’t include the ship’s crew or the flight crew for our new Knighthawk.”
“I’ll be there.”
Catori closed the door, giving Kane the privacy he needed to digest what she had offered him and the agreement that he’d made. She was confident that he wouldn’t change his mind, but she also knew that the next time she saw him he’d question her about what she’d discovered regarding his sister.Catori had already put feelers out and the preliminaries coming back weren’t good. Something FUBAR had occurred and Sidney Taylor had gotten caught in the crossfire.
Walking to her car, Catori pulled out her phone and skimmed through her contacts. Finding the one person who might be able to help and highlighting their name, she pressed the call button. As the line rang, she pulled on the handle of her convertible and settled into the driver’s seat. She continued to stare at the trailer while she waited for her contact to answer.
“Catori Starr,” Schultz Jessalyn announced, as if he was surprised to hear from her. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Cut the bullshit, Schultzy,” Catori replied with a smile as she saw Kane finally leave the trailer. “We both know you are well aware that I am forming another team. My bet is you have a list of my crew already on your desk and you know the precise reason that I’m calling.”
“You never were any fun.” Schultz Jessalyn was currently the Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor for the President of the United States. His title was a mouthful and fit his personality to a tee. He was a complex man and one that she would never want to make an enemy of. She’d lucked out though, and Schultz happened to be a damn good friend, which was the only reason she had his personal phone number. “Leave it buried.”
Catori didn’t take any pleasure in being right and she felt her frustration mount. She understood and could sympathize with Kane in regards to his sister. She leaned her head back against the padding of her seat, hearing the warning that Schultz was giving her but also knowing when something wasn’t right.
“I can’t afford to be kept in the dark on this one, Schultzy—especially when it involves the family of my new lead operator.” Catori watched as Kane walked up to a man carrying a set of blueprints and start up a conversation. She tried to word herinquiry carefully. “If whatever happened has the potential to cause damage to Red Starr HRT, I have a need to know right now…her brother has a right to know if some shit-stain blew his assignment and greased his sister.”
“Not everything should be public knowledge, Starr.” Schultz wasn’t going to budge on this. If it was one thing Catori hated, it was not seeing the hand she was playing with. “This is one that you need to let go of for everyone’s sake.”
“I can’t do that.” Catori tried to figure out a way to negotiate for the information, but having taken two years off had depleted her resources. “Taylor deserves some answers, Schultz, even if it’s just a thread.”
“We both know that one lone strand can lead to a complete shit storm breaking loose.” A long pause blanketed the phone and Catori resisted the urge to pull the cell away from her ear to see if the line was still connected. She remained silent, hoping he’d cave but knowing he was protecting his interests. Because of that, his next statement surprised her. “I’ll have something for you by the end of the week.”
The only reason Schultz would divulge classified and potentially threatening information was if he wanted something in return. An ominous cloud was settling over her mood and her gut reaction said she wasn’t going to like the outcome. These men deserved better—Taylor deserved better—and she would see to it that nothing blemished their new beginning.
“Favors are returned in kind,” Catori reminded Schultz, wanting to make her position clear. “I expect sufficient information…enough to ease Taylor’s mind.”
“I’ll obtain what I can, but I can’t guarantee it will be what he wants to hear.”
Catori closed her eyes, wishing that Schultz hadn’t added on that last part. If Sidney Taylor had been used as a chess piece by the higher powers involved, Kane wasn’t the type letjustice escape from his hands. This was setting up to become a clusterfuck of mega proportions and she had a decision to make. Did she get out of the car and rescind her offer? Would it be better for the morale and safety of her team? She immediately rejected that thought, knowing full well that Taylor deserved justice. If she got her hands a little dirty helping him achieve that, so be it.
“I would say thank you for your assistance, but I have a feeling this is going to cost me.” Catori watched as Kane headed to his truck. His eyes had caught sight of her red convertible the minute he’d stepped out of the trailer and he made no effort to hide his scrutiny now. She hoped like hell that no one was alive that had a hand in his sister’s death. If they were, they’d be begging for mercy soon enough. “Try to keep it unproblematic.”
“Ah, Starr, you know I won’t promise you that,” Schultz stated, disconnecting their call with a laugh.
Catori sat there a while longer, watching Kane’s truck make a U-turn and fade away as he traveled down the road. He had the right idea in mind—they both had a lot of things that needed to be accomplished, and sitting here in the middle of a construction zone wasn’t going to get the job done. As she’d come to realize, the world kept spinning while one’s personal life was experiencing upheaval. The secret was to move with the general population while simultaneously dealing with the grief that reality had dealt. Vengeance didn’t bring one peace, but it sure as hell made a Marine feel as if he’d satisfied the mission requirements.
Chapter Eleven
