“How bad is it?”
“Enough that I can’t forget about it.”
“Do I need to find another operative to infiltrate the Blackthorn Riders?”
“Do you have two teams available with one member who grew up in an MC?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Brent admitted.
“This is the reason the feds want me to go in. Echo and Artemis are a bonus to me. Since I have my team with me and Ihave a shoulder wound to sell my story, we have to use it. No one could have orchestrated a situation better than this.”
“Are you sure? You’re risking more than your own life. From the looks of things, Iona won’t leave your side if the situation gets hot in that compound.”
“You’re right, sir. I’ve already promised her and Seth that I would pull the plug on the operation if I saw it was going sideways.”
“I’m depending on you to keep your word about that and the relationship, Elias. If you’re too distracted to focus on the job at hand, I’ve given Seth orders to pull out immediately. I’ll handle the fallout with the feds.”
“Is there anything else, sir?” Iona asked.
“Are you sure about this, Iona?”
“About the mission or Elias?”
“Both.”
“Yes.” Direct, just the way Elias liked answers to be.
Brent studied her for a moment, then gave a slight nod. “All right. Keep your phone with you and let us know if you need anything. I’ll make sure you get it, then bill the feds.” He grinned.
“Yes, sir.”
“See Zane when you’re ready to leave. He has the keys to each of the vehicles set aside for this mission. Elias, don’t get caught up in club politics. You know how dangerous that can be, so don’t let them drag you into a fight that isn’t yours. Dismissed.”
After they left Brent’s office, Elias led Iona to the comm room where Zane was back at his console.
“What’s up?” his friend asked.
“When you put those packets together, send them to the power players. I don’t want any of us in the pokey for long. Ifthe power players have the information about our teams being undercover, they’ll confirm and move on it pretty fast.”
“You hope. Don’t worry, Elias. I’d already planned to do that. I know the power player feds assigned to this op. I’ll find out who was assigned the case by local law enforcement. I’ve got this covered, all right? Focus on finishing your mission and getting out in one piece.”
“I’ll try. Thanks, Z.”
“Swing by here on your way out. I have your keys.”
Elias and Iona returned to the large conference room. Conversations dropped off when Elias shut the door.
“Everything all right?” Seth studied both of them.
“It’s fine.” Iona sat at the table. “The boss wanted to hear from our lips that we could handle the distraction of being in a new relationship and Elias’ shoulder wound.”
“Can you?”
She scowled. “Not you, too. If we couldn’t handle both distractions, we would have admitted it. We’re not kids who can’t evaluate themselves with honesty.”
“If anything changes, I need to know about it yesterday.”
“Agreed. Look, Seth, I care about my team as much as you do yours. I won’t risk either team.”
