“Experience?” Kirk asked. He didn’t want any by-the-book translator.
“She’s a contract agent. GEM,” she told him.
His expression must have betrayed him because in spite of the gravity of the situation, several of the SEALs snickered. GEM operatives were not his favorite people at the moment. His last run-in with one of them had ended with him naked and handcuffed to a bed, but that was another story he preferred not to share.
“She’s good,” Jade said. “She’ll get things done.”
“It’d better not be T,” Hawk murmured. “She’d tie him up in strings.”
“And eat him for a snack,” someone else added.
“They all would,” Jazz agreed, a slight smile forming before adding, “except Vivi, of course.”
“He’d know,” Lucas said, pointing a thumb at Jazz. “He’s married to one of them and his Vivi had him for every meal. I was there. Saw the whole thing.”
There were more snickers from the other guys.
Jade frowned. “Hey, don’t mouth off on my friends. It isn’t T. Her name’s Surya. I’ll call her after this meeting and set you two up. Details in an hour.”
Kirk gave a mental sigh. “All right.” GEM operative. It’d have to do.
“But McNeil first,” Declan said. “Everyone keeps their satellite phone ready and the secured app uploaded for video feeds.”
“Affirmative.”
Declan exhaled. “Again, thank you for coming here on such short notice. Now, my brothers and I have to go back in and be with our father. Kirk, my helicopter will get you to your next stop. No traffic.” He cricked his neck and then straightened before walking toward Kirk. “This is important to me.”
Kirk shook his hand. “To me too, Dec. I’ll do my best. Good luck with McNeil.”
The corners of Dec’s lips lifted. “It’s all about what the other side wants. You should know that, as a negotiator.”
Kirk nodded. The question was, what would the government’s premier assassin want that Dec could offer? Jed McNeil, from what he knew, was an enigma. Like him, McNeil moved in the world of shadows, and even there, very few knew about him and the commandos under him, except they were all part of a government experiment. Kirk would give anything to be there at this meeting. The things he would learn. Instead, he got one GEM operative named Surya.
An Interpol convention.
Three kidnapped VIPs.
A missile in the hands of militants.
Jungles everywhere.
A GEM operative who, from his previous experience with them, probably would have her own agenda.
Oh yeah, what could go wrong?
* * * *
Declan wasn’t in the mood for games. McNeil’s reputation was solid but he tended to amuse himself with odd diversions as a way to probe his opponent’s state of mind. An assassin must find ways to engage, he supposed.
He studied the man lounging against a picnic table by the basketball court. Dressed in a denim jacket and worn jeans and bouncing a ball, he looked like a walking advertisement for Active Guy. But Declan had been trained to look for the stuff that wasn’t obvious. Like a certain stillness in the way the other man moved, no matter how casual he appeared. Like the extended boot, which he knew held a weapon. Like the choice of a playground as a meeting place. Damn it. McNeilwasplaying games.
He strode toward the figure. McNeil didn’t turn around.
“Jed,” Declan said.
“Dec.”
McNeil finally straightened up and turned to face him, ball still in his hands. His light eyes, a strange silvery grey that had earned him the nickname “Ice” during their Ranger days,as always in the past, caught Dec’s attention.
