From the very first time he’d observed her, he’d known there was no fucking way in hell she would’ve gone for that. Reasons not to accept the assignment came easily. He didn’t want that kind of responsibility for a potential member of his team. Number Eight had wanted to try the serum and this experiment would be up his alley.
Those were the reasons he admitted to out loud. He didn’t tell anyone he was also very attracted to the candidate. She was the kind of woman that had always gotten his attention—sassy, bold, and full of secrets. She was also a GEM operative, so she was dangerous in many ways. And therein lay the temptation. It was hard for him to say no to the challenge of probing a dangerous woman’s mind.
He knew he’d need to prep her mind for his access and to do that, he’d have to gain her trust through trickery. One couldn’t be direct about it because if she’d known, Helen would have mentally fought against it.
Elena.He mouthed her name, as he sleepily recalled the challenge to slowly implant a sexual trigger in her mind. Because she was a GEM operative, trained in NOPAIN, she knew how to counter mind- control techniques. He had been careful, working slowly to get what he wanted.
First, he’d kept her off-balance by training her in the CAVE Ultimate, a ten-by-ten room that allowed multiple participants to experience immersive virtual reality, with one participant controlling the environment. He had chosen to be invisible during his trainingsessions with her, knowing that it would both frustrate and intrigue her.
Second, when they had advanced the training to the Portal, the VR machine controlled by the mind, he had asked Dr. Kirkland to tell her she’d been given total control in the creation of her avatar, so she could give her trainer a “face” and a “body” during their virtual interaction sessions. He’d known the idea that she could choose a face would appeal to her. He also knew she would create an avatar that would be appealing to her senses.
Third, once he had her mind and senses involved intimately with him, it was time to move into her comfort zone. And with a trained operative, he had to move in quickly and ruthlessly, before the first hint of suspicion came to her.
Seduction of mind and body. He’d done it before without getting too emotionally involved. Just stay focused and get the job done. He wasn’t chosen to be Number Nine of the COS commandos to expound on the complexities and consequences. Number Nine accomplished all operations simply and effectively.
Elena was a grown woman, a highly trained operative, who knew going into this experiment that drugs and virtual reality could affect her mind and body. So why did he feel he needed to hurry back and make sure she was okay?
Sleep now. Elena later.
Chapter Two
One day, he would take a nice long nap, the kind that involved a hammock, a pitcher of ice tea, maybe the sound of waves rushing back and forth, with no agenda waiting for him when he opened his eyes, and if he was lucky, it would be a nap with no thought of disturbances or ambushes. Jed savored the image for a moment, imagining the warm breeze swaying his hammock. He hadn’t taken a nap in twenty years, probably, and it wasn’t going to be any time soon that he’d be able to enjoy a hammock by the beach.
The swaying of the elevator that led straight up to the third floor of COMCEN stopped. The first three levels of the complex were also underground and access limited. The fourth floor would be the ground floor for people entering from the front. Most of the time, his unit avoided entering and leaving the complex from there; they liked the idea that no one was ever sure they were on a mission or not.
The moment the elevator doors slid open, he was ready for the usual burst of activity that crowded his preference for silence. De Clerq was the first to meet him.
“Good job, Nine.”
Jed barely nodded, striding out. Having to end a life was hardly a good job. The volume around him toned down a notch when the others became aware of his presence. His gaze swept across the room. “Does the wife know of it yet?”
“Not yet, but she isn’t stupid. The moment she gave that bit of information to Heath, she knew she’d signed his death warrant.”
Heath—Number Eight during operations—could be persuasive like that. He’d seen his deputy’s methods of extracting information. “Let me know when you hear a decision about her.”
“Of course. When will you be available for a group meeting?”
“After debriefing.” They walked past the operatives monitoring activity on a series of screens around a larger one with a 3-D world map. Jed paused, half-listening to the background buzz of German,Russian and French being spoken. He eyed the hot spot in Eastern Europe where hostage negotiations were taking place. He’d need to get hold of Flyboy for an update about that situation.
First, though, he needed to check on Elena. That would mean getting Dr. Kirkland to call her up to find out if she was still not feeling herself... He briefly reworked his schedule. “Strike that. Change it till tomorrow, if possible. Is T here today?”
“Right. I’ll buzz you when I look at everyone’s calendar. T isn’t at HQ right now. Should I let her know you need to talk to her?”
“No.” If she was undercover again, let her finish her task. He would discuss Helen’s condition with her later. He stopped himself from asking de Clerq whether he’d gotten any news about Helen, pausing in mid-thought, momentarily tripped by the urgency to check up on her. Why was he so worried? He knew if he voiced his concern to de Clerq, he would be met with surprise; his ability to detach himself was legendary. Instead, he said, “I’ll be at Dr. Kirkland’s office.”
“Sir, Admiral Madison left a message for you,” a female operative told him as they strode past, handing him a file.
“Get him on the secured line for me ASAP.” Jed opened the file to glance quickly through the memos as he continued walking. He tucked it under one arm and turned to de Clerq. “Madison’s going to want an update about SEED and Cummings. You know if I hadn’t gotten to the target, he’d send his SEALs after him.”
“Yes, I know, and they’d have blown the Russian boat to pieces and we’d have an incident.”
Jed smiled slightly. He’d seen the Admiral’s STAR SEALs in action. “Those boys do like their fire power. Sometimes they’re an asset.”
“Like our ops in Southeast Asia and Macedonia.”
Jed keyed in the security code to the higher security section on that floor. The doors swished open. Away from the main activity, it was quieter here.
“Yes,” he agreed, “Hawk is proving that he can do solo missions when necessary.”
