“Do you need another minute?” Sydney asked. “I can make something up.”
“No, but thanks.” Halston cleared her throat and tugged down her sweater.
The trio made their way down the hallway and into a conference room. One big table surrounded by twelve of the ugliest office chairs he’d ever seen. The furniture was barebones, same as the building but, as Gabriel swept his gaze over the attendees, he felt like he’d arrived at a party,nota clandestine business meeting.
As Sin and Evangeline took their seats, Greystone, Teddy, and Caroline made their way over. Hearty handshakes and a sweet hug from Caroline.
“You okay?” Greystone asked.
“All good,” Gabriel replied.
“Welcome home.” Caroline said.
“I’m here, whatever you need,” Teddy said before leading him to a seat across from Halston. To his surprise, Z sat at the head. On either side of him—and across from each other were Kathrine Austin—Caroline and Sydney’s mom—and Stoni Alexander.
“Z, ladies,” Gabriel said.
Both Kathrine and Stoni acknowledged him with a smile.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Stoni said.
“It’s good to see you,” Gabriel replied.
Only Z remained stone faced.
Mr. Personality.
From the far end of the long table, Sin began. “We’ve got a lot to cover. Everyone knows everyone, except Halston Devereux. She’s with the Agency, but Evangeline has been her handler since she got back from Russia. Halston, welcome to ALPHA BLACK OPS. Gabriel, welcome back.”
With a smile that made Gabriel’s heart pound faster, she said, “My alias is Barbianna Bogdanova, unless I’m at the Russian Embassy. There, I’m Minka Kotov.”
After everyone offered a welcoming word, Sin continued. “These power outages aren’t a coincidence. They’re all targeted. It’s a major concern for NSA. Kathrine’s team has been investigating what’s behind them. Kathrine?”
“It’s been a challenge,” Kathrine said. “There’s been little chatter, and no one can figure out how to override the power grids in each of the cities to turn the electricity back on.”
“Stoni, why don’t you fill the group in,” Z said.
“My contacts at the Agencyandthe Bureau—along with a small group of rogue agents that funnel me information—have zeroed in on the Russians.”
“Is this a joke?” Gabriel asked. “You write novels. Why are you even here?”
“G, show Stoni some respect,” Greystone said.
“Iama fiction writer,” Stoni replied. “We talked about this after your surgery.”
“That was a blur,” Gabriel said.
“Where do you think I get my plots?” Stoni continued. “The reality of these situations is way more interesting than anything I could conjure up.”
“Conjure up,” Teddy blurted. “Nice wordsmithing.”
“About Stoni,” Z said with a stern glance at Gabriel. “Years ago, I looped her back in. Once upon a time, we worked together. We have the same contacts, but they’re all still talking to her.”
“Z’s burned bridges,” Kathrine explained, “but Stoni’s assets trust her.”
“It’s the perfect set up,” Z added.
“A few names keep coming up,” Stoni continued. “Dmitri Petrov, Natasha Petrova.” She glanced at Z, who nodded.“Two of my reliable, long-term informants mentioned Russian Ambassador, Yuri Bulgrov.”
