Page 41 of Nails
Well, that wasn’t a red flag the size of Texas or anything,she sarcastically thought to herself.
And judging by the smug grin on his face, he probably knew everything that was going on in her head.She shot him a glare, and he responded with a wink.
Her jaw clenched.
Okay, fine.Whatever.She was here to do a job.That’s what mattered.
Straightening her shoulders, Riley walked to the head of the room, brushing off the subtle murmurs and appreciative glances from some of the guys.“It’s nice to meet all of you,” she said smoothly, projecting calm professionalism like it was body armor.“I look forward to working with you all.”
And keeping all distractions, especially ones with sexy smirks, firmly out of the picture.
Before anyone could respond, a knock sounded at the door.
Riley turned with the rest of the team, expecting maybe another analyst or someone who worked with the team.But instead, the door opened, and in walked the Secretary of Homeland Security, Travis Boles.
Riley couldn’t keep her shocked expression from showing.The team all stood up to greet him.
She looked at Russell.“Are there any more surprises I should know about?”she asked dryly.
Russell grinned.“Secretary Boles wanted to be here personally.He and the President wanted to show their full support for this operation.Especially you.”
Riley turned her eyes to Boles, who nodded respectfully at her, his expression warm.
“We’re not going to let another New York happen,” he said.“This agency is behind you one hundred percent, Agent Aiken.Whatever you need, you’ll get it.”
A strange warmth settled in her chest, tangled up with the nerves already fluttering there.
She gave Boles a respectful nod.“Thank you, sir.I appreciate it.And please extend my gratitude to President Evans.”
Then she took another sip of her coffee and glanced once more at Nails.He still hadn’t stopped smiling.
Of course, he hadn’t.
Her emotions were all over the place, but she shoved them down.She couldn’t afford to let this rattle her.She had a job to do.Tuning out all the distractions, she slid right into her professional mode and looked at Derek, giving him a nod to get the meeting started.
Nails was a little disappointed when he saw something pass within her eyes before she looked away.It was subtle, but enough to tell him she was already starting to pull back.He had figured she would try to put up a wall.However, he didn’t take it personally.
But if she thought that would stop him, it was obvious that she didn’t know him at all.He’d never been one to back down from a challenge, especially not one wrapped in sharp wit and quiet strength.
Having her standing there right in front of him confirmed that the pull between them hadn’t dulled.He saw it in the way her shoulders tightened when their eyes met.The way she hesitated was just a beat too long.That kind of spark didn’t happen every day, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to ignore it.
He smiled to himself.She could try to keep things strictly professional, and he’d play along for now.The mission came first, as it always did.But over time, he’d find a way past the walls she built.Maybe not today, and perhaps not tomorrow.But eventually he’d make her see it was worth taking the risk.
The room quieted down as Commander Connors stepped toward the head of the table.
“Alright, listen up,” he began.“The reason you all are here is that we have a dire situation on our hands.One week ago, Anna Sandri, the daughter of Congressman Sandri, vanished in Hong Kong.She is a student at the university there.Her last known location was outside an exclusive gentleman’s club in the city.Since then, no digital footprint, no confirmed sightings, and no contact.”
Nails crossed his arms as he leaned back slightly in his chair.Congressman Sandri was a prominent political figure.He was also a major supporter of the military.Judging by the expressions on everyone’s faces, this was news to them as well, except for one person—Riley.
“I’m surprised the media hasn’t picked up on this,” Bear stated, and many nodded in agreement.
“That’s because the family and those inside the government who know of this have kept the media in the dark.While there, she was also using an alias, Anna Burns.”
The more Nails thought about it, the more he understood the importance of keeping it quiet, at least for now.In high-profile cases, especially when the missing person was the daughter of a congressman, the wrong kind of attention could tank an investigation before it even got off the ground.It wasn’t just about preserving the family's privacy, though that was part of it.It was about keeping the press from spinning wild theories that could distract from hard facts, or worse, tip off the people responsible.And considering Anna’s last known location was outside a gentleman’s club, Nails knew exactly how fast the narrative could turn sideways.That was national headline material just waiting to explode.
He listened as Derek continued, “The club that Anna was last seen outside of has been flagged by Interpol in connection with two of four other missing women who have mysteriously disappeared in the last six months.What we’re looking at here is possibly one piece of a much larger human trafficking operation that, unfortunately, Anna Sandri may have fallen victim to.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.Nails exchanged looks with the guys, and he could see the concern and upset in their expressions.In their line of work, they all had seen firsthand the kind of hell traffickers put their victims through, especially women and children.Many didn’t make it out alive.But the ones who did were left carrying invisible scars that may never fully heal.
