Page 27 of Code Name: Reaper
I felt the air leave my lungs in the same way it would if he’d punched me in the gut. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means she’s lost everyone who mattered to her. Parents, grandparents, now her mentor. Do you think maybe she’s protecting herself from caring about someone else who might vanish?”
I considered that. Amaryllis’s fierce independence, her resistance to accepting help, her automatic defensive responses when things got too personal—theycouldall stem from a lifetime of abandonment and loss.
“Even if you’re right, what am I supposed to do about it?”
“Stop being a fucking idiot. Stop arguing with her about everything. Stop pretending you don’t want to strip her naked and fuck her senseless.”
The crude honesty was pure Blackjack, and it made me want to punch him and thank him at the same time.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why the hell not?”
Because she wasn’t someone I could have sex with to get her out of my system. She was more than that. The realization formed before I could stop it, but I managed to keep my mouth shut.
But it was true. Amaryllis wasn’t a one-night stand or a casual hookup. She was brilliant, complicated, and damaged in ways that made me want to protect her even when she was perfectly capable of defending herself. She challenged me intellectually, matched me in the field, and made me question assumptions I’d held for years.
“She’s good for you, Kingston. I watched you in that briefing room. She challenges you.”
“She argues with everything I say.”
“Because she’s your equal. When’s the last time you met someone who wasn’t intimidated by your reputation or your family’s money?”
The honest answer was never. Most women I’d met either worked in the intelligence community—which created its own complications—or outside of it entirely, which made real relationships impossible. Amaryllis was different. She worked in my world but wasn’t dependent on my contacts or reputation. She had her own skills, her own network, her own agendas.
“This isn’t some romantic comedy. It’s a classified investigation with international security at stake,” I barked at him.
“So? You’re both adults. You’re both single. You’re both hot for each other. What’s the problem?” My brother walked away, but on his way up the hill, he shouted over his shoulder that we had work to do.
As I followed him inside, I considered his question. Whatwasthe problem? Actually, the answer was obvious. Amaryllis was someone I cared about more than I should. Which meant I was totally fucked.
7
AMARYLLIS
When Wren and I walked into the library, a new set of electronics was sitting on one of the tables. “Those are for you,” she said. “I’ll need to authorize your credentials. It won’t take longer than forty-five minutes.”
We sat down and worked through the prompts.
“I thought the NSA logins were complicated,” I muttered when she told me to lean forward for a retina scan.
She chuckled. “If Vera saw this, she’d flip out.”
Amelia Watkins, code name Vera, had been the director of the National Security Agency since long before I did my internship. I hadn’t had many interactions with her, since Dr. Henning—Mercury—was next up in my chain of command. It wasn’t until she disappeared that I spoke with the woman directly. If anyone asked me what she was like, the first word that would come to mind would be terrifying. On the other hand, the rumors I’d heard about Wren were worse. And yet, she’d made me feel more at ease than anyone else since we arrived. Except for Reaper.
As much as the man drove me to the point of angry frustration more often than not, I still knew he had my back.It was the reason I’d sent him the handful of texts I had. Deep down, I knew I could trust him. Not that I’d ever admit it to him. I had no doubt the bastard would find a way to use it as leverage in one of our arguments.
Wren checked the progress. “That was the last step. Try gaining access.”
I’d just gotten in when Nemesis joined us. “Apologies, I know the morning briefing ended an hour ago, but we’ve received intel I need to review with the full team.”
Wren and I both stood and followed her into the main room.
“Apologies, everyone,” Nemesis repeated when everyone returned and took a seat. I scanned the room. Two people were missing who’d been here a few minutes ago—Reaper and Blackjack. Where had they gone? And didn’t a “full team” include them? I hadn’t finished the thought when the front door opened and they walked in.
“Good, you’re here,” said Nemesis. “Reaper, your intelligence about the Western Naval Base in Odesa aligns with information that’s recently come in.” Satellite imagery appeared on the main display. “NSA assets have detected increased activity in that region over the past twelve hours.”
