Surrender to Temptation (Agent Lovers Series Book 1) by Harper Steen, Lesley Schuldt Read Free Book Online Page B

doesn’t the
Air Force Special Operations Command
send in someone to collect what their own people lost? That would seem to make the most sense.”
    “Sure. But we didn’t make the decision about who would handle the mission, Lt. General Townsend did. And, like I said, there’s one small, but not insignificant problem that makes retrieval impossible. The missiles are located in an area to which we don’t have official access.”
    “No kidding!” Jennifer’s smart aleck comment caused Chris to get up from his workstation at the computer and cross to the table in the middle of the room. With a marker he roughly outlined the target and explained the situation further.
    It was clear that the operation would definitely not be an easy one. The storage facility was located in a flat site in Virginia where the sparse vegetation growing from parched ground offered little protection. There was one paved access street, but it had been ruled out as an option from the beginning. The dense stands of trees that surrounded the area were also of no small concern as the protection they offered could benefit Townsend’s team and their opponents, equally. Beyond the storage site, the terrain grew increasingly hilly.
    “This strip of trees is on land that belongs to the wife of a foreign national,” Chris explained. “She was born in America; he’s a Russian diplomat with political immunity. Of course he denies that there has been any illegal activity on her property. Our government has to adhere strictly to the law in order to avoid stirring up conflict between our countries. It isn’t any secret that our relationship with the Russians is still on shaky ground, and that doesn’t make matters any easier. We can’t simply expel a diplomat from our country; we would need evidence in order to do that. Unfortunately, we don’t have a warrant to enter his wife’s property and we don’t have time to waste in trying to convince him to cooperate. The missiles would be long gone by then—and we’d be left looking like idiots.”
    “So it’s the political immunity of this man, who appears to be a rather big deal, that’s brought into the game; am I right?” guessed Liz.
    “Exactly. If our Air Force friends were to be associated with a return deployment to this area, then the shit would hit the fan, as the eloquent saying goes. Even if the Air Force found the weapons, there would be huge political repercussions. That’s why the assignment is: enter the enemy’s camp, destroy the missiles, and get out again—all as quickly and as inconspicuously as possible. If all goes well, neither the Americans nor the Russians will talk about it afterwards. It’ll be like it never happened.” Chris sat down on a chair, leaned back, and crossed his arms over his chest as he gave Liz and Jennifer a curious look.
    “Sounds like an honorable way to handle the situation,” said Liz. “But what about a remote detonation by satellite? Why weren’t the things blown up long ago? Surely they’re fitted with GPS too.”
    Gray shook his head. “That’s not possible, Liz. They’ve removed the electronic units, but luckily, since their buyers will need the units, they didn’t destroy them. That’s why we’re at least able to locate them. Explosive charges have to be attached smack on the missiles, and to do that, you have to go in. There isn’t any other way.”
    “And what kind of an explanation are you going to give the diplomat and his wife when we leave an enormous hole in the ground? That could be a problem and could eventually lead to the kind of open conflict you’re hoping to avoid.”
    “He and his wife will receive a geographical survey that explains that a subterranean washout triggered a partial landslide, which in turn caused the explosion of a methane gas pocket and the ensuing fire.” Gray’s idea was simple, but ingenious. It could work. The simpler the explanation, the better.
    “How many people are we dealing with, and