need to protect your military unit. The contracts signed that sealed your lips, that would forever keep your chosen service’s secrets quiet. On penalty of death. Jason held secrets on behalf of the New Zealand Army. He now thought I held secrets on behalf of the New Zealand Navy, too.
He just didn’t realise that my employer was not a branch of the defence force. My employer was more powerful than that.
More powerful than the military.
More powerful than the government.
Because whoever runs a country’s espionage unit, runs the country. Believe me, I know.
And that power was now after me.
Chapter 5
But I Was Not Going To Be Alone When I Got There
Adam
“ S he … is… awesome,” Brook, the fucking dickhead, announced, after Charlie had left. Silence had reigned for all of thirty seconds, but that silence had been weighted, monumental. Fucking brilliant.
The problem was, Charlie was awesome. The type of awesome that could change a man. And there was no denying that there was something there. I saw it in the way she looked at me, the way she couldn’t speak when trapped by my stare.
But her recovery had been extremely professional. I’d expected nothing less from someone Nick Anscombe had recruited, of course. But it was more than that. For once in my life I felt like I was being hunted, not the hunter. That ASI was being hunted. The thought was disconcerting and completely unwarranted, I was sure.
But there was no denying her comeback to Jason had to have felt like a slap to his face, shutting the ex-SAS soldier up with that one cutting remark. A feat rarely seen or heard of.
“Secrets,” I said, interrupting Brook’s continued poetic praise of all things Lieutenant Downes. “Now there’s a woman with a few secrets.”
“What would you know, Savill?” Jason shot back, exactly as I’d suspected he would. Once in the defence force, regardless of branch, always in the defence force.
Charlie had an ally in Jason whether she realised it or not.
“Just an observation, Cain,” I replied steadily, taking a sip from my beer. It had gone fucking flat.
He grunted, but didn’t comment further. One thing to be said about Jason, he knew when to shut his mouth. Which made me realise just how closely related his and Charlie’s military training must have been. Why had Nick chosen me to be her trainer? Why not Jason who would understand the differences, bridge the gaps and smooth her path to civilian investigation and security that much better than me?
Nick often worked in weird and mysterious ways.
Which only made me think of Charlie. “Weird” and “mysterious” were two descriptors that fit the lieutenant well. There was something strangely captivating, something unexpected, unfamiliar, atypical about the woman. And yet, strangely compelling as well.
I cleared my throat and finished my beer, preparing to call it a night. I’d been on night-shifts for the past week trying to catch my mark. Amber’s intel this afternoon meant tonight was to be the first night in my own bed for over seven days. It was a no-brainer. Drink myself into oblivion with these numbskulls or catch some z’s in my rocking king sized bed.
“I’m off,” I declared unnecessarily, as I stood from my chair.
“Why in such a hurry?” Jason asked, his own beer glass empty, and what with Katie waiting for him at home, I knew for a fact he’d be outta here in less than five minutes flat.
He was just the sort of prick who liked to dig and dig and dig some more. The guy shoulda been a fucking spy.
“Bored shitless now the only thing worth looking at has been scared off by your sorry arse.”
“You didn’t look at her butt once,” Brook offered, making Koki chuckle and Jason sit back with arms folded over his chest; waiting for the gossip.
“How the hell did you hear about that?” I demanded.
“I have my talents,” Brook replied, innocence personified in his gaze.
“That’s not what that chick Becky said last