Page 54 of Fire for Effect

“You literally had a threesome with two prostitutes in Amsterdam. I was there when you paid them,” Sierra sputtered.

“So?” Golf seemed genuinely, though stupidly, confused.

“So?” she mocked, “You were sleeping around and you’re annoyed that she did the same thing?”

“I’m fighting for America, damnit!” When we all burst out laughing, he tried a different tact. “Look, I might have slept around, but I didn’t have an affair. Those women didn’t mean anything. She had an affair! They practically live together. In my house!”

Sierra laughed, heartily and loudly. Just when I thought she was done, she’d laugh again, louder this time, sputtering about “men” and “idiots” in multiple languages.

“So you…” she gasped for air between laughter. “You thought she’d stay faithful, when you are so clearly not?” She kept on laughing. “She’s a fucking business owner. She makes more money than you and you thought that you were so red-white-and-awesome that she’d stay home knitting…” More laughter that sounded like a donkey braying. “She’s so much hotter than you, too!”

We all waited for her to quit laughing, before I finally interjected, “So what did you do?”

“Well, I beat the shit out of the guy,” Golf said.

I understood that. I had wanted to beat the fuck out of Greg “VD” Veder when I found out what he had done. And the man had come to me in earnest, confessing his sins. I couldn’t imagine walking in on them when they did it.

“Now, she’s suing me and he’s filing charges!”

“You should have called first,” I said, remembering the adage: “Drop a dime, stop a crime.”

“Is everyone here?” A voice finally came on. I vaguely recognized it as the woman from the CIA, the one who had sat beside my father in the Situation Room, threatening a prisoner’s kids. “Do a roll call.”

All agents chimed in, in alphabetical order. “Alpha here.”

“Bravo here.”

So on and so forth.

Alpha through Zulu, using the NATO Phonetic alphabet.

Satisfied that we had all called in as needed, the woman’s voice went on. “I’m Sonia Norkus. I work for the company.” The Company was just code for the Central Intelligence Agency. “I’m heading the task force that’s been put together to plug the leak on Cerberus and intercept the imminent attack on US soil that was uncovered with the cancellation of former Navy SEAL, Royce Matthews.”

Nice and succinct.

Sonia Norkus… I recognized that name. I just wasn’t sure from where.

“Question!” Oscar interrupted her as she began the ritual of briefing us all. “Why are we being outsourced to the CIA? Cerberus has never been a company asset.”

There were murmurs of agreement on the line.

We were, technically, a part of the Secret Service, even though we blurred the lines, working directly with the Commander in Chief. The CIA and us weren’t always on the best of terms, despite efforts to bridge the gap. It was an ego thing. Too many swinging dicks, trying to see who could poke each other’s eyes out.

“Hold all questions to the end, or better yet, don’t ask them at all.” Sonia was clearly not in the mood to deal with us today. Probably felt too important, working out there in Langley. “If you need to know, I will tell you. If you do not know, it’s because you don’t need to. Am I understood?”

With tremendous restraint, our ragtag operation of killers managed to keep their mouths shut.

We could be professional.

Yup. We could get through an entire phone call without making a smart ass remark. After all, we were the silent and deadly professionals that were a mystery to the rest of the black ops community.

Be professional.

Be…

Professional…

“I bet you’re fun at parties,” I said, then immediately regretted it when the snickering on the line started.

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