Page 55 of Security Breach

Emma sat at the kitchen table with a mug of tea while the Fortress operatives assembled in the room with her and David. Rafe remained in the security room since he was on watch.

When she lifted the mug to her lips, Emma’s hands shook. She sighed. Great way to look calm in front of a group of SEALs. She doubted David and the others reacted this way when faced with a question-and-answer session.

“We can find information another way if you aren’t ready to talk, Emma,” Jackson said. “Pushing yourself won’t help.”

Her brain had been hiding secrets since the night her family was murdered. David needed her to remember.

Emma wondered if her memory was returning. She kept having flashbacks of something even when she slept. Not seeing the flashback long enough to process the image was driving her crazy. “I need to do this, Jackson.”

“The process will go smoother if you relax.”

“Easy for you to say,” she muttered. “You don’t have to revisit some of the worst minutes of your life.”

Wolf Pack’s medic flashed her a sympathetic look. “True.” He squeezed her arm gently. “Jon’s the best. If anyone can help you remember more, it’s him.”

Jon? Emma’s gaze flew to the silent, intense man as her dread built. Why Jon? She turned to David. “I thought you would ask the questions.”

“Jon is an expert.”

She studied the operative. Did he have a psychology degree or hypnosis skills? While Emma was willing to answer questions, she didn’t know about answering them while hypnotized.

Jon grimaced. “My skills are better utilized in a different context.”

His words had an ominous ring. “What context?” Emma asked.

“Interrogation.”

She sucked in a breath. Oh, boy. Interrogation wasn’t on her bucket list of things to experience in her lifetime. As Jackson said, there were other options to learn the information they needed to find the Butcher.

After Cal entered the room and filled his mug with coffee, David looked at Jon. “How do you want to do this?”

The other man rubbed his jaw, expression thoughtful. “Our best shot is to have Emma comfortable and relaxed. She needs you for that. Sit on the sofa and hold her close. Maybe drape a blanket over her.” He looked at Emma. “What kind of white noise do you like?”

“Rain.” She wrinkled her nose. “But the sky is clear today.”

“I’ll come up with something,” Jon said. “Get comfortable. I’ll be there soon.”

She walked to the living room with David. He closed the curtains to darken the room, then turned the lamp to its lowest setting.

Emma sat and grabbed the lightweight blanket from the back of the sofa. David joined Emma, draped the blanket over her, then wrapped his arms around her.

Peace enveloped her. The whole world might be in chaos, but for this moment, nothing mattered but being with the man she loved.

“Comfortable?” he murmured.

Emma nodded. “What if this doesn’t work?”

“We’ll try something else.”

“Not hypnosis, right?”

“We have many options, including hypnosis.”

Her stomach knotted. Hopefully, Jon wouldn’t make her cluck like a chicken if he used hypnosis.

The operative walked in with his laptop. After setting the computer on the coffee table, he tapped a few keys. Seconds later, the sound of rain filled the room.

“The acoustics are so good, it sounds as though someone opened a window to enjoy nature’s symphony.” Her smile slowly faded. “What do you want me to do?”

---