Page 117 of Jep

“Yeah, but if I did, what would you say?”

“I haven’t had a great track record bringing you on missions. You’ve almost died every single time.”

“That’s being a bit melodramatic, don’t you think?”

“Not when it’s the truth.”

“You wouldn’t have let that homeless man kill me.”

He leaned toward her. “That is very true. But you’ll have a scar to prove my incompetence for the rest of your life.”

“Stop being so hard on yourself. Scars are cool, didn’t you know? And it will remind me that someone believed in me enough to test my skills.”

“That’s generous.”

“Would you rather I remember you as being careless?”

His eyes dipped to her smile, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Agent Cramer beat him to it.

“Jep. We’re ready,” he said.

“Thanks.” Jep nodded, then looked back at Em. “I guess I’ll see you on the other side.”

“You’d better. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I always am.”

“That’s not true.”

“You can pretend it is if it makes you feel better.”

She grunted when he jogged off before she could come up with a comeback.

“I know Jep and I haven’t always gotten along,” Lawson said as he approached her, his hands tucked deep in his pockets. “But he’s a great agent.”

“He is.”

“We operate differently, so we’ll never see eye to eye, but after what happened with Pearce, I can see that bringing Jep onto the team was the best move we could have made.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.” She rubbed her hands together against the chill in the night. “How long do you think this op will take?”

“Depends on what they find. They’ll have to move slower than usual to ensure we don’t have another event like the last one.”

“But you trust Gardener’s intel?”

“I think Gardener will do whatever is in her own best interest, and right now, that means bringing these guys down. If they’re out of commission, she has a better chance of not being killed by them.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“It’s natural to be worried, but are you sure you want to be out here for this?”

“I’d go crazy otherwise.”

An owl hooted nearby.

“I have to say, Miss Chapman.” He was staring at the line of trees that concealed them. “You’re not what I expected.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

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