Page 58 of Jep

“Good.”

“One more thing,” Pearce said.

“Yes?”

“Em said she’s staying on as your partner.”

“I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

“It’s not that. I’m just curious why you chose her.”

“Isn’t everyone?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

“If you don’t know, I don’t really have an answer for you.”

“Then I hope it’s for her skills. She’s one of the good ones. Incorruptible, if you know what I mean.”

“You’re worried I’ll take advantage of her?”

“I’m trying not to make assumptions about you, Booth, but I don’t know you well, and Em needs looking out for. She’s out of her depth, but I’m not sure she understands just how much.”

“I think she understands more than you give her credit for.”

“I hope so. But I want to make sure she’s safe in all possible meanings of the word.”

“She is.” Jep slapped his arm. “I’ve got some reading to do, if you’ll excuse me.”

Chapter 13

“Okay, team.”Jep clapped his hands to get their attention. “The information we have suggests an attack of some kind. However, we can’t rule out the possibility that our foe has left that information for us to find. They could be waiting for us.”

“Does that mean we don’t make a move?” one of the agents said.

“No, it means we’re going to be cautious and invisible. We can’t ignore what we found. There are too many lives at stake. But if they left it for us to find, and we know that ahead of time, that means, for the first time, we’re ahead of the game. We know something they don’t. That’s where the invisible part comes in. We’re all going into the park in plain clothes. If they’re expecting a team of agents, we don’t want them to know that’s what they’ve got. Pearce. You’ll lead the second team into the park five minutes after the first.”

“I thought I’d be in the tactical van.”

“No, you’re too experienced to stay behind on this. I need you on the ground. You’ve had the most experience with our enemy as well as what they might be expecting from us, so I’m counting on you to be on top of this. ”

“Yes, sir.”

“If they’re looking for us, we need to find them first and anything they’ve set up that’s going to cause casualties or other damage. We all have to be thinking outside the box here. Middle Eastern terrorist groups have taken responsibility for the past events, but we haven’t confirmed their involvement. That means no one is ruled out. Do you understand?” He waited for the group to acknowledge before he continued. “Because we don’t know what type of environment we’re walking into here, I expect anyone who sees suspicious activity to touch base with me first. Do not engage until I give the go ahead. You contact me over the radio, and we’ll assess the threat. Unless, of course, the situation is critical.”

Another agent spoke. “What is the best-case scenario here?”

“Best case is that we identify and extract at least one player without the others finding out. I realize that’s a big ask, but if we can bring someone in without the others knowing, that will put us on a whole new playing field, which is exactly what we need.”

“And if we can’t?” Pearce said.

“If we can’t, I’d settle for bringing in a suspect whatever way we can. I know the last time you had that opportunity, you weren’t able to bring anyone back alive. I’m hoping things won’t end so bloody this time around. We need this.” Comments of agreement filled the spaces around the room. “If everyone’s ready, we’ll move out.”

Em followed Jep to his vehicle. “You look nice in jeans,” he said, his gaze lingering.

“I learned my lesson. Don’t worry,” Em said, looking at the other two agents who were joining them as part of the initial team entering the park. “I want it noted by everyone in attendance here that, the last time we went out, Jep did not inform me I’d be approaching a prostitute.”

The agents looked at each other and got in the car. Jep caught their dismay. They were right. He and Em were flirting, and it wasn’t appropriate.

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