Page 6 of Jael

“Not lazy.” She stood and walked around the desk. “But when everyone is afraid of the Siseras, it’s easier to hang back than push forward. Especially when you don’t believe there is a prodding stick in your back. Have I been going too easy on you lately?”

“When have you ever gone easy on me?”

She smacked his foot off the table. “You could at least do me the courtesy of sitting up straight.”

He looked annoyed but did as she asked, tugging hard on his jacket to be obtuse.

“On this matter,” she said, returning to her desk, “I’m your boss, not your friend, and I won’t give you any scope to do less than what is required to bring the Siseras and Jabin Enterprises down.”

“You think we’re afraid of him. But we’re not.”

“Oh, no? Then why haven’t you sent anyone undercover?”

Barak balked. “You know as well as I do that the best we’ll get out of a stunt like that is nothing. And more likely, we’ll lose a good agent.”

“I’ve been in this game longer than you have, Barak, and I haven’t lost my edge, but you seem to have. If you don’t want to make the hard calls, fine.”

“You think I won’t make hard calls?”

“I think you’ve become too narrow in your focus, so I’ll fix the problem myself. Why send a man in to do a woman’s job?”

“You’re going to play the gender card now?”

“I’m not playing,” Deborah said, steepling her fingers. “The job was yours to do. You haven’t done it, so I have someone else in mind.”

“You’re not going in yourself.” He looked worried. Good.

“Of course not.”

“Then who? Agent Hartley?”

“Veronica?” Deborah shook her head. “No.”

“Artus won’t let anyone near him. Man or woman. I don’t care who you have in mind, it won’t work.”

“You might not know anyone who can get close to him, but I do.”

“Who?”

She left a long pause. Long enough to see him shift uncomfortably. Then, she said, “Jael Heber.”

“Jael?” He shook his head with a laugh. “You’re out of your mind. Not only is her father out of the game these days, but Jael would smell us coming a mile away. And I’m sure she still believes we’re the reason her mom is dead.”

“We are, aren’t we?” Deborah said, leaning back in her chair.

“You want to be the one to add that to the report? Natalie Heber was in the wrong place at the right time and in possession of illicit drugs. End of story. None of our guys laid a finger on her.”

“That doesn’t mean we didn’t play our part.”

“Your point?”

“I know for a fact that Jael believes it’s our fault. Am I sorry? No. Natalie was a criminal. It’s as much her fault she’s dead as ours. That doesn’t mean it’s not a sad scenario that requires some finesse.”

“The FBI is finessing our missions now?”

“When it’s required.”

“Still, I don’t see it. Even if Jael agreed to help us, which she wouldn’t, how would that get us Artus?”

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