Page 48 of Tempting Tessa

Dec grunted. “But we’re ghosts. The public doesn’t know we exist.”

“Until Viktor broadcasts your identity to the whole world,” Jessie countered, wincing again as Spencer wrapped her leg with gauze.

Tommy glanced at her. “Why would he do that?”

She looked tired, the kind of tired that sleep couldn’t fix. “When I was first recruited for the team, I saw a memo written twenty years ago by a consultant for the Agency. It predicted a bunch of black swan events. The consultant’s name had been redacted, and that memo was ignored. It mentioned the fact that the CIA should create a team like yours to handle such things, but apparently, no one took it seriously.”

Spence finished and began packing up the first aid materials. He leaned a hip on the table. “What’s that got to do with this, luv?”

“It was after Vienna.” She glanced up at Spence, then addressed Meg and Declan. “There were too many coincidences about that mission. About the previous one, as well. It kept tickling my brain. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I felt like I’d seen, heard, or read about similar events. That’s when I remembered that memo. I went digging for it, but it was gone. I had no way to figure out who the consultant was. I was out of luck.”

Tessa un-cocked the shotgun, removing the shells and setting all of it on the table before slumping into a chair. “It was Harris. Or as you know him, Viktor.”

“After he rescued me and forced me to work for him,” Jessie said, “I found that manifesto in his files. He was so angry at being dismissed by the Agency that he decided to prove his point by creating the events himself.”

Meg shook her head. “That’s not possible. You can’t create a black swan event.”

“You can take advantage of a gray swan, though,” Jessie argued, “and turn it into something far worse.”

“Gray swan,” Tommy murmured in thought.

“An event that can have severe repercussions on the economy but is unlikely to occur,” Tessa said. “Like Brexit.”

“I know what it is,” he replied. He tapped his fingers on the table. “A cyberattack on critical infrastructure must be his goal.”

“Exactly,” Jessie said. “He plans to make it look like you’re all behind it.” She spoke to him again. “He was so angry when he discovered you were onto him and the Russian investors. I tried to scare you off, but you?—”

“Wouldn’t quit,” Tommy said. “And I’m not about to now.”

“Why didn’t you come to us?” Meg said. “Why didn’t you tell me? Flynn? Someone?”

Her chin came up, defiant. “I was protecting my brother, and I couldn’t risk Viktor—Harris— setting off those EMPs. I’m… I’m sorry.” It was an apology for more than not sharing this intel sooner—it was for everything. “Please.” She inched to the edge of the chair, pleading with them. “I have to go. He’s probably already noticed I’m missing.”

Tessa snatched up Spence’s cup and downed the last of the tea. “You expect us to let you go back?” She snorted. “Fat chance.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Jessie said, resolute.

Tommy admired his sister’s confidence when she sat in a room full of people who would not give her any quarter.

“Maybe we do,” Tessa said. “Sending you back to him might actually be the answer.”

Tommy didn’t like the calculating look on her face. “Where are you going with this?”

Tessa sized Jessie up. “You said he used you as a surrogate for me. A stand-in. If he wants the real thing, I think we should give it to him.”

Comprehension hit him at the same time it did Meg and the others. Meg nodded. Dec shook his head. Spence seemed to be considering the complications of such a plan but neither accepting nor discarding it outright.

“No,” Tommy said. “Absolutely not.”

“Hear me out.” Tessa paced the length of the room. “Jessie will bring me to him. I’ll let him think I’m willing to negotiate. We’ll use it to get close and take him down.”

Spence looked at his empty cup. “A Trojan horse. We send you in and strike from the inside.”

Jessie shook her head. “It won’t work. He’s too paranoid.”

“He called me and told me to come to him,” Tessa countered. “He wants me to see how brilliant he is.”

“It might work,” Meg said.

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