Page 70 of S.O.S. Mizzay

“Special Agent Beranger,” Baskins delivered. “You’ll be partnering with Agent Englewood, as well as SOS operatives Songen, Perkins, and the Devons brothers. You’ll be called Team A. The six of you will be tasked to travel to South Sudan, take custody of El-Umar from the CIA’s hands, and bring him back here.

“Once we have him stateside, for security purposes, he won’t be held in our offices. We don’t want to make it easy for someone to get to him. Instead, he’ll be placed somewhere remotely where Team B, consisting of Special Agent Oliphant, Agent Smalley, and SOS members Balshir, Montverra, and Seingold will take shifts watching him.

“The rest of you, Team C, consisting of Agent Georgio, Agent Fleischerman, Operatives Prancingdeer, and of course, Missy, will be tasked with keeping Sawyer Blue safe.”

“Where will we all be holed up?” Agent Georgio asked. “Us watching Mr. Blue, and Team B taking shifts on El-Umar?”

Ah.Wasn’t that the question one or more of those assembled would want the answer to, badly, so their dirty deeds could be planned. Missy knew the guilty party or parties wasn’tnecessarilyGeorgio, because his was actually a valid inquiry that any one of them could have made.

Baskins answered with what had been predetermined by their previous, secret meeting. “Until El-Umar is on American soil, that information will not be released. We don’t want his positionorMr. Blue’s inadvertently leaking before everything is in place and our terrorist gold-smuggler has feet on American soil.”

Baskins then looked around and met the eyes of Team A. “You six will be leaving Boston in two hours to fly to South Sudan. I hope that won’t be a hardship?”

All involved gave some form of a thumbs up.

The SOS team, of course, had already known the plan in advance, so the four involved with that part of the operation were more than ready to go.

Still, Baskins had to make it look good. “I’m sorry for the short notice, but we thought it would take more time for the CIA to track our man down. They were able to easily locate El-Umar, since he believed himself safe under the wing of the Vice President. It just goes to show, it never pays to get complacent.”

Missy was loving all the innuendoed-shade Baskins was throwing.

Baskins was still giving details. “Your tickets are being forwarded to your phones as we speak. And my suggestion is, travel light. You’ll be in and out fast. The turnaround at Juba International where the CIA will deliver El-Umar to you, is only two hours.”

Two hours? Shit.

Missy didn’t envy the travelers. Depending on the tickets the agency had procured, the flights might take twenty-one-hours each way, which bit the big one, but their tripcouldbe as long as thirty-five hours per leg, which really sucked.

There were going to be some bleary eyes among the crew when they returned.

On the other hand, that prolonged absence gave Missy at least two more days with Cobble, although now she was really going to have to watch her ass. She’d be fully on the bad-guys’ radar from this point on, which was why Chuck, as well as the SOS guys who weren’t heading for the South Sudan pick-up, would be dogging her every step and keeping watch over Tucker’s bungalow.

Good, but…

Maybe no outdoor sex.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Cobble thought he’d mastered the art of patience over the past fourteen years, but waiting for Andy to arrive back from her meeting had him pacing and swearing, even though he was currently in contact.

“Don’t worry,” she told him as he strode back and forth across the floor.

Right.Why was he so anxious, anyway? Andy had finished the meeting, gotten her car on the road, and she’d called him exactly as he’d requested. She actually sounded upbeat at the moment, still reassuring him.

“Mistah Prancingdeer and Mistah Seingold are tailing me, and…” She trailed off, humming strangely.

“Andy? What’s wrong?” He knew that overbright reaction of hers, and it was hiding something.

“Not a thing,” she stated heartily.

“Bullshit,” Cobble returned, his guts twisting into knots. “I know you. What aren’t you telling me?”

He heard a huge sigh.

“Well, theremightbe a gray sedan on my tail, but if that’s the case and I’m not imagining it, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Seriously?” Cobble spouted. “Do you need me to meet you somewhere?”

“Uv course not, doll.”

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