Page 49 of Lethal Game

“Good idea,” Con said with a toothy grin.

She rolled her eyes.

“No. Really.” Con was talking to Max now. “Itisa good idea. If she gets nabbed we can find her.”

“What’s to stop the bad guys from using such a chip to find me too?”

“How are they going to know?” Max asked.

“How did they know wheremyroom was last night?”

Con stared at her with an expression that made her shiver with dread. “That’s a good question. Where are they getting their info from?”

“You’re suggesting that we have a traitor on base providing information to Akbar?” Max asked.

“Money makes people do all sorts of things they normally wouldn’t. Then there’s the possibility that some radicalized kid has joined the American military so that they can cause havoc, sabotage equipment, people, and information.”

“We’ve considered that,” Max told her with a grim look. “It’s why we’re going to be changing how things are done in this part of the base. Changing things without informing anyone who doesn’t need to know.”

“I don’t know if that’s going to be enough,” Sophia said.

“It probably won’t,” Con put in. He paused for a moment, then said, “I’d like to make a request.”

“By all means,” Max said.

“I’d like to bring in a couple other Special Forces soldiers to help. If you’re right and we do get deployed to investigate an outbreak, I want men I can trust working with me to protect Sophia.”

“You have specific men in mind?”

“Yes. Both are currently training Afghan troops and could be pulled for this duty, no problem.”

“Give their names and particulars to Eugene. He’ll get it done.”

“Thank you, sir.” Con nodded and left the office, giving her a nod as well on his way out.

Sophia looked at her commanding officer and noted the dark bags under his eyes. “Things just got a lot harder.”

“We can’t let that stop us from doing what we must.”

“It won’t, but the danger to everyone is greater now. Not just to me, but you, too. What are you doing to protect yourself, Max?”

His mouth tightened. “General Stone has decided to assign me a bodyguard too.”

“Another Special Forces soldier?”

“Not exactly.” It was the way he said it, the stiffness in his shoulders and in his crossed arms, that told her who it was.

“Oh.SergeantStone.”

“Exactly.”

“I thought you liked her.”

“I do like her. That’s the problem.”

She thought about Con and how she felt about him, every confusing thing, and what it would do to her if he got hurt protecting her or took a bullet meant for her.

The thought was enough to make her stomach twist so hard it made breathing difficult.

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