The Reckoning - BLACKBIRD book 3

11. the outsider

"When would we start?" asked Hank.

"Just like the troopers, the feds need at least ten working days to get the paperwork through, so we would start by the first week of April."

"April's fool," mumbled Kurt, propelling Tanya's elbow to sink between his ribs like a spear. "Ouch!"

"Russell would be in charge of our formal instruction on—let me word it right—the Bureau's Standard Protocols on Procedures, Conduct and Administration. I hope you heard the capitalization. I swear I did when he said that."

All of them looked at her with a neon sign on their faces—you gotta be kidding. She raised her eyebrows.

"Let's thank God it's gonna be Russell giving us the crash course, not Cooper or Brockner."

"Now that you mention it," said Ron. "What about the... gear, should I call it? Do they want us to live in a suit like Brockner and the other agents?"

"Be at ease, my child, that won't be necessary. Maybe they expect us to be a little more formal, but not to the suit extent. Let's say that you guys can follow Russell's sense of fed fashion and it'll be just fine."

"We're doomed," teased Fred. "I don't wanna be a skinhead."

They allowed themselves to chuckle and relax a little.

"We'd attend the field office every day to take our Proper Fed 101 course, and when Russell thinks we're ready, we'll be assigned a workspace for all of us, and start working."

"What about me?" asked Ron, concern clouding his voice.

"If you can attend the course with us, it'd be great. Else I'll give you some home-schooling. You can join us whenever your doctor clears you to move around, 'cause sure as hell we'll have paperwork to do. And once you're cleared to be back to the field, you're on. In the meantime, you'll get the regular salary of a field agent on leave for lesions in the line of duty. After all, you did get your lesions on an attack against a bank, which is federal jurisdiction."

They all nodded their approval at her words, and Gillian saw Ron's smile reflected his relief.

"I owe you big, Reg," he said.

"You owe me shit," she replied with a warm smile.

"And what d'you think about this?" asked Aldana. "Isn't it just too good to be true? I mean, after what Brockner said, the very big shot comes to knock on your door with such a proposition... Where's the catch?"

Gillian took a moment to consider Aldana's realistic question.

"What Brockner said?" repeated Fred, frowning. "What're you talking about?"

"Looks like uptight Agent Brockner doesn't think we cut it to join his precious Bureau."

"What?" the others asked at the same time.

Gillian dismissed it by shaking her head. "Never mind what he said, he made the big shot curious enough about us to be here now. So he actually did us a favor."

"Then what's the catch, Reg?" repeated Hank.

"I don't know, lads," she said, shrugging. "I actually don't see any, and I can't smell one either. The man has his own agenda, but I'm not quite sure it involves us directly. He looks more like the kind of long-shot guy."

"So you trust him?" asked Tanya.

"Yeah, sort of. Don't get me wrong. He's ambitious. I'm sure he aims for no less than the FBI's big golden chair in the long run. But he's not a newbie at the game. He knows we're a good bet, and that he'll double his call in results, so he's willing to grant us some special treatment. If we can fit in and function, we keep the job and all the credit goes to him. If not, it's just a transitory setback for him, and it's been a pleasure for us. But that would happen to us at any job, right?"

The rest of them traded consulting looks.

"Let's do it, Reg," Ron said for all of them.

Kurt sniffed the air and flashed a wolfish smile. "The pizzas are out of the oven," he announced.

Fred opened the door and let the host into the family room and the kitchen, where they found Connor watching closely how Russell seasoned Cassidy's sauce.

"Lay the table and get the drinks, guys," Russell said.

Cassidy almost climbed to the breakfast bar, to keep from being trampled by the sudden coming and going of the whole team all over the kitchen. Connor brought two pizzas to the table and Russell waved for his boss to take a seat. Cassidy moved his eyes over the faces, like counting heads, and frowned.

"We ain't waiting for Brockner?" he asked, and he couldn't help but notice the puzzled frowns on every face.

Gillian looked up at him with yet another ironic smile. So this was how he did things. Good to know. "Nice try, Cassidy," she said, and explained to the others, "He thinks I'm sleeping with Brockner."

The team burst out in a long, loud laughter. Cassidy sat down by Russell with a slight frown.

"I was just asking," he muttered to Russell, as to explain himself.

"And I think you got your answer, sir."