Game of Dust and Ashes (Book Two in the Covert Operations series)

Nine

Still, he covered it well with that good-natured grin. "Hey, Tash. I'm glad that you're here."

"Max! How good to see you! Seems like it's been awhile."

He shrugged and set the groceries down so he could give her a brisk one-armed hug. "About eight months or so I think. Before Lia and I went to Rome."

"That's right! Good trip?"

Max nodded. "It was. A much needed vacation. I may need another one after this fiasco ends."

"I may join you," I threw in and Lia winked at me in approval.

Tasha grinned and her eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. "I'm in. Now, what do you need me to do tonight?"

"Right. Back to the topic at hand...You could get us into the security system at the airport. Cedric was going to do it so that we had some eyes in the sky during this whole thing but since you're here you may as well take over that mantle. It'll free him up on the other end."

Max and Lia murmured their assents to that and Tasha reached for her computer in her bag. "I'll get started now. JFK has some of the tightest airport security I've seen. They got a new system installed a few months ago. It may take me a little while to get in but I'll do it. Just give me a couple of hours."

"Sounds good," I said but she was already paying me no mind as she began to type furiously on the keys.

I fired a text to Cedric, telling him of the change of plans and that he no longer needed to hack JFK security. Lia and Max stepped into the adjoining room, murmuring in quiet voices. A few minutes after the text was sent, my phone rang and Cedric's name flashed across my screen.

"Ok seriously, how much sleep are you operating on?" I asked as I picked up the call. When we'd gotten off the phone the night before, it had been past five a.m. his time. It was half-past-nine in New York meaning that for him it was three-thirty in the afternoon in Geneva. He should have been at the GCCO for work right now.

"Called in sick this morning and skipped. I'm good," Cedric answered but I heard him yawn as he spoke. "But I appreciate the concern."

I pursed my lips and sank down onto the couch. "You shouldn't be doing that on my behalf. I don't want to get you in trouble with Helena."

"I talked to her this morning and gave her a really brief rundown. Bottom line is that she knows I'm helping you. Officially, I'm sick but unofficially she's put me on your case for now. Everything else I had on my plate has been reassigned."

"She really did that?" I was surprised. While she'd been helping me by keeping my identity a secret, I'd always been under the assumption that it was a reluctant partnership.

"She likes you. You're one of the best field agents we've got."

I snorted. "Oh yeah? Is that why I've been on asset securement since I joined?"

Cedric's voice took on a hesitant tone. "You might not believe it but I think she was trying to protect you. Keeping you away from high-profile cases probably meant that there was less chance of your real identity leaking. No one really cares about the operatives who do asset securement. It's important, don't get me wrong, but you don't make as many enemies. I think Helena was trying to watch your back."

"Maybe you're right," I conceded after a moment of silence. It did make a bit of sense, though I still wasn't happy about being sidelined for my own safety. The only one who could bench me was me.