25

Knuckles stood up and crossed the room, putting his hand over the camera lens and glaring at me, his expression telling me I was wrong, even as he knew he was asking me to swallow my pride.

He said again, “Let Jennifer handle this. Yeah, the Council loves you, but they aren’t Kurt Hale. After the last hit, he’ll wonder if you’re playing him.”

I heard Kurt say, “Move your damn hand. What the hell is going on there?”

I started to reply, because I was always right, and Knuckles held my eyes. I pulled my hand away from the microphone and said, “Nothing, sir. Just some team stuff.”

Knuckles smiled, saying, “Good job.”

I backed away from the computer, knowing it was just my ego talking, but it still hurt. I said, “Jennifer’s got something to say. Apparently, I’ll just stick a fork in your eye.”

Kurt laughed and said, “So old dogs can in fact learn new tricks. Putting in the A team now. Jennifer, what’s up?”

She sat down and said, “Hey, Kurt. You know I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think it worthy, but we went through the phones and computers inside the house, and they’re tangentially connected to a bunch of tethers inside Morocco. We haven’t found a direct thread to terrorism, but we have a lead with an American citizen in that country. From the email trail, it appears he’s in Granada, just south of here, trying to develop a new market for his marijuana. We have his face, and we have his target location. It’ll take a little work to locate him, but he’s real.”

Standing over Jennifer’s shoulder, I could see her argument didn’t cut a lot of weight. Kurt said, “So you want to bust up a nascent drug ring in Granada now? I don’t see a lot of payoff here. Only downside.”

“Except for the bank account. The guy we hit had no established use of that thing until two days ago. Someone gave him the access. And that someone is whom we’re hunting. I can’t tell you that we know the connection right now, but you let us through, and we’ll find it.”

Kurt said nothing, doing the tap routine with his fingers. Behind him, George said something too faint to hear. I didn’t know if it was good or bad.

Kurt talked to him for a few seconds, then returned to the screen. “You think this new guy is going to give you a thread? Beyond just another drug bust?”

Jennifer said, “Yes, I do. And you know where I stand.” She glanced at me and said, “I’m not saying that because I just want some high adventure.”

Which was a little insulting.

She went back to the screen and said, “It’s convoluted right now, I know, but there’s no way a bank account for a terrorist in the United States is innocently tied into a bank account for a drug dealer in Spain. Let us pick the thread. We won’t do any harm. Unless you let us, that is.”

I saw a rueful smile leak out of Kurt’s face. He said, “Is Pike still there?”

“Here, sir.”

“Is Knuckles there?”

“Here, sir.”

“Whose idea was it to put her on-screen? You or Pike?”

Knuckles said, “It was nobody’s idea. She just felt strongly about it.”

Kurt laughed and said, “Bullshit.”

Jennifer became incensed, saying, “What the hell does that mean? We’re trying to stop a terrorist attack. Why on earth does me on the computer matter—”

Kurt cut her off. “Calm down, Koko. You win. I know Pike inside and out, and I was prepared for his inevitable request, because I know what’s in his heart. I also know what’s in yours. And I’m giving you the go-ahead. Alpha only. Track the guy in Granada and report back.”

We all sat in silence for a second, amazed it had been that easy. Kurt said, “You guys still there?”

Belatedly, I said, “Yes, sir. Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just get me something that doesn’t involve you getting kidnapped. I can only sell that so many times. Show me some finesse.”

I said, “Sir, I promise this isn’t a fishing trip. Something bad is being planned, and I’m going to find out what it is.”

Kurt glanced at George behind him, then said, “I believe you. Give me some Pike magic.”

I said, “I will.”

He said, “But do it with a little Koko restraint, if you don’t mind.”

Jennifer beamed, then broke open the applecart. “So does that mean Carly gets a shot at selection? Giving a little female restraint to the Taskforce overall?”

Kurt’s eyes flew open, Knuckles practically did a rain dance, and I just sagged back. Nobody said anything for a couple of seconds, then Veep, the millennial of the group, said, “I don’t see why this is such a big deal. I’ve seen Jennifer in action.”

Knuckles whipped to him and snapped, “Shut the fuck up.”

Knuckles flicked his eyes back and forth between Jennifer and me, caught between the conventions of the Taskforce and his experience working with her. It was the same place I’d been in when I’d first met Jennifer. But back then, I’d been kicked out of the Taskforce and had no constraints on me, unlike Knuckles.

He was still on active duty, and I knew the pressure he was under. We still lived in a he-man women-hating club, and he was worried about his reputation, even as he was silently plugging for Carly. He didn’t understand what I had learned: His reputation would stand for itself. Just like mine had. And if Carly was worthy of the attempt—which I wasn’t convinced of just yet—nothing he did would alter that one way or the other.

From the VPN Kurt said, “Just get to Granada. Carly will take care of herself. If it even matters.”

He disconnected.

Knuckles lightly smacked the back of Jennifer’s head, causing her to say, “What did I do?”

He started to retort, and I cut in, defusing the situation. Becoming the team leader again. “Let’s get packed and check out. I want to be in the air in less than sixty minutes.”