Deadly Testimony (Safeguard #2)(11)

“Part of Safeguard Division’s longevity is going to rely on the contracts we acquire.” Diaz glanced in the direction of their guests and back to her. “Building a good working relationship with police and US Marshals would be an advantage. I’d rather work with them when the situation calls for it.”

Relations with local authorities were a major factor to consider in any mission. They could be a big help or could become a dangerous risk. She could see where Diaz was going.

“They don’t seem too eager about working with me.”

“Consider it a stretch for your diplomacy skills.” Diaz grinned. “Come out on the other side of this in one piece and maybe we’ll have established a solid precedent for working together in the future.”

“Huh.” She’d stay noncommittal on the idea.

Commitment was part of her problem.

It was easy when she was responsible only for herself.

“I’ll be going silent for the duration.” It was her preferred mode of operation. It should be a simple couple of days. If anyone was trying to find Yeun, they wouldn’t get his location from any intercepted communications between her and Safeguard.

They could take precautions against it, of course. Their technical expertise was some of the best. But the tricky thing in their business tended to be the knack their fellow mercenaries had in one-upmanship. There was always someone coming up with something better.

The only way to be sure there was no information leak was to have no communication at all.

Diaz nodded. “You know our schedule. Make contact if anything goes out of the ordinary.”

“It’s what I do.”

“Yes.” She’d tossed it out as an old joke. Diaz was serious though. “It is. For a few hours or a night. You excel at the short solo missions, even have issues with authority. It’s time to quit thinking of those points as badges of honor.”

She bristled, defensive. “Don’t go all big brother on me.”

“Consider it constructive feedback from your commander,” Diaz shot back. “We’ve worked together a long time. If there’s anyone I can send out solo, it’s you. If you can manage a mission in three or four hours, you can do the same over longer assignments. We both know it. But it’s time to acknowledge the fact that you don’t like taking responsibility for other people. You won’t take a team for longer than a few hours.”

“I can work in a fire team long-term.” Well, she’d done well in Diaz’s fire team. There’d been plenty of others where they could function but they’d never gelled as a group.

“And you used to be able to lead one.” Diaz had access to her file. He also knew her background. “Lead and pair with a spotter within the same team.”

She ground her teeth and didn’t respond.

“Most shooters work with a spotter.” He stood after a moment and walked over to his desk. “Whether you go back to the main Centurion Corporation with another fire team or stay here, it’d be optimal for you to be willing to partner up again, Lizzy.”

“Victoria and Marc are partnered. You lead.” She counted out her team members on the fingers of one hand. “Me as a solo distance shooter worked fine. It could in another fire team too.”

There was a chance. A small one. Theirs had been a particularly good combination. It’d take a long while to grow into the same sort of comfortable rapport with a new team.

“Or we could continue to give you specific contracts.” Diaz leaned against his desk. “There are good lead positions where you could provide cover from a distance and have eyes on the site without being down on the ground. Harte has several contracts where you’d come in handy.”

They didn’t just want surveillance. The Centurion Corporation followed a particular moral code, but it didn’t mean all the work they did was particularly virtuous. Taking on more jobs as a lone sniper meant she would be further focusing her skill set toward a narrower field. Eliminating specified targets.

Assassinations.

“This is a good time to decide where you want your career to go, Lizzy.” Diaz had lowered his voice to a quieter tone. “You’re good at what you do now.”

“I can be good at anything I decide to do.” It came out before she had the chance to consider. It was an automatic defensive response. Because Diaz wasn’t quite right about something he’d mentioned earlier. She still had a point to prove.

It might not be to him. Definitely wasn’t anything she needed to demonstrate to Victoria or Marc or any of the people currently with Safeguard.

No. She’d just spent so long proving to anyone who came anywhere within her sphere of influence that she was who she was, she wasn’t exactly sure what to do now.

Diaz was right. It was time to move on to the next step. She had no idea what direction it would be in. So she did what came easy.

“First things first.” She rose from the armchair. “I’ve got a job to do.”





Chapter Five

“You can’t be serious.”

Isabelle hustled Kyle Yeun into the small apartment when he stopped in his tracks at the door.

Over the past couple of hours, they’d taken a circuitous route out of Seattle before swapping cars and coming back into the city. It might’ve seemed ridiculous to some but if Yeun was being followed, convincing anyone watching him that he’d left the city for a few days was ideal. Officers Austin and Weaver had followed in a separate car at a distance along the same route while Marshal Decker had made visual contact at preplanned touch points along the way.