Chances Are(2)

There was a monster loose in London.

Noah McCall stared grimly down at the pictures before him. Graphic police photographs, depicting the horror of a gruesome murder, screamed up at him, telling him that this killer had no remorse, no conscience. Noah had seen hundreds of crime scene photos and many of them had turned his stomach. None had affected him like these. Something had to be done to stop the bastard. And he might have the solution.

Slumping back into his chair, he rubbed the crease in the middle of his forehead as his mind searched for another way. Assisting the police in apprehending criminals wasn’t the norm for Last Chance Rescue but they’d done it on occasion. Operating beneath the radar often meant not getting involved even when they wanted to intervene or assist. LCR enjoyed a good relationship with law enforcement officials and stepping on their toes was a sure way to ruin it. However, this time the officials had come to him and asked for help. LCR had the resources to go deep cover, for months if necessary. They also had something else—highly skilled and trained operatives who could hunt down this bastard and stop him. Therein lay his dilemma.

LCR’s purpose was rescue. Each operative understood that victims came first and would risk their lives to save others. Noah’s number one concern was the safety of his employees. His operatives were in danger every day but they usually knew the monsters they pursued—pedophiles, human traffickers, and kidnappers were scum of the earth but a somewhat known evil. This was a different kind of creature—like nothing they’d ever hunted before.

His people were the best trained in the business. They could and would trap this fiend and end his reign of terror. Noah’s issues with this case came from one employee only. A trained operative who could kick butt with the best of them, shoot the whiskers off a cat without scaring it, and when necessary, lie better than anyone he’d ever known. But she had never worked an op in her life.

She had brought the case to him. With her knowledge of the inner workings of LCR, few things got past Angela. She knew they had been asked to help, she knew they had the expertise. And she wanted the op for herself. He had always known this day would come. He’d just never anticipated it would be on a case like this.

For years, Angela’s family obligations had prevented him from assigning her any missions. She had been responsible for their welfare. All of that had changed. Her entire family was now gone and Angela’s entire life had changed in an instant. One thing that hadn’t changed was her desire to become a field operative. Truth was, when she had told him she was ready to be a full-fledged operative, he had been relieved. For months, he’d watched her frozen in grief, zombie-like and merely existing. There was light in her eyes once again. Dammed if he wanted to douse their brightness.

With her skills, intelligence, and grit, he had every faith that Angela would be an excellent operative. What she lacked was experience. But was this the right assignment for her first time? A psycho-maniac who was abducting and torturing his victims before murdering them? This was a hell of an op to cut her teeth on.

The buzzer on his desk sounded. He sighed resignedly as he pressed the button. “Yes?”

“Can we talk about it?”

Her eagerness to get started was apparent. Hearing the excitement in her voice made him want to agree to anything just to keep it there. However, he refused to make a rash decision just because of that. “We can talk but I still haven’t made up my mind.”

“I’ll be right there.”

In spite of the grim nature of their upcoming discussion, Noah barked out a dry laugh. When she wanted something, Angela could talk a blue streak. He’d seen her wear down more than one person just by her sheer volume of words. Most of his operatives were taciturn at best. A dynamo with energy to spare, Angela could talk anyone into almost anything.

Her long-legged stride full of determination, she entered his office without knocking. Angela was one of LCR’s most valuable assets and, other than Noah, knew the organization better than anyone. She had been in her late teens when she’d responded to his advertisement for a receptionist. As an upstart rescue company, Noah and his friend and business partner Milo Evans, had no clue on how to go about finding good help. Milo had often commented that the good Lord was looking out for them when he’d sent Angela their way. They had been looking for someone to answer phones and discourage unwelcomed visitors. What they had gotten was a computer genius with research skills not even the government could match.

Noah had liked Angela’s energy and intelligence but most of all he had liked her loyalty to her loved ones. She had been determined to take on so much at such a young age and make it work. Even if she hadn't been a computer genius, he would have hired her.

There wasn't an LCR employee who didn't appreciate Angela’s contributions. She made everyone's job a thousand times easier and had saved lives in the process.

She dropped down into the chair across from him. “So, what's your biggest concern?”

Noah had intimidated more men and women than he could remember, but to his knowledge, he had never done that with Angela. She had always acted as if they'd known each other since birth.

“My biggest concern is that you could get yourself killed.”

“Since this guy is slicing and dicing his victims, that's a given. But whatever op I go on, something similar could happen.”

“The creeps we go after aren’t usually serial killers.”

He knew better than to encourage her to take some time off and just enjoy life. That argument had already been made and lost. After all she had been through, one would think she’d want to spread her wings, maybe even explore life outside the confines of LCR. When he’d made that suggestion, he had been reminded once again of Angela’s single-minded determination. When she wanted something, she went after it with everything within her. She wanted to be an active field operative. Now.

“There are plenty of other ops I can assign you. Dropping you into the deep end of the pool makes no sense. Only our most seasoned and experienced operatives should be on this case.”

“I'm well aware that I don't have the experience, Noah. And I know which operatives you’re assigning—remember, I saw your list. Eden, Shea, Sabrina and Riley are some of our best. But you trained me just like you trained them. I know what they know.”

“There are some things you can't get in a training session. Real world experience is a hell of a teacher.”

“So let me go out and get that experience.”

Noah shook his head. “We're talking around the issue. I know you've got the skills, I just don't know if throwing you to the wolves your first time out is a good idea.”

“Then assign someone to me who'll watch my back.”

That was a no-brainer. If he put her on this op, he already knew who she would be paired with. A former military man and ex-Chicago cop, Jake Mallory had the discipline and drive that Noah looked for in an LCR operative. He also possessed the protective, kick-ass attitude of a seasoned professional. And with the bond Noah had seen growing between the two, he knew that Jake would battle the fires of hell for Angela.

Apparently under the impression he was considering which operative he could partner her with, she added, “Seth and Honor already know this case. Assign Seth to me. Or how about Dylan? He just came off an op and—”

Noah held up his hand. This was the price he paid for having Angela know almost as much as he did about the inner workings of LCR. Normally he enjoyed her input but this was one thing he would decide for himself. Seth Cavanaugh and Dylan Savage were excellent operatives but not right for this particular mission. “Finding you a partner won’t be a problem. I’m just not sure—”

“Will you ever be absolutely sure, Noah? You’ve treated me like family from the moment I walked through LCR doors and I can’t even begin to express how much that means to me. Without your generous salary, I’m not sure how my family would have survived. But that’s in the past. Being an LCR operative is my future.”

She leaned forward, her dark, velvet brown eyes searing his. “It comes down to this. I’m an LCR employee. And I’m a trained operative. This is an operation I know I can handle. It’s time to let me be what you trained me to be.”

Noah stared deep into her eyes for several seconds; Angela met his gaze, unflinchingly, unwavering in her determination and confidence. Finally, he took a breath and said, “Three conditions.”

A brilliant light entered her eyes but she kept her expression serious. “Name them.”

“No rash decisions. Your partner will be the experienced one. He tells you to do something, you damn well do it. No arguments.”

She nodded. “Of course.”

“You go through a two-day refresher course. Weapons, self-defense, and physical stamina. If your trainer says you’re ready, you’re ready. If he says no, then you sit this one out.”

“No problem. And the third?”