Spy Games (Tarnished Heroes #1)(62)

“How’d Andy look when you saw him?” Hector asked.

“Rough. I’d say whatever job he just got off of ran him down.”

Hector grunted by way of a reply.

Rand didn’t exactly find comfort in how connected they all were. He’d known of Noah because of Hector and a job they did together. Rand had met Andy while he was still a SEAL. Each one knew pieces about him, slices of his real life. He’d rather more separation between them all.

“And now we— Fuck.”

A guy with a shaved head, wearing slacks, a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and aviator sunglasses tugged at the passenger door.

Noah White.

Hector rolled the window down a quarter of an inch. “Get in the back.” He unlocked the car.

Noah slid into the backseat, leaning forward to drape his arms over the back of the front seats. He pulled a toothpick from between his teeth and grinned at Rand.

“Duncan, what are you doing here?” Noah nudged Rand’s shoulder.

“Change of plans.” Hector eased the car back out into the flow of traffic.

“Oh, yeah?”

“What can you tell us about working for Irene?”

Noah pushed his aviators up on top of his head, his pale green eyes searching Rand’s face.

“Irene’s…a character. What can I say?” Noah’s tone changed. He was leaving shit out.

“In your time working with her, did you ever get the feeling she wasn’t the only one in the know about your assignments?” Hector glanced in the rearview mirror.

“What are you trying to say? Spit it out.” Noah jabbed the air with his toothpick.

“Someone sold out another contractor.” Rand wouldn’t name names, but that much should be enough. In the scheme of things, the company cared about their own first, then their intelligence assets. Contractors like Noah and Rand rated farther down the totem pole. One could easily be subbed in for another in most cases.

“Shit. You think it’s the princess.” Noah shook his head. “Can’t say it would surprise me.”

“Why’s that?” Rand twisted to face Noah.

“Look, I always assumed it was just because she’s a woman, but it always seemed…I don’t know. Different. We never really gelled. She was pretty vicious. Cutthroat. People like that have priorities. Anyone else you think might be good for it? Gotta consider the whole playing field.”

“Ever worked with a guy named McConnel?” Rand asked.

“Can’t say that I have.”

“McConnel has been poking around. Seems that some of his old cases are under investigation.” Hector rounded the block and then turned, heading off in a new direction.

“What’s this McConnel’s deal?” Noah asked.

“His guy died because of the burned contractor,” Rand said before Hector could give too much away.

“Fuck. Okay, so the company’s got a mole.”

“Has to be. The Chinese found us way too fast last night.”

“The Chinese? Shit, man, you get the exciting jobs.” Noah’s upper lip curled. This white-collar gig had to chafe. Rand hoped it lasted the next ten years.

“Only Irene and I knew where you were and how to contact you,” Hector said.

“Sounds like the princess is on the take. So what are we going to do about it?” Noah grinned.

“Can you look into her?” Rand would put the same request to Andy, see what both men came back with. This was the other reason he didn’t want Sarah here. She still trusted Irene in a way that didn’t make sense. If he was going to sic Noah and Andy on her, Sarah had to be in the dark about it.

“Sure.” Noah shrugged. “That it?”

“No. What do you know about an auction happening at the Chinese embassy?”

“Intelligence auction. The uppers are in a tizzy over it because the Chinese are being tight-lipped about what they want to offload. Some people say it’s a con, others think it must be super legit if they’re so mum about it.”

Rand glanced at Hector. It made sense if the Chinese couldn’t access the intel, they’d offload it to someone else to wash their hands of the blame. Turn a quick profit.

“I need you to get me into that auction,” Rand said.

“Shoot, that’s easy. One catch?”

Rand didn’t like the way Noah was grinning.

“I’m coming with you.”

Oh, fuck that.

…

Sarah’s head jerked up at the sound of the bell clattering against the door. The sun shining in through the front windows put the coffee shop patron in silhouette.

She sank down lower in her seat. She’d scored the tiny table at the very back of the shop in a corner but still felt too exposed.

The figure stepped farther in, bypassing the counter and heading straight for Sarah.

“Oh, thank God.” She sighed and slumped, knots of tension easing finally.

“You look like you could use that tea.” Irene sat in the seat closest to the wall, tilting her body. Probably so she could get a line of sight on the door, same reason Sarah had sat where she did.

“Want some?”

“No, thanks. How you been?” Irene’s gaze roved over Sarah’s face. “You sounded frazzled.”