Page 146 of Sinful Crown
“Can’t use a contaminated sample,” she retorted, her face a mask of professionalism. “Let’s see the finger.”
She may or may not have jabbed him harder than necessary. “Full name,” she asked.
“Jason William Reilly.”
She turned away. The results, as expected, were inconclusive. Whoever this Jason Reilly was, his DNA wasn’t in her normal database. No matter. By the time they got him to headquarters, she’d know who he really was.
She considered the man. Tall, almost as tall as Mac. And almost as big. His tech clothes could have come straight from RAVEN’s employee stash. Only his clothes were far more well-worn. Former military for sure. Most people would have flinched when Mac approached.
“SEAL?” she guessed.
He shook his head. “The Unit. Delta Force.”
Great. Not that she and Liv and Mac couldn’t manage one dinged-up special forces type, but a man with his kind of training would require special handling.
Another complication.
They’d already planned to bring Munsinger to headquarters until they had a clear path for his disappearance completed. No reason they couldn’t bring along his sidekick. For now.
She grabbed the palm-sized flashlight from her utility belt and clicked it on, sweeping the beam over the man’s side. Blood. Enough to worry about. “Need pain meds?”
“Doing great. Thanks,” he gritted out.
He swayed side to side. Nothing obvious, but the small movements told her just how much pain he was in. “Your sour mood suggests otherwise.”
“Fine. I’m hurting.”
“Too bad. I’m fresh out of meds.”
His jaw dropped. “You are one hard woman.”
“Thanks.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
“Maybe not to you.” Alex started prepping for departure. “Hard people are the only ones who make it in my business.”
She swept the two men for bugs, confiscating and destroying the burner Munsinger used to contact them. Her eyes narrowed at the army-trained stowaway. “My sensor’s not picking up your phone. Is it powered off?”
“Don’t have it,” he replied.
“Right. Sure.”
He mumbled something about forgetting it in his plane.
Alex rolled her eyes so hard it was almost audible. “Wow. Quite the operative there. Did you leave your common sense in the plane too, or is that just permanently misplaced?”
Army’s jaw clenched, his temper visibly rising. “Listen, lady. I’ve been a little preoccupied keeping your ‘client’ alive.”
“He’s right!” Munsinger chimed in, his voice high and excited. “The major’s been amazing! He’s like ... like Jason Bourne, but with a better haircut and?—”
“Gravy,” Army cut him off, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Not helping.”
Alex bit back a laugh. Genuine this time. “My sincerest apologies. I didn’t realize I was in the presence of such a legendary secret agent. Tell me, double-oh-seven, does forgetting basic operational security come standard with your hero package, or is that an upgrade?”
That bit of snark earned her a serious glare.
A headache was building behind her eyes. This was not how things were supposed to go. Disappearing someone required meticulous planning, exquisite attention to detail, and a client who followed instructions.
